Results 101-120 of 2,335 for speaker:Joe O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rural Schemes (8 Oct 2024)

Joe O'Brien: My Department delivers a wide range of strategic interventions, funding programmes and policies to support both urban and rural communities, empowering them to realise their potential as thriving place to live, work and visit. Improving community infrastructure is a key part of my Department’s work, and investment through the Community Centre Investment Fund, the LEADER Programme,...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Funding (8 Oct 2024)

Joe O'Brien: In November 2022, I announced the Community Support Fund (CSF), with funding of €10 million. The once-off fund was allocated under my Department’s Community Enhancement Programme (CEP), designed to assist community groups across the country, in light of rising energy costs at the time. In December 2023, I was delighted to launch the Local Enhancement Programme (LEP) which...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Bus Services (3 Oct 2024)

Joe O'Brien: 75. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if there are any plans to increase the capacity of the southbound 101 Bus Éireann service, as buses are often full in the mornings when they reach Balrothery (details supplied). [39553/24]

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes (3 Oct 2024)

Joe O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 118 and 119 together. Schemes such as Community Employment (CE) are positive initiatives that enable the long-term unemployed to make a contribution to their communities while up-skilling themselves for prospective future employment.  The Department of Social Protection funds CE, which is delivered by independent sponsor organisations.  As such,...

Financial Resolutions 2024 - Financial Resolution No. 5: General (Resumed) (2 Oct 2024)

Joe O'Brien: I take this opportunity today to emphasise the importance of community work in all its various forms across the country. We invest in built infrastructure and in public services but infrastructure and public services do not, in and of themselves, create communities. The glue that pulls it all together is very often our community organisations and workers and, invariably, our volunteers. ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Schemes (2 Oct 2024)

Joe O'Brien: The Rural Social Scheme (RSS) has been subject to a full scheme review over the past year, with the report launched in July 2024. The report contains 19 recommendations, and my Department is currently examining how these recommendations can be progressed. New flexible pension arrangements were introduced on 1st January 2024. These new arrangements applies to supervisors on employment...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Funding (2 Oct 2024)

Joe O'Brien: The Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP) is Ireland’s primary social inclusion intervention with an allocation of €47.4 million in 2024. SICAP funding allocations are made based on levels of relative affluence and deprivation in communities, ensuring the programme is targeting disadvantage fairly, to help those individuals in greatest need of the support....

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Funding (2 Oct 2024)

Joe O'Brien: My Department's Community Services Programme (CSP) currently supports over 430 community-based organisations, to provide local services through a social enterprise model, with an annual co-funding contribution towards each full-time equivalent (FTE) position being supported, and, where warranted, towards the cost of employing a manager. In 2020, my Department developed an €8.95m CSP...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Funding (2 Oct 2024)

Joe O'Brien: The Community Enhancement Programme (CEP) was established in 2018 with the aim of providing funding for community groups in disadvantaged areas across Ireland. There have been a number of iterations of the CEP since then. In 2023, the CEP was replaced by the Local Enhancement Programme (LEP) which has a particular focus on small capital works/improvements, and the purchase of equipment for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (1 Oct 2024)

Joe O'Brien: 185. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will consider the establishment of a dedicated school transport service that picks up students in Ballyboughal village (details supplied). [38662/24]

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Code (1 Oct 2024)

Joe O'Brien: The question arises in the context of new flexible pension arrangements which were introduced on 1st January 2024. The changes include maintaining the State Pension age at 66 and introducing a deferred pension age up to 70 years. Accordingly, a person who now turns 66 can defer access to their pension, thus allowing them to access their pension at any point between age 66 and 70. This new...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Charitable and Voluntary Organisations (1 Oct 2024)

Joe O'Brien: The Charities Regulatory Authority (the ‘Charities Regulator’) was established in October 2014 pursuant to the Charities Act 2009. The Charities Regulator 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...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (26 Sep 2024)

Joe O'Brien: I also acknowledge the work of the PPNs, which were initially established about ten years ago. They are independent bodies that operate in every local authority area. Their function is to make the connection between local policy development and local community and voluntary environmental bodies as well. My Department funds the PPN office in every local authority area. Because they are...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (26 Sep 2024)

Joe O'Brien: Unfortunately, it will not be of the scale they are looking for.

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Charitable and Voluntary Organisations (26 Sep 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, which is implemented collaboratively with the sector through the Cross Sector Group (CSG) on Local and Community Development. This Strategy reaffirms the Government’s...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Charitable and Voluntary Organisations (26 Sep 2024)

Joe O'Brien: The Charities Regulator is fully independent in the performance of its statutory functions. The Regulator has a budget of €5.3 million in 2024, of which €3.36m is in respect of pay. The Regulator is currently operating with a full staff complement of 48. The administration of the Regulator, including the use of allocated resources, is a matter for the Board and Chief Executive...

Carer's Allowance Means Test: Motion [Private Members] (25 Sep 2024)

Joe O'Brien: The Government is not opposing the motion put forward by the Deputies. I welcome the opportunity this morning to discuss the important issue of the carer supports provided by Department of Social Protection. I thank the Deputies for bringing forward this motion. It is a very timely discussion. Next Tuesday, the Government will be announcing a package of measures under budget 2025. As...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Emergency Accommodation (24 Sep 2024)

Joe O'Brien: I am aware of the case that has been made by the Good Shepherd service, which contacted me directly about this as well. I can see why someone who is trying to solve a particular problem would jump to the free travel pass from the Department of Social Protection. We looked into it. The school transport scheme is the obvious option and the question is how to bridge the gap between people in...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Emergency Accommodation (24 Sep 2024)

Joe O'Brien: I take the Deputy's point. We should look at every measure we can to alleviate the difficulties people in homeless accommodation experience. The review of school transport envisages that we would have an integrated system where school transport is connected to the public transport system so that, one way or another, every route in the public system would be available to whoever wants or...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Emergency Accommodation (24 Sep 2024)

Joe O'Brien: I cannot give that commitment here.