Results 361-380 of 2,071 for speaker:Joe O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Youth Services (3 May 2023)

Joe O'Brien: The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth is responsible for the provision of funding for delivery of support services to youth organisations. While my Department may provide some ad-hoc funding under our programmes to youth-focused organisations for specific initiatives, it does not provide any direct funding for delivery of support services for young people....

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Rail Network (27 Apr 2023)

Joe O'Brien: On behalf of the Minister for Transport, I thank the Deputies for the opportunity to address this issue and to provide the House with an update on the future development of the western rail corridor. As the Deputies may be aware, services have been operating between Limerick and Athenry via Ennis on a section of the western rail corridor since 2010. In 2021, two reports were published in...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Rail Network (27 Apr 2023)

Joe O'Brien: As highlighted previously, and noting the conclusion in the JASPERS review that there was a lack of strategic context for planning investment in the heavy rail network in 2021 the Minister for Transport, in partnership with the Minister for Infrastructure, announced his intention to undertake an all-island strategic rail review. This review is considering how the rail network on the island...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: School Transport (27 Apr 2023)

Joe O'Brien: I thank Deputy O'Sullivan. I still encourage people to apply. We all make the assumption that the numbers this year will be the same as last year. This could well be the case but people will not be in the mix if they do not make an application. I suggest that they make an application anyway. Other Deputies will identify with the situation that Deputy O'Sullivan has described. It is the...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Waste Management (27 Apr 2023)

Joe O'Brien: A recent report produced for Dublin City Council by the Institute of Public Administration found it would be contrary to competition law to exclude private companies from the waste collection market in favour of returning the function to local authorities. Altering the structure of the market for tendering by local authorities would take several years and require consideration of legal...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: School Transport (27 Apr 2023)

Joe O'Brien: I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. Before I address the issues raised, I will provide an outline of the extent of the school transport scheme. The scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the current school year, over 149,000 children, including over 18,000 children with special educational needs, are transported...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Hospital Services (27 Apr 2023)

Joe O'Brien: I again thank the Deputy for raising this matter regarding the services at Naas General Hospital. I fully accept the importance of growing healthcare services for the people of Kildare and west Wicklow. The commitment of the Government to the future of this hospital is clear. Funding for Naas hospital as part of the Dublin Midlands Hospital Group has continued to increase year on year. As...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Waste Management (27 Apr 2023)

Joe O'Brien: I thank Deputy Whitmore for raising the issue. Local authorities are responsible for municipal waste collection and waste management planning within their functional areas. The obligations on local authorities in relation to collecting household waste are set out in section 33 of the Waste Management Act 1996, as amended. In summary, it provides that each local authority shall collect, or...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Hospital Services (27 Apr 2023)

Joe O'Brien: I thank Deputy Durkan for raising the issue of services at Naas General Hospital and to also acknowledge the Deputy’s work in advocating for the people of Kildare and west Wicklow. Naas General Hospital is an acute public hospital with 189 inpatient beds and 18 day-care beds, serving a catchment area with a population of over 250,000 people. The services in the hospital are...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: School Transport (27 Apr 2023)

Joe O'Brien: I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. Before I address the specific issue raised, I would like to provide an outline of the extent of the school transport scheme. The school transport scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the current school year, more than 149,000 children, including in excess of 18,000 children...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: School Transport (27 Apr 2023)

Joe O'Brien: I again thank the Senator for the opportunity to update the House on school transport for the current school year. I reiterate that all eligible pupils who applied on time this year have now been facilitated on board a service for the 2022-23 school year. In addition, there has been a 40% increase in the number of tickets issued to concessionary pupils for the current school year compared...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: School Transport (27 Apr 2023)

Joe O'Brien: The requirements in respect of distance and eligibility for the temporary alleviation measures are clear but they will be happy to engage with the Senator when he has more specifics. It is a good opportunity to remind people, as the Senator has done, that the closing date for applications is tomorrow. There is that small window and people who have not put in an application should do so as...

Seanad: Courts and Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2022: Second Stage (27 Apr 2023)

Joe O'Brien: I am pleased to present the Bill, which introduces important legislative reforms across a number of areas. The Bill is part of a suite of measures the Department of Justice continues to introduce to improve access to justice and modernise the courts system. While many of the amendments in the legislation are administrative in nature, when enacted it will have a positive impact on citizens,...

Seanad: Courts and Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2022: Second Stage (27 Apr 2023)

Joe O'Brien: I am delighted to have the opportunity to introduce the Bill. I thank all the Senators for their contributions to the debate. Miscellaneous provisions Bills such as this offer an important opportunity to bring legislation up to date across a broad range of areas, from rebalancing occupier's liability to centralising and automating court offices and processes, and from improving citizenship...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes (27 Apr 2023)

Joe O'Brien: As the Deputy will be aware, 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 to improve their prospect of returning to employment. Participation on CE is for 19.5 hours per...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Voluntary Sector (25 Apr 2023)

Joe O'Brien: As the Deputy will be aware, the future board leaders pilot 2023 is a joint initiative by the Leadership Academy, a project of The Wheel, and Boardmatch Ireland. It is primarily funded by the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science through the National Training Fund. While my Department does not deal directly with the future board leaders pilot, it does...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Voluntary Sector (25 Apr 2023)

Joe O'Brien: My Department continues to engage with community and voluntary organisations to support all communities across Ireland to develop in a vibrant, inclusive and sustainable manner. With particular regard to communities in Northern Ireland and the Border counties of Ireland, I am very pleased that my Department shares responsibility for the PEACE IV programme, which supports peace and...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Voluntary Sector (25 Apr 2023)

Joe O'Brien: I do have an interest in this area. In November I visited Derry and Belfast, and a couple of organisations I met there are worth a mention. Holywell Trust is a community relations and community development organisation committed to positively transforming the lives of local people through addressing interpersonal and societal challenges. We had a very good meeting there about the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Departmental Schemes (25 Apr 2023)

Joe O'Brien: A vibrant circular economy is an essential part of a sustainable, carbon-neutral and resource-efficient economy. The first whole-of-government circular economy strategy was published in December 2021 by the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications to provide a national policy framework for Ireland’s transition to a circular economy. Alongside this, the Department is...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Departmental Schemes (25 Apr 2023)

Joe O'Brien: Several of the schemes and programmes I outlined impact clearly and directly on rural economies. I draw attention to the Circular Economy and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2022. There are a few points worth drawing out. The Act provides for the power to introduce new environmental levies on single-use disposable items such as coffee cups and food containers, together with a levy on waste...