Results 13,941-13,960 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Review of Vote 37: Minister for Social Protection (17 Sep 2014)
Joan Burton: Yes.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Review of Vote 37: Minister for Social Protection (17 Sep 2014)
Joan Burton: As with the domiciliary care allowance, we looked at it and significantly reduced the waiting times. We also ran a number of information seminars for Deputies and their staff. If the Deputy feels that would be helpful, given the IT changes and other reforms in the Department, I would be happy to arrange that.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Review of Vote 37: Minister for Social Protection (17 Sep 2014)
Joan Burton: Would the committee let me know through the Chairperson?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Review of Vote 37: Minister for Social Protection (17 Sep 2014)
Joan Burton: We will arrange it in the AV room.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Review of Vote 37: Minister for Social Protection (17 Sep 2014)
Joan Burton: On the child and family income supplement, following the large amount of detailed, informative and good work that the Mangan group has undertaken, we have arrived at a general agreement to support families with children and, in particular, the activation of proposals. We are maintaining the child benefit system. What we have significantly increased levels of funding this year and last for...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Review of Vote 37: Minister for Social Protection (17 Sep 2014)
Joan Burton: I am disappointed -----
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Review of Vote 37: Minister for Social Protection (17 Sep 2014)
Joan Burton: In Cork county more than 100 people are anxious to take up this opportunity. I understand that some people in parties who wear badges about being left wing and for working people oppose this. I do not know whether the Deputy's party is involved in that particular county. I am not going to enter that discussion but, for heaven's sake, give people a chance to get back to work. That is what...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Review of Vote 37: Minister for Social Protection (17 Sep 2014)
Joan Burton: I will answer the Deputy if he gives me an opportunity to do so. The Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government has sanctioned 150 acting-up allowances for existing local authority staff to support the supervision of Gateway. That has been agreed with the trade unions and management in the county councils. I do not know if the Deputy's party colleagues are aware of that.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Review of Vote 37: Minister for Social Protection (17 Sep 2014)
Joan Burton: The Department has provided €2 million for health and safety training, for specific tasks and for personal protective equipment. Can the Deputy open his eyes and go out to visit some of the fine work that has been done by people who would otherwise be sitting at home? When the local authorities begin to recruit again, which I am sure will happen before too long given the way in which...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Review of Vote 37: Minister for Social Protection (17 Sep 2014)
Joan Burton: Some 61 people are due to start this week and Deputy Ó Snodaigh wants to stop them. I think he is wrong.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Review of Vote 37: Minister for Social Protection (17 Sep 2014)
Joan Burton: Yes.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Review of Vote 37: Minister for Social Protection (17 Sep 2014)
Joan Burton: I will get the exact figures for the Deputy. The scheme also allows local authorities to take on people who approach them, provided that they qualify, namely, they have been unemployed for the requisite period. A number of Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil Deputies have reported that people approached them to seek to go on schemes. We provide for that but there is also an element of random...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Review of Vote 37: Minister for Social Protection (17 Sep 2014)
Joan Burton: If people do not show up, we call them back and if they do not have a reasonable explanation -----
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Review of Vote 37: Minister for Social Protection (17 Sep 2014)
Joan Burton: It arose in the context of the pre-budget forum.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Review of Vote 37: Minister for Social Protection (17 Sep 2014)
Joan Burton: I can stay then.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Review of Vote 37: Minister for Social Protection (17 Sep 2014)
Joan Burton: I will try to get through it.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Review of Vote 37: Minister for Social Protection (17 Sep 2014)
Joan Burton: I have a slightly complicated answer. We originally had an allocation of 2,000 for this year. As the Deputy will know, we only launched the scheme this time last year and it takes time for any scheme, in terms of word of mouth and spreading the news, to penetrate. It has been so popular that we raised the allocation of 2,000 places for this year to 2,400 earlier in the year. We have now...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Review of Vote 37: Minister for Social Protection (17 Sep 2014)
Joan Burton: The demand for the scheme is very strong. After the floods in Limerick, young family men in St. Mary's Park asked me if they could go on a scheme. They did so because they wanted to help with the work in Limerick after the disastrous floods last year. In this instance Sinn Féin should wake up and smell the coffee. There is a huge pent up demand for people, particularly former...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Review of Vote 37: Minister for Social Protection (17 Sep 2014)
Joan Burton: We make a point through the special investigation units, SIU, of tackling areas like street markets and street traders to check that control savings represent the value of prevented expenditure. We have done a huge number of "feet on the street" campaigns. That involves visiting industrial estates and calling to see that the people on the premises are registered for tax and insurance...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Review of Vote 37: Minister for Social Protection (17 Sep 2014)
Joan Burton: The official definition in Ireland of long-term unemployment for statistical and other purposes is anyone who has been unemployed for more than one year. For Senator Moloney's benefit, I would point out that in my view, in most modern economies anyone who is unemployed for more than six months falls off a ledge in regard to the willingness by employers to give them serious consideration. In...