Results 4,101-4,120 of 5,587 for speaker:Kevin Humphreys

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Community Services Programme (13 Jan 2016)

Kevin Humphreys: I thank the Deputy for his question, which is on a matter we have already addressed. More than €1 billion was spent on a wide range of employment supports by the Department in 2015. This expenditure is being fully maintained in 2016. The CSP is one of these supports and provides financial support to community companies that supply revenue-generating services of a socially inclusive...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Community Services Programme (13 Jan 2016)

Kevin Humphreys: The Deputy came just short of trying to put words into my mouth. Had he been listening, he would have noted I told Deputy O'Dea that mechanisms are being put in place within the programme to provide additional resources to any company with a short-term financial difficulty. Deputy O'Dea actually welcomed that. We hope a mechanism to deal with this matter on a case-by-case basis will be put...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Community Services Programme (13 Jan 2016)

Kevin Humphreys: On the Deputy's comment that this year is a 53-week social welfare week, we actually made provision-----

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Community Services Programme (13 Jan 2016)

Kevin Humphreys: -----last year for that. The provision has already been made.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Community Services Programme (13 Jan 2016)

Kevin Humphreys: This is a 52-week social welfare year.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Community Services Programme (13 Jan 2016)

Kevin Humphreys: No, but the Deputy made a comment earlier about 53 payroll weeks.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Community Services Programme (13 Jan 2016)

Kevin Humphreys: It was in the Estimate to make provision-----

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Community Services Programme (13 Jan 2016)

Kevin Humphreys: Provision was made in relation to that. It is not good practice simply to allocate public funds without an underlying rationale. It is not a stopgap measure. We are putting a process in place.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Community Services Programme (13 Jan 2016)

Kevin Humphreys: That process will be in place, I hope, by the end of the month. Certainly, the target is the end of the month. The objective of the programme is to have companies operating on a financially sustainable basis. Transitional financial supports will ensure this objective is pursued. We will work with the centres. With regard to the one the Deputy just mentioned, the Tánaiste herself was...

Other Questions: JobPath Implementation (13 Jan 2016)

Kevin Humphreys: JobPath is a new approach to employment activation to support long-term unemployed people and those most at risk of becoming long-term unemployed to secure and sustain paid employment. Two companies, Turas Nua and Seetec, have been contracted by the Department to deliver JobPath services. The roll-out of JobPath began last July on a soft launch basis in Bray and Longford. At the end of...

Other Questions: JobPath Implementation (13 Jan 2016)

Kevin Humphreys: What we are doing is very different from what was done in the United Kingdom and, as such, it is wrong to make comparisons. The baseline measurements, for example, are completely different. Further, one of the companies involved is a not-for-profit entity. I visited the two pilot projects in Bray and Longford. I made it my business to not only to meet the staff working there, who were...

Other Questions: JobPath Implementation (13 Jan 2016)

Kevin Humphreys: Deputy Coppinger has her own mantra. If we look at the figures we can see that the vast majority of people who are moving back into employment are moving from part-time to full-time work. The vast majority of people moving into employment are moving into well-paid jobs, not jobs at minimum pay. I know the Deputy always wants to find the worst in everything. However, I put it to her...

Other Questions: JobPath Implementation (13 Jan 2016)

Kevin Humphreys: Deputy Coppinger spent a good deal of time referring to it but it does not apply. The Deputy is criticising what I believe is a good initiative to assist long-term unemployed people who lost their jobs at the beginning of the recession or who came out of college or school and were unfortunate not to get employment. Now, there will be a support service that will assist, help to build...

Other Questions: JobPath Implementation (13 Jan 2016)

Kevin Humphreys: I want to ensure this works. I will work hard to ensure that as many of the people I represent as possible have an opportunity to share in the recovery by going out to work.

Other Questions: JobPath Implementation (13 Jan 2016)

Kevin Humphreys: I wish Deputy Kyne a happy new year. It is very unusual for a Government backbencher to have two priority questions, so he should invest in a national lottery ticket tonight. JobPath is a new approach to employment activation to support long-term unemployed people and those most at risk of becoming long-term unemployed to secure and sustain employment. Two companies, Turas Nua and...

Other Questions: JobPath Implementation (13 Jan 2016)

Kevin Humphreys: The first criterion that applies in respect of eligibility for JobPath is that the applicant must be long-term unemployed, that is, more than one year out of work. Selection is random, the objective being to ensure there is no cherry-picking of candidates. There must be equality of opportunity for everybody. Since being rolled out in Galway, the scheme has also gone live in Achill,...

Other Questions: JobPath Implementation (13 Jan 2016)

Kevin Humphreys: On the second question, there is ongoing co-operation and engagement through local Intreo offices. Where issues like those the Deputy mentioned have come up, they are covered under the contractual agreement. People are going to great lengths to ensure individuals can access the centres. Where there have been difficulties with transport, for example, minibuses have been hired to collect...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: School Meals Programme (13 Jan 2016)

Kevin Humphreys: It is proposed to take Questions Nos. 36 and 179 together. The school meals programme provides funding towards the provision of food services to some 1,700 schools and organisations which benefits approximately 217,000 children at a total cost of €39 million in 2015. An additional €3 million was allocated to the programme as part of Budget 2016, bringing the allocation to...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Homeless Persons Data (13 Jan 2016)

Kevin Humphreys: The New Communities Unit (NCU) of the Department of Social Protection offers assistance to families who are primarily non-Irish, homeless and generally without recourse to any weekly income. The main focus of this unit is to ensure that families entitled to same receive a payment, under the terms of the relevant legislation, from the Department. In addition non-Irish homeless families have...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Schemes (13 Jan 2016)

Kevin Humphreys: The Department of Social Protection operates a number of programmes and initiatives including Community Employment, Tús – the community work placement initiative, Gateway and the Rural Social Scheme. Various community services and activities are directly and indirectly supported by participants through these programmes and initiatives. Tús and Gateway were introduced and...