Results 1-20 of 4,065 for at speaker:Roderic O'Gorman

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: 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: 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 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...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 517 and 518 together. The accommodation provider to which the Deputy refers has decided to cease accommodating Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTPs) and has asked that all of the BOTPs in residence be moved to alternative accommodation. My Department's standard commercial accommodation contract provides that either party to the contract can terminate...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: ...as laid out in the Core Funding Partner Service Funding Agreement, and the fee management guidelines. These terms and conditions require services not to increase the fees charged to parents above what was charged on 30 September 2021. This action is guided by the recommendations of the Expert Group, as approved by Government, to ensure that the introduction of fee management to the sector...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: Temple Spa Accommodation Centre is located 9km east of Moate, located on a small local road so a bus stop for Bus Eireann services would not be an option as there would be no passing buses on this type of road. To facilitate transport for International Protection (IP) applicants’ residing at the Temple Spa Accommodation Centre, there is a shuttle service contracted seven days a...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: .... My Department funds 30 City/County Childcare Committees (CCCs), which provide support and assist families and early learning and childcare providers with early learning, and childcare matters. The network of 30 City/County Childcare Committees (CCC) across the country are in a position to match children and families to services operating with vacant places and engage proactively...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: ...the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine in February 2022, my Department continues to work as part of the whole-of-Government response with a focus on providing access to emergency temporary accommodation to those fleeing the conflict who request it, in line with Government policy. In the initial stages of the response, my Department assisted where possible with the accommodation of...

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. The Department does not rent accommodation, but enters into a contract to provide accommodation related services for International Protection (IP) applicants. Payment information is not collated by accommodation type in the manner outlined by the Deputy. In relation to service providers contracted by the International Protection...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: As at 31 March 2024, there were 28,478 individuals resident in International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) accommodation. 5,762 persons with status were remaining in IPAS accommodation. IPAS releases weekly statistics in relation to International Protection (IP) applicants, including a per-county breakdown of where IP applicants are residing. These statistics are located on the...

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

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

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (14 May 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 Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTPs) at several sites across Ireland. The Office of Public Works...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 537 and 539 together. The information is not available in the manner requested by the Deputy. My Department launched an online portal for developer-led modular accommodation on gov.ie where providers could submit expressions of interest (EOIs) in November 2023. The portal sought offers for developments with a capacity of up to 200 BOTPs, encompassing...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: Modular proof of concept sites Columb Barracks, in Mullingar, County Westmeath, was selected by Government in 2023 as 1 of 5 ‘proof of concept sites’ in order to examine the potential of rapid build ‘pod’ style accommodation. My Department has been working as part of the Accommodation Working Group under the auspices of the Department of the Taoiseach to...

Challenges Facing the Childcare and Nursing Home Sectors: Motion [Private Members] (9 May 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I welcome this motion as an opportunity to debate the important issue of early learning and childcare and I will focus on that element. I acknowledge my colleague has focused on the issue of nursing homes and elder care previously. It is clear from this debate so far that we all recognise the importance of early learning and childcare for children and their families, and for our wider...