Results 1,741-1,760 of 11,893 for speaker:Roderic O'Gorman

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (15 May 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Sponsorship arrangement available under the National Childcare Scheme (NCS) makes special provision for vulnerable children. The NCS Sponsorship arrangement allows designated bodies to refer children to the Scheme where early learning and care is needed on child welfare, protection, family support or other specified grounds. Where a referral is made by a Sponsor body, the family will...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (15 May 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Sponsorship arrangement available under the National Childcare Scheme (NCS) makes special provision for vulnerable children. The NCS Sponsorship arrangement allows designated bodies to refer children to the Scheme where early learning and care is needed on child welfare, protection, family support or other specified grounds. Where a referral is made by a Sponsor body, the family will...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (15 May 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Every year Pobal compiles data on behalf of my Department from Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School Age Childcare (SAC) providers as part of the Annual Early Years Sector Profile Survey (AEYSP). In December 2023, my Department launched the Early Learning and Childcare Data website. The website provides a new and innovative way of displaying administrative data as well as survey data...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (15 May 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Department does not gather data on parental fee income to early learning and childcare services other than occasional research studies, e.g. the independent review of costs. The independent review of costs undertaken by Crowe in 2018 on behalf of the Department found that approximately 40% of the total income to the sector in 2017 came from parental fees at a time when annual state...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (15 May 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) cannot comment on individual cases. The International Protection Accommodation Service (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 significant in nature or a resident is not...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (15 May 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The National Action Plan for Childminding 2021-2028 commits to the introduction of regulations that are proportionate and appropriate to the home and family setting, to respect the unique way in which childminders work. It also commits to providing supports to childminders to help them meet regulatory requirements. The main route through which parents are subsidised for their early...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Contracts (15 May 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I wish to advise the Deputy that the Department for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth does not have any current or prior contracts with BAM Ireland.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (15 May 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I launched the public consultation on the draft childminding regulations on 8 February and the consultation remained open until 2 May. The consultation process allowed childminders, parents and other interested parties to contribute in a variety of ways including an online survey and written submission, as well as through focus groups and a consultation event for national stakeholder...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Maternity Leave (15 May 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...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Parental Leave (15 May 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Under the Parental Leave Act 1998 (as amended), an employee who is a relevant parent in respect of a child under the age 12 is entitled to 26 weeks unpaid parental leave for each child. Where a child has a disability or long-term illness, the entitlement can continue until the child is 16. A relevant parent is a parent, an adoptive parent, or a person acting in ‘loco parentis’....

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (14 May 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: There have been so many debates.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Guardians Ad Litem (14 May 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: This question has been referred to TUSLA as they currently pay all Guardian ad litem costs, an answer will issue to the Deputy in the coming days.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Guardians Ad Litem (14 May 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: This question has been transferred to TUSLA who will reply to the Dpeuty directly over the coming days.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (14 May 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The D Hotel has been offered to the International Protection Procurement Service (IPPS) and contracted to provide accommodation to International Protection (IP) applicants under the emergency appraisal process, with a capacity of 500 beds. It is functioning as a dispersal centre for the International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) with families in residence for a short period of time...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (14 May 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department funds private early learning and care service providers to provide the ECCE programme at a standard rate of €69 per week per child attending the ECCE programme. With the addition of the Core Funding Scheme in 2022, services providing ECCE who are also signed up to Core Funding receive a minimum of €79.20 per child per week in capitation. This figure can rise to a...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (14 May 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: There are currently over 29,000 people accommodated in the International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) system as a whole (of whom nearly 7,000 are children) compared with approximately 8,700 people at the end of February 2022. Together with Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection displaced by the war in Ukraine, this means that Ireland is now accommodating over 100,000 people in...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Child Protection (14 May 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The requirement to have adequate security forms part of the contract to accommodate International Protection (IP) applicants. The Department requires that centres are adequately staffed for the running of the centre and that there is a 24/7 staff presence. The particular security needs of each centre are assessed by each provider and agreed with the Department prior to the opening of the...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (14 May 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I can confirm to the Deputy that I issued a response to this enquiry on 7 May. The introduction of Core Funding in September 2022 brought with it a significant increase in investment for the sector, with €210.8m of brand new funding for the sector in its first year of operation. Its primary purpose is to improve pay and conditions in the sector as a whole and improve affordability...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (14 May 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The data requested by the Deputy is not available. In relation to service providers contracted by the International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) to provide accommodation and related services to International Protection (IP) applicants, the Department publishes reports on all payments over €20,000. These are published, once per quarter, on gov.ie ...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (14 May 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Department of Integration appraises properties for temporary emergency accommodation based on the criteria outlined in the current International Protection Procurement Service (IPPS) proposal form. The proposals criteria are drawn from various sources such as the International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) National Standards , the Department of Housing, Local Government and...