Results 1,421-1,440 of 11,687 for speaker:Roderic O'Gorman

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (11 Jun 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Deputy for this question. A response will be provided directly to the Deputy in the coming days. The Deputy may wish to be aware that the Community Engagement Team has been established within my Department which stands ready to respond to queries of this nature, and they may be contacted directly at community@equality.gov.ie

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Funding (11 Jun 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Foster carers play a vital role in the care of our most vulnerable children. The placement of a child in foster care is the preferred option for children who cannot live with their family of origin. It enables children in State care to live in a safe, secure, and stable home environment. The current rate of foster care allowance is €350 per week for children aged under 12 and...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (11 Jun 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) is a programme of supports designed to ensure that children with disabilities can access the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme. Its goal is to empower Early Learning and Care (ELC) providers to deliver an inclusive pre-school experience, ensuring that every eligible child can meaningfully participate in the ECCE Programme and reap the...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (11 Jun 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) currently operates in tandem with the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme and as such, provision of AIM supports are currently linked with ECCE participation and hours of operation. Up until now, a key support - additional funding to providers to enable a lower adult-child ratio – was allocated for the duration of the ECCE programme...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (11 Jun 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Since the outset of the war in Ukraine in early 2022, over 107,000 Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTPs) have arrived in Ireland and over 84,000 of those have been referred to my Department seeking accommodation from the State. Due to the urgent need to source accommodation, a broad range of accommodation types were contracted, hotels, guesthouses and B&Bs, hostels, self-catering...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (11 Jun 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 645 to 647, inclusive, together. There are currently over 31,000 people accommodated in the International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) system as a whole (of whom over 7,680 are children) compared with approximately 8,700 people at the end of February 2022. Weekly and Monthly statistics are available publicly on the gov.ie at the links below: gov.ie...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (11 Jun 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Since the outset of the war in Ukraine in early 2022, Ireland is currently providing accommodation to approximately 76,000 people between those fleeing Ukraine and International Protection applicants. This includes over 45,000 Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTPs) currently in DCEDIY supported accommodation and approximately 31,000 International Protection applicants currently in IPAS...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Direct Provision System (11 Jun 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: In February 2021 A White Paper to End Direct Provision and establish a new International Protection Service was published. The paper set out a new approach for accommodating applicants that seek International Protection (IP) in Ireland and contains three core themes – accommodation, integration and supports. There is a legal obligation on the state to meet the requirements under the EU...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Mother and Baby Homes (11 Jun 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: While I try to be helpful at all times in the parliamentary process, the Deputy will be aware that I cannot be involved in individual cases and cannot comment on same. The legislation underpinning the Payment Scheme - the Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme Act 2023 - specifically provides for the explicit independence of the Chief Deciding Officer in administering the application...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (11 Jun 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The ECCE Programme is a free, universal two-year preschool programme available to all children within the eligible age range, funded by my Department, with payments made to approved ECCE providers. The key issue of concern for this parent relates to an ECCE compliance inspection of their child's approved ECCE provider, which was conducted by Pobal on behalf of my Department on 12 March 2024,...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (11 Jun 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The National Childcare Scheme (NCS) provides financial support to help families with their early learning and childcare costs. There are two types of subsidies available for children aged between 24 weeks and 15 years of age:A universal subsidy which is not means tested and provides €1.40 per hour for a maximum of 45 hours per week;An income-assessed subsidy which is means tested and...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (11 Jun 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The National Childcare Scheme (NCS) is a national scheme that provides financial support to help families with their early learning and childcare costs. There are two types of subsidies available:A universal subsidy which is not means tested and provides €1.40 per hour towards the cost of a registered childcare place for a maximum of 45 hours per week. This rate will increase to...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Adoption Services (11 Jun 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: There is no expedited process for intercountry adoptions, particularly in circumstances of war, civil unrest, where a natural disaster has occurred, or the displacement of people due to these events. Intercountry adoption should not be considered in the first instance as a solution/humanitarian response to these very difficult events. Ireland is a signatory to the 1993 Hague Convention on the...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Ukraine War (11 Jun 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Department engages with relevant stakeholders and accommodation service providers as appropriate to ensure that international protection applicants placed in accommodation in isolated areas will have access to transportation for basic requirements. The International Protection Procurement Service (IPPS) try to ensure in as far as possible that International Protection (IP) applicants are...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Ukraine War (11 Jun 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Deputy for her question. The Health Service Executive (HSE) is responsible for the provision of community medical services, including doctor and GP services. I have referred this question to the HSE for response.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Maternity Leave (11 Jun 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Maternity Protection Act 1994 and the Maternity Protection (Amendment) Act 2004 provide a pregnant employee with six months of paid maternity leave and an additional 16 weeks of unpaid leave. All forms of family leave are kept under review to ensure that they are effective in supporting families and children. In October I announced plans to introduce legislation to allow women undergoing...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Mother and Baby Homes (11 Jun 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme recognises time spent in a Mother and Baby Institution and, in this way, the associated harsh conditions endured over a period of time. The requirement for children to have spent at least 180 days in a relevant institution is not intended to disregard or diminish any person’s experience and Government recognises that there are people who...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (11 Jun 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Deputy for this question. A response will be provided directly to the Deputy in the coming days.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (11 Jun 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The ECCE Programme is a free, universal two-year preschool programme available to all children within the eligible age range, funded by my Department, with payments made to approved ECCE providers. The key issue of concern for this parent relates to an ECCE compliance inspection of their child's approved ECCE provider, which was conducted by Pobal on behalf of my Department on 12 March 2024,...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Contracts (11 Jun 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I wish to advise the Deputy that the Department for Children; Equality; Disability; Integration and Youth has no current or prior contracts with BAM construction and subsidiaries and companies under the BAM group.