Welcome Note

A chara,

Welcome to Inside Look Newsletter for the month of March 2024.

Thank you for being part of our community, and if there is any area I can be of assistance, be it large or small, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Anne

Constituency News

OPW Celebrates Women’s Achievement on International Women’s Day

This International Women’s Day, the Office of Public Works (OPW) showcases the achievements of its female workforce by providing a snap shot into ‘a day in the life’ of various roles within the organisation.

The short videos produced for International Women’s Day 2024 take a snapshot of some of the roles, undertaken by women, within the OPW.

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Office of Public Works Announces Re-Opening of Seasonal Heritage Sites

The Office of Public Works is delighted to announce the reopening of heritage sites across Ireland from 16 March 2024.

The new season offers a great opportunity for visitors to rediscover the rich and diverse cultural heritage of their local areas.

Heritage sites are an important part of our national identity and our shared history, and they offer a unique insight into the lives and stories of our ancestors.

Whether you are interested in ancient monuments, historic houses, gardens, or museums, there is something for everyone to explore and appreciate.

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Unprecedented funding allocated to women’s health under Fianna Fáil in Government

Fianna Fáil TD for East Galway, Anne Rabbitte, has said Fianna Fáil in Government is allocating unprecedented funding to women’s health.Since 2020 there has been a huge investment of over €140 million of additional funding allocated specifically towards women’s health initiatives.

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Pensions Improvement Programme

In 2023, 23,492 Education and Training Board employees were members of a Pension Scheme, with retired ETB employees currently paid by the National Shared Services Office (NSSO).​

The Education Shared Business Service (ESBS) established the ETB Pensions Improvement Programme to address a number of superannuation issues in terms of legislative compliance which were in existence across the ETB sector in areas such as:

• Calculation of Pension Contributions
• Issuing of Pension Benefit Statements
• Uploading of Single Pension Scheme Databank files
• Application of Increases for ETB Pensioners

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Enactment of landmark legislation to reform child maintenance system

Minister for Social Protection, Heather Humphreys TD, has announced that legislation has been enacted to disregard child maintenance payments from the means test for social welfare payments and to provide for the extension of Child Benefit to 18-year-olds from May 1st.

The Social Welfare and Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2023 which was enacted this week gives effect to significant reforms for lone parents, including the exclusion of maintenance payments from social welfare means tests for the first time.

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Events

First ever LogisTYcs Expo for transition year students as job opportunities rise in sector

Minister Jack Chambers welcomed hundreds of students to the first ever LogisTYcs Expo, a special event aimed at showcasing the career and educational opportunities available in the critical Logistics and Supply Chain sector, which underpins trade in the Irish and global economies.

he Minister of State with special responsibility for international and road transport and logistics met with TY students from across Ireland at the Sport Ireland National Indoor Arena in Blanchardstown, Dublin.

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Launch of Further Education and Training guide for young people no longer in Formal Education

Minister of State at the Department of Justice James Browne TD and Minister for Skills and Further Education Niall Collins TD have launched a guidance document to help young people in Youth Diversion Projects access Further Education and Training related opportunities.

This includes:

• apprenticeships
• traineeships
• Post Leaving Cert (PLC) courses
• community and adult education
• core literacy
• numeracy service

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Irish Wolfhound Takes Centre Stage In New Passport Design

The Tánaiste, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Defence, Micheál Martin TD recently got a preview of the first image of Ireland’s new passport design.

The initial drawings presented to the Tánaiste are the first steps in transforming public feedback into a new passport book design

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Funding Opportunities

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AsIAm receives €1M Project Funding from Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth.

​AsIAm, Ireland’s Autism Charity, along with Minister for State for Disability at the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Anne Rabbitte, have announced significant new funding for a first-of-its-kind Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) Support Programme in Ireland.

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Government approval for measures to recruit more people into construction

Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Simon Harris TD has welcomed Government approval to advance a number of measures to promote careers in construction.

A budget of €750,000 has been allocated to advance the recently published Careers in Construction report, which is available here.

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In Other News

Expression of interest sought – Ireland’s Director of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development

he Minister for Finance is seeking expressions of interest from suitably qualified candidates to be considered as Ireland’s Director of the London-based European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).

The position of Ireland’s representative to the EBRD is an important post with a demanding workload. A full-time residential position, it is based at Bank headquarters in London.

The Minister will not be restricted to considering only those who have responded to this invitation, but will ensure that the appointed person shall have the relevant experience and skills for the position.

Changes to rules around prescriptions – maximum legal validity of prescriptions has been extended from 6 to 12 months.

The government is now encouraging people to talk to their prescribers when their current prescription is due for renewal to see if they are suitable for a 12-month prescription.

The new measures provide flexibility for patients, reduce the demand on primary care services and utilise the expertise of pharmacists to improve the provision of healthcare.

Opinions sought on the role of the culture sector in Climate Action

Catherine Martin, Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, has launched an online survey seeking views of members of the public to help in the development of Ireland’s new Culture, Creativity and Climate Policy Framework.

The online consultation is open until 5pm on Friday, 22 March 2024.

The creative and cultural sector can play an important role in climate action by contributing to the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, embedding climate considerations throughout its operations and leveraging its visibility and broad appeal to diverse audiences across the country