Results 661-680 of 2,335 for speaker:Joe O'Brien

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

Joe O'Brien: I thank the Deputy. We are in the process of scoping out where multi-annual funding might begin to grow. As part of the process, we have to pin down exactly what we are funding and what Departments are funding organisations. We do not fund all community and voluntary organisations, of which a large number - 11,000 - are registered with the Charities Regulator. To give the Deputy a...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Community Development Projects (25 May 2021)

Joe O'Brien: A range of my Department's programmes contribute to the enhancement of community facilities. They include a €4.5 million 2021 community enhancement programme, which was launched on 10 May. The programme provides grants to enhance facilities in disadvantaged areas and is administered by the local community development committees, LCDCs, in each local authority area. A €49...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Community Development Projects (25 May 2021)

Joe O'Brien: The Department makes quite an effort in terms of getting the information out. Pobal will be of assistance in making applications. I also direct people to local development companies and local authorities. Some of the funding schemes have different ways of applying. The rural regeneration and development fund, RRDF, will generally need to go through the local authority, so engagement with...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Community Development Projects (25 May 2021)

Joe O'Brien: Deputy Richmond touched on a fair point. We use many acronyms such as LCDCs, local development companies and PPNs. It is important for local communities to recognise them. I draw attention to a piece of work we are doing at the moment, with the public participation networks. There are 15,000 community group members of public participation networks, PPNs, throughout the country. We are...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Programmes (25 May 2021)

Joe O'Brien: My Department is providing funding of €190 million over five years for thecurrent Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP) (2018-2022), 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 Development Companies to deliver SICAPon the ground. The...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (25 May 2021)

Joe O'Brien: Together with other broader Government initiatives, my Department is providing a range of supports to assist community and voluntary organisations in dealing with COVID-19 impacts. Given the role of my Department in supporting the economic and social development of rural Ireland, and community development throughout Ireland, all of our existing funding schemes support the response to, and...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Local Community Development Committees (25 May 2021)

Joe O'Brien: My Department has statutory responsibility for the local and community development governance structures introduced on foot of the local government reform process, namely the Local Community Development Committees (LCDCs), the Public Participation Networks (PPNs) and Local Economic and Community Plans (LECPs). This involves supporting the operation of the LCDCs and the development and...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Programmes (25 May 2021)

Joe O'Brien: My Department's Community Services Programme (CSP) supports over 420 community organisations to provide employment opportunities and local services through a social enterprise model. In 2020, Indecon International Economic Consultants carried out an independent review of the CSP on behalf of my Department. The final report was published in September 2020 and is available on my...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes (25 May 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. My Department has continued to support CE since the onset of the Covid-19 emergency in March 2020, including the ongoing provision of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Food Poverty (25 May 2021)

Joe O'Brien: The income supports provided by my Department help to meet the basic living needs of individuals and families across Ireland. In addition to these supports, my Department provides the following targeted measures: 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...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Schemes (25 May 2021)

Joe O'Brien: The Department of Social Protection delivers a range of employment and income support schemes including Community Employment, Tús and the Rural Social Scheme. These schemes are delivered by independent bodies funded by the Department. CE is delivered by sponsoring authorities while Tús and RSS are delivered by 48 local development companies and by Údarás na Gaeltachta,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes (25 May 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. My Department has continued to support CE since the onset of the Covid-19 emergency in March 2020, including the ongoing provision of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes (25 May 2021)

Joe O'Brien: On clarification with the Deputy's Office, the PQ relates to the requirement for participants to finish on CE at state pension age while there are difficulties with recruitment in some rural areas. The Community Employment Scheme (CE) is an active labour market programme designed to provide eligible long-term unemployed people and other disadvantaged persons with an opportunity to engage...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Community Development Projects (25 May 2021)

Joe O'Brien: The closing date for receipt of applications for the 2021 Pilot Community Development Programme was Wednesday 31st March. Due to the large number of high quality applications received, my Department is undertaking a two stage assessment process to examine the applications against the criteria set out. It is expected that successful applicants will be notified at the end of May. All...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Community Development Projects (25 May 2021)

Joe O'Brien: Funding of €1m will be provided for a pilot Community Development Programmein 2021. It is expected that the programme will continue for three years. The pilot programme will support up to eight projects engaged in community development work with marginalised communities. An allocation of €120,000 - €140,000 per organisation is anticipated. The overall aim is to trial...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Community Development Projects (25 May 2021)

Joe O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 579 and 580 together. Ballymun is one of the many areas across Ireland that could benefit from a community development approach, and it is important that reports such as 'A Brighter Future' referenced by the Deputy feed into policy and decision making at Government and local level. I would be happy to meet with the stakeholders involved to hear directly...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Communications (25 May 2021)

Joe O'Brien: My Department has extensive engagement with the community and voluntary sector as part of its ongoing work to support empowered, inclusive and resilient communities and a thriving volunteer culture, and to help this sector to contribute fully to civil society. In the last year in particular, my Department has put in place various initiatives including: - Working with Pobal to put in place...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rural Schemes (25 May 2021)

Joe O'Brien: The aim of my Department's Community Services Programme (CSP) is to support community-based organisations to provide employment opportunities for disadvantaged individuals and to provide local social, economic and environmental services through a social enterprise model. The programme was launched in 2006 and has evolved over the years in line with emerging priorities. The CSP focuses on...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Social Welfare Appeals (27 May 2021)

Joe O'Brien: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Social Protection, and of the Department, and is responsible for determining appeals against decisions in relation to social welfare entitlements. The Department of Social Protection processes around 2 million new claims each year. Approximately 85% of these are...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Social Welfare Appeals (27 May 2021)

Joe O'Brien: I am acutely aware that the time taken in processing appeals is hugely important to the people who submit an appeal, and that it directly impacts on their lives. It is a very important point to note that those who apply for formal payments, like carer’s allowance or jobseeker’s allowance, can apply for a supplementary welfare allowance from the community welfare officer while...