Results 781-800 of 2,335 for speaker:Joe O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Ukraine War (15 Dec 2022)

Joe O'Brien: My Department has responsibility for the Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP) 2018 – 2023 that provides funding to tackle poverty and social exclusion at a local level through local engagement and partnerships between disadvantaged individuals, community organisations and public sector agencies. The programme is implemented nationally by 46 Local Development...

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

Joe O'Brien: My Department's mission is to support vibrant and sustainable communities across this country, and in doing so to deliver on a wide range of strategic interventions, funding programmes and policies to support urban and rural communities. In 2019, my Department published Sustainable, Inclusive and Empowered Communities - A five year strategy to support the community and voluntary sector in...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: International Protection (15 Dec 2022)

Joe O'Brien: As the deputy is aware, responsibility for the provision of accommodation and related services to people in the International Protection process rests with International Protection Accommodation Services (IPAS), who operate within the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. My officials are in regular contact with IPAS and my Department provides a range of...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Energy Prices (15 Dec 2022)

Joe O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 46 and 59 together. The Community and Voluntary Energy Support Scheme (CVESS), administered by Pobal on behalf of my Department, will provide once-off support to incorporated organisations and registered charities within the community and voluntary sector which fall outside the parameters of other energy support schemes being delivered by Government. ...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Energy Prices (15 Dec 2022)

Joe O'Brien: The Community Support Fund, launched on 18 November, is a new Fund designed to assist thousands of community groups across the country. Support is available to, for example, Parish Halls, Community Centres, Local Development Associations, Social Clubs, ICA Groups, Senior Citizen Groups, Men’s and Women’s Sheds. The fund will deliver small grants to help groups with running...

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

Joe O'Brien: The Government has provided over €38.2 million to date in funding for the North East Inner City Initiative (NEIC) via my Department to help ensure that the recommendations of the Mulvey Report and the actions contained in the NEIC Strategic Plan 2020-2022 are implemented. In 2022 the NEIC Programme Implementation Board took the decision to extend the Strategic Plan by a...

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

Joe O'Brien: My officials have regular engagement with the Department of Health regarding the National Drugs Strategy. My Department is represented on the Strategic Implementation Group (4) of Reducing Harm and Supporting Recovery. This group comprises sectoral, agency and Departmental officials. The strategy is relevant to my Department's work in the community and voluntary sectors as it is...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Energy Prices (15 Dec 2022)

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

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

Joe O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 409 and 410 together. My department's Community Services Programme (CSP) supports over 430 community-based organisations, to provide local services through a social enterprise model. CSP provides an annual co-funding contribution towards each full-time equivalent (FTE) position being supported, and, where warranted, towards the cost of employing a manager....

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

Joe O'Brien: The mission of the Department of Rural and Community Development is to support vibrant, inclusive and sustainable communities throughout Ireland. The Department is in ongoing contact with local and community groups through the local structures such as Public Participation Network (PPN). The focus of the PPN is to empower and assist groups to participate in local decision making. This...

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

Joe O'Brien: Through extensive contact with local authorities, local development companies and community development organisations across the country, my Department seeks to be constantly aware of issues of disadvantage and delivers many programmes and schemes that target disadvantage is a targeted way. For example, my Department has responsibility for the Social Inclusion and Community Activation...

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

Joe O'Brien: As the Deputy will be aware, a whole of Government approach has been adopted in addressing the impacts of Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic. Detailed work has taken place across Departments and in State agencies in relation to monitoring and responding to both issues. Within my own Department, the Covid-19 Stability Scheme provided support to the Community and Voluntary sector during the...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Social Isolation (15 Dec 2022)

Joe O'Brien: Addressing the issue of individual isolation in communities has become more important than ever before. Many of my Department's policies and funding programmes aim to address social isolation issues in communities, and also deliver benefits by responding to the challenges facing vulnerable individuals. My Department continues to provide funding to tackle social isolation and support those in...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Departmental Policies (14 Dec 2022)

Joe O'Brien: 41. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will provide an update on the planned introduction of a policy framework for unmanned aircraft systems; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62625/22]

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes (14 Dec 2022)

Joe O'Brien: Community Employment (CE) projects are typically sponsored by groups wishing to benefit the local community, namely voluntary and community organisations and, to a lesser extent, public bodies involved in not-for-profit activities. Schools are not permitted to sponsor CE schemes and CE participants cannot be employed by or work in schools as these services are funded directly by the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes (14 Dec 2022)

Joe O'Brien: I value the role CE supervisors and assistant supervisors play on over 800 CE schemes in local communities across the country. They support CE participants to get work experience and develop future work opportunities for those who are long term unemployed, while providing essential services to local communities. As the Deputy is aware, CE supervisors and assistant supervisors are not...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes (14 Dec 2022)

Joe O'Brien: The Community Employment (CE) Scheme 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. CE sponsoring authorities employ supervisors, and in some cases assistant supervisors (in schemes with higher number of...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Schemes (14 Dec 2022)

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 recent budget allocated €10m to my department to put in place a support scheme for community and voluntary organisations and charities to help with the additional energy...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: School Meals Programme (13 Dec 2022)

Joe O'Brien: I thank the Senator for raising this important issue. As Chair of the food poverty working group, which includes representatives of government Departments and civil society, I am a strong supporter of the school meals programme and its recent expansion. The school meals programme provides funding towards the provision of food services to some 1,600 schools and organisations benefitting...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: School Meals Programme (13 Dec 2022)

Joe O'Brien: I again thank the Senator for raising the matter. To give a little more information on the evaluation commissioned earlier this year, it involved close consultation with all the stakeholders and workshops and interviews have been conducted with teachers, principles, children as well as suppliers. Key issues to be explored as part of the evaluation include: whether the schools meals...