Results 101-120 of 10,153 for speaker:Roderic O'Gorman

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Staff (1 May 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Employees of my Department are expected to adhere to the Civil Service Code of Standards and Behaviour at all times. The Code forms part of the terms of employment of all civil servants. Part 2, sections 5.1 to 5.4 – ‘Civil Servants and Politics’ states that civil servants above clerical level cannot stand for local election. Civil servants in clerical grades and certain...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Correspondence (1 May 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Ms. Holohan's letter was received on April 30 and is receiving prompt attention. A reply will issue shortly, following due consultation with the relevant officials within the Department.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Equality Issues (1 May 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The recognition of foreign prescriptions is a matter for the Department of Health. The determination of whether or not a specific action constitutes discrimination is a matter for the Workplace Relations Commission or for the courts.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Schemes (1 May 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme is designed to provide payments and other benefits to people who spent time in one or more of the Mother and Baby or County Home Institutions, that were identified by the Commission of Investigation as having a main function of providing sheltered and supervised ante and post-natal facilities to single mothers and their children. The...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (1 May 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth has contracted a property in Páirc Mhuire, Newbridge, Co. Kildare for use as accommodation for International Protection applicants. It has capacity for 11 people, and will accommodate families seeking International Protection. Details on individual contracts or providers are considered commercially sensitive and...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (1 May 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 231, 232, 233 and 234 together. I thank the Deputy for her question. The information sought by the Deputy is being compiled and will be provided directly in the coming day.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (1 May 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Since 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. To date, over 106,000 beneficiaries of temporary protection (BOTPs) have arrived in Ireland and...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (1 May 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Pobal Annual Early Years Sector Profile (AEYSP) provides a detailed overview of the Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School-Age Childcare (SAC) sector in Ireland, including the numbers of children in receipt of state subsidies, information on ELC and SAC fees, staff wages, qualifications and turnover. In December 2023 the Department launched the Early Learning and Childcare Data...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (1 May 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Deputy has requested the cost of increasing the National Childcare Scheme (NCS) subsidy by 1 cent. It is assumed the Deputy is referring to an increase of 1 cent to the NCS minimum (universal) subsidy. The NCS minimum (universal) subsidy is available to all families with children under 15 years old. This subsidy is not means tested and provides €1.40 per hour towards the cost...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (1 May 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I firmly believe the level of pay for early years educators and school-age childcare practitioners should reflect the value of their work for children, families, society and the economy. The State is not the employer and therefore does not set the pay or conditions for employees in either early learning and care (ELC) or school-age childcare (SAC) services. However, there is now, through...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (1 May 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The data available to DCEDIY indicates that early learning and childcare capacity is increasing. It is important to note the complexity and nuance involved in analysing capacity. At the most basic level, not all early learning and childcare places are the same – they may be offered for varying number of hours per day, weeks per year and for different age groups of children....

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

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Deputy. She has raised the issue of the need for additional support for Ballaghaderreen. We are dealing with a small but important issue in terms of access to a leisure facility service. I communicated with the Deputy on that earlier today. Where there is high pressure on health services, we look to see whether measures can be put in place that will divert some of the...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: The Deputy is incorrect in saying so many childcare providers are leaving the system. We saw an increase in the overall provision of childcare providers last year and we saw the lowest number of them leaving the system than in the previous five years. Second, the number of children who benefit from the NCS has doubled during my term of office. That does not suggest that parents are unhappy...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: I absolutely agree we are not spending enough on early years but there is a reason for that. That is because the State only started to invest in childcare in 2008-2009 when the early childhood care and education, ECCE, scheme was first set up. Prior to that, the State stepped away entirely from the early years sector. When the Deputy compares us with Iceland and Sweden, she is comparing us...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: To conclude, some of that may well be considered an element of public provision as well.

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

Roderic O'Gorman: Since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, the whole-of-government response has been co-ordinated by a Cabinet committee chaired by the Taoiseach. Due to the impact of the dramatic increase in applicants, matters relating to international protection are also addressed at that Cabinet committee. My engagement with the Minister for Health, Deputy Donnelly, and all other Ministers with...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: I touched on the matter already in answering Deputy Stanton's question. My Department is progressing a range of actions to ensure the supply of early learning and childcare provision meets demand. Work in this area is being led by a new supply management unit I established earlier this year in my Department. A key part of the supply management unit’s remit is to develop a...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: When I started in this role, costs for parents, lack of pay for staff and sustainability for providers were the big challenges. We have managed to do a significant amount in those three areas. Now capacity is the big challenge and I recognise that. We have a plan. A dedicated unit in my Department is looking at the national situation and putting in place the various measures to support...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: First, to Deputy Smith, there is a real sense of urgency on the issue of capacity. It is now the big challenge. The big challenge has moved from affordability because we and I, as Minister, acted over a number of budgets to deal with that issue and we have made significant progress. We have a plan. We have capital funding and engagement with other Departments on removing the mechanisms....

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

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Deputy. Reform of the early learning and childcare sector is included in the programme for Government, bringing together the best of community and private provision and the development of a new funding model to ensure an affordable, accessible, sustainable and high-quality sector. 9 o’clock To address pressures on parents, providers and professionals, I have always...