Results 23,461-23,480 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Fuel Allowance Eligibility (27 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: Community Employment (CE) participants are legally under contracts of employment with the CE Sponsoring organisation. CE Participants have all the same legal protections as any other person under a contract of employment (with the exception of they cannot be employed on contracts of indefinite duration). CE Participants pay PRSI and PAYE (where applicable). The wages they receive on CE are...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Domiciliary Care Allowance Appeals (27 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an oral hearing of the appeal of the person concerned took place on 21 November 2013 and that the Appeals Officer is now considering the appeal in the light of all of the evidence submitted, including that adduced at the oral hearing. The person concerned will be notified of the Appeals Officer’s decision when the appeal has been...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Jobseeker's Allowance Appeals (27 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 8 November 2013. It is a statutory requirement of the appeals process that the relevant papers and comments by or on behalf of the Deciding Officer on the grounds of appeal be sought from the Department of Social Protection. These papers were received in the Social...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: National Internship Scheme Placements (27 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: The person to whom the Deputy refers is in receipt of Jobseeker’s Allowance, which was means tested resulting in a weekly rate of €64.60. Under the scheme, JobBridge interns continue to receive their Social Welfare payment at its current rate together with the weekly €50 top-up. The Department is not in a position to make exceptions to this rule.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Payments (27 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: I can confirm that my Department received an application for carer’s allowance from the person concerned on the 24 July 2013. This application was approved with effect from 31 October 2013, with the first payment being made on this date. The person concerned was notified of this decision in writing on 1 October 2013. There are no arrears due to the person concerned as he was in...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Child Care Services Provision (27 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: The provision of all child care services and any future plans in this regard is a matter for my colleague the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Francis Fitzgerald T.D. The Scandinavian child care model, while being a very comprehensive model, is also a very expensive model. The Department of Children and Youth Affairs (D/CYA) estimates that the cost of universal child care provision...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Youth Unemployment Measures (27 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: Eligibility for EU funding through the Youth Employment Initiative (YEI) for the period 2014-2018, which is being front-loaded in the two years 2014 and 2015, will be based on 2012 regional youth unemployment rates. Hence, any change in Ireland’s regional youth unemployment rates, which were above 25% in 2012 for both the Border, Midlands & Western region and the Southern...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Invalidity Pension Appeals (27 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that there is no record of an Invalidity Pension appeal by the person concerned having been received by that office. I understand from the Social Welfare Appeals Office that a Disability Allowance appeal was registered in respect of the person concerned in that office on 17 July 2013. However, this appeal was closed on 16 August 2013; it was...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Employment Support Services (27 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: The Department of Social Protection funds and manages a number of employment schemes with the objectives for providing a mix of policy responses and opportunities for person who are unemployed. All programmes are open and accessible to person aged 55 years and over. No specific actions are undertaken or targeted at unemployed persons in this age group.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Youth Guarantee (28 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: I did not get the first part of the second question.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Youth Guarantee (28 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: During its recent Presidency of the European Union, Ireland prioritised the provision of the EU recommendation on the provision of a youth guarantee under which every young person should be guaranteed an offer of employment, training or further education within a target period of four months of becoming unemployed. Ireland also took the lead in discussions which led to the provision of a...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Youth Guarantee (28 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: In reply to the second part of the Deputy's first question, there are approximately 300 employment service officers and advisers. This means the ratio of the 315,000 full-time live registrants to employment service officers is just over 1000:1. The good news is a further 300 staff are being re-assigned to these roles as I speak, which will reduce the ratio by half in the absence of any...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Youth Guarantee (28 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: With regard to the funds allocated in the context of the youth guarantee overall, Europe has provided €6 billion. The good news from an Irish point of view is it is calculated countries with high levels of youth unemployment, and we qualify because of the crash I spoke about, will receive €64 million over the two- ear period of the front-loading, and the Government will match...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Youth Guarantee (28 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: I will be very happy if the Deputy comes to the opening of the new Intreo office in Limerick before or shortly after Christmas. I am sure he will make himself available to do that. If he does come, he will have a great opportunity to see the new processes and the very good work of the employment services officers. About 700 were transferred over from the old FÁS employment services...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Youth Guarantee (28 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: -----and I look forward to inviting the Deputy to the new Limerick offices.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Youth Guarantee (28 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: The first part of the conversion has almost been completed.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Job Initiatives (28 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: The JobBridge scheme has made good progress since it came into operation on 1 July 2011. Over 23,000 internship placements have commenced to date, and over 11,000 companies have participated in the scheme. There are currently over 6,400 jobseekers participating on the scheme and over 2,300 posts advertised on the JobBridge website. Independent research indicates that over 60% of interns...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Job Initiatives (28 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: It is a pity that Sinn Féin is so hostile to jobs for people who are unemployed. I sometimes think Sinn Féin seems to have a vested interest in keeping the maximum amount of people parked on the live register without any opportunity to progress, be it in education, training or work experience. It is an unfortunately short-sighted view that the Deputy and his party have taken. It...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Job Initiatives (28 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: I met two carpenters who had been working on lots of jobs at the height of the boom, just before the crash. They are now becoming craft workers in wood, and they are doing that through an opportunity via JobBridge to see if it works for them.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Job Initiatives (28 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: What problem can Sinn Féin have with having that kind of opportunity opened to people who are on the live register?