Results 1,761-1,780 of 2,335 for speaker:Joe O'Brien

LGBTQI+ Equality: Statements (20 Jun 2023)

Joe O'Brien: As the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, mentioned in his opening remarks, this year marks an important milestone for LGBTQI+ equality. It is important that this week, as Pride celebrations enter a period of high activity, we reflect on the progress we have made in Ireland while reaffirming our commitment to the protection and promotion of LGBTQI+ equality as we move forward. We know that Pride...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Fiscal Policy (21 Jun 2023)

Joe O'Brien: I thank Deputy Durkan for raising this issue. The Central Bank has put in place a range of measures to protect customers who take out a mortgage or have another loan. This consumer protection framework seeks to ensure that all Central Bank regulated entities are transparent and fair in all their dealings with borrowers and that borrowers are protected from the beginning to the end of the...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Fiscal Policy (21 Jun 2023)

Joe O'Brien: I thank Deputy Durkan for the opportunity to speak to the House on this issue. All regulated entities, including banks, other regulated mortgage lenders, loan owners and services are required, as a matter of law, to follow the statutory Central Bank codes of conduct, including the code of conduct on mortgage arrears and the consumer protection codes. These codes are not voluntary and there...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Medical Aids and Appliances (21 Jun 2023)

Joe O'Brien: On behalf of the Minister for Health, I thank Deputy Gould for raising this matter with reference to the situation of Michael Barry. It is an issue that is of importance to many children and their families in community healthcare organisation, CHO, 4. The HSE provides an extensive range of medical aids and appliances to individuals living with a wide variety of different medical conditions....

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Medical Aids and Appliances (21 Jun 2023)

Joe O'Brien: I again thank the Deputy, on behalf of the Minister, for raising this matter of great importance to children and their families in CHO 4. The aids and appliances provided by the HSE under the community-funded schemes support individuals to continue living within their communities. They are prescribed on the basis of an identified clinical need and provided in line with established criteria....

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Legislative Programme (21 Jun 2023)

Joe O'Brien: I am pleased to take this Commencement matter on behalf of my senior colleague in the Department of Social Protection, Deputy Humphreys. Currently, there is no requirement to register wills with any State authority. The Private Members' Bill was the fourth attempt to introduce legislation that would allow for the voluntary registration of wills. The argument is being made that significant...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Legislative Programme (21 Jun 2023)

Joe O'Brien: I apologise for not having a copy of my response available.

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Legislative Programme (21 Jun 2023)

Joe O'Brien: From the recommendations made by the working group, based on the submissions made by key stakeholders, it is clear that the introduction of the form of registration of wills would be counterproductive and would create more difficulties for individuals than it would seek to resolve. The Bar of Ireland has pointed out that data from the Probate Office indicated that as few as 100 out of 15,000...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Grant Payments (21 Jun 2023)

Joe O'Brien: I thank the Senator for raising this important issue and for allowing me the opportunity to provide an update on this matter. The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage provides funding to local authorities under the suite of housing adaptation grants for older people and people with a disability, to assist people in private houses to make their accommodation more suitable for...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Grant Payments (21 Jun 2023)

Joe O'Brien: I have listened very carefully to the points made by the Senator. The funding available for these grants in 2023 has been increased by almost €2 million on the original 2022 provision bringing it to a total of €83 million. Given the real benefits of these schemes to people who rely on them to continue living their lives independently in their own homes, our objective is to...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: School Textbooks (21 Jun 2023)

Joe O'Brien: I thank the Senator. He will be aware that the Department of Education's statement of strategy sets out the vision and mission of the Department for an educational system where every child and young person feels valued and is actively supported and nurtured in reaching their full potential. It sets as a goal to ensure equity of opportunity in education and that all pupils are supported to...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: School Textbooks (21 Jun 2023)

Joe O'Brien: The introduction of the free primary schoolbooks scheme is a historic moment in education and helps us live up to the promise of free education. I thank the Senator for raising this matter and emphasise the significance of the funding for this groundbreaking scheme. I also acknowledge the enormous amount of work that has taken place since the scheme was announced in March. It is ongoing to...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Grant Payments (20 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 local community and voluntary groups across the country with a multitude of costs including energy and utility bills, other operating costs, minor upgrade works and small capital purchases. The funding is administered on...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes (21 Jun 2023)

Joe O'Brien: Community Employment (CE) is a labour market activation programme which provides eligible people with an opportunity to engage in work and training opportunities within their communities. The programme aims to improve participants' opportunities to return to work in the open labour market. A person’s time in CE is temporary so that opportunities for work experience on these schemes...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Community Development Projects (22 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. Qualifying organisations must be social...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Data (27 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 local community and voluntary groups across the country with a multitude of costs including energy and utility bills, other operating costs, minor upgrade works and small capital purchases. The funding is administered on...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: International Protection (4 Jul 2023)

Joe O'Brien: Since the beginning of 2022, Ireland and many other European countries have been experiencing a significant increase of new arrivals seeking international protection. As of the 25 June, more than 21,570 people are being accommodated in the International Protection Accommodation Service, IPAS, system as a whole, compared to 12,000 people at this time last year. Combined with that is the...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: International Protection (4 Jul 2023)

Joe O'Brien: I will be meeting with officials from the Department of the Taoiseach in the next week to firm up and finalise the plan. The message that will be communicated will be similar to what we consistently communicate in terms of outlining the wider context of what has happened, underlining our international responsibilities and the situations people face, and recognising what communities have...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: International Protection (4 Jul 2023)

Joe O'Brien: I will certainly bring that request to the meeting next week. I think it is a reasonable one. I want to point to a few statistics that are relevant. In the last three months, we have opened 33 new international protection accommodation centres and 88 beneficiaries of temporary protection centres. That is a total of 111 centres that have been opened in the last three months. The response...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes (4 Jul 2023)

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. It supports projects that provide work experience for long term unemployed persons. The programme is delivered through CE sponsor...