I recall the CE supervisor scheme that the Deputy is talking about. Many good suggestions were made during that call and we will take them away and consider them. I wish to be clear about one point. We always consider CE schemes as having a dual purpose. It is not only an employment and training opportunity but the schemes exist to provide a local community service as well - I wish to acknowledge that formally. It is probably fair to say that the activation services of our local offices have been very much reduced …

On the CE side of things, there should be no need for schemes to close contracts with participants since level 5 restrictions were introduced in October last year. We are extending those contracts until March at the earliest. It is important to get that message out. I recognise that there are issues with regard to referrals. Intreo offices are only operating at 30% at the moment in terms of their referral capacity. That will be ramping up soon. If the Deputy wishes to contact me directly regarding specific projects…

On community employment schemes, as the Deputy will know, since level 5 restrictions were introduced in October of last year, contracts have been extended until at least 31 March of this year. We will be monitoring the situation closely. We are open to extending it beyond that. I will also clarify that there is to be no sudden cliff edge when contracts come towards an end. The local community development officers in the Department will stagger the end of contracts to make sure that services are not impacted. It is …

On the CE schemes and those people who have hit the three-year limit, the current rules are, generally, that after a one year break they can requalify. Since level 5 restrictions kicked in during October 2020, there has been a stall on the closing of all CE contracts for participants. Currently, that extension is going at least until the end of March and beyond. When the country reopens then the agreements will be closed on a staggered basis so that the essential services referred to by the Deputy will not be hit.

On the first point, we have taken the Deputy's question on board. There is an issue with comparing data that the HSE and Pobal have. We are looking at other data sources also because before jumping into a big piece of research there is quite a great deal of information in different Departments and agencies. We are trying to see what we have got before we go on to that stage. As I said in my opening statement, when we are considering the impacts of Covid on people who are socially excluded, there are three areas we …

In 2019, my Department published Sustainable, Inclusive and Empowered Communities: A Five-Year Strategy to Support the Community and Voluntary Sector in Ireland 2019-2024. This strategy reaffirms the Government’s commitment to supporting the sector and addressing some of the challenges faced by service providers while also recognising the reality of finite resources and the need to ensure that available resources are focused on providing effective services. Co-produced by Government and the community and voluntary …

Tusla is one of the priority organisations that we want to engage with on this issue, along with the Department of Health, the HSE, and the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform is important in this whole mix. Last week the cross-sectoral group overseeing the strategy had a meeting. There were several priority issues and I attended the meeting for a while. I impressed upon the group the importance of the commissioning issue. I also repor…

I thank the Senator for raising this important matter and apologise on behalf of the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Deputy Eamon Ryan, who is attending an EU Council meeting today. The Government's statement on the role of data centres in Ireland's enterprise strategy acknowledges the role of data centres as part of the digital and communications infrastructure for many sectors of our economy. The statement also noted that data centres pose considerable challenges to the future planning a…

I agree with the Deputy and there is also a recognition of that in the strategy, which is one of the reasons it has been prioritised. Much of this comes down to some Departments and agencies not getting what the community and voluntary sector is about to some extent. That is certainly not the case with my Department. I have been very impressed with the officials in my time there. They absolutely get it and it is reflected in the strategy. One of the practical measures the cross-sectoral group is working on is a val…

I again thank the Senator for her comments. The Government is committed to achieving net zero emissions by 2050, with an annual reduction in overall emissions of 7%. This is a challenge and at the same time an opportunity for the Government, agencies and industry stakeholders to work together to achieve a green Ireland. I have noted the Senator's questions and will take them back to the Minister. Data centres can form part of integrated energy systems as we move forward, as demonstrated by the recently announced an…

I thank the Senator for raising this matter. I welcome the opportunity to set out the actions being taken by the Government to support the midlands region. Significant funding has been allocated to support workers, companies and communities affected by the closure of the peat-fired power stations and the end of peat harvesting by Bord na Móna. The work of Kieran Mulvey as just transition commissioner in the midlands region over the past year has seen comprehensive engagement with relevant stakeholders, facilitated …

The Senator's point is very much taken. The ESB recognises that the closure will impact on the midlands region. However, this does not mark an end to the long relationship of ESB with the region. The company has extensive ongoing operations, which include ESB Networks depots in several areas and the ESB Networks national training centre in Portlaoise, which provides training to 280 apprentices from all over Ireland. It also owns and operates several renewable energy wind farms across the midlands, each of which con…

I thank the Acting Chairman and wish her a very happy Christmas.

The Covid-19 pandemic has significantly impacted communities in rural and urban Ireland. Those that were already vulnerable, marginalised or facing higher levels of deprivation must continue to be supported to ensure that no community is left behind as we navigate our way through the pandemic and build towards an inclusive recovery. The Department's programmes have been supporting vulnerable communities this year and will continue to assist in addressing gaps in meeting social needs, including those caused by highe…

I am glad to say there is constant communication between my Department, myself, the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, the local development companies, the community services programme organisations and the broader community voluntary sector. That flow is constant and we are keeping a close eye on developments as they carry on. I want to mention some other programmes which are key in terms of reaching people. The CLÁR programme in particular is worth a mention. There are three measures under that. Measure 3 is particularl…

The short answer is "Yes". The Minister, Deputy Humphreys, and I had a meeting with local authority chief executives earlier this year which informed the budget process as well. We stay in touch with the local community development committees, LCDCs, which the Department oversees. I stay in touch with the public participation network. Some 15,000 community organisations are members of the network nationally and I had a meeting with them earlier this year. It is fair to say that of all Departments, the Department of…

Analysis of the incidence of Covid-19 throughout the country does not fall within the remit of my Department as it is more proper to the Department of Health. However, my Department has made inquiries with the Department of Health, which has provided the following information. Since the National Public Health Emergency Team, NPHET, met for the first time, a commitment was given to collect and publish as much relevant data as possible while ensuring individual patient confidentiality is always maintained. While the …

On the Deputy's question on the Pobal HP deprivation index, this is Ireland's primary social gradient tool used by numerous State agencies for the identification of disadvantage to target resources towards communities most in need. The index is recognised as a robust and reliable tool for the identification of relative levels of affluence or disadvantage across geographic areas by using existing data from the national census. The index allows for an objective regional and local assessment of relative disadvantage a…

I chair an interdepartmental group which monitors the implementation of the social inclusion roadmap. We monitor poverty levels. The Deputy will be aware of the at-risk poverty rate, which is the percentage of people with an equivalised disposable income below 60% of the national equivalised median rate. We also monitor the basic deprivation rate and key in all of that is the consistent poverty rate, which is the percentage of the population that is both at risk of poverty and experiencing basic deprivation. It was…

The CE scheme is a State employment scheme that provides the opportunity for long-term unemployed people to contribute to their communities while at the same time upskilling themselves for employment opportunities that will become available. CE placements can play an important role in breaking the cycle of long-term unemployment for some and improve their chances of employment. As part of the July job stimulus, the Government announced 3,000 additional places on State employment schemes, including CE and Tús. My de…