Results 341-360 of 2,071 for speaker:Joe O'Brien

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Rural Schemes (23 May 2023)

Joe O'Brien: I thank the Deputies. I dispute the fact but I understand why people are concerned and that they would think it might drag on. I am determined that it is going to be as tight as possible. At the same time, we need to get the views in. I want to refresh it. I do not just want to make one or two tweaks to it. The scheme has huge potential in the long term and there are opportunities that...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Rural Schemes (23 May 2023)

Joe O'Brien: I would not question the Deputy's knowledge on the RSS ever. He will know too the answer that I am able to give, that I will use the phrase, "It is a budgetary matter", and that I do not control the strings in the middle of a budget year. I attended the first meeting of the review group. It was very clear that the income side of it came up there as well. We had 1,000 submissions to the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Community Employment Schemes (23 May 2023)

Joe O'Brien: The seniors alert scheme provides funding for a free personal monitored alarm for people aged 65 or older and of limited means. The scheme is intended to support older people to live securely and independently in their homes. It is funded by the Department of Rural and Community Development and administered by Pobal, with the support of local community and voluntary groups. The Deputy...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Community Employment Schemes (23 May 2023)

Joe O'Brien: We have a network of community and voluntary organisations throughout the country that should cover every geographic area. There are responsible community organisations in every area. If the Deputy believes a particular area is not properly covered, we would like to know about it. The organisations are effective in getting the word out. They use CE, Tús or RSS participants in the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Community Employment Schemes (23 May 2023)

Joe O'Brien: As the Deputy was speaking, two things occurred to me that we could do in terms of joined-up thinking. The social inclusion and community activation programme, SICAP, which falls under the Department of Rural and Community Development, funds several friendly call service programmes nationally which contact older, often isolated, people by telephone. It grew up over Covid. Maybe we can ask...

Accommodation Needs for New Arrivals: Statements (23 May 2023)

Joe O'Brien: I welcome the opportunity to contribute to this important and welcome debate. I thank all the Deputies who participated. I listened to almost all their contributions, including on my way to the House. The debate has been useful. The Department continues proactively to secure shelter from multiple sources to accommodate those fleeing the war in Ukraine and those applying for...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Strategies (23 May 2023)

Joe O'Brien: The Roadmap for Social Inclusion 2020-2025 is a whole of Government strategy with the ambitious aim to reduce consistent poverty to 2 per cent or less and to make Ireland one of the most socially inclusive member states in the EU. The Roadmap was published in January 2020 and contains seven high level goals, delivered by 66 unique commitments. Implementation of Roadmap commitments is well...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Food Poverty (23 May 2023)

Joe O'Brien: The Roadmap for Social Inclusion 2020-2025 is the whole of Government strategy to reduce poverty and improve social inclusion in Ireland. It includes seven high-level goals and 66 unique commitments. Goal 7 of the Roadmap is to “ensure that all people can live with confidence that they have access to good quality healthcare, housing, energy and food.” Commitment 61 of the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes (23 May 2023)

Joe O'Brien: The aim of the Community Employment (CE) programme is to enhance the employability of disadvantaged and long-term unemployed people by providing work experience and training opportunities for them within their local communities on a temporary fixed term basis. In addition to providing valuable occupational experience and training as a stepping-stone to employment for people who are...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rural Schemes (23 May 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. My Department does not operate a dedicated fund for the costs associated with policing civic events. Local events are usually under the remit of the relevant Local Authority and matters such as crowd control, facilitation and...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (17 May 2023)

Joe O'Brien: I will explain how we do engagement ahead of a new accommodation centre opening. As soon as a contract gets agreed, either I or the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, or close staff, will share a briefing, that is approximately six or seven pages long, on the details of that accommodation centre with all the local elected representatives. The problem is that the timeline between when the contract...

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

Joe O'Brien: As the Deputy is aware Job Initiative (JI) is an employment support scheme which was designed to provide eligible long-term unemployed people and other disadvantaged persons with an opportunity to engage in useful work within their communities. Participants on JI are employed full time for 39 hours per week. The current rate for JI participants is €495 per week. The JI rate...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Funding (10 May 2023)

Joe O'Brien: My Department's Community Services Programme (CSP) currently 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. Qualifying organisations must be social...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Public Sector Pay (10 May 2023)

Joe O'Brien: My Department provides grant funding to support a range of youth services which are delivered by voluntary youth organisations and carried out by both paid youth workers and volunteers. My Department has no role in the setting of pay scales or other matters that belong properly to the individual employer. The youth workers and other staff involved in youth services are employed directly...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes (9 May 2023)

Joe O'Brien: The aim of the Community Employment (CE) programme is to enhance the employability of disadvantaged and long-term unemployed people by providing work experience and training opportunities for them within their local communities on a temporary fixed term basis. All Community Employment companies are required to adhere to relevant corporate governance, financial and legislative...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Funding (9 May 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. Qualifying organisations must be social enterprises...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Early Childhood Care and Education (4 May 2023)

Joe O'Brien: I thank the Senator for raising the issue. The availability of high-quality early learning and childcare is a key Government priority. Early learning and childcare capacity is monitored by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth on an ongoing basis, with a particular focus on responding to the unmet early learning and childcare needs of families. The annual...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Early Childhood Care and Education (4 May 2023)

Joe O'Brien: The Government, the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, and I understand the challenges faced by parents in Fingal county. There is a clear need. It is one of the counties with the lowest vacancies rates in the country. I checked this before I came in. Interestingly and usefully, a data collection exercise on the early years sector will start tomorrow. Pobal will lead that. It will give us a...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes (3 May 2023)

Joe O'Brien: The aim of the Community Employment (CE) programme is to enhance the employability of disadvantaged and long-term unemployed people by providing work experience and training opportunities for them within their local communities on a temporary fixed term basis. In addition to providing valuable occupational experience and training as a stepping-stone to employment for people who are...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes (3 May 2023)

Joe O'Brien: The aim of the Community Employment (CE) programme is to enhance the employability of disadvantaged and long-term unemployed people by providing work experience and training opportunities for them within their local communities on a temporary fixed term basis. The programme aims to improve a person’s opportunities to return to employment. Those who are unemployed and in receipt of an...