Results 14,521-14,540 of 14,799 for speaker:Dara Calleary

Written Answers — Redundancy Payments: Redundancy Payments (16 Sep 2009)

Dara Calleary: My Department administers the Social Insurance Fund (SIF) in relation to redundancy matters on behalf of the Department of Social and Family Affairs. There are two types of payment made from the SIF – rebates to those employers who have paid statutory redundancy to eligible employees, and statutory lump sums to employees whose employers are insolvent and/or in receivership/liquidation. ...

Written Answers — Job Initiative: Job Initiative (16 Sep 2009)

Dara Calleary: The Job Initiative Programme (JI) which was launched in July 1996 continues to provide full time employment for people who are 35 years of age or over, unemployed for five years or more, and in receipt of Social Welfare payments over that period. The main purpose of the programme is to assist long-term unemployed people to prepare for work opportunities by providing participants with work...

Written Answers — FÁS Training Programmes: FÁS Training Programmes (16 Sep 2009)

Dara Calleary: The FÁS Local Training Initiative (LTI) programme is a project-based training and work experience programme carried out in local communities and run by local community groups. The LTI provides alternative early training interventions for socially excluded clients and is designed to reach out to niche marginalised groups and provide individually based training tailored to meet locally...

Written Answers — FÁS Training Programmes: FÁS Training Programmes (16 Sep 2009)

Dara Calleary: On-line training courses are available free of charge to all persons who are in receipt of unemployment benefit. FÁS may also allow free access to those persons who have evidence that they are unemployed but who are not in receipt of unemployment benefit. Such cases are decided on an individual case-by-case basis.

Seanad: OECD and IMF Reports: Statements (10 Jul 2009)

Dara Calleary: I thank Senators for their good wishes and welcome this opportunity to discuss the IMF and OECD reports. Much of the debate has been constructive and challenging, with religious figures invoked and dismissed, perhaps, and has touched on the key economic challenges we face as a country. I am happy to engage with any Member of the Opposition on any plans he or she might have to get us through...

Written Answers — FÁS Training Programmes: FÁS Training Programmes (9 Jul 2009)

Dara Calleary: I propose to take Questions Nos. 68 and 108 together. The types of training programmes provided by FÁS across the Training Services, Community Services and Services to Business categories include Short courses, Traineeships, Bridging /Foundation courses, Return to Work Training Courses, Community Employment Schemes as well as more recent initiatives such as the Redundant Apprenticeship...

Written Answers — Work Placement Programme: Work Placement Programme (9 Jul 2009)

Dara Calleary: I propose to take Questions Nos. 69 and 70 together. My Department, along with the Department of Social and Family Affairs and the Department of Education and Science, have been working closely together to ensure a significant response to the unemployment situation. The Work Placement Programme and the Short Time Working Training Programme, which were announced in the supplementary budget,...

Written Answers — Redundancy Payments: Redundancy Payments (9 Jul 2009)

Dara Calleary: The Redundancy Payments Section of my Department received an application on 1 April, 2009 for a statutory redundancy lump sum payment in respect of the individual referred to. In instances where an employer is unable or refuses to pay the statutory lump sum as required in the first instance, my Department pays the statutory amount from the Social Insurance Fund (SIF) but, before doing so,...

Written Answers — Community Employment Schemes: Community Employment Schemes (9 Jul 2009)

Dara Calleary: Community Employment (CE) is an active labour market programme designed to provide eligible long-term unemployed people and other disadvantaged persons with an opportunity to engage in useful work within their communities on a fixed term basis. CE helps unemployed people to re-enter the active workforce by breaking their experience of unemployment through a return to a work routine and to...

Written Answers — Employment Rights: Employment Rights (9 Jul 2009)

Dara Calleary: The National Employment Rights Authority (NERA) currently has in place a team of 77 Inspectors. One of these is currently on maternity leave and is not, therefore, available for inspections and associated duties. All new inspectors are required to complete the NERA Inspection Services Introductory Training Programme and to undertake further training, including on-the-job training with...

