Results 41-60 of 65 for 5 million speaker:Joe O'Brien

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Community Development Projects (15 Jul 2021)

Joe O'Brien: ...is provided to each local authority area and is distributed by the local community development committees, LCDCs, on the basis of local need. In 2020, the CEP received a total fund of €7.2 million, including €5 million as part of the Government's July stimulus package for repairs or upgrades to community centres and community buildings. This year, on 10 May, I launched the...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Social Welfare Benefits (14 Jun 2021)

Joe O'Brien: ...a weekly payment of €2.50 equating to €130 per year. Approximately 136,000 customers are currently in receipt of the TSA payment. The estimated full-year cost of the scheme is more than €18 million. The primary objective of the TSA is to support the most vulnerable people at risk of isolation, including the elderly and those with disabilities, with access to...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Community Development Projects (25 May 2021)

Joe O'Brien: A range of my Department's programmes contribute to the enhancement of community facilities. They include a €4.5 million 2021 community enhancement programme, which was launched on 10 May. The programme provides grants to enhance facilities in disadvantaged areas and is administered by the local community development committees, LCDCs, in each local authority area. A €49...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Strategies (18 May 2021)

Joe O'Brien: ...for 2021.  189 schools, including 171 DEIS schools, were chosen for this programme in 2021.  Hot School Meals funding also continued during the recent Easter holidays. Publication of new National Volunteering Strategy 2021-2025 in December 2020. The further Education and Training (FET) Strategy 2020-2024 "Transforming Learning" was published on 16 July 2020. ...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Community Development Projects (26 Mar 2021)

Joe O'Brien: ...within my Department and provides investment for ambitious projects in towns and villages with a population of less than 10,000 and their outlying areas. To date, the fund has provided €166 million to 139 projects across a range of projects nationwide, including community facilities. The urban regeneration and development fund, URDF, covering areas with larger populations, is...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Policy Functions (25 Mar 2021)

Joe O'Brien: ...for people with disabilities living in rural areas. My Department will be publishing imminently the whole-of-Government rural policy, which will deliver a wide range of measures over the next 5 years to address issues that matter for people who live and work in rural Ireland. The Policy will place an emphasis on building the participation and inclusion of rural communities, as...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Roadmap to Social Inclusion: Discussion (23 Mar 2021)

Joe O'Brien: ...between the State and the community and voluntary sector in addressing poverty, social exclusion and inequality at a local and national level. The Roadmap for Social Inclusion 2020-2025 was approved by the then Government and published in January 2020. It is the latest in a number of successive strategies dating back to 1997 which aim to reduce poverty and improve social inclusion in...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes (3 Mar 2021)

Joe O'Brien: ...of equipment. Materials funding is provided to CE sponsoring authorities in accordance with their requirements, where necessary. The Department provided an additional materials funding of €2 million in Budget 2019 and this additional annual provision continues to be allocated to those projects that identify a valid requirement for additional materials funding. Over the...

Household Utility Bills Support: Motion [Private Members] (3 Feb 2021)

Joe O'Brien: ...on such measures provides the maximum benefit to those in specific need. To date we have spent more than €10 billion on Covid-19-related income transfers, including in excess of €5.5 billion on the PUP scheme to more than 820,000 individuals and about the same again in payments in respect of wage subsidy schemes to in excess of 440,000 people. It is important to...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (17 Dec 2020)

Joe O'Brien: ...and will continue to assist in addressing gaps in meeting social needs, including those caused by higher levels of deprivation. Some key supports provided this year include the following. A €50 million support package for the community and voluntary sector, charities and social enterprises was launched by the Government and administered by the Department. This funding was made...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (17 Dec 2020)

Joe O'Brien: ...pandemic, my Department launched the COVID-19 Government Action Planin partnership with other Departments, State agencies and our extensive network of community and voluntary organisations. A €50 million support packagefor the Community and Voluntary Sector, Charities and Social Enterprises was launched by Government and is administered by my Department. This funding was made...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Poverty Reduction (3 Dec 2020)

Joe O'Brien: In January 2020, the Roadmap for Social Inclusion 2020-2025: Ambition, Goals, Commitments was approved by Government and published. The Roadmap is a whole-of-government strategy with a five year timeframe and a mid-term review in 2022 facilitate an evaluation of the impact of the Roadmap commitments. The Roadmap will build on the work of its predecessors with the aim of reducing the number...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Broadcasting Sector (2 Dec 2020)

Joe O'Brien: ...investment is broadly aimed at encouraging and creating more opportunities for young people to participate in Gaelic games across Ireland. In 2020, Sport Ireland has allocated just under €1.6 million to the GAA under this programme. Like all sporting organisations, the GAA has been significantly impacted this year by the various Covid-19 restrictions imposed since March. We are...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes (25 Nov 2020)

Joe O'Brien: ...become available. The CE scheme can play an important role in breaking the cycle of long-term unemployment for some people and improve their chances of employment. The 2020 CE Budget is €364 million. At the end of February 2020, prior to the outbreak of Covid-19, there were 21,131 participants on CE. At the end of October 2020 there were 19,244 participants on CE. During...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (25 Nov 2020)

Joe O'Brien: ...for volunteering, funding to ALONE for their crisis telephone support line, and an email helpdesk facility to assist smaller community groups with their queries. On 11 May 2020, a €40 million support package for the Community and Voluntary Sector, Charities and Social Enterprises was launched by Government and is administered by the Department. This funding is being made...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2020
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development (Supplementary) (18 Nov 2020)

Joe O'Brien: ...opportunity to present this request for a technical Supplementary Estimate for the Department of Rural and Community Development. It will facilitate the allocation of additional funding of €10 million for the Covid-19 stability fund, increasing the total value of that fund to €45 million. It will also finance a community resilience fund, which will assist community groups...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2020
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development (Supplementary) (18 Nov 2020)

Joe O'Brien: ...a no-brainer in terms of where to put political priority now. The Vice Chairman's point is taken and we are working on it. I will provide some figures. Budget 2021 allocated an additional €5 million to support the expansion of the hub network model into a national initiative. The interdepartmental working group I mentioned has been convened to progress this work and...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2020
Vote 42 – Rural and Community Development, and the Islands (Further Revised) (14 Oct 2020)

Joe O'Brien: ..., we have stopped new entrants because we will be restructuring next year. As the Deputy spoke about meals on wheels, an interesting point occurred to me. Through my Department, Rethink Ireland had a €5 million social innovation fund for Covid-specific responses. As part of that, it has given a small grant to Irish Rural Link to co-ordinate meals on wheels at a national level....

Child Poverty: Motion [Private Members] (30 Sep 2020)

Joe O'Brien: ...of this strategy, according to an ambitious target-led strategy, and I welcome the commitment from the Minister in that regard today. The programme also commits to implement the current First 5 strategy for babies, young children and their families, which outlines a number of poverty prevention measures. We have also committed to work across Government to address food poverty. The...