Results 14,361-14,380 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Control Savings (1 Mar 2012)

Joan Burton: I am surprised by the Deputy's statement because in my experience, most people in receipt of a social welfare income are very anxious that the small number of people who are scamming the system should be stopped in so far as this is possible. I hear this from pensioners and from unemployed people. I hear concerns expressed about employers who may be employing people under the counter, as it...

Control Savings (1 Mar 2012)

Joan Burton: I repeat that the figure of €645 million is the prevention of expenditure which would occur if checks and extensive checking were not undertaken to ensure that people were in receipt of the correct payments. The fraud initiative includes targeted reviews and examinations within areas which may be deemed to be a fraud risk. The most effective use of audit resources is to target at-risk...

Control Savings (1 Mar 2012)

Joan Burton: Deputy Ó Snodaigh's reference to the Garda Síochána is really important. We have all discussed that if there is an emphasis on community policing and if an estate is not allowed to be run down and if broken windows are repaired, then law-abiding citizens are more confident that everything is being done properly. Is the Deputy now saying that extra policing resources are a waste of time-----

Control Savings (1 Mar 2012)

Joan Burton: -----because that is exactly what-----

Control Savings (1 Mar 2012)

Joan Burton: The Deputy's analogy is exactly the point about social welfare fraud. Deputy Wallace has said that if -----

Control Savings (1 Mar 2012)

Joan Burton: -----an employer is competing with a business down the street which is employing people under the counter and in the shadow economy, that business has to compete against a business with an unfair advantage over a legitimate employer. There has to be some honesty in this regard. I repeat that the vast majority of people who have social welfare income support of any kind are paid exactly what...

Written Answers — Departmental Statistics: Departmental Statistics (1 Mar 2012)

Joan Burton: As the Deputy is aware, there are 439,422 signing on the Live Register at present. Over 88,000 of these are employed for part of the week. Another 31,000 are signing for PRSI credits only and do not receive a payment. The total number of people on the Live Register receiving a payment in respect of a full week of unemployment is under 285,000. The total exceeded 400,000 for the first...

Written Answers — Employment Support Services: Employment Support Services (1 Mar 2012)

Joan Burton: Using the activation strategies set out in Pathways to Work the Department will seek, in so far as possible, to find jobs for unemployed workers in areas where they can contribute most added value commensurate with their skills. The Department will engage with and provide supports to increase their prospects of securing a job. As part of the job-matching service that we will offer...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (1 Mar 2012)

Joan Burton: The current income support payment structure enables adult claimants to have financial responsibility for dependents, both adult and children. An adult depending on a claimant is referred to as a 'qualified adult.' A claimant is eligible to claim for an increase for a qualified adult if that adult has no social welfare payment in their own right and has means of less than €100 per week...

Written Answers — Private Rented Accommodation: Private Rented Accommodation (1 Mar 2012)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 13, 18, 23, 32, 55, 56 and 58 together. Rent supplement provides short-term support to eligible people living in private rented accommodation, whose means are insufficient to meet their accommodation costs and who do not have accommodation available to them from any other source. Since 2005, rent supplement expenditure has increased from €369 million to a...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Fraud: Social Welfare Fraud (1 Mar 2012)

Joan Burton: The prevention of fraud and abuse of the social welfare system is an integral part of the day-to-day work of the Department which makes payments to some 1.4 million people every week and processes in excess of 2 million claims each year. However, it is important to recognise that the vast majority of people are receiving the entitlement due to them. The most reliable measure of excess...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (1 Mar 2012)

Joan Burton: I have read the report 'Seven is too Young' published by OPEN and have noted its content. Until 2011, the one parent family payment (OFP) provided long-term income support, until children were aged 18, or 22 if in full-time education, to lone parents – without any requirement for them to engage in employment, education or training. Such long-term welfare dependency and passive income...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (1 Mar 2012)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 16 and 59 together. The jobseeker's benefit and jobseeker's allowance schemes provide income support for people who have lost work and are unable to find alternative employment. It is a fundamental qualifying condition for these schemes that a person must be available for full-time work. In this context it may be noted that for many unemployed people,...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (1 Mar 2012)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 17 and 34 together. There are currently 91,987 recipients of a one-parent family payment from my Department costing the Exchequer just over €1 billion per annum. No changes have been made in relation to the supporting documentation required during the course of a review. In order to establish the ongoing entitlement of a customer to a one-parent family...

Written Answers — Employment Support Services: Employment Support Services (1 Mar 2012)

Joan Burton: As part of the implementation of the Pathways to Work approach it is intended that every client applying for a jobseekers payment will be asked to sign-up to a social contract with the Department. The social contract is being finalised at the moment and will be introduced in our trial offices in May. It is intended to be a straightforward document that sets out the services that will be...

Written Answers — Employment Support Services: Employment Support Services (1 Mar 2012)

Joan Burton: My Department undertook a significant range of work in preparing the Pathways to Work policy and in the development of a new National Employment and Entitlements Service, as provided for in the Programme for Government, which will integrate employment and benefit payment services within the Department. With reference to the European vacancy monitor the Deputy mentioned I believe the data...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (1 Mar 2012)

Joan Burton: The Family Income Supplement (FIS) payment is designed to provide income for employees on low earnings with families. Expenditure on FIS for 2011 was of the order of €204 million in respect of some 29,000 families. The payment preserves the incentive to remain in employment in circumstances where the employee might only be marginally better off than if he/she was unemployed and claiming...

Written Answers — Employment Support Services: Employment Support Services (1 Mar 2012)

Joan Burton: The group engagement initiative, referred to in 'Pathways to Work', is a relatively new approach by my Department when working with jobseeking clients. Under this process, jobseekers who have been on the live register for at least three months are referred in groups to a single location. Staff from my Department offer them a presentation that provides relevant information and advice on...

Written Answers — Employment Support Services: Employment Support Services (1 Mar 2012)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 24, 50 and 52 together. The Department is establishing a new National Employment and Entitlements Service (NEES), as provided for in the Programme for Government, which integrates employment and benefit payment services within the Department. The Pathways to Work strategy which was launched by the Government on 23rd February incorporates the provision to...

Written Answers — Departmental Schemes: Departmental Schemes (1 Mar 2012)

Joan Burton: The aim of the National Internship Scheme is to assist in breaking the cycle where jobseekers are unable to get a job without experience, either as new entrants to the labour market after education or training or as unemployed workers wishing to learn new skills. Participation on internships currently operates on a voluntary basis and there are no current plans to amend this approach. It...