Results 1,881-1,900 of 2,335 for speaker:Joe O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Programmes (5 Dec 2023)

Joe O'Brien: My Department’s Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP) aims to reduce poverty and promote social inclusion and equality by supporting rural and urban communities and individuals using community development approaches, engagement and collaboration. The procurement process for SICAP 2024-2028 is currently ongoing. Galway County Local Community Development...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Programmes (5 Dec 2023)

Joe O'Brien: My Department's Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP), is our country’s primary social inclusion programme which aims to reduce poverty and promote social inclusion and equality by supporting disadvantaged communities and individuals. The procurement process for the next iteration of SICAP 2024-2028 is currently ongoing. The SICAP procurement process is run on a...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Industrial Disputes (6 Dec 2023)

Joe O'Brien: Officials from my Department hold regular meetings with representative associations to discuss issues of mutual interest in relation to the delivery of all employment programmes; Community employment (CE), Job Initiative (JI), the Rural Social Scheme (RSS) and Tús. With regard to the issue raised by the Deputy, the Department is involved in ongoing discussions, as a partner in a...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Schools Building Projects (7 Dec 2023)

Joe O'Brien: I thank the Senator for raising this matter. On behalf of the Minister for Education, I will outline the plans for additional post-primary school places in Blanchardstown west. For school planning purposes, the Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas and utilises a geographical information system to anticipate school place demand. Information from a range of sources,...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Schools Building Projects (7 Dec 2023)

Joe O'Brien: I thank the Senator for giving me the opportunity to outline the position to the House on post-primary school places in Blanchardstown west. There are currently a number of active projects at post-primary level in the Blanchardstown west school planning area, which will increase local capacity. The current status of large-scale projects being delivered under Project Ireland 2040 may be...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: School Facilities (7 Dec 2023)

Joe O'Brien: I am taking this Commencement matter on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Education, Deputy Norma Foley, who is otherwise engaged. I thank the Senator for raising the matter as it provides the Department with the opportunity to clarify the current position of St Anne’s Secondary School, Rosanna Road, Tipperary town. The answer I have is largely from the Department of...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: School Facilities (7 Dec 2023)

Joe O'Brien: I thank the Senator for raising this issue and for giving the Department the opportunity to reassure the House that the Department is committed to ensuring that all children can access education suitable to their needs. I take the Senator's point in regard to the school meals programme. Deputy Humphreys and I are committed to rolling this out to as wide a group as possible. There has been...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Schools Building Projects (7 Dec 2023)

Joe O'Brien: I thank the Senator for raising the matter as it provides me with the opportunity to clarify how the Department plans for school places and specifically the position in relation to Duleek. I wish to advise the Senator that requirements for additional school places is kept under ongoing review in the context of available information on population, enrolments and residential development...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Schools Building Projects (7 Dec 2023)

Joe O'Brien: I thank Senator Keogan for giving me the opportunity to address this issue. I have laid out the criteria the Department uses for assessment. They are fairly comprehensive on the population side and in the broader context of the school options available. However, I assure the Senator the Department will continue to monitor demographic projections and enrolments in the area to ensure all...

Seanad: Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2023: Second Stage (7 Dec 2023)

Joe O'Brien: It is a pleasure to be able to bring this Bill before Seanad Éireann. The main purpose of the Bill is to give legislative effect to several of the very substantial improvements in social protection that were announced on budget day. In addition, this year, we are introducing a set of provisions to implement the biggest ever structural reform of the State pension system, which has been...

Seanad: Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2023: Second Stage (7 Dec 2023)

Joe O'Brien: I thank Senators for their constructive engagement. I will do my best to answer queries. To answer Senator Burke's initial question, the pension will be based on the higher rate. On the jury service issue we will talk to the Minister for Justice regarding giving an allowance in the circumstances he outlined. With regards to Senators Burke's and Craughwell's point about class K PRSI, prior...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Employment Support Services (7 Dec 2023)

Joe O'Brien: The wage subsidy scheme is an employment support to private sector employers, the objective of which is to encourage employment of people with disabilities in the open labour market. There are currently 1,515 employers on the scheme in respect of some 2,436 participant employees. Estimated expenditure on the wage subsidy scheme in 2023 is €24 million. To claim a subsidy under the...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Employment Support Services (7 Dec 2023)

Joe O'Brien: We had a four-week consultation process in June with people with disabilities, employers and the public and received over 1,000 submissions. As part of the budget we allocated an additional €3.7 million to expand the scheme. This will reduce the minimum number of hours required. The increase in the previous budget was a significant one and we are now in a situation where employers...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Employment Support Services (7 Dec 2023)

Joe O'Brien: It is important that we look at all barriers that people with disabilities face in trying to access employment. The wage subsidy scheme is an important assistance to employers and employees to get through some of those barriers. The Department recognises the additional challenges that some people with disabilities may experience in securing and maintaining employment and contracts a...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Benefits (7 Dec 2023)

Joe O'Brien: The Minister, Deputy Humphreys, recently secured the approval of the Government to proceed with design proposals for a new pay-related benefit for jobseekers. This represents a fundamental reform of the social welfare system and will ensure that people with long work histories will receive enhanced benefits if they lose their employment. The pay-related benefit will be available to newly...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Benefits (7 Dec 2023)

Joe O'Brien: I disagree with the Deputy's assertion. I will make two key points regarding the caps and the new benefits. Earnings are subject to a maximum of €450 for the first three months, the rate will reduce to 55%, subject to a maximum of €375, for the following three months, and a further three months will be paid at a rate of 50% to a maximum of €300. Those caps will ensure...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Benefits (7 Dec 2023)

Joe O'Brien: That characterisation is inaccurate in terms of the expectation that people will be on €125 a week. The bottom level is €300. There are other aspects to the system as well. The logic of this is to follow European norms where we can avoid a cliff edge as regards the drop in income people face, if they are unlucky enough to lose their jobs. A recent classic example of that is...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Community Employment Schemes (7 Dec 2023)

Joe O'Brien: I will take Deputy Ó Laoghaire's question first, but I will address the other matter. My Department operates a number of employment support schemes, including community employment, CE, Tús and the rural social scheme for long-term unemployed persons and low-income farmers. At the outset, I acknowledge the important role that Tús and RSS supervisors play in providing...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Community Employment Schemes (7 Dec 2023)

Joe O'Brien: The Deputy is right that the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform has a key role in this. The Deputy provided some detail. I am not sure some of it is correct in terms of what has been agreed. There is a willingness on our side to discuss the issue. I do not want to get into negotiations on the floor of the House on what is doable or not. We had...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Community Employment Schemes (7 Dec 2023)

Joe O'Brien: I have done specific work to ensure community employment supervisors got their pension and gratuity over the last couple of years and, in particular, on the 5% across-the-board pay increases for CE, Tús and RSS supervisors. We now have this additional ask. While it is not without merit, we have to look at it carefully. We are amenable to discussing and talking. The Deputy asked a...