Results 381-400 of 7,505 for speaker:Roderic O'Gorman in 'Written Answers'

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (20 Mar 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) is a model of supports designed to ensure that children with additional needs can access the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Programme. The goal of AIM 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...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: After-School Support Services (20 Mar 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The term afterschool can cover a range of activities from regulated school aged childcare to afterschool homework clubs or youth activity projects such as cooking lessons. Depending on the activity, funding may be available from different Departments and agencies. For the purposes of this answer, it is assumed that the matter being raised is school aged childcare. A ‘school age...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Mother and Baby Homes (20 Mar 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme will open for applications on 20 March and a dedicated webpage is now live at www.gov.ie/paymentscheme which contains information on how people will be able to apply for benefits under the Scheme. Section 37 of the Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme Act 2023 provides that the personal representative of a deceased relevant person,...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Expenditure (20 Mar 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Please find a table of the Departments expenditure in each area under the Departments remit for the past 6 months below. These are based on the figures as per the issues returns. Reporting of expenditure is completed monthly on a cumulative basis, the table below represents the movement in respect of the reported cumulative expenditure as per the issues returns in each of the last 6 months....

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Refugee Resettlement Programme (20 Mar 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: In August 2023 I agreed a protocol with Minister Harris setting out the position under which we could continue to meet our obligations in terms of accommodation for those seeking protection while also protecting the supply of accommodation available for students. The protocol set out that my Department would not contract Purpose Built Student Accommodation properties currently in operation...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Policies (20 Mar 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1160 to 1163, inclusive, together. The Deputy will be aware that the comments made regarding the puzzle piece symbol were made in the context of a detailed response to a significant number of issues questions raised by a parent, via correspondence to the Department. In that correspondence, I acknowledged the concerns that exist around the negative...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (20 Mar 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Officials in my Department have, in recent months, engaged intensively with members and nominees of the Early Learning and Childcare Stakeholder Forum (ELCSF) in relation to Core Funding Financial Reporting Requirements. Arising from that engagement, transitional arrangements for financial reporting this year and next were agreed. The Income and Expenditure Template that my officials now...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (20 Mar 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Since the beginning of the crisis, over 105,000 Ukrainians have arrived in Ireland and recognised as beneficiaries of temporary protection (BOTP). My Department has successfully assisted over 73,000 with state supported accommodation. Over 53,000 BOTP are currently residing in State funded temporary accommodation in approximately 1,000 locations at which such accommodation is provided by...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (20 Mar 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The International Protection Procurement Service (IPPS) carefully appraises each property that is offered for use as accommodation for International Protection (IP) applicants before contracts are issued, and properties are also subject to pre-occupancy inspections to ensure they are adhering to the requisite standards. IPPS advises all potential providers of accommodation of the need to...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (20 Mar 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Contractual arrangements for the International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) accommodation centres are deemed confidential and commercially sensitive. Therefore, it is not possible to provide the details of contracts currently held between the Department and providers for accommodation purposes. In relation to service providers contracted by IPAS to provide accommodation...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (20 Mar 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) of DCEDIY has a dedicated Training Unit that develops training sessions in line with general IPAS Policies and Procedures. To date, and since its development in 2023, 102 centres have received this training. The IPAS Training Unit conducts overview sessions with new and existing accommodation providers both online and in person. The...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (20 Mar 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: In respect to consultation undertaken by the Department to accommodate International Protection (IP) applicants at the D Hotel, once an offer of accommodation is received by the International Protection Procurement Service (IPPS), the proposal and any supporting documentation is reviewed to assess the suitability of the premises that is offered for use as accommodation. Before contracts...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (20 Mar 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. The programme aims to provide short-term accommodation up to 2,800 Ukrainians at several sites across Ireland. While rapid build units will initially be used to temporarily house people...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Official Engagements (20 Mar 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: During the St Patrick's Day Programme in Japan, I met with my counterpart Minister Ayuko Kato at her office on Friday 15th March last. Ms Kato is the Minister for Child Policy, Youth Empowerment, Declining Birthrate and Gender Equality. During the meeting, we discussed the similar wide ranging reforms to Early Education and Childcare which our respective Governments are pursuing, in which...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Referendum Campaigns (20 Mar 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: In March 2023, an Interdepartmental Group (IDG) was established to support the development of referendum proposals on family and care. The group comprised representatives from every Government Department, as well as the Office of the Attorney General. It met 16 times over the course of its work in a period spanning March to November. Now that the referendums have been held, my Department...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Mother and Baby Homes (20 Mar 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme will open for applications on 20 March. A dedicated webpage is now live at www.gov.ie/paymentscheme, which contains information on how people will be able to apply to the Payment Scheme, and what information applicants will need. The Scheme will be promoted through a substantive public awareness campaign that will be delivered both in...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Unaccompanied Minors and Separated Children (20 Mar 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Statutory and operational responsibility for the delivery of child protection and welfare services is a matter for Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. The Deputy is seeking information in relation to an operational matter for Tusla. Consequently, I have referred the matter to Tusla, and requested that a direct response be provided to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Disabilities Assessments (20 Mar 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: As this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Funding (20 Mar 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I can advise the Deputy that a large number of organisations funded by my Department may be classified as non-governmental organisations (NGOs). In the absence of a formal definition of NGO, my officials are preparing a response which takes account of community-based / voluntary bodies with charitable tax status funded by this Department between 2021 and 2023. Information sought by the...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Meetings (20 Mar 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The organisation in question is an important stakeholder and is both impacted by and provides input into a number of policy and service areas under my Department's remit. I am advised that it attended a total of 41 engagements with me and/or officials of the Department and bodies under the aegis of the Department in this capacity since 1 January 2019,