Results 1,721-1,740 of 2,335 for speaker:Joe O'Brien

Accommodation Needs for New Arrivals: Statements (23 May 2023)

Joe O'Brien: I welcome the opportunity to contribute to this important and welcome debate. I thank all the Deputies who participated. I listened to almost all their contributions, including on my way to the House. The debate has been useful. The Department continues proactively to secure shelter from multiple sources to accommodate those fleeing the war in Ukraine and those applying for...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Community Employment Schemes (23 May 2023)

Joe O'Brien: The seniors alert scheme provides funding for a free personal monitored alarm for people aged 65 or older and of limited means. The scheme is intended to support older people to live securely and independently in their homes. It is funded by the Department of Rural and Community Development and administered by Pobal, with the support of local community and voluntary groups. The Deputy...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Community Employment Schemes (23 May 2023)

Joe O'Brien: We have a network of community and voluntary organisations throughout the country that should cover every geographic area. There are responsible community organisations in every area. If the Deputy believes a particular area is not properly covered, we would like to know about it. The organisations are effective in getting the word out. They use CE, Tús or RSS participants in the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Community Employment Schemes (23 May 2023)

Joe O'Brien: As the Deputy was speaking, two things occurred to me that we could do in terms of joined-up thinking. The social inclusion and community activation programme, SICAP, which falls under the Department of Rural and Community Development, funds several friendly call service programmes nationally which contact older, often isolated, people by telephone. It grew up over Covid. Maybe we can ask...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Rural Schemes (23 May 2023)

Joe O'Brien: The RSS implementing bodies undertake a diverse range of activities including the regeneration and enhancement of community spaces, environmental maintenance work and the staffing of cultural, tourism and heritage sites. I acknowledge the excellent work undertaken and the contribution these schemes and their workers make to communities across the country. The RSS has a budget of more...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Rural Schemes (23 May 2023)

Joe O'Brien: I thank the Deputies. I dispute the fact but I understand why people are concerned and that they would think it might drag on. I am determined that it is going to be as tight as possible. At the same time, we need to get the views in. I want to refresh it. I do not just want to make one or two tweaks to it. The scheme has huge potential in the long term and there are opportunities that...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Rural Schemes (23 May 2023)

Joe O'Brien: I would not question the Deputy's knowledge on the RSS ever. He will know too the answer that I am able to give, that I will use the phrase, "It is a budgetary matter", and that I do not control the strings in the middle of a budget year. I attended the first meeting of the review group. It was very clear that the income side of it came up there as well. We had 1,000 submissions to the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Employment Schemes (16 May 2023)

Joe O'Brien: As the Deputy is aware Job Initiative (JI) is an employment support scheme which was designed to provide eligible long-term unemployed people and other disadvantaged persons with an opportunity to engage in useful work within their communities. Participants on JI are employed full time for 39 hours per week. The current rate for JI participants is €495 per week. The JI rate...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Departmental Communications (30 May 2023)

Joe O'Brien: I thank the Deputy for the question. Since the beginning of 2022, Ireland and many other European countries have experienced a significant increase of new arrivals seeking international protection. As of 26 May, there are over 20,600 people accommodated in the international protection accommodation services, IPAS, system as a whole, compared with 11,000 people at this time last year....

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Departmental Communications (30 May 2023)

Joe O'Brien: The Government is developing a more strategic long-term plan to deal with the allocation of accommodation in consultation with local government. Government is also developing a more systematic approach to communicate with local communities. A tender process was initiated by the Department of the Taoiseach on 25 April to seek support and advice in the development of effective public...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Departmental Communications (30 May 2023)

Joe O'Brien: I assure the Deputy there are layers of communication across all levels of Government. At the highest level, we have the Cabinet subcommittee on Ukraine. We also have a senior officials' group. At a local level, we have community response forums, which are co-ordinated at a higher level by the Local Government Management Agency, LGMA, and County and City Management Association, CCMA. I...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Strategies (23 May 2023)

Joe O'Brien: The Roadmap for Social Inclusion 2020-2025 is a whole of Government strategy with the ambitious aim to reduce consistent poverty to 2 per cent or less and to make Ireland one of the most socially inclusive member states in the EU. The Roadmap was published in January 2020 and contains seven high level goals, delivered by 66 unique commitments. Implementation of Roadmap commitments is well...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Food Poverty (23 May 2023)

Joe O'Brien: The Roadmap for Social Inclusion 2020-2025 is the whole of Government strategy to reduce poverty and improve social inclusion in Ireland. It includes seven high-level goals and 66 unique commitments. Goal 7 of the Roadmap is to “ensure that all people can live with confidence that they have access to good quality healthcare, housing, energy and food.” Commitment 61 of the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes (23 May 2023)

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 on a temporary fixed term basis. In addition to providing valuable occupational experience and training as a stepping-stone to employment for people who are...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rural Schemes (23 May 2023)

Joe O'Brien: My Department’s mission is to promote rural and community development and to support vibrant, inclusive and sustainable communities throughout Ireland. My Department does not operate a dedicated fund for the costs associated with policing civic events. Local events are usually under the remit of the relevant Local Authority and matters such as crowd control, facilitation and...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Funding (24 May 2023)

Joe O'Brien: Last November, I was delighted to launch the 2022 Community Support Fund (CSF) under the Community Enhancement Programme, with funding of €10 million to assist thousands of community groups across the country. The funding is administered on behalf of my Department locally by Local Community Development Committees (LCDCs) across the country, with support from their Local Authority....

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes (30 May 2023)

Joe O'Brien: Community Employment schemes across the country play a vital role in providing essential services to local communities. A number of reforms and enhancements have been introduced to the scheme over the past 18 months , including most recently the extension of the criteria of those who can participate on CE to the adult dependents of those in receipt of Jobseeker’s Allowance and in...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes (30 May 2023)

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. The payment rates on CE are related to the underlying social protection payments plus €27.50 per week. In...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Suicide Prevention (31 May 2023)

Joe O'Brien: Details regarding funding supplied by my Department to the organisations referred to by the Deputy and other charity groups working directly in suicide care in Ireland are set out below. Funding may be provided to these organisations by other Government Departments and this information is not included in this response. Funding of €4,150 was provided by my Department to the Samaritans...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Misuse of Drugs (13 Jun 2023)

Joe O'Brien: I understand the submission from Citywide Drugs Crisis Campaign to the Citizens' Assembly on Drug Use makes a number of suggestions for key areas of action, including further investment in community development responses and the need to enhance the voice of communities in tackling deprivation and its links with drug abuse. The Deputy will appreciate that some of the actions called for in...