Results 1,341-1,360 of 11,893 for speaker:Roderic O'Gorman

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Mother and Baby Homes (23 Jul 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I have contacted the Payment Scheme Office in relation to this matter. I understand that a technical issue resulted in some emails, including the one in question, being marked as actioned and therefore not receiving a response. The Payment Scheme Office are looking into the matter further to ensure that this does not happen again and have apologised for this incident. The email address in...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Ukraine War (23 Jul 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: In May 2024, the Government agreed that Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection in state-provided serviced accommodation should receive the same level of payment regardless of when they arrived. The Minister for Social Protection and I, and our respective officials are liaising on the operational arrangements to give effect to this change, with a lead-in time to allow details to be finalised...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Funding (23 Jul 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Capital funding has been set aside for early learning and childcare capital projects over the period 2024 - 2026 under the revised National Development Plan (NDP). This will enable significant investment in early learning and childcare. Between 2024-2026, my Department is delivering capital investment through the Building Blocks Capacity Grant Scheme. The scheme will operate over two strands,...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Youth Services (23 Jul 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1824 and 1825 together. The estimated total cost to implement a 12% increase in funding for Youth Organisations and Services, B06 in my Department's budget, would be €9,353,760, as outlined in the following table. B06 Funding (Current) for Youth Organisations and Services (Part funded by the National Lottery) Grant Scheme Funding provided under B06...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Direct Provision System (23 Jul 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) cannot comment on individual cases. However, I can confirm that the details supplied have been shared with the IPAS Resident Welfare Team. IPAS is always available to deal with any complaints from residents and residents are encouraged to engage with IPAS if they are unhappy with any aspect of their accommodation. Where a complaint is...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Schemes (23 Jul 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: According to my Department’s records, a reply to the correspondence cited by the Deputy issued on June 12th this year. My officials have begun work on a review of the UBU Your Place Your Space scheme, which will inform policy on how best to allocate funding to support young people who are disadvantaged, marginalised or vulnerable. In respect of the queries regarding the UBU Your Place...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (23 Jul 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I am advised by my officials that compliance issues had been identified in the property where the family to which the Deputy refers is accommodated. These have now been resolved and the relocation of this family is no longer required. While I cannot go into detail on specific compliance cases, compliance issues include but are not limited to: The health, safety and wellbeing of Beneficiaries...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (23 Jul 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1832 to 1841, inclusive, together. A Community Engagement Team (CET) has been established within the Department of Integration to engage directly with elected representatives, relevant Local Authorities, Local Development Companies, and other entities and individuals. The purpose of the team is to improve the flow of information regarding arrivals into areas...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Youth Services (23 Jul 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department has carried out a significant reform process in respect of youth funding schemes. in recent years. In 2019, my Department launched the new UBU Your Place Your Place targeted youth funding scheme, which consolidates a number of legacy youth funding schemes. UBU is now on its second cycle, and my officials are working on a review of the scheme. This review will inform the policy...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (23 Jul 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: On 27 March 2024, Government agreed a new Comprehensive Accommodation Strategy (CAS) for International Protection (IP) applicants. This strategy seeks to address the current accommodation shortfall, while reforming the system in the longer term, to ensure the State will be able to meet its international commitments. Accommodation in the new strategy will be delivered through the following...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (23 Jul 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Over the past eight budgets, investment in early learning and childcare has risen from €260 million in 2015 to €1.109 billion in 2024. The First 5 investment target of €1 billion was met in 2023, 5 years ahead of time. This unprecedented investment speaks to the commitment of Government in prioritising early learning and childcare services. The table below outlines the...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Immigration Policy (23 Jul 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The most recent research published on immigration in Ireland is a report from the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) published in March 2024: Attitudes towards immigration and refugees in Ireland: Understanding recent trends and drivers, Jointly-published Reports 5, Dublin: ESRI and Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, .

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (23 Jul 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: An Expert Group was convened in 2019 to review the funding model for early learning and childcare and make recommendations for a new funding model. The Expert Group engaged in a widespread programme of stakeholder consultation as part of this two year project, engaging with parents, providers, the workforce, and other stakeholders. In December 2021, Government adopted all 25 recommendations...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (23 Jul 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Ensuring access to quality and affordable early learning and childcare is a key priority of Government. The level of capacity has risen substantially year-on-year between 2022 and 2023 as evidenced by survey data collected by Pobal, by administrative data from Core Funding and the National Childcare Scheme and registration data collected by Tusla. However, there is also evidence that demand...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (23 Jul 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: In September 2022, I launched Together for Better, the new funding model for early learning and childcare. This new funding model supports the delivery of early learning and childcare for the public good. Together for Better brings together the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme, the Access and Inclusion Model (AIM), the National Childcare Scheme (NCS), Core Funding and the...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (23 Jul 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The expansion of funding opportunities for early year’s educators and school-age childcare practitioners to upskill was a key commitment in Nurturing Skills, the Workforce Plan for Early Learning and Care and School-Age Childcare, 2022-2028 which I launched in December 2021. Nurturing Skills aims to build on the significant progress already made in raising skill levels across the early...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Disability Services (23 Jul 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) was introduced in 2016 to ensure that children with additional needs or a disability could access and meaningfully participate in the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme. Its goal is to empower pre-school providers to deliver an inclusive pre-school experience, ensuring that every eligible child can meaningfully participate in the ECCE...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Child and Family Agency (23 Jul 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: It is a matter for Tusla to process an FOI request submitted to them and these requests are processed accordingly under the Freedom of Information Act, 2014. Tusla has however furnished the following information which you may find informative. Tusla embraces the principles of openness, transparency and accountability, both in the pursuance of its statutory role in accordance with the Child...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (23 Jul 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection Up to 18 July 2024, there were 41,229 Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTP) reported as availing of DCEDIY contracted accommodation nationally. The Department publishes regular statistical reports on the Accommodation of BOTPs. It is not considered appropriate to publish information relating to persons or the location of their place of residence....

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (23 Jul 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: As of 14 July, there are more than 31,000 people accommodated in the International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) system as a whole (of whom 8,112 are children) compared with approximately 8,700 people at the end of February 2022. The Department of Integration has increased IPAS capacity by more than 400% since 2020, from just under 7,000 people on 31 December 2020 to presently more...