Results 321-340 of 1,310 for speaker:Joe O'Brien in 'Written Answers'

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Schemes (27 Oct 2022)

Joe O'Brien: The Government is aware of the challenges facing community and voluntary organisations and the charities sector in meeting the high cost of energy currently and is committed to supporting the sector in meeting these costs. Not-for-profit and voluntary organisations in the Community and Voluntary sector are woven into the fabric of community life across Ireland, but they are vulnerable to...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Meetings (27 Oct 2022)

Joe O'Brien: There have been no direct meetings between my Department and the Minister for Communities in Northern Ireland. However, officials from my Department have met with officials from the Department for Communities in relation to the development of the PEACEPLUS Programme.

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Funding (26 Oct 2022)

Joe O'Brien: In response to the correspondence referred to by the Deputy, I would like to clarify that the National Funding Platform concept is a separate initiative to anything previously used by Benefacts. My Department is exploring options for the establishment of a national funding platform for the community and voluntary sector. This work is in line with the Department’s Statement of Strategy...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Dormant Accounts Fund (26 Oct 2022)

Joe O'Brien: The Dormant Accounts Fund provides funding across 10 Government Departments to support measures aimed at addressing economic, social and educational disadvantage, or to support persons with a disability. My Department prepares annual Dormant Account Action Plans which approve funding for measures across Government. The relevant funding is then provided within each Departments Vote, with each...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Schemes (26 Oct 2022)

Joe O'Brien: I presume the Deputy is referring to the application submitted by the organisation in question under my department's Community Services Programme (CSP), which supports over 430 community-based organisations to provide employment opportunities and local services through a social enterprise model. Following an independent review of the CSP, a needs-based funding rate allocation model was...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (25 Oct 2022)

Joe O'Brien: Community Employment (CE) 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. Participation on the scheme is part time - 19.5 hours per week. Currently payment rates on CE are related to the underlying value of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (25 Oct 2022)

Joe O'Brien: The purpose of the Fuel Allowance payment is to assist households with their energy costs. The allowance represents a contribution towards the energy costs of a household. The Fuel Allowance payment is targeted towards those who are more vulnerable to energy poverty, including those reliant on social protection payments for longer periods and who are unlikely to have additional resources of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes (25 Oct 2022)

Joe O'Brien: We are all very conscious of the important role that Community Employment (CE) and other programmes play in our communities. In addition to providing valuable occupational experience and training as a stepping-stone to employment for people who are unemployed, schemes such as CE also provide important and, in many cases essential, services to their local communities. The programme is...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Ukraine War (25 Oct 2022)

Joe O'Brien: My Department has responsibility for the Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP) 2018 – 2023 that provides funding to tackle poverty and social exclusion at a local level through local engagement and partnerships between disadvantaged individuals, community organisations and public sector agencies. The programme is implemented nationally by 46 Local Development...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Funding (25 Oct 2022)

Joe O'Brien: My Department provides a range of supports which Men's Sheds/Groups can avail of depending on the works being completed. Since 2019, the Community Enhancement Programme (CEP) provided capital funding for community groups which included €0.5m that was ring-fenced under the programme for both Men's & Women's Sheds. The CEP ran again in 2020 and 2021 providing small capital...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes (20 Oct 2022)

Joe O'Brien: As the Deputy is aware, Community Employment (CE) supervisors and CE assistant supervisors sought for several years through their union representatives, SIPTU and Fórsa, the allocation of Exchequer funding to implement a 2008 Labour Court recommendation relating to the provision of a pension scheme for CE supervisors and CE assistant supervisors who are employed by CE scheme sponsoring...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes (19 Oct 2022)

Joe O'Brien: We are all very conscious of the important role that Community Employment (CE) and other programmes play in our communities.  In addition to providing valuable occupational experience and training as a stepping-stone to employment for people who are unemployed, schemes such as CE also provide important and, in many cases essential, services to their local communities.   ...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Budget 2023 (19 Oct 2022)

Joe O'Brien: The Government is aware of the challenges facing community and voluntary organisations and the charities sector in meeting the high cost of energy currently and is committed to supporting the sector in meeting these costs. Not-for-profit and voluntary organisations in the Community and Voluntary sector are woven into the fabric of community life across Ireland, but they are vulnerable to...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes (18 Oct 2022)

Joe O'Brien: We are all very conscious of the important role that Community Employment (CE) and other programmes play in our communities.  In addition to providing valuable occupational experience and training as a stepping-stone to employment for people who are unemployed, schemes such as CE also provide important and, in many cases essential, services to their local communities.   ...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Voluntary Sector (18 Oct 2022)

Joe O'Brien: The Government is aware of the challenges facing community and voluntary organisations and the charities sector in meeting the high cost of energy currently and is committed to supporting the sector in meeting these costs. Not-for-profit and voluntary organisations in the Community and Voluntary sector are woven into the fabric of community life across Ireland, but they are vulnerable to...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Rural Schemes (13 Oct 2022)

Joe O'Brien: As the Deputy will be aware, the Rural Development Policy 2021-2025 - Our Rural Future, was published in 2021; and represents a new milestone in the approach to rural development in Ireland. The Policy is supported by 150 commitments across Government, which will address the challenges facing communities and deliver new opportunities for people living in rural areas. The policy will help...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pension Provisions (13 Oct 2022)

Joe O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 31 and 85 together. This Government acknowledges the important role that carers play in society and is fully committed to supporting them in that role. Accordingly, the current State Pension (Contributory) system includes a range of measures including PRSI credits, Homemaking Disregards and HomeCaring Periods to recognise caring periods of up to 20 years...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes (13 Oct 2022)

Joe O'Brien: The Department of Social Protection operates a number of employment support schemes for long term unemployed persons which also assist communities across the country in the provision of vital services. Currently, there are some 24,000 participants on the two schemes supporting long term unemployed persons back to work: Community Employment and Tús. We are all very conscious of the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Food Poverty (13 Oct 2022)

Joe O'Brien: The Roadmap for Social Inclusion 2020-2025 is a whole of Government strategy that aims to reduce consistent poverty to 2 per cent or less by 2025 and make Ireland one of the most socially inclusive countries in the EU. The Roadmap was published in January 2020 and contains seven high level goals, delivered by 66 unique commitments. Commitment 61 has a specific focus on food poverty:...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Policies (13 Oct 2022)

Joe O'Brien: As Minister with responsibility for social inclusion, I have a strong interest in addressing all forms of poverty and addressing child poverty. I welcome the recent publication of the CSO Survey on Income and Living Conditions (SILC) module on child specific deprivation. It is critical to have accurate and detailed data if we are to better understand and address such issues. The 2021 SILC...