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

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes (19 Jan 2023)

Joe O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 262 to 265, inclusive, together. 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. The Community Employment (CE) programme is delivered through...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (18 Jan 2023)

Joe O'Brien: 707. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will consider proposals from teaching unions to establish a national voluntary redeployment panel for teachers under which those teachers who wish to relocate would keep their permanent status, including the development of an online portal to facilitate direct swaps for voluntary teacher redeployment; and if she will make a statement on...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes (18 Jan 2023)

Joe O'Brien: Firstly, I wish to acknowledge the valuable and dedicated service that CE supervisors/assistant supervisors provide in running CE schemes in delivering local based community services while providing a valuable training and development opportunity to the long-term unemployed and to those often furthest removed from the labour market. The Department, as the funder of CE schemes, received...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes (18 Jan 2023)

Joe O'Brien: The aim of the Community Employment (CE) programme is 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.  We are all very conscious of the important role that CE plays and we all wish to support them as best we can.  In addition...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes (18 Jan 2023)

Joe O'Brien: The aim of the Community Employment (CE) programme is 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.  The programme aims to improve a person’s opportunities to return to employment. We are all very conscious of the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes (18 Jan 2023)

Joe O'Brien: The aim of the Community Employment (CE) programme is to enhance the employability of disadvantaged and long-term unemployed people by providing work experience and training opportunities for them within their local communities.  The programme aims to improve a person’s opportunities to return to the labour market.  CE placements are intended to be temporary...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Offices (18 Jan 2023)

Joe O'Brien: The Department of Social Protection commits in its Customer Charter to investigate and promptly deal with complaints impartially and in confidence.  There is also a commitment to acknowledge any complaint within 3 days of receipt and to issue a response to the complaint within 14 days. On receipt of the parliamentary question a check was made to locate the complaint referred to in...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (18 Jan 2023)

Joe O'Brien: The Department of Social Protection operates a number of employment support schemes, including Community Employment (CE) and the Rural Social Scheme (RSS), for long term unemployed persons which also assist communities across the country in the provision of vital services.  Budget 2023 was designed to assist recipients of Social Protection payments with Cost-of-Living increases...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Regulatory Bodies (18 Jan 2023)

Joe O'Brien: The Charities Regulator is fully independent in the performance of its statutory functions under Section 14 (3) of the Charities Act 2009. Neither I nor my Department have any role in the decision-making process of the Regulator, particularly with regard to the registration of charities and whether they are operating in accordance with regulations. That is entirely a matter for the Regulator...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Business Supports (18 Jan 2023)

Joe O'Brien: Not-for-profit and voluntary organisations in the Community and Voluntary sector are woven into the fabric of community life across Ireland, but they are vulnerable to the impact of increased energy costs. The budget announced on 27th September 2022 allocated €10m to my department to put in place a support scheme for community and voluntary organisations and charities to help with...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Business Supports (18 Jan 2023)

Joe O'Brien: Not-for-profit and voluntary organisations in the Community and Voluntary sector are woven into the fabric of community life across Ireland, but they are vulnerable to the impact of increased energy costs. The budget announced on 27th September 2022 allocated €10m to my department to put in place a support scheme for community and voluntary organisations and charities to help with the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Departmental Schemes (15 Dec 2022)

Joe O'Brien: I will keep my reply short and informal because we are under time pressure. I will try to answer the Deputy's questions as best I can. By visiting the Pobal website is the short answer to the Deputy's question about how groups can apply for the scheme. I also bring to the attention of other organisations that may not qualify under CVESS that Limerick City and County Council would have...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Departmental Policies (15 Dec 2022)

Joe O'Brien: The town centre first policy is a major cross-Government initiative that aims to tackle vacancy, combat dereliction and breathe new life into our town centres. Key to this is the establishment of the national implementation office to assist in the delivery and implementation of the policy and to co-ordinate stakeholder engagement at a national level. This office is also responsible for...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Departmental Policies (15 Dec 2022)

Joe O'Brien: I thank the Deputy. I will give an update. We want the regeneration officers appointed as soon as possible. The money has been allocated so the authorities need to do this as soon as possible. We have nine appointed and three are expected to be in place early in the new year as well, but there are still a few to appoint. I will have to liaise with the Minister for Housing, Local...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Departmental Policies (15 Dec 2022)

Joe O'Brien: I thank the Deputy. The point is taken. I will take it back to the Minister. We in the Department are part of an oversight group together with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, the Local Government Management Agency, LGMA, the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, Irish Water, the Irish Local Development Network, ILDN, Irish Rural Link, Chambers...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Isolation (15 Dec 2022)

Joe O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 9 and 13 together. My Department's mission is to promote rural and community development and to support vibrant, inclusive and sustainable communities throughout Ireland. My Department's social inclusion and community activation programme, SICAP, is our country's primary social inclusion programme. The current programme began on 1 January 2018 and will...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Isolation (15 Dec 2022)

Joe O'Brien: There are many strands to the Deputy's question and many different funding schemes. I will try my best in the time I have to assure the Deputy that we have constructed two different models in our Department to try to capture everyone with regard to energy costs. The Deputy mentioned the community and voluntary energy support scheme. We have reopened that as of Tuesday and tweaked it...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Isolation (15 Dec 2022)

Joe O'Brien: I can certainly look into how soon it can be released but it will be in 2023. I would be interested to hear where the issues were with SICAP allocation because there was a large increase last year. The safety net for many smaller groups will be through the allocation that we are giving to local authorities, which they will disburse through their local community development committees. We...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Funding (15 Dec 2022)

Joe O'Brien: I was delighted to launch the Community Support Fund with funding of €10 million on 18th November this year. This new fund, under the Community Enhancement Programme, is designed to assist community groups across the country. Support is available to Parish Halls, Community Centres, Local Development Associations, Social Clubs, Senior Citizen Groups, Men’s and Women’s...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Funding (15 Dec 2022)

Joe O'Brien: In August 2019, my Department launched Sustainable, Inclusive and Empowered Communities, the Strategy to support the community and voluntary sector in Ireland. This Strategy was developed in consultation with the Cross-Sectoral Group and an annual workplan to progress its implementation is agreed with the Group. Work in 2022 is ongoing in respect of a number of the objectives outlined in the...