Results 501-520 of 2,335 for speaker:Joe O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (24 Feb 2021)

Joe O'Brien: 432. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the status of efforts to secure a permanent site for a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9647/21]

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes (24 Feb 2021)

Joe O'Brien: As the Deputy will be aware, Community Employment (CE) supervisors and assistant supervisors have been seeking for several years, through their union representatives, the allocation of Exchequer funding to implement a 2008 Labour Court recommendation relating to the provision of a pension scheme for CE supervisors who are employed by CE schemes. CE sponsoring authorities are the legal...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes (24 Feb 2021)

Joe O'Brien: The Community Employment (CE) Scheme is an active labour market programme designed to provide eligible long-term unemployed people and other disadvantaged persons with an opportunity to engage in useful work within their communities on a temporary, fixed term basis. As the Deputy is aware, my Department has continued to provide funding and support for CE schemes since the onset of the...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (24 Feb 2021)

Joe O'Brien: The Government is aware of the challenges facing community and voluntary organisations and is committed to working closely with the sector in managing through these, recognising that it will require a whole of Government approach. In 2020, my Department provided support through the €45m COVID 19 Stability Fund for organisations in the Community and Voluntary Sector, Charities and...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Funding (24 Feb 2021)

Joe O'Brien: The Government is aware of the challenges facing community and voluntary organisations and is committed to working closely with the sector in managing through these, recognising that it will require a whole of Government approach. In 2020, my Department provided support through the €45m COVID 19 Stability Fund for organisations in the Community and Voluntary Sector, Charities and...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Local Development Companies (24 Feb 2021)

Joe O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1131 to 1134, inclusive, together. I remain concerned about the challenges currently facing Waterford Area Partnership. The Partnership delivers many programmes and schemes locally on behalf of Government, including SICAP, Tús, Jobs Initiative and Local Employment Services. These services are very important and provide assistance to people in the...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (24 Feb 2021)

Joe O'Brien: The Government is aware of the challenges facing community and voluntary organisations and is committed to working closely with the sector in managing through these, recognising that it will require a whole of Government approach. In 2020, my Department provided support through the €45m COVID 19 Stability Fund for organisations in the Community and Voluntary Sector, Charities and...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Social Welfare Benefits (1 Mar 2021)

Joe O'Brien: I thank the Senator for raising this important matter. It is important to also point out that the pension age has been 66 for a long time and, in accordance with legislation introduced last year, it will not increase this year but remain at that age. The new benefit payment for 65-year-olds was introduced to deliver on a programme for Government commitment to address the position of people...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Social Welfare Benefits (1 Mar 2021)

Joe O'Brien: I thank the Senator again for his contribution. Up to now, a person who retired at 65 because that was the retirement age in his or her contract of employment could only avail of an income support if he or she signed on at the local Intreo centre for jobseeker's benefit and declared that they were available for and genuinely seeking work. We all agreed that this was not a satisfactory...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes (3 Mar 2021)

Joe O'Brien: Community Employment (CE) supports projects that provide work experience for long term unemployed persons to assist them entering the open labour market on exit from the CE scheme, while at the same time providing valuable community services. These can be in the areas such as social care, childcare services, heritage, arts, culture, tourism, sport and the environment. The programme is...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Child Poverty (3 Mar 2021)

Joe O'Brien: The most recent official poverty data is from the annual Survey on Income and Living Conditions 2019, published by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) in October 2020. It shows that the consistent poverty rate in 2019 for children aged 0-17 years was 8.1% (approximately 97,000 children based on the CSO estimated population figures for 2019). This is an increase on the 2018 figure of 7.7%. A...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes (3 Mar 2021)

Joe O'Brien: On clarification with the Deputy, the question refers to additional time on Community Employment (CE) and Tús for participants to complete work experience and training opportunities that were lost during the Covid-19 restrictions. Community Employment (CE) is an active labour market programme designed to provide eligible long-term unemployed people and other disadvantaged persons with an...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Work Placement Programmes (3 Mar 2021)

Joe O'Brien: On further clarification with the Deputy's office, the question refers to the number of people under the age of 25 who are engaged on the YESS (youth employment support scheme), Tús and CE (Community Employment) schemes in an area. The requested information is available and provided as per the divisional structure of the Department, for the Dublin & Mid Leinster division. YESS...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes (3 Mar 2021)

Joe O'Brien: Community Employment (CE) is an active labour market programme designed to provide eligible long-term unemployed people and other disadvantaged persons with an opportunity to engage in useful work within their communities on a temporary, fixed term basis. The Deputy may be aware that Minister Humphreys and I held an online meeting on Wednesday, 27th January with representatives from the...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Vaccination Programme (3 Mar 2021)

Joe O'Brien: 849. To ask the Minister for Health the stage of the Covid-19 vaccine allocation schedule at which special education needs teachers and special needs assistants can expect to be vaccinated; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11516/21]

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Reports (3 Mar 2021)

Joe O'Brien: I remain concerned about the challenges currently facing Waterford Area Partnership. The Partnership delivers many programmes and schemes locally on behalf of Government, including SICAP, Tús, Jobs Initiative and Local Employment Services. These services are very important and provide assistance to people in the Waterford City and County area who are experiencing disadvantage and to...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (3 Mar 2021)

Joe O'Brien: The Government is aware of the challenges facing community and voluntary organisations and is committed to working closely with the sector in managing through these, recognising that it will require a whole of Government approach. In 2020, my Department provided support through the €45m COVID 19 Stability Fund for organisations in the Community and Voluntary Sector, Charities and...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Social Welfare Benefits (4 Mar 2021)

Joe O'Brien: I thank the Deputies for raising this issue. I will give some context first. On 6 January, the Government announced that additional public health restrictions would apply under level 5 of the plan for living with Covid-19. The additional restrictions required all construction activity to cease from 6 p.m. on Friday, 8 January, with a number of exceptions. These measures are set out in the...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Social Welfare Benefits (4 Mar 2021)

Joe O'Brien: The exceptional needs payment scheme is available to provide supports to people who may be experiencing exceptional needs as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. I appreciate that current restrictions on construction have had a significant unforeseen impact on households that began renovations on family homes prior to the introduction of the current level 5 restrictions, and particularly on...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Community Employment Schemes (4 Mar 2021)

Joe O'Brien: I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. Community employment is an active labour market programme designed to provide eligible long-term unemployed people and other disadvantaged persons with an opportunity to engage in useful work within their communities on a temporary, fixed-term basis. The Deputy may be aware that I held a productive online meeting on Wednesday, 27 January with the...