Results 1,361-1,380 of 11,893 for speaker:Roderic O'Gorman

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

Roderic O'Gorman: Since I became Minister I have secured increases in current funding for youth from €61.8 million in 2020 to €77.95 million in Budget 2024, a 26% increase overall. The UBU Your Place Your Space funding distributed under this scheme has increased during this time by 28%, from €37.3 million to €47.9 million in 2024. The total funding allocated to City of Dublin ETB...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department is currently carrying out a mapping exercise in respect of youth services, which will include the premises currently used for youth services and help to identify gaps and shortfalls in the availability of spaces for youth services. This analysis is necessary to enable the Department to determine how best to direct capital funding over the period ahead. While this research is...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department provides funding to youth services on the recommendation of the local Education and Training Board on the basis of the 'provision of a service' basis to meet the needs of the youth population in an area which are identified by the relevant ETB. As the State is not the employer of the youth workers , we do not set salary rates for workers in this sector. I recognise the...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: The Programme for Government contains a number of commitments for early learning and childcare, including reforming the system to create one that brings together the best of community and private provision and the development of a new funding model for affordable, accessible, sustainable and high quality early learning and childcare. An Expert Group was established in September 2019 to...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: I acknowledge that many early learning and care (ELC) and school-age childcare (SAC) services report staffing challenges in relation to recruitment and retention. In general, staffing pressures in the sector are caused not by insufficient supply of qualified personnel, but by high levels of staff turnover. In line with commitments in First 5, in December 2021, I launched Nurturing Skills:...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: Over the past nine budgets, investment in early learning and childcare has risen from €260 million in 2015 to €1.1 billion in 2024. Despite this unprecedented increase in investment, I accept that the level of investment is still behind international norms. It is important to note that international comparisons on investment in early learning and childcare are to be treated with...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: I have received the Pre-Budget Submission for Budget 2025 from the Independent Youth Work Projects Dublin (IYWP-D), and its contents have been noted. Budget 2025 is currently being considered by Government in the context of the annual estimates process. As this is ongoing, the Deputy will appreciate that it would not be appropriate for me to comment further at this stage.

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

Roderic O'Gorman: Investment in early learning and childcare is at unprecedented levels with public funding for the first time reaching more than €1 billion in 2023 – a clear demonstration from Government of the value of the sector. The overwhelming majority of this funding is allocated through Together for Better, the new funding model, which comprises the ECCE programme including AIM, the NCS,...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: The below figures account for services who had an active contract during the relevant programme call (i.e. between 14thSeptember 2022 – 31stAugust 2023 for year 1, 1stSeptember 2023 – present for year 2) and have an application status of withdrawn – meaning they withdrew from the scheme and remained open. - Programme Year 2 (September 2023/ August 2024) ...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: As the subject matter of the Deputy's question relates to an operational matter for Tusla, I have referred the matter to them for a direct reply.

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

Roderic O'Gorman: The below figures account for services who had an active contract during the relevant programme call (i.e. between 14thSeptember 2022 – 31stAugust 2023 for year 1, 1stSeptember 2023 – present for year 2) and have an application status of withdrawn – meaning they withdrew from the scheme and remained open. - Programme Year 1 (September 2022 / August 2023) Programme...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: Each year Pobal compiles data from early learning and childcare providers as part of the Early Years Sector Profile Survey. The most recently published fee data for the 2022/23 programme year indicates that the average* weekly fee per child in early learning and care before subsidies was €190 for full day, €110 for part-time, and €75 for sessional. There is a large degree...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: As the State does not employ staff in early learning and care (ELC) and school-age childcare (SAC) services, neither I nor my Department set wage levels or determine working conditions for staff in the sector. ELC and SAC services are private businesses and their policies on operating hours and staffing are a matter for the service provider. As such, the decision to close a service during...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: The Department of Integration does not collate the information in the manner requested by the Deputy. However, the commercial accommodation costs outlined below include the cost for modular homes, direct provision centres privately operated, hotels and bed-and-breakfasts. The Department does not provide a further breakdown of these costs at this time. Please see, in tabular format, the costs...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department's invoicing system does not categorise by commercial accommodation type (for example by breaking down by B&Bs, hotel, hostel etc.). The below table outlines the expenditure on Commercial Accommodation, Local Authority Emergency Accommodation and expenditure on Rapid Build Modular Housing between 2023 and 2024 (as of 17/07/2024). Accommodation Type 2024 (17/07/2024)...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1904 to 1906, inclusive, together. The Department of Integration and the International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) have responsibility for the provision of accommodation to people seeking international protection (IP). Labour Market Access applications for those seeking IP are made through the Department of Justice. The data requested in relation...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: The Department of Integration is currently working, in co-operation with the Department of Defence and the Defence Forces, to use Columb Barracks for temporary refugee accommodation purposes. In response to the growing accommodation crisis, there was an urgent need to make immediate provisions on State-owned sites. As part of a government wide response, the Department of Defence licenced part...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1911 and 1912 together. I wish to inform the Deputy that Tusla, the Child and Family Agency administers the Family Resource Centre (FRC) Programme, which supports 121 FRCs throughout the country. My Department allocates core funding for the FRC Programme through Tusla, which amounts to some €24 million in 2024. Tusla has advised my Department that the...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: I acknowledge that those working in the Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School-Age Childcare (SAC) sector do not receive the recognition they deserve. The role of the early years educator and school-age childcare practitioner are valuable ones and they play an important part in supporting children's development, learning and care. In line with commitments in First 5, in December 2021, I...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: This is a matter for my cabinet colleague, the Minister for Education.