Results 9,721-9,740 of 10,577 for speaker:Barry Cowen
- Order of Business (6 Mar 2012)
Barry Cowen: On the health (pricing and supply of medicines) Bill, which will allow generic drugs into the General Medical Services scheme, given the targeted savings referred to in the budget, will the Taoiseach outline when the legislation is expected?
- Order of Business (6 Mar 2012)
Barry Cowen: It does not depend on the enactment of the Spent Convictions Bill.
- Community Employment Schemes (1 Mar 2012)
Barry Cowen: The Minister indicated that â¬360 million was spent on community employment schemes in 2011 but the provision in the budget is â¬315 million. Where a scheme can make the case for funding before the process has been completed, the cut will be â¬500. She cannot, therefore, claim that she is committing the same amount as last year. Was the review group consulted on the Pathways to Work...
- Community Employment Schemes (1 Mar 2012)
Barry Cowen: That â¬1,500 comprises a training and materials grant. The Minister has said that the training budget in her Department has increased and this might compensate for the gap I have identified.
- Community Employment Schemes (1 Mar 2012)
Barry Cowen: The Minister is suggesting she has manoeuvrability to compensate.
- Community Employment Schemes (1 Mar 2012)
Barry Cowen: Would it not be wiser for the Minister to complete the review, identify the savings to which she alludes, and apply that in the context of next year's budget while allowing these schemes to get the training and materials grant for which they would have budgeted towards the end of last year to cater for their schemes in this year? Is it open to the Minister to exercise that option in this year?
- Community Employment Schemes (1 Mar 2012)
Barry Cowen: To return to what I said earlier, the Minister said in response to a previous question that the funding is there within the training spend. If the funding is there and the Minister is aware that the review to date has identified savings that will accrue to the State, and will know that towards the end of March, that is a win-win situation for the State. It can retain the CE schemes and...
- Farm Assist Scheme (1 Mar 2012)
Barry Cowen: Despite buoyant food prices and the upturn in the farm income in recent years, farmers have been greatly affected by recession and rising production costs. The average farm income remains below â¬20,000. Under the changes, farmers are finding it more difficult to access the â¬188 farm assist payment, although it remains a core income supplement for those farmers who seek it. The Minister...
- Farm Assist Scheme (1 Mar 2012)
Barry Cowen: The Minister mentioned that approximately 11,300 people are receiving this supplementary income. That represents an increase of 46% on the 2008 figure and shows how important this is. That is why I asked for a commitment that no further or additional changes are planned in this area. I would also like to ask about the welfare officers who visit recipients of farm assist payments. Can the...
- Control Savings (1 Mar 2012)
Barry Cowen: Question 9: To ask the Minister for Social Protection if she will provide a definition of control savings; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11711/12]
- Control Savings (1 Mar 2012)
Barry Cowen: In 2010, the Department referred a total of 341 cases for legal proceedings under either social welfare or criminal justice legislation out of a total of 1.4 million people receiving payments. This represents 0.024% of claimants. Does the Minister accept, therefore, that the fraud statistics published by her Department are misleading in that they clearly imply an exorbitant level of fraud...
- Control Savings (1 Mar 2012)
Barry Cowen: I can only go by the statistical analysis and the information shows this percentage, 0.024%, of cases going through the legal process. Of course, abuse of the system cannot be condoned but I point out the fact that it is engaged in by only a minute percentage. This being the case - and given the confusion this figure has produced - has the Minister plans to create a more comprehensive and...
- Departmental Expenditure (1 Mar 2012)
Barry Cowen: You can have the four.
- Employment Support Services (1 Mar 2012)
Barry Cowen: Question 1: To ask the Minister for Social Protection if private contractors will be hired by her to operate one stop shops as announced in Budget 2012; if existing staff will be re-trained or re-deployed to meet the new demands; if the revenue implications of this decision have been detailed; if so, if she will provide details of same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. ...
- Employment Support Services (1 Mar 2012)
Barry Cowen: I thank the Minister for her response to the priority question. She stated that some external contractors will be appointed to engage with the new staff when they have been trained. It will involve private companies engaging with social welfare claimants. Often that is a results-based contract where contractors are paid according to their success in getting claimants back to work. Similar...
- Employment Support Services (1 Mar 2012)
Barry Cowen: My initial question on the private companies to be taken on to initiate part of this process was in a similar vein, given the fact that staff have been lost and others are joining the Minister's Department from other Departments and will need to be trained. The Pathways to Work initiative is an honest effort to address this issue and we agree with the concept of the one-stop-shop, but the...
- Community Employment Schemes (1 Mar 2012)
Barry Cowen: Question 4: To ask the Minister for Social Protection the progress that has been made in the ongoing review of community employment schemes; when the reviews are due to report; if any CE schemes will be closed as a result; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11949/12]
- Order of Business (29 Feb 2012)
Barry Cowen: Will the upcoming Social Welfare and Pensions Bill include a provision to rescind the budget cuts to the training and materials grants for community employment schemes?
- Order of Business (29 Feb 2012)
Barry Cowen: Yes.
- Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (28 Feb 2012)
Barry Cowen: Question 249: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills based on information provided by rural schools in County Offaly, namely, one, two, three and four teacher schools relating to existing and projected enrolment, if he will confirm that there will be no loss of staff at these schools in County Offaly, which could have an adverse affect of forcing the amalgamation and closures of rural...