Results 21-40 of 9,944 for speaker:Roderic O'Gorman

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Children in Care (23 Apr 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Tusla prepares an Absence Management Plan for each child in care. In the case of Separated Children Seeking International Protection (SCSIPs) and Unaccompanied Minors (UAMs), absence management plans are completed on the day of placement by the Tusla SCSIP Intake and Assessment Team. The Joint Protocol between An Garda Síochána and Tusla sets out how social workers and social...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Children in Care (23 Apr 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Deputy raises a number of issues relating to quality in Special Emergency Arrangements [SEAs]. In relation to the matter of “high occupancy rates” in such arrangements, as referenced by the Deputy, I understand that, based on assessed needs of Unaccompanied Minors and Separated Children Seeking International Protection (SCSIP) who have been accommodated in an SEA, it is...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: The Young Ireland: National Policy Framework for Children and Young People recognises the important role of youth work services in supporting young people to thrive and fully develop their potential. It acknowledges the important ongoing reform programme and further commits to the development of a new Youth Services Action Plan to provide a strategic direction for the delivery of youth...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: The Young Ireland: National Policy Framework for Children and Young People recognises the important role of youth work services in supporting young people to thrive and fully develop their potential. In line with this, I have continued to invest significantly in youth services throughout the country so that every young person is given the opportunity to achieve their full potential. From...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department provides targeted supports for young people aged 10-24 who are marginalised, vulnerable or disadvantaged by means of the UBU Your Place Your Space scheme, under which €47 million is being allocated in 2024 to support young people to participate youth services in their communities. Under this scheme, service providers are required to report on the engagement of young...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Emergency Accommodation (23 Apr 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: As part of the State’s humanitarian response to the Ukrainian crisis, the Government has developed a Rapid Build Housing Programme to provide accommodation for families fleeing the war in Ukraine who request it. The programme aims to provide short-term accommodation for up to 2,800 Ukrainians at several sites across Ireland. The Office of Public Works (OPW) is leading the development...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: After-School Support Services (23 Apr 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 534 and 540 together. The Department of Education Guidelines on the use of School Buildings Outside of School Hours guide schools in the use of school facilities for other services, including early learning and childcare services. The Guidelines are clear that the issue is a matter for the property owners taking into consideration the needs of the school,...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Emergency Accommodation (23 Apr 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The property to which the Deputy refers was appraised by the Technical Working group in the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, set up for the purpose of prioritising buildings to be refurbished for Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection. The criteria for assessment included Location, Capacity, Delivery Time Lines and Value for Money among others. The Technical Working Group...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 541 and 542 together. The funding provided to Education and Training Boards (ETBs) for youth work services, broken down by ETB area, for each of the years 2014 to 2024 can be found in the table below. Please note: Allocations are made to 16 ETB areas, not local authorities, therefore, it's not possible to provide information specific to a particular local...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: Capital funding has been allocated over the period 2023-2025 to the early learning and childcare sector under the revised National Development Plan (NDP). This will enable significant investment in early learning and childcare across three pillars: Building Blocks - Improvement Grant; Building Blocks - Capacity Grant; and Building Blocks - Innovation Grant. Significant funding has been...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: I understand officials in my Department have agreed to meet with the service in question. Ahead of a meeting, they have asked Tipperary Childcare Committee, with the support of Pobal, to make contact with the service. The Deputy will be aware that special supports are available from my Department where a service is experiencing financial difficulty or has concerns about their viability....

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Emergency Accommodation (23 Apr 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The number of Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTP) and that of International Protection Applicants (IPA) by local electoral areas is set out in the table below. The data for BOTPs is not usually collated in this manner and data for 16 April 2024 has been compiled in this format. This data refers to accommodation supported or provided by this Department. There is no obligation on a...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: The introduction of a new equality ground, based on disadvantaged socio-economic status, is being considered as part of my Department's wider review of the Equal Status Acts 2000 and the Employment Equality Acts 1998 (the Equality Acts). This follows a Programme for Government commitment to examine the introduction of such a ground. It is intended that legislative proposals arising from the...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: Please note that the Department does not hold contracts with security providers who provide security services at IPAS accommodation centres. Security arrangements at IP centres is the responsibility of the centre manager and it is a commercial decision for the provider as to which security company they choose to contract in meeting this obligation. The International Protection...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: The ECCE programme is available to all children within the eligible age range. A child must have reached 2 years and 8 months of age on or prior to 31 August of the relevant programme year to be eligible for the 1st September start date. The minimum eligibility age for the ECCE programme was revised in September 2018 when it was reduced from 3 years to 2 years and 8 months. The revised...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: The availability of high-quality early learning and childcare is a key Government priority. My Department monitors early learning and childcare capacity on an ongoing basis, with a particular focus on responding to the unmet early learning and childcare needs of families. Data from the 2022/23 Annual Early Years Sector Profile estimated that there were 4,293 children enrolled in...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 565 to 567, inclusive, together. Better Start was established in 2014 by my Department, in association with the Department of Education, to deliver quality-related supports to early learning and care services and to support a cohesive approach to State-funded supports for quality across the early learning and care sector. Better Start is hosted by Pobal on...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: Core Funding supports Partner Services with their financial sustainability while enhancing the quality, affordability and accessibility of their services. In accordance with Partnership for the Public Good, (DCEDIY 2021) the Core Funding model commits to drive high quality service provision. To support this, Core Funding requires all early learning and care (ELC), school-age childcare (SAC)...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (23 Apr 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. I am very conscious of the need for improvement in pay and working conditions for early...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: International Protection Procurement Services (IPPS) contract for the provision of services to accommodation International Protection (IP) applicants. Part of that service provision includes the requirement for the accommodation to be adequately staffed 24/7 to maintain the privacy and security of residents. This is determined on a case by case basis by the provider. The Department does not...