Results 2,801-2,820 of 5,587 for speaker:Kevin Humphreys

Topical Issue Debate: Budget 2015 (9 Oct 2014)

Kevin Humphreys: The Deputy has made the point she raised well. There is a need to scope out exactly what the problem is and identify the blockages. When a man or a woman decides to take time out of work to mind their children at, say, 30 years of age, the last thing they think of is the effect that break in their employment service will have on their income on reaching 65 years of age. There is an...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: National Internship Scheme Placements (21 Oct 2014)

Kevin Humphreys: JobBridge is a successful work experience scheme, the purpose of which is to break the vicious cycle whereby long-term unemployed people are unable to get work without experience but are unable to get experience without a job. All internships under JobBridge are, of course, voluntary. There is a limited number of occupations to which access to internships is restricted. These include...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: National Internship Scheme Placements (21 Oct 2014)

Kevin Humphreys: I thank the Deputy. There were a limited number of advertisements for those positions. The Department has ensured they were taken down. A protocol is being developed between the Department and the Department of Education and Skills to review the guidelines to avoid similar incidents in future. A number of work activation schemes operate within the education sector, such as CE schemes and...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: National Internship Scheme Placements (21 Oct 2014)

Kevin Humphreys: I thank the Deputy for his positive remarks because JobBridge has worked extremely well, with 61% of people going into full-time employment within five months of participating in a JobBridge scheme. It shows the real benefit of helping people who are long-term unemployed to get experience and then get into work. The Deputy wants it both ways. He wants to say it is a positive experience and...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: National Internship Scheme Placements (21 Oct 2014)

Kevin Humphreys: There are very strong control measures. It has a very high level of inspection rate, to the highest of European standards. It also provides for people who are participating in JobBridge to send in complaints to the Department which are rigorously investigated. The Deputy cannot have it both ways. He cannot say that he thinks it is a very good scheme, which has helped people get real...

Other Questions: National Internship Scheme Places (21 Oct 2014)

Kevin Humphreys: The only activation measure that specifically allows placements within Departments is JobBridge, the national internship scheme. At present, there are approximately 24 JobBridge interns based in Departments and agencies. The following table provides the breakdown by Department and agency. Since the scheme started in 2011, a total of 330 interns, including the 24 interns who are currently...

Other Questions: National Internship Scheme Places (21 Oct 2014)

Kevin Humphreys: Since 2011, there have been 330.

Other Questions: National Internship Scheme Places (21 Oct 2014)

Kevin Humphreys: I am extremely disappointed in the response of Deputy Higgins.

Other Questions: National Internship Scheme Places (21 Oct 2014)

Kevin Humphreys: The purpose of JobBridge is to give people experience that will allow them to move into employment. All international research shows that if one is more than six months unemployed, it is very difficult to return to the workforce. Departments give good quality work experience that helps people to get experience that will allow them to get employment. Unfortunately, Deputy Joe Higgins...

Other Questions: National Internship Scheme Places (21 Oct 2014)

Kevin Humphreys: A total of eight interns worked in the Department of Social Protection over two years and some of them have moved on to very prestigious positions due to the experience they received in the Department. Interns who work in Departments are also covered by the relevant protections that are clearly set out. Internships involve shadowing, training and experience. When Deputy Higgins does not...

Other Questions: National Internship Scheme Places (21 Oct 2014)

Kevin Humphreys: I suggest that the Deputy should table an oral question on the Gateway scheme. I would be very happy to debate the scheme with him in the House.

Other Questions: National Internship Scheme Places (21 Oct 2014)

Kevin Humphreys: Gateway will prove to be an exceptionally successful scheme in helping people who have been more than two years unemployed to connect back into the workforce. My business, and that of the Government, is to get people back to work. We have been quite successful in doing that recently.

Other Questions: National Internship Scheme Places (21 Oct 2014)

Kevin Humphreys: No.

Other Questions: Community Employment Schemes Eligibility (21 Oct 2014)

Kevin Humphreys: I thank the Deputy. The Department does not provide funding for any participant or supervisor who has reached the State pension age. This has been Government policy since community employment commenced in April 1994 as a working age specific active labour market intervention. The details of the employment contract issued by the sponsoring organisation are a matter between the CE sponsor,...

Other Questions: Community Employment Schemes Eligibility (21 Oct 2014)

Kevin Humphreys: I am not fully aware of the cases to which the Deputy refers, but I suggest we could have that discussion at a later stage.

Other Questions: Community Employment Schemes Eligibility (21 Oct 2014)

Kevin Humphreys: Does the Deputy wish to hear my reply or does he wish to have a conversation with himself?

Other Questions: Community Employment Schemes Eligibility (21 Oct 2014)

Kevin Humphreys: I acknowledge the work of the CE schemes in all parts of the country. In my reply to Deputy Joe Higgins I said I have made it my business over the past three months to visit CE schemes throughout the country. I acknowledge the work of CE workers, CE supervisors and sponsoring agencies. I refer in particular to a CE scheme I visited where the supervisor had achieved a 64% rate for the...

Other Questions: Community Employment Schemes Eligibility (21 Oct 2014)

Kevin Humphreys: The contract of employment is with the sponsoring group and the sponsors have been issued with guidelines as to what the contract should contain. If sponsoring groups are in a position to retain supervisors beyond the pensionable date, they are quite entitled to do so.

Other Questions: Community Employment Schemes Eligibility (21 Oct 2014)

Kevin Humphreys: The supervisors are employees under the individual CE sponsored organisation. Under the terms of the employment Acts from 1994 to 2001 an employer is legally obliged to provide certain information in written form, including what Deputy Ó Snodaigh has outlined. The sponsored groups were responsible for providing the information to the supervisors as they came on board. The Deputy knows...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Review (23 Oct 2014)

Kevin Humphreys: This matter is under examination by Departmental officials at the moment and the details of the numbers of participants affected are being collated and cross-checked and will be forwarded to the Deputy as soon as possible.