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.

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.”

The Social Investment Package, proposed by the European Commission, seeks to ensure:

•             More effective and efficient spending to ensure adequate and sustainable social protection;

•             Investment in people’s skills and capacities to improve their opportunities in the labour market and their participation in society;

•             Investment in children and young people to increase their opportunities in life; and

•             That social protection systems respond to people’s needs throughout their lives and achieve lasting positive social outcomes.

The purpose of the conference, held at the Leuven Institute for Ireland in Europe, was to discuss the implementation of the Package.

The European Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, László Andor, led the Commission delegation at the conference, which featured a number of speakers and contributors from the various member states, the European Parliament and other international institutions.

The conference was held as part of Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the EU, in association with the European Commission.

As joint-chair of the Council of Ministers of Employment and Social Affairs (EPSCO), Minister Burton has the lead role in putting forward the political response by EPSCO to the Package.

It is the Minister’s intention that EPSCO will adopt Council Conclusions on the Package at the formal EPSCO meeting on June 20 in Luxembourg.

Minister Burton said:  “We need to shift the debate towards investing in our most valuable resource – our people.  I am delighted that the Commission has introduced this Package during our Presidency, and I hope for swift and decisive implementation.

“The Package offers opportunities to provide sustainable social protection systems and support the active inclusion of people throughout their lives.

“Presenting such a Package makes an important statement that social policy is an equally important and integral part of the EU as we move forward from the crisis.”

Independent evaluation demonstrates internship scheme among the most successful in Europe

Three in five participants in JobBridge – the national internship scheme – secure employment following their internship, according to an independent evaluation published today (May 1^st) by Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Minister for Social Protection Joan Burton.

The evaluation, conducted by Indecon Economic Consultants, shows that 61% of interns progress to paid employment after completing their internship.

The 61% progression rate for JobBridge is among the best in Europe, where progression rates for similar internship schemes average just 34%.

The evaluation report also found that:

• 96% of host organisations would recommend JobBridge to another employer
• 89% of interns stated that JobBridge had given them new skills
• Interns found that they also benefitted from:
  • an increase in their self-confidence
  • the opportunity to gain quality work experience
  • the opportunity to establish a network of contacts

The Taoiseach and Minister Burton jointly launched the report at the offices of LinkedIn in Dublin. LinkedIn, the world’s largest professional network with more than 200 million members, is among the companies which have benefitted from JobBridge, hosting interns who later progressed to full-time employment with the company.

Welcoming the findings of the report, the Taoiseach said: “The Government has an ambitious plan to modernise and improve our work activation services as part of our Pathways to Work strategy. JobBridge was a key early scheme to help deliver on this agenda. It is now clear that JobBridge is delivering for thousands of jobseekers by providing them with valuable opportunities to gain relevant work experience, knowledge and skills in a workplace environment. The fact that three in five interns gain employment following the scheme is a testament to the potential that exists in providing new work activation services to jobseekers and employers.”

Over two-thirds of interns who have participated in JobBridge were over six months on the Live Register prior to taking up an internship.

Minister Burton said: “JobBridge has proven to provide a very effective pathway back to work, with an overall progression rate of 61% into employment. Since I launched the scheme in 2011, more than 16,700 people have participated in it – and the independent evaluation proves its immense value. The scheme is making a real difference to the lives of jobseekers, including those who are experiencing long-term unemployment.”  

Alan Gray of Indecon Economic Consultants said: “Our independent evaluation of the JobBridge programme suggests it has positive outcomes in terms of employment progression. The research indicates that it is an effective labour market intervention that compares more than favourably with other labour market programmes.”

Also speaking at the launch was former JobBridge participant Shane Ashmore, who following an internship with LinkedIn has secured a full-time position as an Enterprise Accounts Analyst with the organisation.

Chair of the JobBridge National Steering Committee and Managing Director of HP Ireland, Martin Murphy, said:  “We are very optimistic that a greater number of companies can benefit from JobBridge. I would urge participation from across the business community as companies can play a vital role in upskilling our workforce while also gaining access to a pool of talented individuals, many of whom go on to paid employment in their organisations.”

Minister Burton concluded: “The evidence shows that the majority of employers and interns gain significantly from JobBridge. I would encourage employers and jobseekers who have not yet considered availing of JobBridge to do so, and see the huge benefits it could bring them.”

Attendees at today’s event included a cross-section of employers who have benefitted from JobBridge, including the GAA, Tour America, Accenture and Optimum Results.

The Government emphasised the importance of JobBridge in Budget 2013, increasing the number of places by 42% from 6,000 to 8,500. JobBridge is one of a number of schemes overseen by the Department of Social Protection which offers work, training and educational places. More than €1 billion will be spent on these schemes and related supports this year, providing 85,000 places in total.

