Results 181-200 of 2,330 for speaker:Joe O'Brien

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (19 Jun 2024)

Joe O'Brien: The Deputy will be aware that I have spoken on this issue already. I acknowledge the commitment of the people of Borrisokane to the new arrivals. It is not unique, as the Deputy will have seen from the case in County Clare. There are other situations around the country where people are housed in international protection accommodation on the assumption that it is temporary. I have read the...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (19 Jun 2024)

Joe O'Brien: I echo the Deputy's acknowledgment of the community's efforts and the community's backing of the Ukrainians living there. We see this across the country. It does not get coverage. Maybe in situations such as this it does, but this is the story across the country. There are compliance issues. We have to take them very seriously. That said, we have been cognisant of the fact that people...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Rural Schemes (19 Jun 2024)

Joe O'Brien: The Rural Social Scheme (RSS) is an income support scheme that provides part-time employment opportunities for farmers and fishermen and women who are in receipt of certain social welfare payments and who are underemployed in their primary occupation. It is a demand-led scheme and people who wish to participate apply directly to the IB that delivers the scheme in their area. The RSS is...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: International Protection (18 Jun 2024)

Joe O'Brien: I want to push back on the Deputy's assertion that people are being lied to or are being told mistruths and untruths. It is very problematic and, frankly, it feeds the people who are spreading lies. What the Deputy said is simply not true.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: International Protection (18 Jun 2024)

Joe O'Brien: When we have information that is available to share, we share it. These are fluid circumstances. Sometimes circumstances change regarding capacity, in what the provider is able to do and as to what we are able to tell people. There are fluid circumstances. We have unaccommodated people. We are trying to move as quickly as we can. The problem with that is when we give people information...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: International Protection (18 Jun 2024)

Joe O'Brien: I again refute the word "lie". The Deputy was not lied to. What happens is, because these situations are fluid and because we move early, that information can change. What little bit of knowledge I have of the situation to which he refers, information changed and was not communicated in a way it should have been. That is very different from being lied to. Members of the CET are trying...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: International Protection (18 Jun 2024)

Joe O'Brien: I can only talk about the community engagement team and how it is working. It is working very well because there are lots of places opening and there is not an issue because the information is getting out. It has not worked perfectly everywhere but we are learning as we go along and it is improving.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: International Protection (18 Jun 2024)

Joe O'Brien: Ireland and many other European countries continue to experience a significant increase in people seeking international protection. The arrival numbers remain significantly elevated. In the first 23 weeks of 2024, more than 9,000 people arrived in Ireland seeking accommodation from the State, an average of 394 people per week. This is more than five times the average for the period 2017...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Community Development Projects (18 Jun 2024)

Joe O'Brien: My Department's Community Services Programme (CSP) supports over 430 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 additional staff...

Planning and Development Bill 2023: Report Stage (Resumed) (12 Jun 2024)

Joe O'Brien: If the Deputy does not want there to be tripe and rubbish, why does he not stop talking tripe and rubbish?

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Community Employment Schemes (11 Jun 2024)

Joe O'Brien: I thank the Deputies. It is important to say that this year is 30 years since CE was first started. The impact it has had on Ireland over those 30 years has been extraordinary. They are often very low profile but there are 800 CE schemes around the country. We have some of the best community people working on them and they are doing some extraordinary things for people who need a hand up....

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Community Employment Schemes (11 Jun 2024)

Joe O'Brien: I acknowledge the important role community employment schemes play in providing valuable opportunities to participants and in supporting the delivery of key services to local communities across the country. I can confirm that in March the OECD published an impact evaluation of Ireland's active labour market programmes for long-term unemployed people finding positive labour market impacts...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Community Employment Schemes (11 Jun 2024)

Joe O'Brien: I thank Deputy Stanton. From my point of view I see the benefit of community employment as threefold. It supports many very important community services. As I have said, and as the OECD has said, it helps bridge the gap between the labour market and people who have found it difficult to break into it. It also has a very important social inclusion aspect for many individuals who access it....

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: State Pensions (11 Jun 2024)

Joe O'Brien: I thank the Deputy. I should have opened by acknowledging the work that foster carers do in Ireland. There is an exceptionally high rate of foster caring for children who need care in Ireland and we must ensure that maintains. In fact, we need to grow it, which we can do by further supporting foster carers. It is important to say that the foster care allowance is payable by Tusla to...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: State Pensions (11 Jun 2024)

Joe O'Brien: I am coming at this question from the point of view of my role in the Department of Social Protection and my knowledge of the foster caring side of matters is being added in, to be honest. It might be appropriate to send the question to the other Department to get more detail. The Deputy mentioned children over 12 and a disability requirement. I do not think the situation is that rigid....

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: State Pensions (11 Jun 2024)

Joe O'Brien: I thank the Deputy for the question. Matters related to foster care, including any criteria relating to work, are the responsibility of the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, and of Tusla. The State contributory pension is funded from the Social Insurance Fund through the contributions paid by workers. The payment rate reflects the number of social...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pension Provisions (11 Jun 2024)

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. Recruitment onto the scheme ceased from November 2004, while existing participants have their annual contracts renewed until they reach age 66, State...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Legislative Measures (11 Jun 2024)

Joe O'Brien: I have one piece of legislation that is being prioritised prior to the Summer recess, the Charities Amendment Bill, 2023. The Charities Amendment Bill 2023 revises and updates existing charity legislation, and is a key step that needs to be implemented in order to allow for the appropriate regulation, particularly financial regulation, of the sector. The Bill’s aim is to improve the...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Communications (11 Jun 2024)

Joe O'Brien: The Oversight Agreement between the Charities Regulator and my Department states that the Minister and the Chair and Chief Executive of the Regulator should meet formally once a year. I met formally with the Chair and the Chief Executive of the Charities Regulator on 27 September 2023. A new Chair, Mr. Gerry Kearney, was appointed to the Charities Regulator on 28 February 2024, and I met...

Ireland's Recognition of the State of Palestine: Statements (28 May 2024)

Joe O'Brien: It is a very significant and important day when a state formally recognises another. It did not really hit home for me how significant this was until I saw the Palestinian national flag flying on my way into Leinster House today. More than four years ago, when my party was negotiating for a commitment to recognise the State of Palestine in the programme for Government, we never thought it...