Results 2,441-2,460 of 5,587 for speaker:Kevin Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Employment Support Services (10 Feb 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: A Departmental review of employment support schemes made a range of recommendations, including the need for a rationalisation of current schemes to support jobseekers. The schemes reviewed included the training employment support grant (TESG) and the technical assistance and training scheme (TATS). Further work undertaken took account of developments in the supports available to jobseekers...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Community Services Programme (10 Feb 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: The community services programme (CSP) is designed to address gaps in the delivery of key local services, to tackle disadvantage and to ensure that community facilities are utilised. It provides valuable resourcing for service delivery undertaken by not-for-profit companies and cooperatives in communities around the country. Some 2,800 people are supported in employment by the programme...

Other Questions: Job Initiatives (5 Feb 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: It is not in breach of any of the conventions the Deputy has outlined, and he knows that very well. The best way to assist people who are distant from the workforce is to bring them back into employment. Several schemes that have been run by the Department of Social Protection have helped people immensely in returning to employment. More than €1 billion is available in 2015 for...

Other Questions: Job Initiatives (5 Feb 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: Under Gateway, there is already self-referral. I can confirm this is happening, probably as a result of the number of parliamentary questions from Members of the House. With regard to Tús, I will shortly be announcing self-referral, with the relevant proportion being approximately 10% in the first instance. Again, this is a result of demand. On the question about Gateway, a sum...

Other Questions: Job Initiatives (5 Feb 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: I am not aware of any senior council officials who have said that. I would very much welcome it if the Deputy drew my attention to the local authorities to which he is referring. He knows from his community, which is similar to mine, that the Gateway scheme provides an opportunity to the long-term unemployed to reconnect with the workforce. If the Deputy has a specific allegation about a...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: National Internship Scheme Administration (5 Feb 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: I wish to provide clarification regarding questions that were asked on 10 December last, in respect of which I have written to Deputies Willie O'Dea, Aengus Ó Snodaigh and Richard Boyd Barrett. Further to Questions Nos. 2 and 7 on that date, I wish to provide updated clarification regarding the housing assistance payment, HAP. Under the HAP scheme the renter will source his or her own...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: National Internship Scheme Administration (5 Feb 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: To respond to Question No. 4, I believe the Deputy is referring to a recent report on job clubs prepared by the internal audit unit of the Department. In preparing the report the Department’s internal auditor raised a query relating to the appropriateness or otherwise of one job club hosting a small number of interns in a role of job club instructor. It is important to note in this...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: National Internship Scheme Administration (5 Feb 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: I thank the Deputy for giving me the opportunity to clarify the matter again. The advertisement for this post required a FETAC level 6 qualification, which is quite a high qualification. It was to enable people to gain experience. The job clubs are contracted to provide training, work with curricula vitae, CVs, and so forth for those who require it. The question raised in the audit was...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: National Internship Scheme Administration (5 Feb 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: I will endeavour to provide the Deputy with a full written response to that question. As I said, the positions were advertised at FETAC level 6. The aim was to give the JobBridge interns practical experience. Job clubs are local not-for-profit community enterprises. The one we are discussing is located in Kilkenny and has provided a very good service for the community in the area for some...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Job Initiatives (5 Feb 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: Funding of the order of €22.4m is being provided in the Department’s Vote in 2015 to cover the cost of work placements under the Gateway scheme. At the end of January, 1,781 persons were employed by county and city councils of which 85% were male (1,513) and 15% are female. The majority of positions identified by councils as being suitable for Gateway placements relate to...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Momentum Programme (5 Feb 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: The MOMENTUM Programme 2014, launched in September 2014, is under the remit of the Department of Education and Skills (DES) and is managed on behalf of DES by SOLAS. The programmes include on-the job training in the form of work experience modules as well as the provision of accredited further education and training required to obtain and retain employment. One third of the 6,500 places have...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Job Initiatives (5 Feb 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: I have provided in tabular format (at end November 2014) a list of education, training, and internship and activation schemes for recipients of a jobseeker's payment, and the number of persons attending each scheme. It is to be noted that the number of people involved in such programmes is largely unchanged over the period 2012-2015. These participants are not necessarily all former...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Private Rented Accommodation Provision (5 Feb 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 59, 61 and 95 together. The rent supplement scheme provides 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. There are approximately 71,500 rent supplement recipients for which the Government has provided...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Homeless Persons Supports (5 Feb 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 64 and 66 together. The Department’s role with regard to persons who are homeless is mainly income maintenance. Under the social welfare system, homeless people have entitlements to the full range of social welfare schemes, including supplementary welfare allowance (SWA), subject to the normal qualifying conditions. Where a person is residing...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Exceptional Needs Payment Data (5 Feb 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: Under the supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) scheme, the Department may make a single exceptional needs payment (ENP) to help meet essential, once-off and unforeseen expenditure which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of their weekly income. The Government has provided €27.9 million for the ENP scheme in 2015. There is no automatic entitlement to a payment. The...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Job Initiatives (5 Feb 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: The Government’s primary strategy to reduce long-term unemployment is through policies to create the environment for a strong economic recovery by promoting competitiveness and productivity. Economic recovery will underpin jobs growth. This strategy has been succeeding, with an increase of over 80,000 in employment over the last 2 years. The long-term unemployment rate peaked at 9.5%...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Live Register Data (5 Feb 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: The Government’s primary strategy to reduce unemployment has been through policies to create the environment for a strong economic recovery by promoting competitiveness and productivity. Economic recovery will underpin jobs growth. This strategy is working. Employment has risen by about 80,000 in the last two years. The Government’s Pathways to Workstrategy for 2015 prioritises...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Data (4 Feb 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: The Department will begin the process of rolling out a new Health and Social Care Programme for CE participants during the course of this year. The programme will ensure that participants have adequate access to qualifications in the health and social care sector in order to take up employment opportunities in this area and to support local service delivery. The Department has been...

Seanad: Gender Recognition Bill 2014: Committee Stage (3 Feb 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: I would like to think it is. I listened carefully to the debate and that is where this willingness to move has come from. The Tánaiste has also proposed it. I hope that is acceptable to Senators.

Seanad: Gender Recognition Bill 2014: Committee Stage (3 Feb 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: If it would be helpful I could reply now, which may help future contributors.