Minister for Social Protection, Joan Burton TD, today (22nd May 2013) published the Social Welfare and Pensions (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2013 to give effect to a number of social welfare and pensions reforms. The Bill is available to view on www.oireachtas.ie.  The main provisions contained in the Bill are:

· Changes in liability for PRSI contributions which will broaden the PRSI base;
· Changes to the Jobseeker’s payment schemes;
· Enhanced identity authentication requirements for claiming social welfare payments which will help strengthen the control of welfare expenditure;
· Changes in the governance structure of the Pensions Board; and
· Facilitation of online access to the index information from the registers of births, deaths, marriages and civil partnerships.

Changes in liability for PRSI (Sections 6 and 12)
Budget 2013 announced a number of measures to broaden the income base for PRSI in order to ensure the stability of the Social Insurance Fund so that it can continue to pay the pensions and benefits required by those who need them. A number of these measures were provided for in the Social Welfare Act 2012, including an increase in the minimum level of annual contribution from the self-employed from €253 to €500. This Bill extends liability for PRSI contributions to certain civil and public sector workers who pay modified rates of PRSI (Classes B, C and D) and who also have income from a trade or profession. Such income will now become liable to PRSI at the rate of 4% but will not count towards determining entitlement to social insurance benefits.  (more…)

The Minister for Social Protection, Joan Burton TD, has today (21 May 2013) published details of a progressive new scheme to assist lone parents on the pathway back to work.

Jobseeker’s Transition is designed to allow former recipients of One-Parent Family Payment (OFP), whose youngest child is under 14 years of age, to receive the full support of the Department’s activation services to help them return to work, training or education, while recognising the particular difficulties they face, such as childcare and long-term absence from the labour market.

The key element of Jobseeker’s Transition is that recipients will be able to seek work on a part-time rather than a full-time basis if this is better suited to their family requirements.  They will also be able to access existing childcare supports to enable them to engage in education and training programmes.

Minister Burton said: “Research demonstrates that paid work is the best way out of poverty and social exclusion, and it is crucial that lone parents are helped in a compassionate, supportive and effective way to return to work in a manner that best suits their family circumstances. This is what Jobseeker’s Transition is designed to do.” 

The scheme will be introduced as part of a wider series of social welfare measures in the Social Welfare and Pensions (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2013, which will be published tomorrow and go before the Oireachtas next month. (more…)

As you know, Castleknock Community College (CCC) has long been seeking the green light to proceed with a much-needed two-storey extension that would include a new sports hall with balcony and changing rooms, ten new classrooms and a covered link to the existing school building.

I have consistently raised the matter with my colleagues, Education Minister Ruairi Quinn and Public Expenditure Minister Brendan Howlin, because CCC, in my view, has an unarguable case for funding.

There are ongoing discussions in Government with a view to developing further investment in much-needed infrastructure.

People may have seen, for example, that the European Investment Bank visited Dublin recently.

My own view is that we need further stimulus to invest in crucial infrastructure – building projects that will deliver necessary facilities and create jobs.

Schools would have to be a key component, and CCC, in my view, absolutely merits funding under any such plan.

Despite years of promises by the previous Government, funding never materialised for CCC.

I understand one of the key criteria for inclusion on any new plan will be that projects are shovel-ready, and CCC has done everything possible to get to that stage.

As a result, I’m very confident that the CCC has every chance of being on any further investment plan.

I will continue to keep you updated on this hugely important issue.

A greater focus on social investment is needed across the EU to counter the effects of the economic crisis, the Minister for Social Protection, Joan Burton TD, has said.

Speaking on the 3rd May 2013 when concluding a two-day conference on the Social Investment Package hosted by the Irish Presidency in Leuven, Belgium, Minister Burton stressed the importance of social investment, saying a purely economic response to the crisis would not be enough.

“I’ve spoken already of my personal belief that the EU needs to shift towards an economic policy based on sustainable growth, investment, full employment and social inclusion.  It’s not enough to simply navigate our way out of the economic storm if we leave millions of people behind fending for themselves. That is where social protection, and social investment, comes in,” Minister Burton said.

“And that is why the Social Investment Package is so important. We need to act swiftly and decisively on its implementation. It would go hand in hand with an economic approach based on jobs, investment and growth.” (more…)