Results 81-100 of 2,126 for speaker:Joe O'Brien

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Maternity Leave (11 Apr 2024)

Joe O'Brien: I thank Senator Sherlock. She is aware of the legislative process and the steps involved in it. The key first step is obviously to bring the proposal to the Cabinet and the Minister has committed to doing that in the next few weeks. The complicating factor behind the Senator's question is that it has been part of a wider review of equality legislation. We want to bring a suite of measures...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Schools Building Projects (11 Apr 2024)

Joe O'Brien: I thank the Senator. I am responding to this matter on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Foley. The school to which the Senator refers, St. Francis Xavier Senior National School, currently has two live emergency works scheme applications with the Department. I should explain first that the purpose of the emergency works scheme is to provide funding specifically for unforeseen emergencies,...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Schools Building Projects (11 Apr 2024)

Joe O'Brien: I will add to what I provided earlier because when I read the initial answer I felt more was needed. In April last year, an initial visual assessment was done by an architect but it was August last year before the senior technical officer visited the site. Therein lies some of the delay. The Department was keen to underline to me that the scheme is repair only, but also that a leak...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Employment Schemes (9 Apr 2024)

Joe O'Brien: My Department operates a number of employment support schemes; including Tús, Rural Social Scheme (RSS) and Community Employment (CE), for long term unemployed persons and low income farmers/fishers. I would like to acknowledge the important role that Tús and RSS supervisors play in providing valuable opportunities to participants in supporting the delivery of key services to local...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes (9 Apr 2024)

Joe O'Brien: As the Deputy is aware 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. CE projects are in diverse areas and include the development, regeneration and enhancement of...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Programmes (9 Apr 2024)

Joe O'Brien: My Department's Community Services Programme (CSP) currently supports over 430 community-based organisations to provide local social, economic and environmental services through a social enterprise model, providing a contribution towards the cost of CSP supported staff in organisations. CSP provides an annual co-funding contribution towards each full-time equivalent (FTE) position...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Community Development Projects (9 Apr 2024)

Joe O'Brien: My Department's Community Services Programme (CSP) currently supports over 430 community-based organisations to provide local social, economic and environmental services through a social enterprise model, providing a contribution towards the cost of CSP supported staff in organisations. CSP provides an annual co-funding contribution towards each full-time equivalent (FTE) position...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Funding (9 Apr 2024)

Joe O'Brien: Last year, I was delighted to announce details of successful applicants of the Community Support Fund (CSF) under the Community Enhancement Programme. Funding of €10 million was allocated to assist local community and voluntary groups across the country with a multitude of costs including energy and utility bills, other operating costs, minor upgrade works and small capital purchases....

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Data (9 Apr 2024)

Joe O'Brien: The Charities Regulatory Authority (the ‘Charities Regulator’) was established in October 2014 pursuant to the Charities Act 2009. The Authority is the State organisation responsible for registering and regulating all of Ireland’s charities, with the mandate to promote good governance practice. The Charities Regulator is under the aegis of my department. It is important...

Accommodation for International Protection Applicants: Motion [Private Members] (21 Mar 2024)

Joe O'Brien: Thank you, Ceann Comhairle, for your intervention and your comments. Since January, approximately 2,400 beds have been brought into use for those seeking accommodation by the international protection accommodation services. That said, week in, week out, we are opening new accommodation centres in communities across the country. Thankfully, by and large, they go unremarked upon because,...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Men's Sheds (21 Mar 2024)

Joe O'Brien: In November 2023, I was delighted to announce funding of €1 million to support Men’s Sheds throughout the country. The initiative will see grants of up to €3,000 provided to over 400 Men’s Sheds nationwide to assist them with running costs such as electricity or insurance bills. The individual grants will be distributed to the Men’s Sheds via its...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Policies (20 Mar 2024)

Joe O'Brien: The Pobal HP Deprivation Index is Ireland's primary social gradient tool, commissioned by Pobal every five years following the completion of the national census. The most recent deprivation index was published in November 2023, using data 2022 census data. The index provides a deprivation score for each of Ireland's 18,919 Small Areas, ranging from Extremely Disadvantaged to Very...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Transport Costs (5 Mar 2024)

Joe O'Brien: I point out that the Local Link services have accelerated in their expansion and reach, in particular over the past couple of years. Figures from the Department of Transport show that numbers taking Local Link services have shot up by more than 360% between 2020 and 2023. It was a particular commitment in the programme for Government that we would triple the use of Local Link. I was part...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Legislative Process (5 Mar 2024)

Joe O'Brien: Our charity sector is an important and valued part of Irish society, playing an integral role in the provision of services to our communities. With over 11,500 charities on the charities register, the work of the Charities Regulator is also vitally important. The Charities (Amendment) Bill 2023 was published on 22 December 2023, and concluded Second Stage of the legislative process on 25...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Transport Costs (5 Mar 2024)

Joe O'Brien: As the Deputy will be aware, the Department of Transport is responsible for rural transport policy and programmes and the National Transport Authority has statutory responsibility for securing the provision of public passenger transport services nationally and for the scheduling of these services. Notwithstanding this, I acknowledge the vital importance of transport services for rural...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Departmental Funding (5 Mar 2024)

Joe O'Brien: We are using a couple of mechanisms to try to push that and expand that approach across government. In his question, the Deputy proposes the convening of a working group. In many respects that working groups already exists. We have a cross-sectoral group tasked with implementing the five-year strategy. It includes officials from quite a few Departments, including the Departments of...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Departmental Funding (5 Mar 2024)

Joe O'Brien: There are a few strands to Deputy Ó Murchú's question.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Departmental Funding (5 Mar 2024)

Joe O'Brien: In terms of other Departments, particularly in the case of the section 39 organisations the Deputy mentioned, this comes down to service level agreements. I point to a document that was agreed by the Government in the year before last. It is the shared values and principles document. It encourages Departments to engage more with community and voluntary organisations that we are dependent...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Departmental Funding (5 Mar 2024)

Joe O'Brien: The Government's five-year strategy to support the community and voluntary sector, Sustainable, Inclusive and Empowered Communities, was published in 2019. This is a whole-of-government strategy led by my Department and it is implemented collaboratively with the sector through the cross-sectoral group on local and community development. This strategy reaffirms the Government's commitment to...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Community Development Projects (5 Mar 2024)

Joe O'Brien: Since the Deputy specifically raised the community recognition fund, I will try to address the particular point he made. This was a €50 million announcement from last year. Each local authority was given an allocation based specifically on the number of new arrivals they had. After that a process ensued in each local authority area whereby the local authority was obliged to engage...