Results 7,001-7,020 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Other Questions: Employment Support Services (13 Jan 2016)

Joan Burton: We have seen much job recovery in big cities and towns and we want to spread it out to the entire country. In this respect, IDA officials and Enterprise Ireland officers deal with local Irish companies on a county by county basis and in the regions. They can deal with companies and look at Irish people who may have ideas for new enterprises. Where there is a training requirement, and I...

Other Questions: Employment Support Services (13 Jan 2016)

Joan Burton: I would be grateful if the Deputy passed on information to employers in his constituency, Galway West. We welcome contact from employers who are seeking employees. We now have an employer service, which comprises a series of staff dedicated specifically to contacting employers when they are recruiting. We want to ensure that people who are unemployed have a chance to pitch for those jobs...

Other Questions: Employment Support Services (13 Jan 2016)

Joan Burton: The Department launched Intreo in 2012 to provide a new integrated public employment service whereby people looking for work can access income support and employment services. This involved the merger of community welfare services, Department of Social Protection jobseeker income support services and the former FÁS employment and community services divisions. As part of this service...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Community Services Programme (13 Jan 2016)

Joan Burton: Last year.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Community Services Programme (13 Jan 2016)

Joan Burton: There are 52 weeks this year.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Community Services Programme (13 Jan 2016)

Joan Burton: It was in the Estimate.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Community Services Programme (13 Jan 2016)

Joan Burton: No, it is not.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Pension Provisions (13 Jan 2016)

Joan Burton: If we had taken the Deputy's advice, we would have followed the Greek path and we would have bankrupted our pensions system. When I came into office here, the deficit or hole in the Social Insurance Fund was going past €2 billion. It ultimately went to €2.8 billion, but we have now brought it almost completely back into balance.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Pension Provisions (13 Jan 2016)

Joan Burton: I will set out what we actually did for pensioners this year and last year. We brought back the Christmas bonus. This year, we have brought in a modest increase of €3 a week. That has assisted pensioners and pro ratatheir dependants.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Pension Provisions (13 Jan 2016)

Joan Burton: The country lost 330,000 jobs.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Pension Provisions (13 Jan 2016)

Joan Burton: Sinn Féin's response was to suggest that we should go down the Greek path, follow Syriza and bankrupt the country.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Pension Provisions (13 Jan 2016)

Joan Burton: We saw the pictures of the poor pensioners at the ATMs who were not able to-----

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Pension Provisions (13 Jan 2016)

Joan Burton: Sinn Féin's crazy economics would actually see our pensioners follow the Greek path.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Pension Provisions (13 Jan 2016)

Joan Burton: That is what Sinn Féin suggested.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Pension Provisions (13 Jan 2016)

Joan Burton: That is what Sinn Féin suggested.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Pension Provisions (13 Jan 2016)

Joan Burton: For people who have insufficient contributions to qualify for a full contributory State pension, there are supports available in the State pension system which assist qualification for a contributory payment based on factors such as the contributions made by their spouses and other factors likely to impact on their needs. One example is the homemaker's scheme. I was one of the people in the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: One-Parent Family Payments (13 Jan 2016)

Joan Burton: No. They are better off.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: One-Parent Family Payments (13 Jan 2016)

Joan Burton: Let me repeat the official figures. A lone parent on the jobseeker's transitional payment working 15 hours at the national minimum wage will see an increase this month in his or her overall income of just over €28 per week. Deputy O'Dea is complaining that they will see an increase in their income of €1,450 per annum.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: One-Parent Family Payments (13 Jan 2016)

Joan Burton: This is as a result of the increase in the national minimum wage, which-----

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: One-Parent Family Payments (13 Jan 2016)

Joan Burton: -----Fianna Fáil, in its wisdom, cut by €1 an hour and which I have been happy to raise by €1 an hour and, on 1 January, by a further 50 cent an hour.