Results 25,961-25,980 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Code Reform (17 Jun 2014)

Joan Burton: A key objective of the transfer of the Community Welfare Service (CWS) from the Health Service Executive to the Department on 1 October 2011 was to ensure that the best use is made of all available resources and to provide a streamlined, consistent and enhanced customer facing service at a local level for clients of the Department. As a result there have been a number of initiatives...

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2014: Order for Report Stage (18 Jun 2014)

Joan Burton: I move: "That Report Stage be taken now."

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2014: Report Stage (18 Jun 2014)

Joan Burton: I will take that to the hustings.

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2014: Report Stage (18 Jun 2014)

Joan Burton: I am fascinated by the detailed knowledge of parts of the Leas-Cheann Comhairle's constituency that Deputy Naughten appears to be developing. It is great to see that kind of comradery and cross-interest being displayed.

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2014: Report Stage (18 Jun 2014)

Joan Burton: I thank the Deputy. He is looking after both of us. I appreciate his interest as much as I am sure the Leas-Cheann Comhairle does. In regard to the general issue of the tight timescale for progressing Social Welfare Bills, which arises from the need to implement various budget measures, the submission from FLAC commented on this. However, FLAC's submission would have serious implications...

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2014: Report Stage (18 Jun 2014)

Joan Burton: The debate needs to move to the area of further services and modernisation. Perhaps An Post should consider such issues so it can become a competitive service provider across a range of services.

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2014: Report Stage (18 Jun 2014)

Joan Burton: It is not.

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2014: Report Stage (Resumed) (18 Jun 2014)

Joan Burton: There is a little of what Australians would term the "dog whistle politics" about this. In other words, Deputies are trying to raise a fear in the minds of the postmasters and particularly elderly customers who rely on An Post for the services with which we are all familiar. I have voiced the concern before that Deputies are frightening people a little too much. An Post has the contract...

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2014: Report Stage (Resumed) (18 Jun 2014)

Joan Burton: He and a number of other Deputies were very explicit about this. People have choices and many have bank accounts. They may not be in a position to go to a local post office so consumer choice comes into the issue. What I said in that context was that perhaps some of the Deputies here would put their minds to thinking about how An Post could successfully compete and get involved, for...

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2014: Report Stage (Resumed) (18 Jun 2014)

Joan Burton: Deputies need to be mindful of that because up to one quarter of the population wishes to use An Post services for a variety of reasons that we have all discussed. The Department of Social Protection and I as Minister have specified that we want people collecting jobseeker's payments to go to An Post in person to guard against fraud. That is an extremely important part of the service that...

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2014: Report Stage (Resumed) (18 Jun 2014)

Joan Burton: The Deputies may want to ignore that reality. I also think they should congratulate An Post on winning the business until 2019.

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2014: Report Stage (Resumed) (18 Jun 2014)

Joan Burton: While I do not propose to accept this amendment, I acknowledge that Deputy Ó Snodaigh has raised a valid issue. There are potential consequences arising from the proposal which would have to be examined in regard to payments currently being made to workers who have been unfairly dismissed. Under the Unfair Dismissals Act, which is not within the remit of my Department, a case may be...

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2014: Report Stage (Resumed) (18 Jun 2014)

Joan Burton: I will ask for some information from the officials but, as the Deputy will appreciate, the issue of industrial relations is not within the social welfare brief. I will ask the local office to give me a report on the situation because, as the Deputy knows, there can be some approaches there. However, I am not fully au faitwith the situation and have just seen the headlines. The question of...

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2014: Report Stage (Resumed) (18 Jun 2014)

Joan Burton: I agree but we have no budget.

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2014: Report Stage (Resumed) (18 Jun 2014)

Joan Burton: I do not propose to accept the amendment. Family income supplement, FIS, is a weekly tax-free support targeted at low-income workers who have children. FIS provides a crucial support for over 44,000 families at work and almost 100,000 children. Spending on the supplement was increased significantly this year by the Government with the total allocation coming to €280 million....

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2014: Report Stage (Resumed) (18 Jun 2014)

Joan Burton: I agree with the Deputy’s point about more advertising. The Department does not have much of any budget for advertising, unlike many other Departments. I would be more than happy if the Deputy proposed we get some additional funding for our advertising budget. The Department pays up to €55 million to RTE in regard to television licences so maybe it could give us a discount in...

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2014: Report Stage (Resumed) (18 Jun 2014)

Joan Burton: If the Deputy sends me a note about the specific anomalies I will come back to him.

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2014: Report Stage (Resumed) (18 Jun 2014)

Joan Burton: The matter does not relate to the legislation we are discussing.

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2014: Report Stage (Resumed) (18 Jun 2014)

Joan Burton: It is not affected by this legislation. I have introduced a jobseekers transition payment, whereby lone parents of children aged between seven and 14 years will be encouraged to go back to education and training. I have made money available to the Department of Children and Youth Affairs from the Department's budget for this purpose. Lone parents taking up work are eligible for FIS, and...

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2014: Report Stage (Resumed) (18 Jun 2014)

Joan Burton: The Deputy has probably read about the unfortunate things that happened in the past in Ireland in mother and baby homes. Women did not have an opportunity to earn an independent income. The mother and baby homes died out when a former Labour Party predecessor of mine, Frank Cluskey, who was a former Member of the House and Minister, introduced specifically the right for women who were...