Results 6,761-6,780 of 28,255 for speaker:Éamon Ó Cuív

Social Insurance (23 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: No, not necessarily because-----

Social Insurance (23 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Deputy Ring quoted a figure of 426,000 earlier. That is the live register figure which includes 60,000 people who are in part-time employment every week. The unemployment figure, as measured by the Central Statistics Office, is much lower than the figure the Deputy gave.

Social Insurance (23 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I understand it is approximately 300,000.

Social Insurance (23 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Yes, it does.

Social Insurance (23 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: All of the 9,016.

Social Insurance (23 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: If a person became unemployed and does not claim a payment and sign for a credit, of course it does not include such a person. The people who were self-employed and become unemployed and would not be entitled to payment are those who have other means, for example they might own properties, have capital assets, have money in the bank or have a spouse's earnings taken into account, and...

Social Insurance (23 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: It is not that simple. Some people who were self-employed give it up for many reasons and might decide they had enough income in the household to live on without being self-employed. That is a personal choice. It is very important that the social welfare code is a safety net for those whose income drops beneath a certain threshold. One of the concerns I have had for a long time is the...

Social Welfare Code (23 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Self-employed people pay PRSI class S contributions which provide cover for long-term benefits such as State contributory pensions and contributory widows pension. Unfortunately, this is the same answer I gave before.

Social Welfare Code (23 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Does Deputy Shortall want me to read it again?

Social Welfare Code (23 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I will read part of the answer. It is recognised that the current downturn in the economy is having a significant impact on many self-employed persons and the consequent reduction in their income and activity levels would be reflected in any assessment of their means from self-employment for jobseeker's allowance purposes. If a self-employed person's situation changes after he or she has...

Social Welfare Code (23 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: As I pointed out, in actuarial terms self-employed people, because they only pay 3% PRSI compared to 14.75%, come out much better in the long term because the most expensive benefit which everybody is paying for are pensions, be they State, contributory or widows pensions. Therefore, if the system was reformed to give short term benefits there would be a number of practical difficulties and...

Social Welfare Code (23 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: There are two issues. The Deputy rightly referred to money. The contribution would have to be 14.75%. The other problem is that, for example, people in employment can receive payments such as short term illness benefit after three days even though they are not at work. One is not allowed to receive the payment if one is attending one's place of work. If one is laid off work, one can...

Social Welfare Code (23 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: It is a very good question and was the first one on which I asked for absolute clarity when I came into the Department. I have answered numerous parliamentary questions on this but I am delighted to have an opportunity once again to clarify it. A person whose income drops beneath the threshold of the family circumstances - for a single person over 25 years of age, that would be €196 - is...

Departmental Schemes (23 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Activation and support for those who are unemployed is a key priority for Government. Earlier this year, the Taoiseach announced a number of changes to improve the delivery of employment, training and community services to the public by bringing together related responsibilities in these areas. These changes included the restructuring of departmental responsibilities with the objective of...

Departmental Schemes (23 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Work on the scheme is well advanced and I hope to be able to make an announcement on it in the near future. I did not make an announcement on a scheme but I did an interview in which I indicated that I believed a scheme such as this should be developed. I also indicated in the interview that it should provide 5,000 to 10,000 places initially. As I said, I am working on it and we will...

Departmental Schemes (23 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: It will be paid for out of Exchequer funds provided to my Department.

Departmental Schemes (23 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Work is well advanced on the scheme. An announcement will be made on the detail of the scheme in due course. The Deputy asked a parallel question about schemes being voluntary and so on. I remind her that it is my intention to commence sections 18 to 20, inclusive, of the Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2010 on 1 January 2011. The national employment action plan must have...

Departmental Schemes (23 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: This will be operated through the national employment action plan. As I pointed out to Deputy Shortall, it is intended to introduce sanctions provided for in law on 1 January 2011 to give teeth to the national employment action plan. When the scheme is introduced - I have explained this in detail previously - the names of those willing to participate and co-operate with the national...

Departmental Schemes (23 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I would be concerned if the Deputy believed my Department was not applying the guidelines in regard to self-employed people. The Deputy should give me specific incidents so I can prove that is not happening. From my own work, I know that sometimes people do not give adequate information to my Department to make these decisions. I would be more than willing to listen if the Deputy could...

Job Creation (23 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The Department's facilitators work with social welfare recipients of working age to promote economic participation and enhance social inclusion. Recipients include people in receipt of jobseekers payments, people parenting alone, people in receipt of disability payments and people providing care. Facilitators work with these social welfare recipients to identify appropriate training or...