Results 1,001-1,020 of 2,335 for speaker:Joe O'Brien

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

Joe O'Brien: The Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP), is our country’s primary social inclusion programme. The current iteration began on 1 January 2018 and will run until the end of 2023. My officials have begun the process of developing a new iteration of SICAP which will begin in 2024. The programme provides funding to tackle poverty and social exclusion at a local...

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

Joe O'Brien: The Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP), is our country’s primary social inclusion programme. The current iteration began on 1 January 2018 and will run until the end of 2023. My Department has committed over €250 million funding to the six year national programme. The funding for SICAP is subject to the annual budgetary estimates process. It should be...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Schemes (14 Jul 2022)

Joe O'Brien: I thank the Deputy for raising the issue of child poverty. The working family payment and other targeted measures such as the increase for a qualified child are specifically designed to assist with that. We have introduced other measures as well. We recently announced changes to three initiatives to assist families with children. The back-to-school costs package is worth a total of...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Schemes (14 Jul 2022)

Joe O'Brien: I have been working with my colleague, the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Deputy O'Gorman. We had a formal meeting about issues relating to child poverty and setting a new target to reduce it. We will have the successor to Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures as well. We are also in the process of bringing on board an EU child guarantee. Those are...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Cost of Living Issues (14 Jul 2022)

Joe O'Brien: These are people aged over 66 and some are over 70.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Schemes (14 Jul 2022)

Joe O'Brien: The working family payment is an in-work support which provides an income top-up for employees with children who are on low earnings. It is designed to prevent in-work poverty for low-paid workers with child dependants and to offer a financial incentive to take up employment. Eligibility for the payment is not linked to receipt of a social welfare payment but rather a person must be in...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Benefits (14 Jul 2022)

Joe O'Brien: The Taoiseach and all senior Ministers have given a strong signal that the budget will be a cost-of-living budget. The Department of Social Protection is part of that, as are other Departments. The national retrofitting plan and one-stop shops are also up and running. We have put €2.4 billion of measures in place and those are worth reiterating. They include the €200 energy...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Cost of Living Issues (14 Jul 2022)

Joe O'Brien: The Deputy's original question also referred to the ESRI report on fuel poverty so I will refer to that. The report explores the issue of energy poverty and deprivation in Ireland. The Government recognises the pressures families are under in respect of energy prices and have taken a range of steps, including targeted and universal measures. As part of budget 2022, a number of...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Cost of Living Issues (14 Jul 2022)

Joe O'Brien: I am not in a position to give the Deputy an indication of what might be proposed in the budget.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Cost of Living Issues (14 Jul 2022)

Joe O'Brien: The short-term measure, as I said earlier, is the additional needs payments. The community welfare officers have been given direction on what is viable to cover in respect of people's costs, and energy costs are certainly part of that. The medium-term intervention is the budget. It was been clearly flagged at an early stage that it will be a cost-of-living budget. All Departments have...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Cost of Living Issues (14 Jul 2022)

Joe O'Brien: I take the Deputy's point on retrofitting. It is just starting. Every year we look at how impactful it is. I refer, in particular, to the special enhanced grant equivalent to 80% of typical costs for attic and cavity wall insulation for all households. That can quickly reduce energy use as part of the Government's response to current exceptionally high energy prices. On the additional...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Benefits (14 Jul 2022)

Joe O'Brien: The fuel allowance is a payment of €33 per week for 28 weeks at an estimated cost of €366 million in 2022. It is a targeted payment to people dependent on specified long-term social welfare payments. The purpose of this payment is to assist those households most in need with their energy costs. The criteria for fuel allowance are framed in order to direct the limited...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Benefits (14 Jul 2022)

Joe O'Brien: In response to those questions about the people who are outside thresholds by a small amount, or in payments that do not qualify, the mantra we will keep putting out, which we cannot do too often because people are not aware of it, is about the additional needs payment and the community welfare officers. All those people the Deputy mentioned can go to a community welfare officer and explain...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Disability Services (14 Jul 2022)

Joe O'Brien: I thank the Deputy for the question. The reasonable accommodation fund is comprised of four grants, which are available through the Department's Intreo centres. The grants have been designed to assist jobseekers and existing employees with disabilities, and to encourage employers in the private sector to recruit and support existing employees with disabilities. The four grants are the...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Disability Services (14 Jul 2022)

Joe O'Brien: I welcome the opportunity to discuss the scheme because we want to raise awareness about it. This is not just something that is nice to have. The Employment Equality Acts 1998 to 2015 oblige employers to take reasonable steps to accommodate the needs of both employees and job applicants with disabilities. To be honest, the uptake for the fund over the years needs to be improved. We are...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Disability Services (14 Jul 2022)

Joe O'Brien: The Deputy makes a fair point. As we stand at the moment, Intreo engages with prospective employees and employers, and the employability services throughout the country do so as well. There is a job of communication there and that will be looked at as part of the review. As I mentioned, the wage subsidy scheme will also be reviewed. I am saying this for the purpose of raising awareness....

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Policies (14 Jul 2022)

Joe O'Brien: I hosted the Department's annual Social Inclusion Forum last week in the Bracken Court Hotel in Balbriggan. The Forum brings together Government officials, people experiencing poverty and social exclusion, and the community and voluntary sector groups representing them, to discuss and debate national policy on poverty reduction and social inclusion.  The forum is arranged by the...

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

Joe O'Brien: The Department of Social Protection operates a number of employment support schemes for long term unemployed persons which also assist communities across the country in the provision of vital services.  Currently, there are some 24,000 participants engaged on the two schemes supporting long term unemployed persons back to work; Community Employment and Tús.   CE is an...

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

Joe O'Brien: As the Deputy will know, my department operates a number of employment support schemes which assist communities across the country by providing services.  Currently, there are some 27,000 people and 1,649 supervisors employed on the three main schemes: community employment (CE), Tús and the Rural Social Scheme (RSS).  Overall, these schemes have a budget allocation of...

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

Joe O'Brien: As the Deputy will be aware an Intergovernmental Departmental Review (IDG) Report on employment support schemes recommended that a review be undertaken of the operational responsibility for RSS.  It was also intended that this would include a review of the impact of the six year time limit for participation on the scheme - the so-called six year rule which was introduced in 2017. ...