Results 2,181-2,200 of 2,335 for speaker:Joe O'Brien

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

Joe O'Brien: I take the opportunity to acknowledge the child-centred approach of St. Anne's special school. I read up about the school in advance, and it is to be commended on how it does things and works with children. I could read out all the statistics outlining the scale of the hot school meals programme. It is very large-scale programme and we want to cover all schools eventually. The nature of...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Community Development Projects (25 Jun 2024)

Joe O'Brien: My Department's Community Services Programme (CSP) currently supports over 430 community-based organisations to provide local social, economic and environmental services through a social enterprise model, providing a contribution towards the cost of CSP supported staff in organisations. I am aware that the organisation in question is currently in receipt of CSP supports for a Manager...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Na hOileáin amach ón gCósta (27 Jun 2024)

Joe O'Brien: Is é Clár um Chuimsiú Sóisialta agus Gníomhachtú Pobail (SICAP) mo Roinne, an príomh-idirghabháil cuimsithe shóisialta atá againn sa tír seo. Is clár náisiúnta é a chuireann Cuideachtaí Forbartha Áitiúla ar fáil i gceantair thuaithe agus i gceantair uirbeacha araon, chun cabhrú leo siúd is...

Seanad: Civil Registration (Electronic Registration) Bill 2024: Second Stage (3 Jul 2024)

Joe O'Brien: I thank Senators for facilitating an early date for consideration of this important legislation. The Bill seeks to improve and update our civil registration legislation and associated registration processes. It will allow parents and bereaved families to use an online registration facility to register a birth, death or stillbirth online. In addition, the Bill proposes to update the...

Seanad: Civil Registration (Electronic Registration) Bill 2024: Second Stage (3 Jul 2024)

Joe O'Brien: I thank all Senators who contributed to the discussion. I very much appreciate their support across the board for progressing the measures contained in the Bill. These measures, combined with the technical changes to the civil registration computer system, will have a positive impact on how the State’s civil registration service operates and interacts with our citizens. I want to...

Seanad: Charities (Amendment) Bill 2023: Committee and Remaining Stages (4 Jul 2024)

Joe O'Brien: I thank the Senator for his question. Primarily it is the collective responsibility of a board of trustees. Issues can come to the regulator's attention when complaints are lodged by a member of the public or anyone else with the Charities Regulator. The regulator can engage collectively with the organisation if there are concerns around whether there has been proper governance. If the...

Seanad: Charities (Amendment) Bill 2023: Committee and Remaining Stages (4 Jul 2024)

Joe O'Brien: I take the opportunity to record my thanks to all Members who engaged as part of the wider deliberative process. I extend my thanks to the Charities Regulator, which has worked closely with my Department in the preparation of this important legislation. In particular, I acknowledge the contributions of the community and voluntary sector, including The Wheel, the Charities Institute Ireland...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: State Bodies (4 Jul 2024)

Joe O'Brien: The Charities Regulator was established in October 2014 pursuant to the Charities Act 2009. The Regulator is the State organisation responsible for registering and regulating Ireland’s charities. While this Department has been assigned overall policy responsibility for the Charities Regulator, the Regulator is fully independent in the performance of its statutory functions. The...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Bodies (9 Jul 2024)

Joe O'Brien: The newly appointed Special Rapporteur on Racial Equality and Racism will monitor progress towards the objectives of the National Action Plan Against Racism (NAPAR). The Special Rapporteur will make an annual report to the Minister; this report will also be submitted to the relevant Oireachtas Committee. To support this work, an Advisory Committee on Racism and Racial Equality, chaired...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Bodies (9 Jul 2024)

Joe O'Brien: The National Action Plan Against Racism (NAPAR), which was developed by an independent Anti-Racism Committee and approved by the Government for publication in March 2023, recommended the appointment of a Special Rapporteur on Racial Equality and Racism to ensure effective monitoring and implementation of the plan. An open competition for the purpose of recommending an individual for...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Funding (9 Jul 2024)

Joe O'Brien: My Department's Community Services Programme (CSP) currently supports over 430 community-based organisations to provide local social, economic and environmental services through a social enterprise model, providing a contribution towards the cost of CSP supported staff in organisations. I am aware that the organisation in question is currently in receipt of CSP supports for one full time...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes (9 Sep 2024)

Joe O'Brien: Community Employment (CE) schemes deliver important locally based community services, while providing a valuable training and development opportunity to the long-term unemployed and to those furthest removed from the labour market. The Deputy will be aware that CE scheme supervisors and assistant supervisors are employees of private companies in the community and voluntary sector that receive...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Funding (9 Sep 2024)

Joe O'Brien: Public Participation Networks (PPNs) were established following the enactment of the Local Government Reform Act in 2014. The PPN is the main link through which each local authority connects with the local community sector. The PPNs' primary function is to provide representation for the community sector in policy-making structures, giving local volunteers a greater say in local government...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Funding (9 Sep 2024)

Joe O'Brien: The Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP), is our country’s primary social inclusion programme, which aims to reduce poverty and promote social inclusion and equality by supporting disadvantaged communities and individuals. This is a national programme that is delivered in both rural and urban areas by Local Development Companies (LDCs) to help those in the...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Funding (9 Sep 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 Rural and Community Development: Departmental Funding (9 Sep 2024)

Joe O'Brien: My Department's Community Services Programme (CSP) currently supports over 430 community-based organisations, with a budget of €52.4m in 2024, to provide local services through a social enterprise model. CSP 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. The...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pension Provisions (19 Sep 2024)

Joe O'Brien: The Department of Social Protection delivers a range of employment and income support schemes including the Community Employment (CE), Rural Social Scheme (RSS) and Tús. While the Department provides funding for participant and supervisors' payroll, the Department is not the employer of any scheme participants or their supervisors. There are no current plans for the Department to...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (19 Sep 2024)

Joe O'Brien: The Rural Social Scheme (RSS) is an income support initiative which provides part-time employment opportunities in community and voluntary organisations for low-income farmers or fisherpersons. To participate a person must be aged 25 or over, and in receipt of a qualifying social welfare payments. While partaking on RSS a participant must continue to maintain an underlying entitlement to...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Emergency Accommodation (24 Sep 2024)

Joe O'Brien: I thank the Deputy for his question. The free travel scheme provides free travel on the main public and private transport services for those eligible under the scheme. There are more than one million customers with direct eligibility. In budget 2024 we expanded the free travel scheme to support people who are medically certified as unable to drive. The estimated expenditure on free travel...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Emergency Accommodation (24 Sep 2024)

Joe O'Brien: I am aware of the case that has been made by the Good Shepherd service, which contacted me directly about this as well. I can see why someone who is trying to solve a particular problem would jump to the free travel pass from the Department of Social Protection. We looked into it. The school transport scheme is the obvious option and the question is how to bridge the gap between people in...