As part of its management of JobBridge, the Department conducts monitoring visits of host organisations to ensure they are offering their intern the work experience, training and mentoring required by the scheme. To date, over 1,700 monitoring visits have been completed, and 97% of these visits were of a satisfactory nature. Remedial action is taken in cases of non-compliance. A total of 15 companies have been prohibited from future involvement with JobBridge for failing to comply with the scheme’s requirements.

While the report highlights the potential long-term economic and social value of JobBridge – through helping people back to work and reducing the Live Register – it also points to issues for further consideration. The report suggests there is a need to encourage greater participation in JobBridge among non-graduates and that enhanced support mechanisms be provided to participants to reduce non-completion of internships and to assist those who are dissatisfied with their placements. These and all other recommendations of the report will now be considered in full by the Minister and the National Steering Committee.

The full report is available from the Department of Social Protection website at www.welfare.ie

The Coolock Intreo centre, which is located in the Department’s offices in Northside Civic Centre, Bunratty Road, offers jobseekers in Dublin 17 and the Coolock and Artane areas of Dublin 5, and parts of Donnycarney and Malahide, income supports and tailored employment supports in a one-stop-shop location.

Speaking at the opening, Minister Burton said: “The opening of the Intreo centre here in Coolock is the sixth such office to be opened in Dublin.　 Every Intreo office is a very clear example of the type of fundamental reform that is taking place in the Department of Social Protection.　 Welfare offices no longer simply manage payments for unemployed people.　 Today, I am pleased to say that these Intreo offices offer a service that helps jobseekers gain the essential training and skills to find work. Intreo is pro-active, ensuring jobseekers get not just the income supports they need but also employment supports to help them on the path back to work. This one-stop shop model is also available in a number of the Department’s offices around the country. The full Intreo service will be rolled out to all the Department’s offices nationwide by the end of 2014.”

Intreo provides a personalised service, based on the person’s individual needs, including advice on education, training and personal development opportunities, job search assistance as well as information on, and access to, a range of income supports.

A number of elements are key to the Intreo service. They include:

•                    Activation measures including client profiling, early group engagement and one-to-one meetings which focus on customised employment supports and monitoring of each client’s progress

•                    Integrated decision-making process leading to quicker decisions

•                    Integrated reception providing a one-stop shop incorporating all strands of the Department’s employment and income support services

•                    A ‘social contract’ between the service and its clients

•                    Enhanced employer engagement at national and local level maximising access to job opportunities and potential employees.

Minister Burton continued:　 “I am very pleased to say that Intreo is already delivering – clients can access employment supports in Intreo centres within a week or two of registration as opposed to a minimum of three months previously.　　 Similarly, decisions on welfare claims are made within days instead of weeks, and client attendance at the engagement sessions with case workers has increased significantly.”　　

Minister Burton acknowledged the work of the local community services supports in Coolock.　 The Community Services Unit has an office in the FÁS Training Centre in Baldoyle Industrial Estate, covering the catchment area of Coolock, Darndale, Kilbarrack, Swords and Balbriggan. Community Services has responsibility for a range of programmes including Community Employment, Job Initiative Schemes, Job Clubs, Drugs Task Force Interim Funded Programmes and Supported Employment.

There are currently 27 Community Employment projects in operation in Coolock with 660 participant/supervisor positions on these projects. The projects are varied, responding to the need of the particular community group, and range from childcare and care of the aged to sport, environmental projects and maintenance of community buildings.

There are two Job Clubs, one of which is run by the Northside Centre for the Unemployed in Glin Road, Coolock and the second by the Northside Partnership, located in Greendale Shopping Centre, Kilbarrack.　 In 2012, jobseeking skills through formal training were provided to 305 unemployed people, 103 of whom accessed employment. In addition, a further 183 individuals were given one-to-one support, 43 of whom gained employment afterwards.

EmployAbility Service Dublin North, based in Ballymun, provides a service to all of North Dublin.  The aim of the service is to provide the support necessary for people with disabilities and those recovering from mental health issues/illnesses to achieve independence in a mainstream work environment. Job coaches provide needs assessment, career planning, job sourcing and job support to the jobseekers with disabilities. The EmployAbility Service links in directly with employers to encourage them to give jobseekers with disabilities the opportunity of employment.　 The service also gives advice on employment grants which are available. Last year, some 263 people participated in the service, of whom 62 were supported into open employment and 27 undertook education/training opportunities.

