Results 11,561-11,580 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Child Poverty (5 Mar 2015)

Joan Burton: What the UNICEF report, the OECD report and all of the other reports show is that the worst cause of poverty among children is when the adults in the household lose their job or their business. Therefore, the best outcome one can get for children is that the adults in the household in which the children reside are in a position to get work, either on a full-time or a part-time basis,...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Poverty Impact Assessment (5 Mar 2015)

Joan Burton: The Department of Social Protection recently published a social impact assessment of the main tax and social welfare measures for 2015, based on the ESRI tax-welfare model, SWITCH. The analysis found there is no difference in the risk-of-poverty rate for men and women as a result of the last budget. The ESRI, on foot of a commission from the Equality Authority, has examined the impact of...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Poverty Impact Assessment (5 Mar 2015)

Joan Burton: The Deputy's question asked whether an analysis had been done and I have told her it is available. She can access it in the Oireachtas Library.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Poverty Impact Assessment (5 Mar 2015)

Joan Burton: The ESRI has carried out an analysis of what has happened. If the Deputy thinks about this she might appreciate what I am saying. One of the most significant cohorts of women who get income support from social welfare are women who are on the State retirement pension, either contributory or non-contributory. Some 34% of all spending on social welfare goes to people who have retired and are...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Poverty Impact Assessment (5 Mar 2015)

Joan Burton: The Deputy clearly has a difficulty in accepting the work that has been done by the ESRI or the actuarial review of the Social Insurance Fund, which shows that women get the best value. The Deputy's question asked about an analysis regarding social welfare. I am telling her what the reports are showing. She needs to study them. They are not my reports, they are independent reports. I...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Poverty Impact Assessment (5 Mar 2015)

Joan Burton: That is why the budget analysis that the Department commissioned shows that this budget has benefited families with children, including lone parents, because as the Deputy knows, child benefit is a universal payment that is generally paid to the mother. It is paid to people regardless of whether they are in work or out of work. I would have thought the Deputy would have welcomed the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: One-Parent Family Payments (5 Mar 2015)

Joan Burton: First, we are building a child care system. We are expanding and investing in it. The after-school child care service is an important addition. As the Deputy is probably aware, discussions are ongoing to determine if, as happens in many schools, school buildings can be used later in the afternoon as a location for after-school services. Some schools already run such services which are...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: One-Parent Family Payments (5 Mar 2015)

Joan Burton: As the one-parent family payment reforms have been rolled out, I have introduced some significant changes to assist people, mainly women, through the transition. First, the introduction of the jobseeker's allowance transitional arrangement gives lone parents with young children the flexibility to work part time or engage in full-time education. Second, access to subsidised child care is...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: One-Parent Family Payments (5 Mar 2015)

Joan Burton: As the Deputy is probably aware, in budget 2010 the previous Government amended the eligibility criteria for receipt of the student maintenance grant for individuals in receipt of either the back to education allowance or the vocational training opportunities scheme allowances. As a result of that amendment, individuals who were in receipt of the back to education allowance for all schemes...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: One-Parent Family Payments (5 Mar 2015)

Joan Burton: A total of 11,000 people have made a successful transition in recent years. Yesterday we discussed the numbers availing of family income supplement, which provides a major boost for people's income, those working either 19 hours or on a relatively low rate of payment. We are introducing the back to work family dividend. Furthermore, we have undertaken with the Department of Children and...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: One-Parent Family Payments (5 Mar 2015)

Joan Burton: Last Tuesday I announced in my Second Stage address on the Social Welfare Bill that I was proposing to amend the July arrangements for lone parents to ensure lone parents with a youngest child between the ages of 7 and 16 years who were providing full-time care for another person would be able to retain entitlement, or apply for entitlement, to the one-parent family payment and the half rate...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: One-Parent Family Payments (5 Mar 2015)

Joan Burton: We have introduced - this is ongoing - together with the Department of Children and Youth Affairs, an after school child care service to assist lone parents taking up employment, generally on a part-time basis. This helps those who are employed, as well as those moving from the one-parent family payment to another. The service is available to children of primary school age and offers...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: One-Parent Family Payments (5 Mar 2015)

Joan Burton: I have looked at what has happened in other countries. Once a child reaches seven years of age - normally such a child would be in first class in primary school - we will create a transitional arrangement. The money involved for lone parents, many of whom are full-time, stay at home parents, does not change, but they are given an opportunity to become involved in education and training and,...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Review (5 Mar 2015)

Joan Burton: Community employment (CE) is the largest employment programme administered by the Department. It aims to enhance the employability and mobility of disadvantaged and unemployed persons by providing work experience and training opportunities for them within their communities. In addition, it helps long-term unemployed people to re-enter the active workforce by breaking their experience of...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: One-Parent Family Payments (5 Mar 2015)

Joan Burton: I am very happy to confirm my announcement this week that I will be extending eligibility to the one-parent family payment (OFP) to lone parents who are also eligible for the half-rate carer’s allowance (CA) payment, until their youngest child is aged 16 years. This acknowledges the special situation for lone parents who are caring and, in particular, acknowledges the commitment of...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Code (5 Mar 2015)

Joan Burton: First Steps is not a new JobBridge - it is a developmental internship scheme for young, disadvantaged jobseekers, for example, very early school leavers or young people with a prior history of addiction problems. The objective of First Stepsis to encourage employers to open their doors to such young people; to give them the opportunity to learn and develop basic work and social skills while...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Farm Assist Scheme (5 Mar 2015)

Joan Burton: The farm assist scheme provides support for farmers on low incomes and is similar to jobseeker’s allowance. The 2015 Revised Estimates for the Department provide for expenditure this year on the farm assist scheme of €88.7 million. All recipients of farm assist have benefitted from the Christmas Bonus paid in December 2014. In addition, all farm assist families with...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Pensions Reform (5 Mar 2015)

Joan Burton: The recommendations arising out of the Critical Review on the Pensions Boardwere approved by Government in April 2013 and were provided for in the Social Welfare and Pensions Act 2013. It was recommended that the governance structure of the Board be restructured as follows: - Oversight of the then Pensions Board to be undertaken by a three person body called the Pensions Authority consisting...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Reports (5 Mar 2015)

Joan Burton: In January this year, the Department published the social impact assessment of the main welfare and tax measures for 2015, including the new water charges package. Social impact assessment is an evidence-based methodology which estimates the likely effects of welfare and tax policies on households across income levels and social groups. The assessment was prepared by the Department,...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: National Internship Scheme Administration (5 Mar 2015)

Joan Burton: JobBridge has made significant progress since its introduction in July 2011. To date, over 37,700 internship placements having commenced, there are currently 6,140 interns on the programme and a further 1,129 positions are advertised on the JobBridge website. Participation both as a host organisation and as an intern on the scheme is voluntary. The Department has a range of monitoring and...