Results 26,141-26,160 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton
- 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 â¬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 â¬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 â 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 â¬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 â¬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...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (1 Mar 2012)
Joan Burton: The Department is committed to delivering a quality customer service and in that regard endeavours to treat all clients, including cancer patients, in a fair and courteous manner. Medical assessment of eligibility for illness related benefit/assistance schemes is determined by the Department's Medical Assessors in accordance with evidence based medical guidelines and protocols. Deciding...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (1 Mar 2012)
Joan Burton: The question of introducing a scheme of statutory sick pay, whereby employers would directly meet the costs of sick absence for an initial period of illness, is being considered in the context of the need to reform the social welfare system to bring it into line with practices in other countries in this area; the need to address the deficit in the social insurance fund; the need to limit...
- Written Answers — Community Employment Schemes: Community Employment Schemes (1 Mar 2012)
Joan Burton: As Minister for Social Protection, I am determined to ensure that the contribution of such schemes as is recognised in any future decisions on the future operation, funding and role of Community Employment. There is a total spend on Community Employment of â¬315 million in 2012. The financial review, that I have asked to be completed by the end of March, is being carried out between local...
- Written Answers — Community Employment Schemes: Community Employment Schemes (1 Mar 2012)
Joan Burton: I acknowledge the valuable contribution made by Community Employment Projects. Currently, there are currently thirty three Community Employment Projects located in the Dublin 5, 17 and 13 areas where they support a wide range of services within the communities. However due to the current economic circumstances, this Department has had to find significant savings in the Budget for 2012. The...
- Written Answers — Employment Support Services: Employment Support Services (1 Mar 2012)
Joan Burton: As announced in the Pathways to Work, one of the five strands of the programme is to provide greater targeting of activation places and opportunities for job seekers - particularly those who are over one year unemployed. The Department will continue to provide supports in the form of work experience and training through the community and voluntary sectors. Community Employment will play a...
- Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (1 Mar 2012)
Joan Burton: There are currently 26 staff, equating to 22.8 full-time equivalent posts, assigned to the Department's local office in Bray. This is an increase since 2007 as set out in the table below. While there are no plans to assign additional staff to Bray local office, I can assure the Deputy that the staffing needs for all areas within the Department are continuously reviewed, having regard to...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Fraud: Social Welfare Fraud (1 Mar 2012)
Joan Burton: The Department has an extensive legal structure to support the sharing of data for the purpose of controlling the entitlement and payment of benefits. The legislative provisions which allow for the specific sharing of data are contained in section 261 of the Social Welfare (Consolidation) Act, 2005. My Department is not aware of any cases where the Data Protection Act has been used to...