Results 61-80 of 1,036,142 for in 'Dáil debates' OR in 'Committee meetings' (speaker:Ciarán Cuffe OR speaker:Marian Harkin OR speaker:Catherine Murphy OR speaker:Peter Burke)

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Community Employment Schemes (11 Jun 2024)

Joe O'Brien: I thank the Deputies. It is important to say that this year is 30 years since CE was first started. The impact it has had on Ireland over those 30 years has been extraordinary. They are often very low profile but there are 800 CE schemes around the country. We have some of the best community people working on them and they are doing some extraordinary things for people who need a hand up....

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: School Meals Programme (11 Jun 2024)

School Meals Programme

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: School Meals Programme (11 Jun 2024)

Violet-Anne Wynne: 8. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection her plans to expand the hot school meals programme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25423/24]

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: School Meals Programme (11 Jun 2024)

Violet-Anne Wynne: This is to ask the Minister to set out her plans to expand the hot school meals programme.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: School Meals Programme (11 Jun 2024)

Heather Humphreys: I thank the Deputy for raising this. The objective of the school meals programme is to provide regular, nutritious food to children to support them in taking full advantage of the education provided to them. The programme is an important component of policies to encourage school attendance and extra educational achievement. Following the expansion of the programme in recent years, 2,600...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: School Meals Programme (11 Jun 2024)

Violet-Anne Wynne: I appreciate all of the information the Minister provided. It has been some feat that she has undertaken over the past number of years. I would like to raise St. Anne's with the Minister, a special school in Ennis. It is a fantastic school. I have heard countless testimonies that the staff and the principal go above and beyond for each and every one of the students. They currently have...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: School Meals Programme (11 Jun 2024)

Heather Humphreys: When I announced the expansion, I was very keen that all special schools would be included. I am not all over the detail of St. Anne's special school but I would say to the school authorities to engage with the Department and have that conversation. If they could do that, we will see where it takes us. I am not over the specific detail there. What I want to do is try to make sure the...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: School Meals Programme (11 Jun 2024)

Violet-Anne Wynne: I will ask the school authorities to do so and maybe the Minister could flag it with the Department as well. They have struggled for a long time to pay the cook's wages. They get other funding that is meant to be for vital therapeutic services and they desperately need those services. It would be important for that funding to be used and not any of it to be paying for the cook's wages in...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: School Meals Programme (11 Jun 2024)

David Stanton: This is an absolutely brilliant scheme and it is really helping many children and families around the country. I compliment the Minister on that. Has the Department issued any guidelines regarding the quality of the food and consistency of quality? Are any guidelines issued on the packaging the food comes in? If a child does not avail of the meal - we all know children do not always eat...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: School Meals Programme (11 Jun 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The nutritional standards applying to the school meals programme were developed by a working group led by the health and well-being programme in the Department of Health in consultation with Safefood and the healthy eating and active living programme in the HSE. Schools and organisations must reapply for funding in advance of each school year and are required to submit detailed records. ...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Appeals (11 Jun 2024)

Ruairi Ó Murchú: I am very supportive of modernising the appeals process, particularly any system involved. The sooner, the better, the quicker and the faster. We would all agree with this. I have no difficulty in passing on the information to the Minister. I was not going to say this but I thank the Minister with regard to the issue we dealt with previously. People are very supportive of it. What we...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Appeals (11 Jun 2024)

Robert Troy: I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle for allowing me in. I welcome the fact the Minister is committing to streamlining and improving the appeals process. As other speakers in the House have alluded to, I deal with constituents who are faced with lengthy waiting periods for having their appeals heard. I suggest the Minister puts a time limit on when appeals can be heard. Any applicant for a...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Appeals (11 Jun 2024)

Heather Humphreys: I will increase the income disregards for carers and this will kick in next week. It will be increased. It is important that we do this. It is part of the budget and it is starting next week. The online service we are putting together is a new process. Online applications will be quicker than paper applications. It will be like the passport service. The online service is very quick, in...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Community Employment Schemes (11 Jun 2024)

Community Employment Schemes

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Community Employment Schemes (11 Jun 2024)

Richard Bruton: 7. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if the community employment scheme has been subject to programme evaluation; if there are plans for its evolution; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25413/24]

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Community Employment Schemes (11 Jun 2024)

David Stanton: Deputy Bruton sends his apologies. He wants to ask Minister whether the community employment scheme has been subject to programme evaluation, if there are plans for its evolution and if she will make a statement on the matter.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Community Employment Schemes (11 Jun 2024)

Joe O'Brien: I acknowledge the important role community employment schemes play in providing valuable opportunities to participants and in supporting the delivery of key services to local communities across the country. I can confirm that in March the OECD published an impact evaluation of Ireland's active labour market programmes for long-term unemployed people finding positive labour market impacts...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Community Employment Schemes (11 Jun 2024)

David Stanton: I thank the Minister of State for his response. Community employment schemes have always been perceived as a labour market activation instrument. Is its value in supporting valuable social enterprise now a more dominant source of its benefits, particularly as we have close to full employment? The work done by community employment schemes in communities is very valuable. Should we be...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Community Employment Schemes (11 Jun 2024)

Joe O'Brien: I thank Deputy Stanton. From my point of view I see the benefit of community employment as threefold. It supports many very important community services. As I have said, and as the OECD has said, it helps bridge the gap between the labour market and people who have found it difficult to break into it. It also has a very important social inclusion aspect for many individuals who access it....

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Community Employment Schemes (11 Jun 2024)

David Stanton: I acknowledge the great work done by the Government. We are beyond full employment. This is what I have been hearing recently. I have heard commentators use this phrase. As communities find it difficult to recruit new community employment candidates to sustain their work, do we need to think differently about the role? Do we need to think about it in a different way, potentially with...