Results 261-280 of 2,198 for speaker:Joe O'Brien

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Flood Risk Management (7 Dec 2023)

Joe O'Brien: I thank the Deputy for raising these issues. I am aware that the risk of flooding has a significant impact on communities. I am also aware of the distress flooding can cause to people and the impact it can have on their homes, businesses and farms. In 2018, the OPW completed the largest study of flood risk ever undertaken by the State, the catchment flood risk assessment management, CFRAM,...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: School Facilities (7 Dec 2023)

Joe O'Brien: On behalf of the Minister for Education, I thank the Deputy for raising this matter as it provides me with an opportunity to clarify the position concerning the Department of Education’s plans and specifically regarding the application for a PE Hall at Seamount College, Kinvara, County Galway. The Deputy may be aware that Seamount College is a mixed Catholic secondary school in the...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Special Educational Needs (7 Dec 2023)

Joe O'Brien: I thank the Deputy for his question and I am pleased to take this opportunity on behalf of the Department of Education to assure him and this House that not only will all vacant SENO posts across the country be filled but there will be a significant increase in the number of SENOs employed by the NCSE in the very near future. A nationwide competition for the recruitment of SENOs was...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Departmental Policies (7 Dec 2023)

Joe O'Brien: I-----

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Rights of People with Disabilities (7 Dec 2023)

Joe O'Brien: As a Department, we have a responsibility to listen to and take on board people's experiences with Intreo. I know that good work is done, but as I said, the voices of people with disabilities are key in this regard. I thought the Deputy might ask me about the film. I have not seen it, but my understanding is that it is about the UK context. I understand, from what I have heard about it,...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Benefits (7 Dec 2023)

Joe O'Brien: Domiciliary care allowance is a monthly payment to a parent or guardian in respect of a child aged under 16 who has a severe disability and requires care and attention substantially over and above that usually needed by a child of the same age. This care and attention must be given by another person, effectively full-time, so that the child can deal with the activities of daily living. The...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Benefits (7 Dec 2023)

Joe O'Brien: My understanding, from discussions with officials, is that the rate has not increased over time, notwithstanding the fact that 70% of disallowed claims eventually do get granted. The explanation for this is the supply of the medical information. It tends not to be supplied in the initial application, at least in these particular cases.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Benefits (7 Dec 2023)

Joe O'Brien: There is an amenability in the Department in terms of looking at the question of backdating claims. People get the application in as soon as possible and then some of the medical information follows. We are looking at a way of maybe improving that. It is also important to state that budget 2023 saw new legislation coming into effect, with a new provision put in place making domiciliary...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Departmental Policies (7 Dec 2023)

Joe O'Brien: According to data compiled by my Department, the average employer social insurance contribution rate across the EU stands at approximately 19.5%. Ireland's current higher employer social insurance rate is 11.05%. However, it is important to note that social insurance rates across Europe are not directly comparable as different benefits, thresholds and ceilings apply across each member...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Community Employment Schemes (7 Dec 2023)

Joe O'Brien: With a view to getting the best outcome for everyone, I will not get into the nitty-gritty of this. We have had two successful processes over the past couple of years in terms of securing the gratuity and the 5% increase for CE supervisors. I have put a lot of work into those two processes in the background. I have been asked questions about them, while they were in process, in this...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Community Employment Schemes (7 Dec 2023)

Joe O'Brien: This is the third pay-related issue in which I have been involved. I worked to progress the previous two issues. We got the gratuity issue sorted, which was going on for a very long time. It came to my table, I progressed it and now it is done. We also had the pay claim issue and we worked through that as quickly as we could. The 5% increase has been done now, with the first part given...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Rights of People with Disabilities (7 Dec 2023)

Joe O'Brien: I welcome the visitors in the Gallery. The Government committed, as part of the Roadmap for Social Inclusion, to develop and consult on proposals to restructure long-term disability payments and simplify the system. The consultation process has been ongoing since the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, launched the Green Paper on disability reform in September. I emphasise that the Green Paper is...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Rights of People with Disabilities (7 Dec 2023)

Joe O'Brien: We need to heed the issues the Deputy has raised. I urge individuals and groups to view the Green Paper as an opportunity to detail and express the barriers they face in society that prevent them from participating at an equal level. They include financial barriers and physical barriers in workplaces and public infrastructure. Crucially, as the Deputy referred to, there are also barriers...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: State Pensions (7 Dec 2023)

Joe O'Brien: The roadmap for social inclusion contains a commitment to develop a benchmarking approach for use in adjusting the value of State pension payments. The approach proposed by the Department, known as the smoothed earnings approach, was subsequently endorsed by the Pensions Commission. I am pleased to say that the Government subsequently agreed the Department of Social Protection would, in...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: State Pensions (7 Dec 2023)

Joe O'Brien: I agree with the Deputy's sentiments, and I support the benchmarking approach. I will give a little detail on it. The Government decision specified that calculation be submitted to Government as an input to its deliberations. This is because it is important the Government retains the ability to explore various options based on prevailing circumstances. In the case of the budgets in 2023...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: State Pensions (7 Dec 2023)

Joe O'Brien: I will take the Deputy's point about the delays in processing disability payments back to the Minister. This is the first budget with benchmarking even in the mix. There is a stronger role for it going forward to ensure adequacy. We continue to see social transfers play significant impacts on reducing poverty and income inequality. Ireland remains one of the most effective countries in...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Community Employment Schemes (7 Dec 2023)

Joe O'Brien: I am not sure if the Deputy was in the Chamber earlier but at risk of repeating myself, I will give the answer and we can elaborate and go a different direction with it. My Department operates a number of employment support schemes including community employment, Tús and the rural social scheme for long-term unemployed persons and low-income farmers. I acknowledge the important role...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Pension Provisions (7 Dec 2023)

Joe O'Brien: I cannot confirm that. I do not know the status of the means test, in particular with regard to carers. There is an overall review of means testing in general, of which that may be a part. If that is the case, it will not be implemented on 1 January 2024 but I am open to correction on that. There have already been 1,000 applications in the new credits system for the State contributory...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Pension Provisions (7 Dec 2023)

Joe O'Brien: Qualification for the contributory State pension is based on a number of criteria, including a minimum of 520 qualifying social insurance contributions having been paid. As the actuarial value of the State pension is currently estimated at approximately €380,000, it is reasonable to require people claiming a contributory pension to have made at least ten years of paid contributions...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Pension Provisions (7 Dec 2023)

Joe O'Brien: The Deputy is referring to the broader challenges of the ageing population in the years ahead. I may touch on that context in some of the proposals in the reform of the pension system. These include flexibility of the age of draw-down, which will be introduced from January. A person with less than 40 years of contributions may be able to use the period between the ages of 66 and 70 years...