A strong connection between education and training and industry is crucial in ensuring that jobseekers possess the right skills to enable them to access job opportunities as they arise.　 The training on offer through the recently announced Momentum programme is closely aligned with business needs.　 In Coolock, there are four courses available through the Momentum programme in the areas of: Enhanced Homecare; Healthcare Support; Export & Transport Manager; Warehousing and Logistics. Since its introduction, over 109 clients in Coolock have been referred to MOMENTUM courses.

Minister Burton also met with the staff of the MABS office and the Citizen’s Information Office during her visit to the Northside Civic Centre today and thanked them for the sterling service that they provide to the local community.

Notes:

Intreo services and centres

•          In addition to providing tailored advice and assistance with the development of personal progression plans, the service offers many opportunities through a range of options.

•          These include Job Placement, Community Employment, TUS, Education and Training Programmes, Technical Employment Support Grant Funding, Technical Assistance Training Funding and more.

•          In addition to supporting jobseekers, each centre is also focused on engaging with employers, at both national and local level. Intreo is designed to make sure that companies and employers can access potential employees without difficulty.

•          The Intreo service is being introduced on a phased basis to each of the Department of Social Protection’s offices throughout the country.　 It is currently available at the following centres in Dublin:-

Ballymun, Coolock, Finglas, Parnell Street, Tallaght and Blanchardstown.

Subsidised places Will Assist Low-Income Families Where Parents Are Returning To Work

The Minister for Social Protection Joan Burton T.D., and the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs Frances Fitzgerald T.D., have today (24 April 2013) announced that the first pilot phase of the new afterschool childcare scheme will begin on 29 April.

In this first phase, up to 500 childcare places will be made available to people who have been long-term unemployed or were former recipients of the One Parent Family Payment and who have got a job offer or have significantly increased their part-time hours.

Minister Burton said: “The provision of good quality, affordable childcare is one of the most important ways in which we help people get back to work. I was delighted in the Budget to secure agreement for this scheme, for which savings from my Department’s Vote provided €14 million in funding to the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs. This scheme will assist parents on low incomes to return to work, and when fully up and running, will make a crucial difference to thousands of families. It represents a further step in the Government’s long-term commitment to building a first-rate childcare system for all families.”

Minister Fitzgerald said: “I am delighted that this scheme will now be available and is an addition to the suite of childcare schemes provided and funded by my Department. Extending childcare provision has been a key priority for me. The initiative shows how Departments are working together to deliver on this Government’s agenda to promote employment and to support children’s development. This phase of the pilot is to give us an opportunity to learn how we can make the scheme most effective while minimising the administrative burden on customers and employers.”

The scheme will involve a Government subsidy of €35 per week and a parental contribution of €20 per week per child. During school holidays, the Government subsidy will increase to €100 per week but the parental contribution will remain at €20 per week.

In this phase, the scheme will be made available in seven locations through the local Department of Social Protection offices in Finglas, Dundalk, Tralee, King’s Inn Street in Dublin City Centre, Cork City, Mullingar and Limerick City (Dominic Street). Customers who meet the criteria will get a letter of eligibility from their local office, which will also inform them of the amount of afterschool childcare provision applicable. They will then be referred to their nearest County Childcare Committee who will connect them with the relevant providers.

The Department of Children and Youth Affairs will be responsible for providing the afterschool childcare places, including the contracting and payment of providers and overseeing quality standards.

The second phase of the pilot will be rolled out in July this year, with national rollout in September. A total of 6,000 places will be available when the scheme is implemented in full. The Department of Social Protection will provide €14 million in funding for the scheme.

Notes:

In outline the first phase will be run as follows:

Eligibility

1)      The scheme will be available to customers of the Department of Social Protection who:

• are long-term unemployed – including previous OFP recipients who are now jobseekers;
• avail of an employment opportunity (either full-time or part-time) or increase their days of employment; or
• avail of a D/SP employment programme, such as Community Employment (CE);

AND

• have one or more children aged 4-13 years of age who are attending primary school.

2)      For those in part-time employment, subsidised after-school childcare will be provided on a pro-rata basis.

Administration & Controls

3)      The D/SP will oversee access to the scheme and will assess customers of the Department in order to determine if they are eligible to avail of the childcare support. Evidence of employment will be required from the employer. Once an individual has been deemed eligible, they will receive a letter confirming their eligibility and the amount of afterschool childcare provision applicable. They will then be referred to their nearest County Childcare Committee who will connect them with the relevant providers.

4)      The Department of Children and Youth Affairs will be responsible for providing the after-school childcare places, including the contracting and payment of the childcare providers, quality standards for the provision of these places and for all other engagements with the providers and the County Childcare Committees.

