Results 841-860 of 2,335 for speaker:Joe O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Child Poverty (23 Nov 2022)

Joe O'Brien: As Minister of State with responsibility for social inclusion, I have a strong interest in addressing all forms of poverty and addressing child poverty is a Government priority. I am pleased to see the interest in poverty shown by the Transition Year student and brought to my attention by the Deputy. The Roadmap for Social Inclusion 2020-2025 is the whole of Government strategy with the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes (23 Nov 2022)

Joe O'Brien: The Community Employment Scheme (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 programme is delivered through independent CE sponsor organisations that receive state funding from the department to cover...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 37 - Social Protection (Supplementary) (23 Nov 2022)

Joe O'Brien: I assure the Deputy I keep very close eye on the flow-in and the flow-out of CE, Tús and the rural social scheme, RSS. CE and Tús are in a bit of a different space and we are still kind of in a recovery phase from Covid as well. CE is in a better place. We got to a kind of steady-state position in the past month or two in terms of referrals and people leaving. It is important to...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 37 - Social Protection (Supplementary) (23 Nov 2022)

Joe O'Brien: There were a few things there. On the pension issue, I assume the Deputy is referring to the gratuity for CE supervisors. To my knowledge, the WRC decision was specifically in relation to-----

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 37 - Social Protection (Supplementary) (23 Nov 2022)

Joe O'Brien: The gratuity for CE supervisors is ready to go.

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 37 - Social Protection (Supplementary) (23 Nov 2022)

Joe O'Brien: We are constrained by the WRC decision at the moment.

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 37 - Social Protection (Supplementary) (23 Nov 2022)

Joe O'Brien: That is a fair point.

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 37 - Social Protection (Supplementary) (23 Nov 2022)

Joe O'Brien: It has not been brought to us at the moment. We are discussing-----

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 37 - Social Protection (Supplementary) (23 Nov 2022)

Joe O'Brien: On the RSS side of things, I would be very interested in the committee's input, and that of Deputy Ó Cuív and the other Deputies, as to how we look at it. We do not have data to hand on family formation pre-2014. My experience of meeting RSS participants is, as the Deputy described, that they tend to be single male farmers. That has been the case 80% of the time when I have met...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 37 - Social Protection (Supplementary) (23 Nov 2022)

Joe O'Brien: I will try to touch on the other points that were made. There is a broad range of people who are on CE schemes at the moment. I take the Deputy's point on that. The broad qualifying criteria for most of them is the jobseeker's allowance. That is where the call is made as to whether someone could theoretically be eligible for employment. It is at that stage the call is made. I would be...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 37 - Social Protection (Supplementary) (23 Nov 2022)

Joe O'Brien: I might address the Chairman's last question first. He made a good point and I would like to see more investment and faster movement on the warm homes scheme in particular. Training is happening on the apprenticeship side in the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science. I believe there are five ETBs specialising in retrofitting training. Some CE scheme...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development (Supplementary) (23 Nov 2022)

Joe O'Brien: The transfer to the new community services programme, CSP, model is in progress. Organisations had a window which closed a week or two ago to apply to transfer to the new model. The new model will be better with regard to how much we contribute to wages. It will be matched in a more tailored way to the needs of specific organisations. There are three strands and three levels. We got an...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development (Supplementary) (23 Nov 2022)

Joe O'Brien: I agree with the Deputy that it is crucial we support communities that have experienced disadvantage and marginalisation for a long time and too long. The Deputy mentioned the Dublin north inner city model. We are in the process of developing a new policy with the Department of the Taoiseach in this regard to see how we can expand it. That is in the pipeline at the moment but we are not...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes (22 Nov 2022)

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. It appears from the department’s records that 392 participants...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Bodies (22 Nov 2022)

Joe O'Brien: I take it that the Deputy is referring to Community Employment (CE) Supervisors. CE supervisors and CE assistant supervisors sought for several years through their union representatives, SIPTU and Forsa, the allocation of Exchequer funding to implement a 2008 Labour Court recommendation relating to the provision of a pension scheme for CE supervisors and CE assistant supervisors who are...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Funding (22 Nov 2022)

Joe O'Brien: We are all very conscious of the important role that Community Employment (CE) and other programmes play in our communities. In addition to providing valuable occupational experience and training as a stepping-stone to employment for people who are long term unemployed, schemes such as CE also provide important and, in many cases essential, services to their local communities. The...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Funding (22 Nov 2022)

Joe O'Brien: The Rural Social Scheme ( RSS) and Tús are positive initiatives that enables both low-income farmers and fishers and the long-term unemployed to make a contribution to their communities whilst at the same time up-skilling and enhancing their employability prospects. I am fully committed to the future of these programmes and will continue to support and improve both programmes for the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes (22 Nov 2022)

Joe O'Brien: On clarification with the Deputy, the question relates to Community Employment only. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (22 Nov 2022)

Joe O'Brien: The Rural Social Scheme (RSS) is an income support scheme for farmers and fishers who have an entitlement to specified welfare payments. RSS is delivered through a network of 36 Local Development Companies and Údarás na Gaeltachta, collectively known as Implementing Bodies. Entitlement to fuel allowance is subject to a means test that takes account of all household income. While...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Community Development Projects (22 Nov 2022)

Joe O'Brien: The Government is aware of the challenges facing community and voluntary organisations and the charities sector in meeting the high cost of energy currently and is committed to supporting the sector in meeting these costs. 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...