Results 641-660 of 2,335 for speaker:Joe O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Labour Activation Measures (18 May 2021)

Joe O'Brien: As part of the July Jobs Stimulus Package, the Government announced 3,000 additional places on Employment Support Schemes, including Community Employment (CE) and Tús. The package was part of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, building on the extensive business and employment supports already in place.   Tús is a community work placement...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (18 May 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. To that end, Government and my Department have introduced a number of supports to assist sectors in dealing with the impact of COVID-19 and social...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Community Development Projects (18 May 2021)

Joe O'Brien: My Department's Community Services Programme (CSP) supports over 420 community organisations to provide local services through a social enterprise model. The CSP provides an annual co-funding contribution of €19,033 for each fulltime equivalent (FTE) position being supported, and, where warranted, provides €32,000 towards the cost of employing a manager. Qualifying organisations...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Community Development Projects (18 May 2021)

Joe O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 737 and 738 together. My Department has many supports in place for disadvantaged communities, including those in areas that were once identified as RAPID areas. For example, as referenced by the Deputy, my Department is providing funding of some €190 million over five years towards the Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme, or SICAP, which...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Community Development Projects (18 May 2021)

Joe O'Brien: The Community Enhancement Programme (CEP) was first launched by my Department in 2018.  It facilitates a flexible, streamlined and targeted approach to providing funding to those community organisations most in need, while reducing the level of administration involved.  The fund is distributed by Local Community Development Committees (LCDCs) on the basis of local need. The CEP...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Funding (18 May 2021)

Joe O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 749 to 751, inclusive, together. My Department delivers a variety of schemes that provide supports for groups in rural and urban communities. The provisional gross outturn for my Department in 2020 was €359.42 million. Of this, €152.73 million was spent within the rural development programme area and €202.51 million within the community...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Charitable and Voluntary Organisations (19 May 2021)

Joe O'Brien: I thank the Deputy for raising this very important matter. The Charities Regulator, under the aegis of my Department, is the State organisation responsible for registering and regulating all of Ireland's charities, with a mandate to promote good governance practices. It is important to note that the regulator is fully independent in the performance of its statutory functions, including...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Charitable and Voluntary Organisations (19 May 2021)

Joe O'Brien: My statement is defined by the fact that there is a criminal investigation. I am obviously limited in terms of the detail I can give. Under the provisions of the Charities Act 2009, however, the Charities Regulator works closely with other regulatory bodies and organisations to uphold the integrity of charitable organisations and trusts. In late 2018, the Charities Regulator introduced...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: School Meals Programme (19 May 2021)

Joe O'Brien: I thank the Deputies for raising this issue. The school meals programme provides funding towards the provision of food to some 1,506 schools and organisations benefitting 230,000 children. The objective of the programme is to provide regular, nutritious food to children to enable them to take full advantage of the education provided to them. The programme is an important component of...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: School Meals Programme (19 May 2021)

Joe O'Brien: I appreciate the disappointment and frustration for the 92 schools that submitted an expression of interest in accessing the hot school meals programme and were not selected, including the schools referred to by Deputies Murphy and Smith. The level of demand for the programme is a clear sign of the need for its expansion and that is something to which the Minister and I are committed. Since...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Schemes (19 May 2021)

Joe O'Brien: The Department of Social Protection delivers a range of employment and income support schemes including Community Employment (CE), Tús and the Rural Social Scheme (RSS). As the Deputy is aware, my Department has supported CE, Tús and RSS schemes since the onset of the Covid-19 emergency in March 2020. Furthermore, a number of CE, Tús and RSS schemes, which provide...

Principles of Social Welfare Bill 2021: Second Stage [Private Members] (20 May 2021)

Joe O'Brien: Go raibh maith agat, a Cheann Comhairle.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes (20 May 2021)

Joe O'Brien: The Community Employment Scheme (CE) is an active labour market programme designed to provide eligible long-term unemployed people and others with an opportunity to engage in useful work within their communities on a temporary, fixed term basis. The programme is delivered through independent CE sponsoring authorities. The contract agreement between the Department and the CE sponsoring...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Departmental Programmes (25 May 2021)

Joe O'Brien: I thank the Deputy for his question and the focus on the Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme. My Department is providing funding of €190 million over five years for the current SICAP programme, which is our country's primary social inclusion intervention. This year over €39 million was allocated to the programme, supporting front-line workers in local...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Departmental Programmes (25 May 2021)

Joe O'Brien: I can give a commitment to prioritise SICAP. In terms of the programmes that I oversee, it is one of the ones that I have been shouting about most since I came into office. It is something that we need to raise the profile of across communities as well because so much good work goes on. We have over 500 posts for SICAP workers across the country doing really good work, particularly last...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Departmental Programmes (25 May 2021)

Joe O'Brien: The Deputy makes a relevant point in relation to the decrease that SICAP has taken over time. I am very aware of that, to acknowledge that again. I draw attention to some areas that come under the area of social inclusion that have received increases in funding in that time period as well. One of them is the Community Enhancement Programme which provides small grants to community groups...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Departmental Programmes (25 May 2021)

Joe O'Brien: I can answer Question No. 7 but it is not the question Deputy Paul Donnelly asked.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Departmental Programmes (25 May 2021)

Joe O'Brien: I am happy to take the question on the basis that it is the multi-annual funding question.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Departmental Programmes (25 May 2021)

Joe O'Brien: In August 2019, my Department launched Sustainable, Inclusive and Empowered Communities, the strategy to support the community and voluntary sector in Ireland. This strategy was developed in consultation with the cross-sectoral group and a work plan to progress its implementation has been agreed. Work in 2021 is ongoing in respect of a number of the objectives outlined in the strategy...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Departmental Programmes (25 May 2021)

Joe O'Brien: I will provide more detail on the training side of things as the Deputy brought it up. We have prioritised training in this year's action plan, which comes under the community and voluntary sector five-year strategy. The cross-sectoral group has prioritised training. There are three aspects to that. First, the process is ongoing and there will be a report on the training needs of local...