Results 19,881-19,900 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Topical Issue Debate: Pension Provisions (24 Apr 2013)

Joan Burton: I am just talking about what we have inherited. My view on tax incentives is set out in the programme for Government. I had this discussion over a long period with Fianna Fáil's former leader Mr. Brian Cowen when he was Minister for Finance. Finally, after several years of debate with me, he commissioned a study that indicated there were extraordinary pension pots of €20...

Topical Issue Debate: Pension Provisions (24 Apr 2013)

Joan Burton: I thank the Deputy for raising this very important issue. The sustainability of our pension system is of particular concern because, as a country, we have the bonus of many more people living much longer. However, we also have many more children being born. As the Deputy pointed out, there are five people of working age to every one person of retirement age but by the middle of this...

Other Questions: Jobseeker's Allowance Eligibility (24 Apr 2013)

Joan Burton: Jobseeker’s allowance is a means-tested social assistance scheme operated by my Department. My Department will spend almost €3.1 billion on the scheme in 2013, which is just over 15% of its programme spend this year. For means-testing purposes, account is taken of the income and assets of both the claimant and his or her spouse or partner, including the earnings of the spouse....

Other Questions: Jobseeker's Allowance Eligibility (24 Apr 2013)

Joan Burton: The Deputy has asked a very detailed question about a particular case about which he has been in touch with the Department. I suggest he provide me with further details about it or other cases and I can then respond in detail. A total of 296,000 people were in receipt of jobseeker's allowance at the end of March. The allowance is paid to a significant number of adults of working age....

Other Questions: Rent Support Schemes (24 Apr 2013)

Joan Burton: I thank all the Deputies who raised the issue. We are ready to transfer to the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government as soon as that Department has the necessary legislative arrangements in place. Deputy Durkan spoke about the long gestation period. A previous Minister spoke about this for nearly a decade. All I can say is that the first trial scheme in respect of...

Other Questions: Rent Support Schemes (24 Apr 2013)

Joan Burton: I acknowledge the Deputy's analysis of an increase in rents in south County Dublin. The Department constantly checks all of the available information ranging from that on www.daft.ie to information we have available to us from organisations such as the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, as well as the information available to community welfare officers who work in the area. I want to stress...

Other Questions: Rent Support Schemes (24 Apr 2013)

Joan Burton: I have spoken on a number of occasions recently about my own view that we should have a housing stimulus programme, which would address some of the issues Deputy Durkan has raised but would also help get people back to work. We have a difficulty in certain areas where there is a shortage of housing. The previous Government abandoned the building of council housing because, I suppose, at the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Job Initiatives (24 Apr 2013)

Joan Burton: As the Deputy knows, I am very familiar with the Bawnogue area. I am aware that there is a significant unemployment problem in Bawnogue and other parts of the greater Clondalkin area. At the moment, the local employment service and the Department's office in Clondalkin are providing services to people in the area who are seeking to get back to work. I will revert to the Deputy when our...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Job Initiatives (24 Apr 2013)

Joan Burton: I do not particularly want to discuss private affairs in public.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Job Initiatives (24 Apr 2013)

Joan Burton: If the Deputy wants to advise me of any other circumstances, I will be happy to hear from him. Many economists are quite critical of jobs clubs, community employment schemes and other efforts to help people back to work and to provide services in communities. In fact, most of the reports on jobs clubs are very positive. The Department has an annual review process. It was decided not to...

Other Questions: Rent Support Schemes (24 Apr 2013)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 6 and 8 together. The Government has provided more than €403 million in 2013 for over 86,000 rent supplement recipients. The purpose of the rent supplement scheme is to provide short-term support to eligible people living in private rented accommodation. It should not to act as an alternative to the other social housing schemes operated by the...

Other Questions: Rent Support Schemes (24 Apr 2013)

Joan Burton: Can I bottle that comment?

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Disability Allowance Payments (24 Apr 2013)

Joan Burton: Just let me say, a wide group of interested organisations were represented, including the Carers Association, Down Syndrome Ireland, Irish Autism Action, Special Needs Parents Association, Inclusion Ireland, the Midlands Regional Forum of People with Disabilities, and parent representatives of the DCA Warriors group. They have all been consulted extensively and involved in the report....

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Disability Allowance Payments (24 Apr 2013)

Joan Burton: If the Deputy is familiar with parents who have children with a disability, he will understand there are a number of different issues that arise.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Disability Allowance Payments (24 Apr 2013)

Joan Burton: The issue of income support is extremely important, but so is the issue that children with a disability should be facilitated to remain in education and training, particularly as teenagers, and then, hopefully, move on to employment. We must consider how best to spend funding for families with children with a disability and how to provide services and for good quality training and...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Disability Allowance Payments (24 Apr 2013)

Joan Burton: I welcome the contribution of the Deputy to the debate and Fianna Fáil's interest in this area.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Disability Allowance Payments (24 Apr 2013)

Joan Burton: I hope Fianna Fáil continues to take an interest in this area. I do not know how aware of the situation the Deputy is or how familiar he is with it. The issue for many parents of children with a disability is that although, thankfully, these children are very integrated into education, particularly in their early years, many children with different levels of disability would like to...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Disability Allowance Payments (24 Apr 2013)

Joan Burton: We must look at the question of people's abilities rather than, as the Deputy is doing, talking in terms of the person's disability.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Disability Allowance Payments (24 Apr 2013)

Joan Burton: I would like to invite Fianna Fáil to start looking at ability as well as disability.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Job Initiatives (24 Apr 2013)

Joan Burton: Job clubs provide a valuable service to supplement the Department’s own employment services, particularly with regard to the provision of job search and CV preparation workshops for unemployed people. Job clubs accepted approximately 14,000 referrals of individual jobseekers from the Department in 2012. In addition, they provided a walk-in resource service to people in their...