Written Answers — Community Employment Schemes: Community Employment Schemes (9 Jul 2009)

Dara Calleary: FÁS as an agency of my Department operates the Community Employment (CE) and Job Initiative (JI) schemes. Community Employment (CE) is an active labour market programme designed to provide eligible long term unemployed people and other disadvantaged persons (including those with a disability) with an opportunity to engage in useful work within their communities on a fixed term basis. The Job...

Written Answers — FÁS Training Programmes: FÁS Training Programmes (9 Jul 2009)

Dara Calleary: Unemployment is increasing across the country due to the downturn in the economy and this has impacted on South Tipperary area also. This situation is unwelcome and I share the Deputy's concern in the matter. This year the Government has almost doubled the number of FÁS activation training and work experience places for the unemployed to over 129,000. This is a substantial increase on the...

Written Answers — Redundancy Payments: Redundancy Payments (9 Jul 2009)

Dara Calleary: I propose to take Questions Nos. 81 and 88 together. Currently, the average time it takes to process rebate applications from employers filed online is six months while claims submitted by post are taking seven months. The Redundancy Payments Section of my Department is currently processing applications filed online from December 2009 and, those submitted by post from November 2009. In...

Written Answers — Departmental Funding: Departmental Funding (9 Jul 2009)

Dara Calleary: The total income of the National Training Fund in 2008 was €419.2 million. For 2009 the income is estimated to be €405 million. A total of €381.5 million has been allocated to training schemes for 2009 and it is expected that all of this will be spent during the year. Under the terms of the National Training Act 2000, any surplus remains in the accounts of the National Training Fund...

Written Answers — Work-Life Balance: Work-Life Balance (9 Jul 2009)

Dara Calleary: The National Framework Committee for Family Friendly Policies was established by the Social Partners in 2000 under the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness. The committee was continued and renamed in 2003, under Sustaining Progress, as the National Framework Committee for Work Life Balance Policies. The remit of the Framework Committee has been continued under the current national...

Written Answers — Training and Advisory Services: Training and Advisory Services (9 Jul 2009)

Dara Calleary: An annual grant is paid to assist the Irish Congress of Trade Unions in meeting the cost of providing its "Education, Training and Advisory Service" (ETAS), which provides training for union officials and activists in affiliated unions. The ETAS supports a diverse range of courses including Health and Safety, Pensions, Activist development, conflict resolution and degree courses in Business...

Written Answers — Trades Union Sector: Trades Union Sector (9 Jul 2009)

Dara Calleary: The Trade Union Act 1975 is designed to facilitate amalgamations and transfers of undertakings among trade unions by simplifying merger procedures and by making grants available from the Exchequer towards the costs incurred by unions in the process. The payment of grants is governed by section 15 of the Act, as amended by section 22 of the Industrial Relations Act 1990. The grants were paid...

Written Answers — FÁS Training Programmes: FÁS Training Programmes (9 Jul 2009)

Dara Calleary: The most recent information from FÁS indicates that the waiting time for FÁS training courses very much depends on the course type and location of the course. For example, there is a very short waiting time for FÁS E-College blended on-line training courses and the average waiting period for night courses would be for two or three weeks. For other courses there would be a longer waiting...

Written Answers — State Agencies: State Agencies (9 Jul 2009)

Dara Calleary: In 2008 the total budget provided by FÁS, to the Local Employment Service was €19,500,000 while the expenditure amounted to €19,279,125. The budget for 2009 is €20,404,000, an increase of €1,124,875 on 2008 expenditure. Details of the funding provided to each of the Local Employment Services in 2008 and 2009 is provided in the following table: Expenditure Budget € €...

Written Answers — Community Employment Schemes: Community Employment Schemes (8 Jul 2009)

Dara Calleary: Community Employment (CE) is an active labour market programme designed to provide eligible long term unemployed people and other disadvantaged persons with an opportunity to engage in useful work within their communities on a fixed term basis. CE helps unemployed people to re-enter the active workforce by breaking their experience of unemployment through a return to work routine and to...