Results 26,301-26,320 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Social Insurance Payments (15 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: We updated the information that people could bring in. We allowed them to bring in details of their current circumstances. As a consequence of that review and update, far more people qualified to get jobseeker's allowance.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Social Insurance Payments (15 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: That is why nine out of ten people now qualify to get it.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Social Insurance Payments (15 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: Perhaps the experience was different in the Deputy's local area. In Dublin and many city areas, it was quite difficult for one to access a jobseeker's assistance payment unless one had very detailed accounting records. I assume this could partly be attributed to the sudden and serious nature of the collapse, particularly as it applied to self-employed contractors and subcontractors. The...

Other Questions: Community Services Programme (15 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: I thank the Deputy for the congratulations he has extended to myself and the Aire Stáit. Regarding the community services programme, CSP, it is designed to address gaps in service delivery and disadvantage and ensure community facilities are utilised. It is a very valuable resource for important work done by not-for-profit companies and co-operatives in local communities throughout the...

Other Questions: Community Services Programme (15 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: I am aware of the Deputy's role in the scheme. As I said, it is a valuable scheme that is continuing to flourish. While I cannot comment on any budgetary matter regarding next year's budget, I value the scheme. Some 2,700 people are directly supported in the delivery of services during 2013, and the Department estimates that between 300 and 400 additional people are engaged in supported...

Other Questions: Community Services Programme (15 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: I am glad the Deputy is so supportive of activation. As the Deputy is probably aware, at this point in time, the amount spent by the Department of Social Protection on activation is approximately €1 billion. It is a very significant increase at a time when budgets are under severe pressure. That €1 billion does not include family income supplement for families with children...

Other Questions: Local Enterprise Offices Remit (15 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: I thank the Deputy for his congratulations to myself and the Minister of State, Deputy Kevin Humphreys. I welcome the establishment of the new network of 31 local enterprise offices. These will be the key mechanism through which people will connect at local level with all the appropriate information that they need in order to start, grow and succeed in business. As part of Pathways to...

Other Questions: Local Enterprise Offices Remit (15 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: To help jobseekers and get employers more involved, we have set up an employer engagement unit in the Department which now has more than 35 staff. Up to 600 staff in the Department's regional divisions work on employment services with both employers and jobseekers. As part of this structure, there are dedicated officers at the senior management level leading the employment process with...

Other Questions: One-Parent Family Payments (15 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: The one-parent family payment, OFP scheme supports over 74,400 recipients at an estimated cost of €863 million in 2014. Despite significant levels of State spending, the results have been poor in tackling poverty rates among lone-parent families. The aim of the current reforms is to provide the necessary supports to lone parents to help them to escape joblessness by providing them...

Other Questions: One-Parent Family Payments (15 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: I thank the Deputy for his kind remarks, in particular those relating to his former city council colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Kevin Humphreys. The critical issue is to focus on the outcomes. Although the State has invested, properly, very significant resources in one-parent families, I remain concerned that, as has been shown in a range of studies, the outcomes are not as...

Other Questions: JobsPlus Scheme (15 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: JobsPlus provides a direct monthly financial incentive to employers who recruit employees from those who are long term on the live register. The incentive is payable monthly over two years if the employee is retained in full-time employment for those two years. JobsPlus is biased in favour of those who are longer-term unemployed. The value of the aggregate monthly payment is €7,500...

Other Questions: JobsPlus Scheme (15 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: I thank the Deputy. As the House is filling up I ask all Deputies to make sure that employers in their constituency and local area are knowledgeable about the availability of JobsPlus because it is a very positive achievement for an individual who has been on the live register for one year or two years to get back to work. It is also very positive for their families and the local community.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Job Creation (15 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: Official figures from the CSO show that both long-term and youth unemployment are actually falling, and not rising as suggested by the Deputy. Since the lowest point of the jobs crisis, the unemployment rate has fallen from a peak of over 15% to 11.6% at present. The latest QNHS figures show that the number of long-term unemployed has fallen from 204,000 (9.5%) in the first quarter of 2012...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Code Reform (15 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: Self-employed persons pay PRSI at the Class S rate of 4%. This entitles them to access valuable long-term benefits including the State pension (contributory), widow’s, widower’s and surviving civil partner’s contributory pension and maternity benefit. The self-employed with insufficient means can also access social assistance payments such as jobseekers allowance and...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Fraud Investigations (15 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: The new Compliance and Anti-Fraud Strategy 2014 – 2018,which I published in April this year, sets out the strategic approach to tackling fraud and abuse over the next 5 years. It also provides strong assurances to taxpayers - and society generally - that the system of control is robust and effective. The Strategy builds on the approaches that we have been successfully rolling out over...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Programmes (15 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: Given the scale of unemployment, the key objective of activation policy and labour market initiatives has been to offer assistance to those most in need of support in securing work and achieving financial self-sufficiency. Accordingly the employment services and schemes provided by the Department are focused in the first instance on the cohort of people who are unemployed and in receipt of a...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme Administration (15 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: The purpose of rent supplement is to provide short-term income support to eligible people living in private rented accommodation. There are approximately 76,000 rent supplement recipients for which the Government has provided over €344 million for 2014. Prospective tenants, including those seeking to access rent supplement, particularly in urban areas, are finding it increasingly...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: National Internship Scheme Data (15 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: A rigorous monitoring system is in place to ensure that the JobBridge scheme is not abused. More than 6,600 on-site monitoring visits have been conducted in the 3 years since the JobBridge scheme was introduced. These on-site monitoring visits are to host organisations either chosen at random or visits arranged in response to concerns raised by interns or others. 97% of those visits found...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rural Social Scheme Administration (15 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: As the Deputy is aware, the rural social scheme (RSS) provides income support for low income farmers and those engaged in fishing who have an entitlement to specified social welfare payments. Participants are engaged for 19½ hours per week to provide certain services of benefit to rural communities. The Department has engaged 35 local development companies and Údarás na...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Code (15 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: The Household Budget facility, operated by An Post on behalf of the Department of Social Protection, provides customers with a facility to have their household utility bills and social rents deducted directly from their weekly social welfare payment. While some 33,000 housing authority tenants have availed of the facility in terms of social rents, the housing authorities were experiencing...