Results 721-740 of 2,335 for speaker:Joe O'Brien

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

Joe O'Brien: My Department provides a range of employment and training programmes and is committed to delivering and supporting a range of assistive and targeted measures to increase employment, training and apprenticeship opportunities for the long-term unemployed. Community Employment (CE) is an active labour market programme designed to provide eligible long-term unemployed people and other...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development (Further Revised) (16 Jun 2021)

Joe O'Brien: It is important to say we are processing the additional €10 million for the fresh applications to the stability fund this year. Without pre-empting all of the decisions, the initial indications are that those community and voluntary organisations that are in a difficult position will be in a better position after this. I believe the Deputy's initial question was what about this year,...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development (Further Revised) (16 Jun 2021)

Joe O'Brien: There were questions about PPNs and the Charities Regulator. I reassure the Deputy that funding for PPNs has remained the same. The change to the subhead just allows a little more flexibility for community and voluntary sector supports. This is an opportunity to highlight some of the supports we are providing to PPNs. A new handbook for PPNs was published last year, which was the first...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development (Further Revised) (16 Jun 2021)

Joe O'Brien: My suspicion is the latter is the cause. The Charities Regulator gave me feedback that flexibility was being given to smaller groups on the ground. Those groups could not meet in person and were struggling to submit the paperwork as they would normally. I can confirm that and get back to the Deputy.

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development (Further Revised) (16 Jun 2021)

Joe O'Brien: The Deputy's question concerned the possibility of some tourism-based CSP projects perhaps having wider opening hours and functions. Is that correct?

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development (Further Revised) (16 Jun 2021)

Joe O'Brien: I take the point. There is potential this year for a lot of tourism-based projects to get a boost with people holidaying at home. We perhaps have a responsibility to push them out and encourage people to visit tourism-based community services programmes. The few services I am aware of tend to be hubs for various types of activity, but there is always scope for broadening what they do. They...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Diplomatic Representation (29 Jun 2021)

Joe O'Brien: 276. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his attention has been drawn to the situation in Cambodia with the arrest of three environmental activists from a group (details supplied); if he will make a representation to the Cambodian government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34444/21]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (29 Jun 2021)

Joe O'Brien: 338. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the status of a school building project for a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34573/21]

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes (29 Jun 2021)

Joe O'Brien: As the Deputy is aware, the Community Employment (CE) Scheme 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...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (29 Jun 2021)

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 farmers or fishermen and women who are in receipt of certain social welfare payments and who are underemployed in their primary occupation. It is a supplementary income support scheme designed specifically for those participants whose...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Charitable and Voluntary Organisations (29 Jun 2021)

Joe O'Brien: While my Department has responsibility for governance oversight of the Charities Regulator, the Regulator is fully independent in the performance of its statutory functions under Section 14 (3) of the Charities Act 2009. Neither I nor my Department have any role in the decision making processes or operational matters relating to the work of the Regulator. These are entirely a matter for the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes (30 Jun 2021)

Joe O'Brien: Community Employment (CE) Scheme 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 focus of CE is on long-term unemployed people, that is people who have been unemployed for more than twelve months. A key qualifying condition for...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes (30 Jun 2021)

Joe O'Brien: As the Deputy will be aware, Community Employment (CE) E supervisors and CE 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 and assistant supervisors who are employed by CE scheme sponsors. This...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Community Employment Schemes (1 Jul 2021)

Joe O'Brien: I thank the Deputy for her question. I appreciate that the challenges caused by the Covid-19 public health restrictions have impacted on CE schemes. They have impacted on referrals to CE schemes and the services they provide. I met representatives of a number of CE and Tús schemes on 11 June last. We had a constructive exchange of views on the very real challenges facing the...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Community Employment Schemes (1 Jul 2021)

Joe O'Brien: We would be very unwise to change the conditions right now when we are in an atypical situation. I hope we are coming to the end of a period and it is looking good for coming out of Covid. There has been very little movement in the labour market during the pandemic. That is a large part of the reason places are currently empty. There were no places for people to go until recent months....

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Community Employment Schemes (1 Jul 2021)

Joe O'Brien: We will be paying particular attention to CE schemes that are providing essential services. The operational forum recommenced on 11 June. We will be having other meetings in September and some months after that to determine how we can get through these challenges over time. It came up during the proceedings of the forum that many schemes were not aware of the service support stream. I...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Pension Provisions (1 Jul 2021)

Joe O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 108 and 113 together. As the Deputies will be aware, CE supervisors and CE assistant supervisors have been seeking for several years, through their union representatives, the allocation of Exchequer funding to implement a 2008 Labour Court recommendation on the provision of a pension scheme for CE supervisors and assistant supervisors who are employed by...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Pension Provisions (1 Jul 2021)

Joe O'Brien: I thank both Deputies for raising this. I expect they appreciate that there is a negotiation process ongoing and that I would be very slow to impact that adversely, so I will not comment on the details except to reiterate and to acknowledge the work of CE supervisors, assistant supervisors and participants across the country. I have met supervisors and participants from Newmarket, Ballina,...