Results 1,741-1,760 of 2,335 for speaker:Joe O'Brien

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

Joe O'Brien: I will flesh out a little my Department’s responsibilities on the national drug strategy. My Department has two main goals within the strategy, both of which are implemented under SICAP. These are to provide supports, including homework clubs, additional tuition and career guidance counselling and to support community awareness of drugs programmes and youth work in collaboration with...

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

Joe O'Brien: I also want to mention the role of drug task forces. Local and regional drug and alcohol task forces implement the national drug strategy in the context of the needs of their local areas. The strategy is implemented through action plans that have identified existing and emerging gaps in supply reduction, prevention, treatment, rehabilitation and research. In my own area, I would mention...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Voluntary Sector (13 Jun 2023)

Joe O'Brien: In 2019, my Department published Sustainable, Inclusive and Empowered Communities: A Five-Year Strategy to Support the Community and Voluntary Sector in Ireland 2019-2024. The strategy reaffirms the Government’s commitment to supporting the sector and addressing some of the burdens faced by service providers, while also recognising the reality of finite resources and the need to...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Voluntary Sector (13 Jun 2023)

Joe O'Brien: I thank the Deputy for raising that particular point. I will take the opportunity to acknowledge all the board members across the country who do all the unseen work behind the scenes, much of which is tough drudgery and administrative work that does not always get acknowledged and seen. We are doing a needs assessment. We are currently working on a research programme to establish the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Voluntary Sector (13 Jun 2023)

Joe O'Brien: I take the Deputy's point about costs. We have different levels of funding for different types of organisations. The level the Deputy is talking about tends in many cases to get support via LCDCs and the community support fund we are in the process of rolling out across local authorities at the moment. We announced last year that €10 million would be available to grassroots groups,...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Public Participation Networks (13 Jun 2023)

Joe O'Brien: I thank the Deputy for the question. PPNs provide representation for the community sector in local policymaking, giving local groups a say in local government decisions that affect their communities. There is a PPN in each of the 31 local authority areas and membership of a PPN is open to volunteer-led and not-for-profit groups in each area. The network has grown substantially since its...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Public Participation Networks (13 Jun 2023)

Joe O'Brien: Authentic engagement can take a bit of time sometimes and PPNs are specifically set up with a flat structure. That makes them difficult when it comes to decision-making sometimes and that has been recognised. I was also very conscious of what the Deputy listed, but it has been done in conjunction with the PPNs, so participatory and co-design processes are being used to ensure stakeholders...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Public Participation Networks (13 Jun 2023)

Joe O'Brien: It is important to say the PPNs are independent structures and are funded independently. We gave them a significant budgetary increase last year as well. I have a couple of important points to add. On foot of the findings from the PPN structural review, the Department is commissioning research to investigate any potential barriers to involvement in PPNs. The research will explore the...

Our Rural Future Policy: Statements (14 Jun 2023)

Joe O'Brien: I am delighted to have the opportunity to speak on the Department of Rural and Community Development's Our Rural Future plan. As someone from a rural, small-farming background, I am familiar with many of the issues facing those living and working outside the main urban centres. I am pleased my roles at three Departments each give me the opportunity to contribute something positive towards...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Community Development Projects (13 Jun 2023)

Joe O'Brien: As the Deputy will be aware, the concept of community wealth building refers to a range of approaches to local economic development, including community-led local development. My department has in place a range of policies and programmes which support community wealth building. Programmes such as LEADER, SICAP and the Community Services Programme all support community-led initiatives. My...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rural Schemes (13 Jun 2023)

Joe O'Brien: My department's Community Services Programme (CSP) currently supports over 420 community-based organisations to provide local services through a social enterprise model. CSP provides an annual co-funding contribution towards each full-time equivalent (FTE) position being supported, and, where warranted, towards the cost of employing a manager. A new call for proposals was announced in March...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rural Schemes (13 Jun 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. Support is available to, for example, Parish Halls, Community Centres, Local Development Associations, Social Clubs, Senior Citizen Groups, Men’s and Women’s...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Employment Schemes (13 Jun 2023)

Joe O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 790 and 791 together. The Rural Social Scheme (RSS) is an income support scheme that provides part-time employment opportunities for farmers and fishermen and women in receipt of specified social welfare payments, and who are underemployed in their primary occupation. RSS is specifically designed and delivered to qualified people of working age whose...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes (13 Jun 2023)

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. The programme is delivered through independent CE sponsor organisations that receive state funding from the department to...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (13 Jun 2023)

Joe O'Brien: Job Initiative (JI) is an employment support scheme which was originally 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 benefits from any...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes (13 Jun 2023)

Joe O'Brien: The Community Employment (CE) programme aims 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. There are currently over 18,600 participants on CE with a Budget of almost €367 million for 2023. CE schemes are typically sponsored...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Programmes (13 Jun 2023)

Joe O'Brien: My department's Community Services Programme (CSP) currently supports over 420 community-based organisations to provide local services through a social enterprise model. CSP provides an annual co-funding contribution towards each full-time equivalent (FTE) position being supported, and, where warranted, towards the cost of employing a manager. As part of the CSP restructuring process, a...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Programmes (13 Jun 2023)

Joe O'Brien: My Department's Community Services Programme (CSP) currently supports over 420 community-based organisations to provide local services through a social enterprise model. CSP provides an annual co-funding contribution towards each full-time equivalent (FTE) position being supported, and, where warranted, towards the cost of employing a manager. The CSP contribution is not aligned to the...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Community Development Projects (13 Jun 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. A key feature of the Community Enhancement Programme is that it is targeted to the specific challenges facing local community groups and delivers immediate, tangible supports...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Community Development Projects (13 Jun 2023)

Joe O'Brien: As a partnership between the private sector and Government, Rethink Ireland (formerly Social Innovation Fund Ireland) has been funded from the Dormant Accounts Fund through contractual funding arrangements since its creation in 2013. The business model which these arrangements support is for Government funding to match the philanthropic donations on a 50:50 co-funded basis i.e., every euro...