Results 201-220 of 1,017,189 for in 'Dáil debates' OR (speaker:Mick Barry OR speaker:Aindrias Moynihan) in 'Committee meetings'

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Childcare Services (30 Apr 2024)

David Stanton: I am here on behalf of Deputy Bruton, who sends his apologies. He wants to ask the Minister if he will outline the work carried out to date on the establishment of the childcare development agency and if he will set out the milestones remaining to its full establishment.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Childcare Services (30 Apr 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Significant progress has been made in advancing plans for a dedicated State agency for early learning and care. The programme for Government contained a commitment to advance that. It is envisaged this agency will undertake some functions currently carried out by Pobal early years, including the Better Start programme, the 30 city and county childcare committees, as well as operational...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Childcare Services (30 Apr 2024)

David Stanton: I thank the Minister for his response and I congratulate him on the work done to date. As noted by the Indecon operating model review in 2021, the sector is characterised by a complex landscape of stakeholders and functions which has led to fragmentation, duplication and inefficiencies. The proposal to establish a single agency is very welcome. Will the Minister be bringing legislation to...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Childcare Services (30 Apr 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I outlined a number of steps in the process. We are in the key second phase at the moment, involving an in-depth costing. When I originally brought proposals to Cabinet, we had a notional set-up cost of approximately €14 million and a notional operating cost per year of about €50 million. We are talking significant money, obviously. The Deputy knows me. I believe any...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Mother and Baby Homes (30 Apr 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: EY has been involved in this process since November last year. Its task is to provide an independent financial assessment of the resources available to each of the organisations involved. I am not aware as to whether its analysis has been completed. Whether the report from the negotiator will be published at the end of the process will be a matter for the Government to make a...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions (30 Apr 2024)

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Departmental Funding (30 Apr 2024)

Departmental Funding

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Departmental Funding (30 Apr 2024)

Brian Leddin: 85. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the funding streams available under his Department to assist with migrant integration; how much has been allocated under these funding streams this year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19219/24]

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Departmental Funding (30 Apr 2024)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: I am taking this on behalf of Deputy Leddin. We have faced a massive challenge, particularly since 2022 with the outbreak of war in Ukraine. The outbreak of war in mainland Europe is not something we have seen in decades. For the most part, we as a country and particularly communities, have risen to that challenge magnificently. Over 100,000 people have been given shelter on our shores...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Departmental Funding (30 Apr 2024)

Joe O'Brien: My Department administers a number of funding streams addressing integration by way of annual and multi-annual grants. I have been working to maximise these funds to support excellent work and proposed work across communities in every corner of Ireland, to help migrants to settle in. Despite recent negative events, this remains the more dominant response of Irish communities to new...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Departmental Funding (30 Apr 2024)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: I think the Minister of State is right in emphasising that even though what dominates our news cycle are the instances where integration has gone wrong or has failed to take hold, in communities across the country, there are small stories of community integration where it is going right. I would point to my home town of Tramore. We have had direct provision in Tramore for well over 20...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Departmental Funding (30 Apr 2024)

Joe O'Brien: The Deputy makes a number of good points. With smaller funds, such as the community integration fund, we keep the administration level down as much as possible because we want local groups like that to be able to apply for it, so we do our best to keep it as simple as possible. However, with higher amounts of money, when you are talking about hundreds of thousands of euro, a higher level of...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Departmental Funding (30 Apr 2024)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: I have a short personal story. I happened to be in UHW visiting a family member over the weekend. I met a nurse there whose accent I could not place. I asked her where her accent was from and it was from Somalia. However, it was not really a Somalian accent, or it started as a Somalian accent but it had a good 20 years of Waterford knocked into it as well. Even had I known at the start...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Departmental Funding (30 Apr 2024)

Joe O'Brien: We are investing in infrastructure but in people as well. I want to acknowledge the Minister, Deputy O’Gorman’s contribution in this area too. We are developing, under his guidance, local authority integration teams. This bulks up the capacity of local authorities across the country to have a very particular focus on migrant integration. My understanding is that 75% of those...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Disability Services (30 Apr 2024)

Disability Services

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Disability Services (30 Apr 2024)

Darren O'Rourke: 86. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth for a breakdown of the staff numbers and grade in each of the CDNTs in County Meath in 2021, 2022, 2023 and to date in 2024, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19187/24]

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Disability Services (30 Apr 2024)

Darren O'Rourke: I am interested in the strength of those teams and the vacancies there as it relates to the huge demand for services.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Disability Services (30 Apr 2024)

Kathleen Funchion: When the Minister of State says that it is a 58% staff vacancy rate, is she saying that the recruitment drive she is talking about is that to fill that 58%? Is she saying that there is a 58% shortage of staff, and is the recruitment drive she is talking about - which was at the end of January and is now in the final stages - to fill that? Okay. Perfect. As we know, there is a major...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Disability Services (30 Apr 2024)

Anne Rabbitte: I thank the Deputy for bringing me on to my specialist topic, which is unions. It is important to say with regard to the pay talks concluded last year that while it was very welcome, it has really highlighted the fact that we need the employers, which are the lead agencies of the section 39 organisations, more involved when it comes to pay negotiations and talks. The question is where it is...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Disability Services (30 Apr 2024)

Kathleen Funchion: I thank the Chair. I promise I will not go over time in this minute. When the KOSI mechanism was raised with us, there were some people who were not fully aware of exactly what that process is. Basically, KOSI is the middleman, for want of a better word. That is good to know. I know the Minister of State touched on the disability services grant in the first part of the answer. Did she...