Results 3,961-3,980 of 4,403 for speaker:Claire Kerrane

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (8 Dec 2020)

Claire Kerrane: Yesterday, I launched Sinn Féin's proposals on dealing with household debt. Ahead of that, I reread some of the life stories shared with me as part of our campaign to highlight the issue of household debt. In one case, a person said the children were suffering. That person cannot sleep and the children are not let out to play for fear someone will come to knock on the door about a...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (3 Dec 2020)

Claire Kerrane: I again raise the issue of student accommodation refunds. I am dealing with a parent who has paid €5,000 to a private provider in Galway and whose son's course has since gone fully online. I met a representative of the students' union at the National University of Ireland, Galway, NUIG, last week, which is dealing with about 30 families seeking refunds from the same accommodation...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Personal Public Service Numbers (3 Dec 2020)

Claire Kerrane: I welcome that 200 additional people have been moved into that service to reduce the backlog. As the Minister has acknowledged, there are huge difficulties. While I appreciate that getting money into people's pockets was the priority during Covid, the Minister also acknowledged that there are huge difficulties for people trying to get PPS numbers for various purposes, such as taking up a...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Personal Public Service Numbers (3 Dec 2020)

Claire Kerrane: 9. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if her attention has been drawn to long delays for persons applying for PPS numbers; the number of applications pending a decision; if additional resources have been put in place to assist with the backlog; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39997/20]

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Personal Public Service Numbers (3 Dec 2020)

Claire Kerrane: This question asks the Minister whether she is aware of the long delays that people are experiencing when applying for personal public service, PPS, numbers. Can she give us the number of applications that are pending decision at the moment? Will she consider putting in additional resources in order to clear the backlog, or is this something she has already done?

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Personal Public Service Numbers (3 Dec 2020)

Claire Kerrane: I thank the Minister. I, too, pay tribute to the staff, not only those who were reassigned to deal with the pandemic unemployment payment but also those who were left behind in smaller numbers than usual to deal with the likes of applications for PPS numbers. I have been inundated by contacts from people for the past number of months. We know that real issues are caused when people are...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: JobPath Programme (3 Dec 2020)

Claire Kerrane: The Minister stated 64,000 people secured employment but she did not add that they did not sustain that employment for anywhere close to a year. In fact, the number who sustained it for a year is much lower. With regard to the cost per client, the Minister cited a figure of €873. `Will she confirm that the referral fee of €311 is paid every time a person is referred,...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: JobPath Programme (3 Dec 2020)

Claire Kerrane: I welcome the fact that the Minister is to revert to me on the referral fee. If that fee is paid every time the same person is referred, which can be up to three times, and if there are more than 1,000 people in this category, as in this case, it means €10 million alone is given to the companies. If that is the case, as I believe, it does not represent value for money. I welcome...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: JobPath Programme (3 Dec 2020)

Claire Kerrane: Yes. The question asks if the Minister will consider a review of the JobPath programme and her views on whether it has provided value for money for the State.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: JobPath Programme (3 Dec 2020)

Claire Kerrane: I am asking the Minister if there is a clause in the contract between her Department and the JobPath providers, who have been given another 12-month period, that allows her to reduce the fees being paid to those companies. The Minister made a few points. She spoke about value for money. I will give her a brief example in that regard. More than 1,000 people have been referred to JobPath...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: JobPath Programme (3 Dec 2020)

Claire Kerrane: Will the Minister confirm that the referral fee of €311 is paid twice if a person is referred to the scheme twice, that is, in the case of more than 33,000 people who have been referred to the scheme twice? If they are getting the referral fee twice for those same people, that is a cost of more than €10 million. I ask the Minister again if she believes that is value for money?...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: JobPath Programme (3 Dec 2020)

Claire Kerrane: I am sorry, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle, but not one single question I asked has been answered.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: JobPath Programme (3 Dec 2020)

Claire Kerrane: I just want to make that point.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: JobPath Programme (3 Dec 2020)

Claire Kerrane: 3. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she has considered reducing the payment rates made to JobPath providers given the extension of the scheme for a further 12 months; if she will consider allowing those referred to JobPath to transfer to another job activation scheme especially if they have already completed JobPath once, to ensure that other schemes such as...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: JobPath Programme (3 Dec 2020)

Claire Kerrane: I want to ask about the continuation of the JobPath scheme for a further 12 months. This is the second time the scheme has been extended. Can the rates or fees paid to the companies be reduced, given they have now been given a further 12 months? Will the Minister consider allowing participants to move on to other schemes without having to remain with JobPath in consideration of the impact...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (3 Dec 2020)

Claire Kerrane: 1. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the way in which her Department is monitoring the requirement for persons who qualify for the pandemic unemployment payment, PUP, to be genuinely seeking work; the way in which persons are expected to meet this requirement; if there are plans for PUP recipients to engage with job activation measures; and if she will make a...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (3 Dec 2020)

Claire Kerrane: How is the Department monitoring the new requirement that those in receipt of the pandemic unemployment payment and those applying for it must be genuinely seeking work? How are people expected to meet this requirement? Are there plans for recipients to engage with job activation now or in the new year?

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (3 Dec 2020)

Claire Kerrane: I appreciate the jobseeker requirement but there is a big difference between being available to work and genuinely actively seeking work. While the Minister has said the rule is there, and a number of us sought to remove it through an amendment in August and July when the legislation was going through, at present the Department does not require PUP recipients to be genuinely seeking work....

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (3 Dec 2020)

Claire Kerrane: Among the rules to qualify for the PUP is that people are genuinely seeking work but that is only being enforced if people are offered their jobs back and they do not take them up, which I could not imagine anybody doing anyway. These are workers and some of them have never been on social welfare in their lives. The rule on genuinely seeking work as part of the initial criteria will only be...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Public Employment Services (3 Dec 2020)

Claire Kerrane: 56. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she has received the report carried out by external consultants to review all current contracted public employment services; when the report will be published; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39994/20]