Results 1,801-1,820 of 2,335 for speaker:Joe O'Brien

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

Joe O'Brien: I wish to comment on the input made by the Chairman. In the programme of Government, and it has started in reality, there are additional supports for the horticulture industry to fill the space where we import produce that we could grow here. I also know that my colleagues in other Departments are interested in pushing that aspect. Specifically on the points made by Senator Garvey, food...

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

Joe O'Brien: The CE scheme has a fairly straightforward eligibility criteria. Being stuck at home does not rule anyone out from accessing a CE scheme. Perhaps the rural social scheme might be relevant to the people mentioned. Possibly of more relevance is the fact that there will be 3,000 additional places, which were announced as part of the July stimulus package last year. We have put initial...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Architects Register (10 Mar 2021)

Joe O'Brien: 386. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government his plans to implement an architectural technologists’ register including the process to approve committees and boards for the proposed shadow register; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12857/21]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Policy (10 Mar 2021)

Joe O'Brien: 504. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills her plans to ensure that fifth year students can be facilitated to catch up on class time lost due to school closures in 2021 and any associated gaps in the coverage of their curriculum in advance of leaving certificate 2022; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12856/21]

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Food Poverty (10 Mar 2021)

Joe O'Brien: I can confirm to the Deputy that I have read the report in full. The report in question, ‘Hungry bellies are not equal to full bellies: exploring inequality and deprivation in Ireland’, published by Unite Ireland, considers recent commentary on income inequality, as well as exploring the difference between income inequality and economic inequality. It notes recent research on...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes (10 Mar 2021)

Joe O'Brien: As the Deputy will be aware, Community Employment (CE) supervisors and assistant supervisors have been seeking for several years, through their union representatives, the allocation of Exchequer funding to implement a 2008 Labour Court recommendation relating to the provision of a pension scheme for CE supervisors who are employed by CE schemes. CE sponsoring authorities are the legal...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes (10 Mar 2021)

Joe O'Brien: At a meeting held on 27/01/2021 with representatives from the CE sponsors, a range of issues causing concern was outlined. Following this meeting, my colleague Minister Humphreys and I announced a number of changes to CE, on Tuesday 2nd March, which substantially address the concerns raised. Amongst the issues raised were the implications of a 2017 rule change that affected CE participants...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Community Enhancement Programme (10 Mar 2021)

Joe O'Brien: The Community Enhancement Programme provides small capital grants to community organisations to enhance facilities in disadvantaged areas. Under the programme, funding is allocated to each local authority area and administered by the Local Community Development Committee (LCDC) in each area. The 2021 Community Enhancement Programme has not yet been launched and will be announced in due...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Schemes (10 Mar 2021)

Joe O'Brien: My Department has been allocated €341 million in the 2021 Revised Estimates, this ensures that we are in a position to further assist communities seeking funding and other supports for important local activities and projects. The Department of Rural and Community Development community grants and funding programmes include: - The Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme, or...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Schemes (10 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, 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 weather the...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (5 Mar 2021)

Joe O'Brien: I welcome the Senator's call for ambition on this subject. While I will touch on the glass issue in a moment, in an initial statement I am happy to update Members on progress on this matter this morning. Members will be aware that plans for the introduction of a deposit return scheme, DRS, for plastic bottles and aluminium cans were announced in last year’s programme for Government....

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (5 Mar 2021)

Joe O'Brien: On the variable charge, I would suggest that there will be an opening for that point to be made in the consultation process that will be coming up. On glass, many of the submissions received in the first round of public consultation on the introduction of the DRS called for glass to be included. The DRS facilitates a high rate of recyclability because the material collected in it is...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Community Employment Schemes (4 Mar 2021)

Joe O'Brien: I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. I also place a major emphasis on the importance of CE schemes. I am aware of the CE recruitment challenges arising from the current restrictions, which has had an impact on the ability of some CE schemes to recruit new participants. Community employment is an active labour market programme designed to provide eligible long-term unemployed...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Community Employment Schemes (4 Mar 2021)

Joe O'Brien: I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. Community employment 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 Deputy may be aware that I held a productive online meeting on Wednesday, 27 January with the...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Social Welfare Benefits (4 Mar 2021)

Joe O'Brien: I thank the Deputies for raising this issue. I will give some context first. On 6 January, the Government announced that additional public health restrictions would apply under level 5 of the plan for living with Covid-19. The additional restrictions required all construction activity to cease from 6 p.m. on Friday, 8 January, with a number of exceptions. These measures are set out in the...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Social Welfare Benefits (4 Mar 2021)

Joe O'Brien: The exceptional needs payment scheme is available to provide supports to people who may be experiencing exceptional needs as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. I appreciate that current restrictions on construction have had a significant unforeseen impact on households that began renovations on family homes prior to the introduction of the current level 5 restrictions, and particularly on...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes (4 Mar 2021)

Joe O'Brien: On clarification with the Deputy's office, the question refers to participants over 55 who had already moved from Community Employment (CE) to jobseekers allowance in 2020 in line with the 2017 rule changes. The Deputy may be aware that Minister Humphreys and I held an online meeting on Wednesday, 27th January with representatives from the CE sponsoring authorities. The representatives...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Covid-19 Pandemic (4 Mar 2021)

Joe O'Brien: 213. To ask the Minister for Health if consideration has been given to when limited visits by family members to nursing homes in which all residents have been vaccinated against Covid-19 can resume; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12292/21]

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes (3 Mar 2021)

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. These can be in the areas such as social care, childcare services, heritage, arts, culture, tourism, sport and the environment. The programme is...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Child Poverty (3 Mar 2021)

Joe O'Brien: The most recent official poverty data is from the annual Survey on Income and Living Conditions 2019, published by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) in October 2020. It shows that the consistent poverty rate in 2019 for children aged 0-17 years was 8.1% (approximately 97,000 children based on the CSO estimated population figures for 2019). This is an increase on the 2018 figure of 7.7%. A...