Results 801-820 of 2,335 for speaker:Joe O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Rural Schemes (9 Sep 2021)

Joe O'Brien: The Rural Social Scheme (RSS) is an income support scheme providing part-time employment opportunities for farmers or fishers in receipt of certain social welfare payments, and who are underemployed in their primary occupation, within their local area, in community and voluntary organisations.  RSS participants have the opportunity to improve and develop new or existing skills,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes (9 Sep 2021)

Joe O'Brien: 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 in useful work within their communities on a temporary, fixed term basis. My Department has supported CE schemes since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020.  CE participants, whose...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes (9 Sep 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.  Those who are unemployed and in receipt of an eligible payment for 12 months or more, are regarded as long-term...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes (9 Sep 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 supported CE schemes since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020.  CE participants, whose contracts...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes (9 Sep 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 person concerned commenced on the CE scheme on 30/04/2018 and completed his 3 years allowable on CE on 23/04/2021.  As a...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes (15 Sep 2021)

Joe O'Brien: As the Deputy 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 relating to the provision of a pension scheme for CE supervisors and assistant supervisors who are employed by CE scheme sponsors. This claim creates some...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes (15 Sep 2021)

Joe O'Brien: The aim of the Community Employment (CE) programme is to enhance the employability of disadvantaged and long- term unemployed people by providing work experience and training opportunities for them within their local communities. The programme aims to improve a person’s opportunities to return to the labour market. Participation on CE is for a temporary fixed-term. CE placements...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes (15 Sep 2021)

Joe O'Brien: Community Employment (CE) scheme is a labour market initiative that provides work experience and training opportunities to help long-term unemployed people and other vulnerable groups to enter the workforce by breaking their experience of unemployment. It also tackles issues of social inclusion and provides valuable services to local communities across the country. In 2019, the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes (15 Sep 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. As the Deputy is aware, my Department continued to provide funding and support to CE schemes since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic...

Adoption (Information) Bill 2021: Second Stage [Private Members] (16 Sep 2021)

Joe O'Brien: I welcome the debate in the House today. I want to acknowledge all the Deputies who have contributed. I wish to thank Deputies Connolly, Pringle and Joan Collins and the Independent Group for bringing forward the Bill. I think all Deputies in this House recognise the background of the issues giving rise to this initiative. The issue addressed in this Bill, that of access to adoptees to...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Transport Policy (21 Sep 2021)

Joe O'Brien: On behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Transport, Deputy Eamon Ryan, I thank the Senator for the opportunity to address this issue in the House. The Government is committed to a fundamental change in the nature of transport in Ireland. As the Senator is no doubt aware, the Minister for Transport is a firm believer in the positive potential of increased and expanded sustainable...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Transport Policy (21 Sep 2021)

Joe O'Brien: I thank the Senator. Again, on behalf of my colleague, the Minister of Transport, I assure the Senator that the potential for high-speed rail between Belfast, Dundalk and Dublin will be fully considered as part of the strategic rail review. As mentioned earlier, rather uniquely, this strategic rail review will be conducted on an all-island basis, in full co-operation with our colleagues in...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Rail Network (21 Sep 2021)

Joe O'Brien: I thank the Senator on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Transport, Deputy Eamon Ryan, for the opportunity to address this issue in the House. The DART+ programme will transform rail services in the greater Dublin area. It will double capacity and introduce DART-level all-day services across the network, stretching from Drogheda in the north to Maynooth and Hazelhatch in the west,...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Rail Network (21 Sep 2021)

Joe O'Brien: I believe we can all agree on the importance of DART+ and the importance of improved and expanded public transport generally. DART+ represents the largest ever investment in our rail infrastructure and services.The Minister for Transport will soon bring a memorandum to Government seeking approval for that programme to enable it to move forward to the next decision gate under the public...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (21 Sep 2021)

Joe O'Brien: 356. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the reason a major school building project (details supplied) has been at stage 2b for nearly five years; if her attention has been drawn to the fact that this school has been in temporary accommodation, mainly prefabs, for more than 20 years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44540/21]

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes (21 Sep 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. CE sponsoring authorities receive annual contracts from my Department which fund the employment of both CE participants and supervisors,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes (21 Sep 2021)

Joe O'Brien: Community Employment (CE) is an active labour market programme providing 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, as with most other sectors of society, CE schemes were impacted by the public health restrictions introduced since the...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Mental Health Services (21 Sep 2021)

Joe O'Brien: The Government are aware of the challenges facing community and voluntary organisations and are 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 restrictions...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes (22 Sep 2021)

Joe O'Brien: Community Employment (CE) is an active labour market programme providing 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. Tús is a community work placement initiative providing more short-term work opportunities for people who have been unemployed over a year to...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes (22 Sep 2021)

Joe O'Brien: The aim of the Community Employment ( CE ) programme is to enhance the employability of disadvantaged and unemployed people by providing work experience and training opportunities for them within their communities. Participation limits on these schemes are necessary to allow for the maximum utilisation of places amongst qualifying persons. It is important to note that participation is...