Results 1,781-1,800 of 2,335 for speaker:Joe O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes (24 Mar 2021)

Joe O'Brien: The Community Employment (CE) Scheme 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 challenges caused by the Covid-19 public health restrictions introduced over the course of the last year, has impacted CE...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes (24 Mar 2021)

Joe O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 980 and 1014 together. Community Employment (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. As the Deputy is aware, my Department has continued to provide funding and...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes (24 Mar 2021)

Joe O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1044 to 1046, inclusive, together. As the Deputy is aware, Community Employment (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 Department provides Public...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes (24 Mar 2021)

Joe O'Brien: The Community Employment (CE) Scheme 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 information sought by the Deputy is set out beneath. End Dec Participant Supervisor Total...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes (24 Mar 2021)

Joe O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1050 and 1051 together. Community Employment (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 table below identifies those individuals who have successfully entered...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Cancer Services (24 Mar 2021)

Joe O'Brien: 1378. To ask the Minister for Health the details of plans to work through the backlog of cancer diagnostics work that has been on hold due to Covid-19; the amount of additional resourcing dedicated to this area in budget 2021; and the exact processes that have restarted in terms of procedures used to diagnose cancer. [14083/21]

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (24 Mar 2021)

Joe O'Brien: The Government is aware of the challenges facing community and voluntary organisations and is committed to working closely with the sector in managing through these challenges, recognising that it will require a whole of Government approach. Along with other broader Government initiatives, my Department has introduced a suite of programmes to support community and voluntary organisations...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Dormant Accounts Fund (24 Mar 2021)

Joe O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 2091 and 2092 together. I can confirm that since 2019, €2million of Dormant Accounts Funding has been used for a Small Capital Grants Scheme for social enterprise. 230 social enterprises have benefitted from this scheme, each receiving a grant of between €2,000 and €15,000. In 2020, €45million in Dormant Accounts Funding was...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Roadmap to Social Inclusion: Discussion (23 Mar 2021)

Joe O'Brien: I thank Deputy Denis Naughten, the Chair of this joint committee, and the committee members for the invitation to appear before the committee and provide an update on the implementation of the Roadmap for Social Inclusion. I have responsibility for policy areas in two Departments which are complementary - social inclusion and community development. It is safe to say that one cannot exist...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Roadmap to Social Inclusion: Discussion (23 Mar 2021)

Joe O'Brien: I thank the Senator. He makes a fair point. There are many supports available. There are a couple of points I would make in response, particularly in the context of the past 12 months. Intreo offices have remained open. They are open at least three mornings a week in most communities. That is the first thing I would say to a person who ask me what they are entitled to, apart from asking...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Roadmap to Social Inclusion: Discussion (23 Mar 2021)

Joe O'Brien: The Deputy made a good opening point regarding the delay in getting the roadmap back on the agenda as a result of the election situation and then Covid. I was eager to get the group together as quickly as possible before Christmas. To answer her question, I will address monitoring as well what has been done and what is in progress. Of the various commitments, eight have been achieved, six...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Roadmap to Social Inclusion: Discussion (23 Mar 2021)

Joe O'Brien: With regard to priorities for the coming year, I will go back to the fuel poverty side of things, mainly because it is one of the commitments that is a bit scattered and needs someone to pull it together. Many of the other commitments sit fairly squarely in particular Departments, including many which sit in our own Department of Social Protection. With regard to other priorities, we will...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Roadmap to Social Inclusion: Discussion (23 Mar 2021)

Joe O'Brien: Funding for the community and voluntary sector is very topical. I attended an event earlier today. The Wheel in Carmichael recently published a consultation report on the needs of the community and voluntary sector. Funding was probably at the top in terms of what the needs were. The need for multiannual funding is recognised in our five-year community and voluntary sector strategy. We...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Roadmap to Social Inclusion: Discussion (23 Mar 2021)

Joe O'Brien: Okay. I will commit to following up on that. I do not know the details.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Roadmap to Social Inclusion: Discussion (23 Mar 2021)

Joe O'Brien: I could see the Senator throughout his contribution. I thank him for opening with the remark about the staff and I echo it. The Department and the staff have not only been on the front line throughout the pandemic but adapted extraordinarily quickly and dealt with an extraordinary volume of applications. The difficulty of that cannot be overstated, so I appreciate the Senator acknowledging...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Roadmap to Social Inclusion: Discussion (23 Mar 2021)

Joe O'Brien: On Senator Gavan's first point, I agree that the base rate needs to go up. I will say that very often people have associated financial supports as well, such as an the increase for a qualifying child, child benefit, other supports outside of my Department, such as the housing assistance payment, medical cards and so on. However, I agree with the Senator that we need to do something...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Roadmap to Social Inclusion: Discussion (23 Mar 2021)

Joe O'Brien: Collective bargaining does no come within the remit of the Department of Social Protection, rather it is a matter for the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. I am happy to bring the issue, and what is happening in that regard, to the table at next week's meeting.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Roadmap to Social Inclusion: Discussion (23 Mar 2021)

Joe O'Brien: I thank the Senator for emphasising the importance of that programme and I know the Minister is committed to it as well. I understand she will be making an announcement soon on the extension of that programme. It is something we will be looking to build on because it has a direct and tangible impact for people who need it most. I reiterate the point from earlier that even during lockdown...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Roadmap to Social Inclusion: Discussion (23 Mar 2021)

Joe O'Brien: I will try my best to keep my answer to two minutes. On that overall goal of facilitating work for all who can work, there are a number of categories within that where things are happening. For people with disabilities in particular, there are a couple of Dormant Accounts Fund projects in the Department of Social Protection that are doing good work in that regard. There are also wage...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Roadmap to Social Inclusion: Discussion (23 Mar 2021)

Joe O'Brien: I will speak to the Minister, Deputy Ryan, about both areas. The Chair makes an interesting point on how the post offices could be used. We have a network of Citizens Information offices across the country. Some of them struggle with opening hours and renting premises. I will speak to the Minister about co-operation with the post offices as there may be some merit in that. The FoodCloud...