Results 261-280 of 2,071 for speaker:Joe O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Charitable and Voluntary Organisations (4 Oct 2023)

Joe O'Brien: My Department’s mission is to support vibrant, inclusive and sustainable communities throughout Ireland. In delivering on its mission, my Department provides a wide range of strategic interventions, funding programmes and policies that ensure rural and urban communities continue to thrive. This includes community and voluntary organisations that provide vital services to our...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Charitable and Voluntary Organisations (26 Sep 2023)

Joe O'Brien: I am well aware of the issues with section 39 and other organisations whose main funding relationship is with other Government agencies and Departments. I would encourage both parties back to the table at the Workplace Relations Commission, WRC. I certainly have a role in government in terms of explaining and pushing the value of community and voluntary organisations with other Departments....

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Charitable and Voluntary Organisations (26 Sep 2023)

Joe O'Brien: I appreciate the Deputy’s advocacy for those who need those services, which are invaluable. It has been made clear to me the practical difficulties that the pay differential is creating. I think they should be paid more and, within government, we believe they should be paid more. We have gone through the WRC process to land on an agreed figure. We are at an impasse at the moment,...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Charitable and Voluntary Organisations (26 Sep 2023)

Joe O'Brien: I thank the Deputy for the question. 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 on local and community development. This strategy...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Funding (26 Sep 2023)

Joe O'Brien: My Department's mission is to promote rural and community development and to support vibrant, inclusive and sustainable communities throughout Ireland. The underlying basis for all funding delivered through my Department's community development programmes is to enable communities themselves to identify and address their needs in this context. The Social Inclusion and Community...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Funding (26 Sep 2023)

Joe O'Brien: My Department's mission is to promote rural and community development and to support vibrant, inclusive and sustainable communities throughout Ireland. The Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP), overseen by my Department, is our country’s primary social inclusion programme which aims to reduce poverty and promote social inclusion and equality by supporting...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Clár Forbartha Áitiúil (26 Sep 2023)

Joe O'Brien: Tacaíonn Clár um Sheirbhísí don Phobal (CSP) mo Roinne le breis agus 420 eagraíocht phobalbhunaithe, chun seirbhísí áitiúla a sholáthar trí mhúnla fiontair shóisialta. Soláthraíonn CSP ranníocaíocht chómhaoinithe bhliantúil i dtreo gach post coibhéis lánaimseartha (CL) a fhaigheann...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Clár Forbartha Áitiúil (26 Sep 2023)

Joe O'Brien: Tacaíonn Clár um Sheirbhísí don Phobal (CSP) mo Roinne le breis agus 420 eagraíocht phobalbhunaithe, chun seirbhísí áitiúla a sholáthar trí mhúnla fiontair shóisialta. Soláthraíonn CSP ranníocaíocht chómhaoinithe bhliantúil i dtreo gach post coibhéis lánaimseartha (CL) a fhaigheann...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Policies (26 Sep 2023)

Joe O'Brien: My Department continues to liaise with stakeholders in communities around the country including the Local Authorities, Local Community Development Committees, Public Participation Networks and Local Development Companies to ensure that supports provided are timely and appropriate to the needs of those communities. While the schemes administered by my Department have a consistent, ongoing...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Policies (26 Sep 2023)

Joe O'Brien: My Department continues to liaise with stakeholders in communities around the country including the Local Authorities, Local Community Development Committees, Public Participation Networks and Local Development Companies to ensure that supports provided are timely and appropriate to the needs of those communities. While the schemes administered by my Department have a consistent, ongoing...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Community Development Projects (26 Sep 2023)

Joe O'Brien: In August 2019, the Department of Rural and Community Development launched Sustainable, Inclusive and Empowered Communities: a five-year strategy to support the community and voluntary sector in Ireland. The Strategy sets a general direction of travel for government policy in relation to community development, local development and the community and voluntary sectors for the coming decade....

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Community Development Projects (26 Sep 2023)

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 on Local and Community Development. This Strategy plays an important role in seeking to...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Child Poverty (26 Sep 2023)

Joe O'Brien: The Central Statistics Office (CSO) Survey on Income and Living Conditions (SILC) is the official source of poverty statistics for Ireland. The most recent survey results in relation to the 2022 survey were published by the CSO on 22 February 2023. Due to the sample sizes involved, poverty data is only available at regional level. However, child poverty data at regional level is not...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rural Schemes (26 Sep 2023)

Joe O'Brien: My Department is responsible for a number of national policies aimed at improving the lives of people throughout the country, including Our Rural Future which places an emphasis on building resilience and enhancing participation and inclusion in rural communities. Our Rural Future recognises that some rural populations have a heightened perception of the threat of crime in their areas....

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Programmes (26 Sep 2023)

Joe O'Brien: My department's Community Service 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. Earlier this year, I announced a new Call for...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Functions (26 Sep 2023)

Joe O'Brien: Addressing the issue of individual isolation in communities has become more important than ever before. Many of my Department's policies and funding programmes aim to address social isolation issues in communities, and also deliver benefits by responding to the challenges facing vulnerable individuals. My Department continues to provide funding to tackle social isolation and support those in...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Regulatory and Poverty Impact Assessments (26 Sep 2023)

Joe O'Brien: I published the General Scheme of the Charities (Amendment) Bill on 29 April 2022. This General Scheme was subsequently submitted to the Joint Committee on Social Protection, Community and Rural Development and the Islands for Pre-Legislative scrutiny. This Bill is to provide for a number of amendments to the Charities Act 2009. The aim of the proposed amendments is to improve the ability of...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Local Development Companies (20 Sep 2023)

Joe O'Brien: My Department's mission is to promote rural and community development and to support vibrant, inclusive and sustainable communities throughout Ireland. The Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP) our country’s primary social inclusion programme, aims to reduce poverty and promote social inclusion and equality by supporting disadvantaged communities and...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Funding (20 Sep 2023)

Joe O'Brien: The Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP), is our country’s primary social inclusion programme that aims to reduce poverty and promote social inclusion and equality by supporting disadvantaged communities and individuals. I believe SICAP is a hugely important programme and was delighted to secure a 10% increase for SICAP for 2022, the largest increase since...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Voluntary Sector (20 Sep 2023)

Joe O'Brien: In August 2019, the Department of Rural and Community Development launched Sustainable, Inclusive and Empowered Communities: a five-year strategy to support the community and voluntary sector in Ireland. The Strategy sets a general direction of travel for government policy in relation to community development, local development and the community and voluntary sectors for the coming decade. ...