Results 181-200 of 2,058 for speaker:Joe O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Programmes (5 Dec 2023)

Joe O'Brien: My Department’s Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP) aims to reduce poverty and promote social inclusion and equality by supporting rural and urban communities and individuals using community development approaches, engagement and collaboration. The procurement process for SICAP 2024-2028 is currently ongoing. Galway County Local Community Development...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Programmes (5 Dec 2023)

Joe O'Brien: My Department's Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP), is our country’s primary social inclusion programme which aims to reduce poverty and promote social inclusion and equality by supporting disadvantaged communities and individuals. The procurement process for the next iteration of SICAP 2024-2028 is currently ongoing. The SICAP procurement process is run on a...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes (30 Nov 2023)

Joe O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 406, 408 and 416 together. Officials from my Department hold regular meetings with representative associations to discuss issues of mutual interest in relation to the delivery of all employment programmes; Community employment (CE), Job Initiative (JI), the Rural Social Scheme (RSS) and Tús. With regard to the issues raised by the Deputies, the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes (29 Nov 2023)

Joe O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 98 and 99 together. Officials from my Department hold regular meetings with representative associations to discuss issues of mutual interest in relation to the delivery of all employment programmes; Community employment (CE), Job Initiative (JI), the Rural Social Scheme (RSS) and Tús. With regard to the issues raised by the Deputy, the Department has...

Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2023: Second Stage (23 Nov 2023)

Joe O'Brien: I thank Deputies for their contributions. There are some areas of difference but it is fair to say the Bill has been broadly welcomed, as have the measures in the budget. I know there is an ongoing question of income adequacy and we are still in a cost-of-living crisis. I understand the concerns about core rates and how people see them as inadequate. The full picture has to include the...

Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2023: Referral to Select Committee (23 Nov 2023)

Joe O'Brien: I move: That the Bill be referred to the Select Committee on Social Protection, Community and Rural Development and the Islands pursuant to Standing Orders 95(3)(a) and 181(1).

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Service 2023
Vote 37 - Social Protection (Supplementary) (22 Nov 2023)

Joe O'Brien: With regard to CE, Tús and RSS, but CE and Tús in particular, the job market is in a good place and that means the people who previously were not getting employment and might have looked at CE are looking at employment. That is good, and it is the way we want it to be, but it puts pressure on organisations that are dependent on CE places. At the moment, we have 18,750 people in CE...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Service 2023
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development (Supplementary) (22 Nov 2023)

Joe O'Brien: Our response at the moment is based on a learning from Covid. During Covid we had these local community response forums and that was the model that we, in a slightly different way, kick-started again at local authority level. We have community response forums that are operating at every local authority level now, initially in response to the Ukraine situation but which are also now working...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Service 2023
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development (Supplementary) (22 Nov 2023)

Joe O'Brien: I can come in on one of the points on funds that are dedicated to different areas. Each lot area, each area that a local development company looks after, gets a SICAP allocation based on the deprivation index and based on the level of deprivation in that area. I opened a new programme the year before last, the Empowering Communities programme, which is even more focused on those areas that...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Service 2023
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development (Supplementary) (22 Nov 2023)

Joe O'Brien: Briefly on the CSP, prior to this year the salary contributions to the 400+ community services programmes were on a flat rate. They all got the same contributions, whether they were one of the projects that had good revenue-generating capacity like the tourism ones that were mentioned, or a community centre in a deprived area. That was not ideal, particularly for the community centres in...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Programmes (21 Nov 2023)

Joe O'Brien: My Department's Community Services Programme (CSP) supports over 420 community-based organisations, to provide local services through a social enterprise model. CSP provides an annual co-funding contribution towards each full-time equivalent (FTE) position being supported, and, where warranted, towards the cost of employing a manager. An application window for funding for additional staff...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Programmes (21 Nov 2023)

Joe O'Brien: The Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP), is our country’s primary social inclusion intervention. This is a national programme that is delivered in both rural and urban areas by Local Development Companies to help those in the greatest need. SICAP aims to address high and persistent levels of deprivation through targeted and innovative, locally-led approaches. ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes (16 Nov 2023)

Joe O'Brien: The Community Employment (CE) programme is a community centered labour market initiative established for the purposes of social inclusion and activation, to help long-term unemployed people and other vulnerable groups to enter the workforce by breaking their experience of unemployment. CE projects are sponsored by groups wishing to benefit the local community, namely voluntary and...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Charitable and Voluntary Organisations (14 Nov 2023)

Joe O'Brien: Our charity sector is an important and valued part of Irish society, playing an integral role in the provision of services to our communities. With over 11,500 charities on the Charities Register, the work of the Charities Regulator is also vitally important. The aim of the charities (amendment) Bill is to improve the ability of the regulator to conduct its statutory functions, providing...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Charitable and Voluntary Organisations (14 Nov 2023)

Joe O'Brien: I will take the opportunity, and it is very relevant to the Deputy's question, to acknowledge the fact that this is this is Charity Trustees' Week. It is a week of acknowledging and recognising the efforts of over 76,000 volunteers who are trustees of Ireland's 11,500 registered charities. There is an extensive calendar of events this week organised in partnership with Boardmatch Ireland,...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Charitable and Voluntary Organisations (14 Nov 2023)

Joe O'Brien: I echo the Deputy's sentiments, thanks and acknowledgement of the work of trustees. With this Bill coming forward, we are seeking to create an environment where trustees feel assured as they are carrying our their duties and where people are willing and confident to volunteer to become trustees in the first instance. It will further enhance and empower both existing and potential trustees...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Departmental Schemes (14 Nov 2023)

Joe O'Brien: We are very interested in finding out where these blackspots are. We want everyone who wishes to avail of the senior alert scheme, SAS, to be able to access it. As I said, we will be pushing it out under a new advertising scheme coming out soon. We are also looking at counties with a low uptake as well. It is my understanding that once people have a landline connection they have access to...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Departmental Schemes (14 Nov 2023)

Joe O'Brien: I thank both Deputies. We have more than 600 community groups around the country helping us to find people, but we need more. We need everyone to be on board to find people. The key part of this scheme is that it is a connection to people's wider community as well. This is why these community groups are invaluable. I will comment on the availability of the alarm. There are three...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Departmental Schemes (14 Nov 2023)

Joe O'Brien: One is a landline alarm, which is installed when the participant has a standard telephone line. The second option is a broadband alarm, which is installed when the participant has a broadband line. The third alarm is the GSM version, which is installed when the participant does not have a standard telephone or a broadband line. This latter unit works off the mobile phone as well.