Results 1,081-1,100 of 2,335 for speaker:Joe O'Brien

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Agricultural Shows (2 Mar 2022)

Joe O'Brien: I thank the Senator for the invitation. I will be speaking directly with the Minister tonight on the Senator's question in terms of the review and the issues raised today, as well as the value the shows bring, particularly in their community value and their value in maintaining a key piece of our national identity. Numerous events are undertaken every summer. They include the judging of...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: School Facilities (2 Mar 2022)

Joe O'Brien: I thank Senators Aisling Dolan and Buttimer for raising this important matter. Schools are valued in their communities and not just from an education perspective. They sustain rural populations and are often viewed as an indicator of how an area is faring. They also provide a vital link for sports and social activity.Schools play a wide role in their communities and many schools make their...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: School Facilities (2 Mar 2022)

Joe O'Brien: I thank the Senators for their kind comments. It is important to thank schools that are opening up their facilities and to acknowledge they are doing this. There is bit of work and an element of risk involved in doing that and we should thank them for it. I reiterate my request for other schools to seriously consider doing this. As I said, I have written to the Minister for Education and...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Social Welfare Schemes (2 Mar 2022)

Joe O'Brien: I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. At the outset, I want to acknowledge the excellent work that is done on the full range of schemes, including the community employment, Tús and rural social schemes, supported by my Department, and the contribution that these schemes and their workers make to communities across the country. Work schemes, such as Tús and the community...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Social Welfare Schemes (2 Mar 2022)

Joe O'Brien: I thank Deputy Creed for raising this matter and for highlighting the work that is done by all these schemes. The schemes are different.

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Social Welfare Schemes (2 Mar 2022)

Joe O'Brien: That is not to put a different value on anything. They are all extremely valuable. Tús was originally a one-year programme.

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Social Welfare Schemes (2 Mar 2022)

Joe O'Brien: The rural social scheme is an income support measure. It does not have a training element, to make a slight distinction. It may look as if they are identical from the outside, but they are not. They are all of equal and high value. The Deputy knows I place a huge emphasis on the importance of such schemes. I have visited many community employment, Tús and rural social schemes over...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Food Waste (1 Mar 2022)

Joe O'Brien: 188. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if the possibility of a good Samaritan law, requiring retailers to donate food that would otherwise be disposed of to charity will be considered as part of the development of a draft national food waste prevention roadmap. [11702/22]

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pension Provisions (1 Mar 2022)

Joe O'Brien: As the Deputy will be aware, Community Employment (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. At the outset, I wish to acknowledge the valuable and dedicated service that CE...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Schemes (1 Mar 2022)

Joe O'Brien: My Department is responsible for the Seniors Alert Scheme which encourages community support for vulnerable older people in our communities through the provision of personal monitored alarms to enable them to live securely in their homes with confidence, independence and peace of mind. Funding is available under the scheme for the purchase by a registered community based-organisation of...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Community Development Projects (8 Mar 2022)

Joe O'Brien: My Department’s Community Services Programme (CSP), currently supports over 420 community organisations to provide employment opportunities and local services, through a social enterprise model.  The CSP contribution is not aligned to the minimum wage and does not meet the full salary cost of supported posts, rather it is a fixed annual contribution towards the overall...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Schemes (8 Mar 2022)

Joe O'Brien: I refer the Deputy to my responses on the 8 February 2022 (q. 848) and 17 February 2022 (q. 53) respectively. The position outlined regarding the Seniors Alert Scheme remains unchanged. My Department is responsible for the Seniors Alert Scheme which encourages community support for vulnerable older people in our communities through the provision of personal monitored alarms to enable them...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes (9 Mar 2022)

Joe O'Brien: Job Initiative (JI) is an employment support scheme designed to provide eligible long-term unemployed people and other disadvantaged persons with an opportunity to engage in useful work within their communities. The Department of Social Protection provides financial support in the form of allowances and funding to assist with the Job Initiative,  for example participant wages, team...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Rural Schemes (22 Mar 2022)

Joe O'Brien: The rural social scheme, RSS, is an income support scheme for farmers and fishers who are in receipt of specified social welfare payments and are underemployed in their primary occupation.  The scheme offers participants the opportunity to gain valuable work experience, while providing services to local communities. To qualify for the RSS, a person must be...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Rural Schemes (22 Mar 2022)

Joe O'Brien: There are 2,969 people on the RSS at present and 1,493 of them will not be impacted by the six-year rule. There are also 381 vacancies. It is not impacting capacity and there is spare capacity there, but I take the Deputy's point about the six-year rule, it has been raised with me. It is very much on our radar in terms of looking at it as part of the review. There were also changes...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Rural Schemes (22 Mar 2022)

Joe O'Brien: On Tús, the numbers are in excess of pre-pandemic levels. The spaces are full and we have more to go because of the July stimulus package, but they have exceeded pre-pandemic levels. Referrals to Tús and CE are quite healthy. CE has not recovered in the same way that Tús has. There is a bit of work to do there yet. On the rural social scheme, I would take the...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Foreign Conflicts (23 Mar 2022)

Joe O'Brien: The situation in Yemen is one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, driven by seven years of conflict, economic collapse and the breakdown of public institutions and services which has left millions of people in need of humanitarian assistance. Ireland fully supports the efforts of the UN Special Envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, to bring about a political resolution to the conflict in...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Foreign Conflicts (23 Mar 2022)

Joe O'Brien: The conflict in Yemen, which is a civil war, has continued for too long, with devastating consequences for the people of Yemen. Ireland supports the call for an immediate ceasefire across Yemen and the negotiation of a sustainable peace agreement under the auspices of the UN. All parties must work towards an immediate de-escalataion. Ireland has consistently called on the parties concerned...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Aviation Industry (23 Mar 2022)

Joe O'Brien: I thank Senator Buttimer for his Commencement matter. On behalf of the Minister of State, Deputy Naughton, I welcome the opportunity to discuss this topic with Members of the House. It is well acknowledged that Covid-19 has had a devastating impact on the aviation industry, not just in Ireland but globally. In 2020, the number of passengers handled in our main airports fell by a staggering...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Aviation Industry (23 Mar 2022)

Joe O'Brien: The latest EUROCONTROL figures show that aviation traffic across the pan-European network is averaging at just over 70% of the equivalent period in 2019. Ireland's traffic levels are reported as slightly higher than this average. Air traffic remains lower than EUROCONTROL's previously estimated recovery forecast, largely due to the emergence of the Omicron variant last year. This would...