Results 1,181-1,200 of 2,335 for speaker:Joe O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Services (26 Apr 2022)

Joe O'Brien: 1789. To ask the Minister for Health the status of the development of dedicated clinics and models of care for patients with long Covid; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20936/22]

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Ukraine War (26 Apr 2022)

Joe O'Brien: Government is working to ensure that local capacity, resources and knowledge are brought to bear on the overall humanitarian response to people fleeing Ukraine and seeking protection in Ireland. Building on structures developed during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Community Response Fora are being repurposed in each local authority area, including in Dublin. The Forum brings together...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Grant Payments (26 Apr 2022)

Joe O'Brien: My Department is currently exploring options for the establishment of centralised grantee database for the community and voluntary sector in line with our Statement of Strategy. Streamlining the compliance and reporting burden faced by the sector across many different agents of the State has been identified, via engagement with the sector, as a key requirement. The merits of...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Energy Prices (26 Apr 2022)

Joe O'Brien: I am aware of the challenges facing community groups in relation to utilities and insurance costs.  In November 2021 I launched the €9m Community Activities Fund to support community and voluntary groups impacted by COVID-19. The fund will support community groups, particularly in disadvantaged areas, with their running costs such as utility (Electricity, Heating charges) or...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Child Poverty (7 Apr 2022)

Joe O'Brien: The cost of living, having remained relatively flat for a number of years, has seen an increase in recent months. The Roadmap for Social Inclusion 2020-2025 is a whole of Government strategy, which aims to reduce consistent poverty and improve social inclusion in Ireland, with specific commitments focusing on children and families. The Roadmap recognises the importance of child related...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Funding (6 Apr 2022)

Joe O'Brien: Community Employment (CE) supports projects that provide work experience for long term unemployed persons to assist them entering the open labour market on exit from the CE scheme, while at the same time providing valuable community services. The programme is delivered through CE sponsor organisations in the community and voluntary sector. CE sponsor organisations receive annual...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Bus Services (5 Apr 2022)

Joe O'Brien: Our Rural Future is the Government's national rural development policy. It sets out an ambitious blueprint for the development of, and investment in, rural Ireland over a five-year period. It is a whole-of-government policy, and the more than 150 measures set out within it are being delivered by the Departments with responsibility for the relevant policy areas, including the Department of...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Bus Services (5 Apr 2022)

Joe O'Brien: I do not have the detail of the stages of investment and what will happen on the ground over the next few years. The Connecting Ireland rural mobility plan is a major national public transport initiative funded by the Department of Transport and managed by the National Transport Authority, NTA. The aim of the plan is to increase public transport connectivity, particularly for people living...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Bus Services (5 Apr 2022)

Joe O'Brien: Again, that is really a question for the NTA and I am happy to take that question and seek detail on the transport connections to it as well.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Departmental Schemes (5 Apr 2022)

Joe O'Brien: The Deputy made an important point about the role of SICAP, in that it does one-to-one work with people while also supporting community groups. She mentioned a figure of 15,000. That will be an important role for SICAP. It is important that we support Ukrainian groups that are organising themselves. SICAP would be well placed to do that, but it is also a good use of resources to support...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Departmental Schemes (5 Apr 2022)

Joe O'Brien: I would encourage community response forums to reach out to every available community and voluntary group. On the other side, I would encourage community and voluntary groups to contact the forums. It is important that everyone who can do something is in the room, there is co-ordination and we are making the most of resources. At particular pinch points where there is exceptional pressure,...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Departmental Schemes (5 Apr 2022)

Joe O'Brien: I am always glad to take the opportunity to talk about SICAP. That programme is our country's primary social inclusion intervention. It aims to reduce poverty and promote social inclusion and equality. It is delivered locally by the local development companies referenced by the Deputy, who work with the most disadvantaged and hardest to reach in our communities. My Department is in...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Community Development Projects (5 Apr 2022)

Joe O'Brien: I thank the Deputy. To answer Deputy Gould's initial question about contact with our Department, my Department has not had a direct approach from Ballyvolane residents in relation to the building of a community centre in the area, although I am informed there were meetings between the residents and Cork City Council on the matter. In terms of the supports we provide, the community...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Community Development Projects (5 Apr 2022)

Joe O'Brien: I thank the Deputy. I think it is fair to say there is a planning function here as well. If a local authority is granting permission for large swathes of housing, it needs to plan for a community centre in that area as well. That is not happening everywhere. The question of whether we will actually support the local authority to do that comes up occasionally in this House, even if the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Community Development Projects (5 Apr 2022)

Joe O'Brien: I thank the Deputies. I think Deputy Gould will appreciate this as well. I visited his area last year. The residents of Fairhill also have a need in this regard. We can be supporters; we cannot be first movers in this situation. This is primarily a competency for the local authority, which, if it moves forward and has a plan, we are happy to support through the various funds we have...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Ukraine War (5 Apr 2022)

Joe O'Brien: I would add that 600 community development workers have been freed from the majority of their core work to assist with helping and supporting people who are arriving from Ukraine into their locality. There was also a10% increase in the social inclusion and community activation programme, SICAP, budget from last year. That will add a significant additional resource and capacity to the local...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Ukraine War (5 Apr 2022)

Joe O'Brien: I accept the Deputy’s point. I think we will see an improvement in co-ordination at a local level over the coming weeks with the establishment of the community response fora. There is capacity at a local level that has not been best utilised because of the lack of co-ordination over the initial few weeks. There have been small areas of overlap. There have also been people who have...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Ukraine War (5 Apr 2022)

Joe O'Brien: The Government is working to ensure that local capacity, resources and knowledge are brought to bear on the overall humanitarian response to people fleeing Ukraine and seeking protection in Ireland. My Department is contributing to the effort by linking with key stakeholders at community level, providing information, assisting the co-ordination of supports through the community sector and...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Ukraine War (5 Apr 2022)

Joe O'Brien: As the Deputy is probably aware, Government is working to ensure that local capacity, resources and knowledge are brought to bear on the overall humanitarian response to people fleeing Ukraine and seeking protection in Ireland. My Department's key focus is to ensure the resources, skills and capacity of the local development, community development and charity sectors are utilised to maximum...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Ukraine War (5 Apr 2022)

Joe O'Brien: I am aware of the project the Deputy mentioned and I hope to visit it at some stage. I am in the process of getting out and about as much as I can, so I can see the level of response and see if there are gaps. We will be working closely with the CCMA, as I said, which will be getting the feedback from the ground up. Now that we have the structures in place we will be getting more...