Results 1-20 of 34 for jobpath speaker:Alice-Mary Higgins

Seanad: JobPath: Statements (21 Mar 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I thank the Minister for the opportunity to discuss JobPath, which I recognise is one part of a comprehensive set of other measures we are discussing in the Committee on Social Protection. I have two or three questions on JobPath. A concern I have in respect of JobPath, and I would appreciate the opportunity to have it addressed, is that it saw a very rapid scaling up, with 60,000 talked...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Third Report of Citizens' Assembly: Discussion (Resumed) (27 Mar 2019)

Alice-Mary Higgins: ...the Chairman was suggesting a compromise. There are two sentences in the amendment, the first of which is fundamental as it makes it very clear that nobody should be required to participate in JobPath or a similar programme. I understand there are difficulties because it is difficult for others to agree with some of the other language used, although I agree with it, but the fundamental...

Seanad: JobPath: Motion (15 Nov 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: ...out of unemployment, be that education, training or employment and that there is a need to give people a range of skills and options in terms of courses. However, we must ask a few questions about JobPath. Is JobPath an appropriate tool? Is it adequate? How is the scheme operating? To be clear, everybody who is here is concerned about ensuring that the State does more to support...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Third Report of Citizens' Assembly: Discussion (Resumed) (27 Mar 2019)

Alice-Mary Higgins: ...but the key point made by Deputy Smith is important. It is not that separate. We heard about the return to third level and training. One of my key concerns, which emerged in the hearings on JobPath, is that the programme makes it difficult for people to move into education or training. By its nature, it tends to push people towards employment opportunities only. In many cases, where...

Seanad: Social Welfare (Covid-19) (Amendment) Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (29 Jul 2020)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I have a couple of matters to raise. The problem is not so much whether people are long-term unemployed but rather how we have been treating the long-term unemployed with the JobPath scheme. I am sure as the Minister enters her brief she will look back and see the litany of testimony from the social protection committee around the concerns arising from a narrowing of options associated with...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: EU Employment Legislation and JobPath: Discussion (8 Mar 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: The crucial issue is that if JobPath is part of the activation infrastructure that we provide, it needs to be that rather than a punishment. If someone-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: EU Employment Legislation and JobPath: Discussion (8 Mar 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: What about providing an exit route from JobPath into another suitable scheme?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Third Report of Citizens' Assembly: Discussion (Resumed) (27 Mar 2019)

Alice-Mary Higgins: JobPath or a similar programme. The first sentence might offer another compromise suggestion.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: EU Employment Legislation and JobPath: Discussion (8 Mar 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: ...an active route to activation, be it back to education, Tús or CE, surely it is extraordinarily inappropriate to say that it has been decided that they will instead spend a year in purgatory and JobPath. I would like back to education, which is related, to be-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: EU Employment Legislation and JobPath: Discussion (8 Mar 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: A number of issues have already been covered so I will focus on one or two in particular. Before talking about JobPath, I have a few questions for Ms Murphy about the directive. I note that one of the aspects of the directive that has been very much welcomed by the European Trade Union Confederation and others is protection for trade union workplace representatives and for collective...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Indecon Reports on Job Clubs and Local Employment Services: Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection (4 Apr 2019)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Quality and responsiveness are important. The scaling moved up quickly with JobPath. There would be space and freedom from the European procurement directives if tendering was not pursued and Intreo's internal capacity was looked at instead. Is there potential for, or are there plans for, increasing Intreo's staffing levels and perhaps, in some of the ongoing work, increasing the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: EU Employment Legislation and JobPath: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Mar 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: ...of a year can be significant. What are the links with the back-to-education scheme? How are routes back to education managed within the services? How could it be managed differently than from JobPath?

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2017: Committee Stage (13 Dec 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: ...third parties contracted by the Department for the purposes of labour activation and not by the Department itself. I am thinking of agencies such as Turas Nua and Seetec which have been contracted in respect of the JobPath programme. There may be another way to ensure that the issues are addressed but the guidelines that I am proposing would touch on a number of issues of concern around...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Indecon Reports on Job Clubs and Local Employment Services: Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection (4 Apr 2019)

Alice-Mary Higgins: ...choice being offered to the person who is being assisted. What weighting would be given to quality if this procurement process is pursued? Quality of training of staff had a low weighting in the JobPath process. It is vital that a high weighting is given to quality and different quality measures. That is different from the paper performance which is about the outcome.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Adult Literacy: Discussion (19 Nov 2019)

Alice-Mary Higgins: ...about how to ensure people are given literacy or educational options when they are in contact with employment services. For example, people may have much anxiety if they are put through the JobPath scheme or they be concerned about losing entitlements. What does a positive or negative invitation to engage with these services look like? How do we ensure that people who may have literacy...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Indecon Reports on Job Clubs and Local Employment Services: Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection (4 Apr 2019)

Alice-Mary Higgins: ...in the Indecon report and there is a detailed breakdown of what we already know from the different testimonies to the committee. I wish to focus on the benefits of the LES. I might mention JobPath but I will focus on the schemes we are reviewing. The Minister will be aware that yesterday, I brought a public procurement Bill through Second Stage in the Seanad. It has a long journey...

Seanad: JobPath: Motion (15 Nov 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I have not said a fraction of what I want to say. We have a serious concern about how JobPath was set up and we have serious concerns about how it has been rolled out. As I have only one minute left I will focus on one of my key areas of concern but I will raise all of them again and at meetings of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Social Protection. I am seriously concerned about the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Labour Activation Measures: Department of Social Protection (20 Oct 2016)

Alice-Mary Higgins: ...some ameliorating attempts in the way the contracts have been designed, there are a couple of fundamental issues. Leaving aside some of the bigger questions on the role of private companies in JobPath and how the targets work, I am concerned about the question of education outcomes. What potential is there through the JobPath system for an education outcome for an individual? Is it the...

Seanad: Social Welfare (Covid-19) (Amendment) Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (29 Jul 2020)

Alice-Mary Higgins: ...b) ensure that, for no period in the 24 months following initial receipt of that payment, are the educational, training and employment opportunities available to an individual limited to those provided by Jobpath.”. I also want to raise some issues on this section. We have heard much discussion on unforeseen consequences and having to roll back and change things. There is...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: JobPath Programme: Discussion (17 Jan 2019)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I thank our guests for their testimonials and analysis, which were very useful. They reflected many of the issues not just in respect of JobPath but also those raised in the wider report prepared by this committee on unemployment. One of the key issues is the appropriateness of placing in terms of quality and the importance of linking to a work-first approach versus an education, training...