Results 2,161-2,180 of 2,335 for speaker:Joe O'Brien

Charities (Amendment) Bill 2023: Report and Final Stages (19 Jun 2024)

Joe O'Brien: I move amendment No. 6: In page 37, to delete line 12 and substitute “regulations made under subsection (7)(a).”.

Charities (Amendment) Bill 2023: Report and Final Stages (19 Jun 2024)

Joe O'Brien: I move amendment No. 7: In page 37, line 15, after “constitution,” to insert “and”.

Charities (Amendment) Bill 2023: Report and Final Stages (19 Jun 2024)

Joe O'Brien: I move amendment No. 8: In page 37, line 21, to delete “organisation, and” and substitute “organisation.”.

Charities (Amendment) Bill 2023: Report and Final Stages (19 Jun 2024)

Joe O'Brien: I move amendment No. 9: In page 37, to delete lines 22 to 32 and substitute the following: “(5) Where a charitable organisation has entered into an agreement or made an appointment in a financial year, the annual return (within the meaning of section 52) shall include a declaration that the charity trustees of the charitable organisation referred to in subsection (4)(b) are...

Charities (Amendment) Bill 2023: Report and Final Stages (19 Jun 2024)

Joe O'Brien: I move amendment No. 10: In page 37, to delete lines 33 to 40, to delete page 38, and in page 39, to delete lines 1 to 7.

Charities (Amendment) Bill 2023: Report and Final Stages (19 Jun 2024)

Joe O'Brien: I move amendment No. 11: In page 39, to delete lines 8 to 22.

Charities (Amendment) Bill 2023: Report and Final Stages (19 Jun 2024)

Joe O'Brien: In closing I want to take the opportunity to record my thanks to my fellow Deputies, the Charities Regulator and all the stakeholders who have engaged with me and my officials and who have made very valuable submissions and observations as part of this wider, deliberative process. I also acknowledge the valuable assistance of officials in the Bills Office. I reiterate that the purpose of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Rural Schemes (19 Jun 2024)

Joe O'Brien: The Rural Social Scheme (RSS) is an income support scheme that provides part-time employment opportunities for farmers and fishermen and women who are in receipt of certain social welfare payments and who are underemployed in their primary occupation. It is a demand-led scheme and people who wish to participate apply directly to the IB that delivers the scheme in their area. The RSS is...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Community Development Projects (20 Jun 2024)

Joe O'Brien: I thank the Deputy for his question relating to plans to support the establishment and continued support of community councils throughout the country. A number of community council groups are established across the country. My Department has provided support to these organisations under a number of schemes. A range of other community development entities are also in place right across the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Community Development Projects (20 Jun 2024)

Joe O'Brien: I take the Deputy's point on the position of the LCDCs. They are at a fairly high level. I will take the opportunity to again encourage small groups to join the local PPN because, when they are in there, they have a pass into what the local authority has available. I refer to staff and training but also the grants I mentioned with which we support them. I will also mention the volunteer...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Community Development Projects (20 Jun 2024)

Joe O'Brien: In many respects, we have done what the Deputy is describing, albeit in a different way. The audit we have done is based on the CSO's small area population data. This is at the level of a large estate or a couple of hundred houses. We have based our audit not on what groups are in the area, but on socioeconomic deprivation. Two years ago, I launched the empowering communities programme....

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: EU Funding (20 Jun 2024)

Joe O'Brien: My Department provides a range of supports to build capacity in community organisations across the country. With regard to EU funding programmes in particular: SICAP is Government’s primary social inclusion intervention, co-funded by Government and the European Social Fund Plus. The new iteration of the programme features a dedicated core area of work called Community Animation, which...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Programmes (20 Jun 2024)

Joe O'Brien: Last December, I launched the Local Enhancement Programme (LEP), with capital funding of €6 million to assist community groups across the country. The LEP is targeted to the specific challenges facing local community groups and delivers immediate, tangible supports where they are needed most. There was a particular focus on small capital works/improvements, and the purchase of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes (20 Jun 2024)

Joe O'Brien: Tús is a community work placement initiative which aims to provide short-term work opportunities for those who are unemployed for more than a year. The Department is very conscious of the need to support Tús and continues to meet regularly with representatives of these programmes. The focus of Tús is on jobseekers that are unemployed for twelve months or more, and the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (20 Jun 2024)

Joe O'Brien: The Rural Social Scheme (RSS) is an income support scheme that provides part-time employment opportunities for farmers and fishermen and women who are in receipt of certain social welfare payments and who are underemployed in their primary occupation. It is a demand-led scheme and people who wish to participate apply directly to the IB that delivers the scheme in their area. The RSS is...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (20 Jun 2024)

Joe O'Brien: The Rural Social Scheme (RSS) is an income support scheme that provides part-time employment opportunities for low-income farmers and fisher persons who are in receipt of certain social welfare payments and who are underemployed in their primary occupation. A review of the RSS is currently underway, and it is planned to have this review completed and ready for publication shortly. The...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Community Employment Schemes (20 Jun 2024)

Joe O'Brien: My Department's Community Services Programme (CSP) currently supports over 430 community-based organisations, to provide local services through a social enterprise model. The programme provides an annual co-funding contribution towards each full-time equivalent (FTE) position being supported, and, where warranted, towards the cost of employing a manager. Funding of €1m was made...

Seanad: Charities (Amendment) Bill 2023: Second Stage (25 Jun 2024)

Joe O'Brien: I am delighted to present this Bill, which is an essential step to enhance and strengthen the existing framework for regulating charities in Ireland. Our charity sector is an important and valued part of Irish society, playing an integral role in the provision of services to our communities. With just under 11,500 charities on the Charities Register, the work of the regulator is vitally...

Seanad: Charities (Amendment) Bill 2023: Second Stage (25 Jun 2024)

Joe O'Brien: I thank Members for their contributions to this important debate. Our charities sector plays a crucial role in connecting the wider public with opportunities to support and improve communities and society at large. It also plays an integral role in the provision of services to our communities. The purpose of this Bill is to strengthen this valued sector, ensuring greater transparency,...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: School Meals Programme (26 Jun 2024)

Joe O'Brien: I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. The objective of the school meals programme is to provide regular nutritious food to children to support them in taking full advantage of the education provided to them. The programme is an important component of policy to encourage school attendance and extra educational achievement. Following a significant expansion in recent years, some 2,600...