Results 17,021-17,040 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Pension Provisions (28 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: Is the Deputy interested in an answer? He just stated the issue is complicated technically but unfortunately that technical complication is included in the answer. I cannot give the Deputy a Ladybird answer on pensions. It is a complex and terribly important issue for hundreds of thousands of people in the country. The Deputy should not treat it as some kind of joke.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Pension Provisions (28 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: With regard to pensions, the Deputy asked about investments. Owing to the tsunami of problems affecting the financial markets, pension funds in Ireland took a terrible hit. The Pensions Regulator has reported on how Irish pension funds were often over invested in a particular field of investment, which included the Irish banks.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Youth Guarantee (28 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: I will be very happy if the Deputy comes to the opening of the new Intreo office in Limerick before or shortly after Christmas. I am sure he will make himself available to do that. If he does come, he will have a great opportunity to see the new processes and the very good work of the employment services officers. About 700 were transferred over from the old FÁS employment services...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Youth Guarantee (28 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: -----and I look forward to inviting the Deputy to the new Limerick offices.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Youth Guarantee (28 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: The first part of the conversion has almost been completed.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Job Initiatives (28 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: The JobBridge scheme has made good progress since it came into operation on 1 July 2011. Over 23,000 internship placements have commenced to date, and over 11,000 companies have participated in the scheme. There are currently over 6,400 jobseekers participating on the scheme and over 2,300 posts advertised on the JobBridge website. Independent research indicates that over 60% of interns...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Job Initiatives (28 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: It is a pity that Sinn Féin is so hostile to jobs for people who are unemployed. I sometimes think Sinn Féin seems to have a vested interest in keeping the maximum amount of people parked on the live register without any opportunity to progress, be it in education, training or work experience. It is an unfortunately short-sighted view that the Deputy and his party have taken. It...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Job Initiatives (28 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: I met two carpenters who had been working on lots of jobs at the height of the boom, just before the crash. They are now becoming craft workers in wood, and they are doing that through an opportunity via JobBridge to see if it works for them.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Job Initiatives (28 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: What problem can Sinn Féin have with having that kind of opportunity opened to people who are on the live register?

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Job Initiatives (28 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: Perhaps the Deputy is more concentrated on the English social welfare system, which is highly directive. Maybe that is what he wants down here because that is what is available in the North. The JobBridge scheme is a voluntary scheme on the part of both parties. A company offers to host. I have promoted the scheme with companies, because when we came into government, we inherited a...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Job Initiatives (28 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: It is so important to take every step to help people-----

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Job Initiatives (28 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: -----who find themselves unfortunately out of work.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Job Initiatives (28 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: I think it makes enormous sense-----

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Job Initiatives (28 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: -----to have host organisations offering valuable employment experience.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Youth Guarantee (28 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: I did not get the first part of the second question.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Youth Guarantee (28 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: During its recent Presidency of the European Union, Ireland prioritised the provision of the EU recommendation on the provision of a youth guarantee under which every young person should be guaranteed an offer of employment, training or further education within a target period of four months of becoming unemployed. Ireland also took the lead in discussions which led to the provision of a...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Youth Guarantee (28 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: In reply to the second part of the Deputy's first question, there are approximately 300 employment service officers and advisers. This means the ratio of the 315,000 full-time live registrants to employment service officers is just over 1000:1. The good news is a further 300 staff are being re-assigned to these roles as I speak, which will reduce the ratio by half in the absence of any...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Youth Guarantee (28 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: With regard to the funds allocated in the context of the youth guarantee overall, Europe has provided €6 billion. The good news from an Irish point of view is it is calculated countries with high levels of youth unemployment, and we qualify because of the crash I spoke about, will receive €64 million over the two- ear period of the front-loading, and the Government will match...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Fraud Investigations (28 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: The control strategy in operation on the child benefit scheme ensures that payment is only made in respect of children where there is an ongoing entitlement. The Department carried out a Fraud and Error survey on child benefit in 2012 which confirmed the Department’s view that the child benefit scheme is a low risk scheme in terms of fraud and error and that the existing control...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme Administration (28 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 11, 12, 31, 36 and 39 together. There are currently approximately 81,000 persons in receipt of rent supplement for which the Government has provided €403 million in 2013. Revised rent limits under the rent supplement scheme came into effect from Monday 17 June 2013 and will be in place until 31 December 2014. The new rent limits have been determined...