Subvention rate and parental contribution

5)      The rate of subsidy for the scheme is €35 per week rate of subvention and a parental contribution of €20 per week per child. During school holidays, the subvention rate will increase to €100 per week but the parental contribution will remain at €20 per week.

Duration of support & progression

6)      Individuals who are granted a subsidised after-school care place will be able to retain this place for one year (52 weeks) while they remain in employment.

Roll-Out of Scheme

7)      The afterschool childcare scheme will be rolled out in three stages. The first stage will commence in April 2013 and will provide 500 places in the following seven D/SP local offices:

• Tralee
• Mullingar
• Dundalk
• Cork City
• Finglas
• King’s Inn
• Limerick City (Dominic Street)

8)      Approximately 70 afterschool childcare places will be available in each of the above pilot locations. The second stage will involve additional places coming on stream in July and the third stage will commence in September 2013, when the balance of the 6,000 places will come on stream.

9)      Existing Childcare Provision

The D/CYA currently implements two childcare programmes, the Community Childcare Subvention (CCS) scheme and the Childcare Education and Training Support (CETS) scheme. The subsidy paid to afterschool service providers for those qualifying under the CCS scheme is €32 per week.

Between both of these schemes, subsidised childcare is provided to 40,000 children of low-income parents. Approximately 1,600 providers, both community and commercial, participate in the CETS scheme.

In addition, the Department administers the free Pre-School Year in Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme, which is availed of by over 65,000 children each year at an annual cost of €175 million.

The Minister for Social Protection, Joan Burton T.D. has today (23rd April 2013) announced a number of changes to strengthen governance and regulation of the country’s occupational pensions and give consumers greater input into pensions policy.
Separately, following a consultation process, the Minister will move to fully implement the recommendations in the 2012 Report on Pension Charges.

The changes to governance and regulation include a newly-structured Pensions Authority and Pensions Regulator, and actions aimed at tackling excessive fees on some pension schemes.
In line with expert recommendations, the Pensions Board will be renamed as the Pensions Authority and split into two separate bodies with different roles.

The existing Pensions Board is a 17-member body whose mission is to support a sustainable pensions system through effective regulation, the provision of information to the public, and the development of policy proposals for the Minister and Government. The Minister thanked the current Board for the considerable body of work which they have completed which has greatly contributed to the development of pensions policy over many years. The new Pensions Authority will have two distinct arms – a three-person Pensions Commission with an independent chair to provide oversight of pensions regulation; and a separate unpaid Pensions Council, with a majority of members representing consumer interests, which will advise the Minister on pensions policy.
The CEO of the Pensions Board will be renamed the Pensions Regulator.

The moves are aimed at improving governance, ensuring greater public awareness of pensions oversight and increasing consumer trust in the pensions system.

Minister Burton said: “Following the publication of the OECD report, it is clear that the pension system needs a far stronger consumer focus and these changes represent the first step in the process of creating a pension system that is responsive to the needs of members of pension schemes and pensioners. The separation between regulatory oversight and policy development will ensure there is no perception of regulatory ‘capture’ by the industry and give greater confidence to consumers. These changes, combined with action to tackle excessive pension charges, will give the public greater trust in the pensions system.

“In particular, I look forward to the new Pensions Council bringing a fresh perspective to the formulation of pension policy that has the consumer at its heart. The first task I will be giving the Council will be to monitor the implementation of the recommendations in the Report on Pension Charges and advise me if further actions are needed.

“The recommendations call for more transparency and consumers getting better and clearer information from their pension managers. The pensions industry needs to communicate more regularly and more directly with its customers and be far more upfront in drawing people’s attention to its charges and the impact that these can have on the size of your pension pot than it has been to date,” Minister Burton said.

“I intend to keep the implementation of these recommendations under review over the next year and will have no hesitation in legislating to strengthen compliance and transparency if I don’t see visible progress within this timeframe.”

The Minister also announced today the amalgamation of the offices of the Pensions Ombudsman and Financial Services Ombudsman. She welcomed the decision of Paul Kenny, Pensions Ombudsman, to defer his retirement and continue in office to assist in the merger of the two offices.

“Amalgamating the expertise of the Pensions Ombudsman with the Financial Services Ombudsman will provide the consumer with a one-stop shop for queries on pensions and financial products.”

The recommendations in relation to the Pensions Board and the Ombudsmen are made in a Critical Review conducted by a steering committee chaired by Richard Hinz, Pension Policy Advisor at the World Bank. The committee included senior representatives of the Departments of Social Protection, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Finance as well as the Pensions Board, the Central Bank, the Office of the Pensions Ombudsman, and the Financial Services Ombudsman.

The Critical Review recommends:
• Keeping the regulatory function of the Pensions Board separate to the Central Bank at this time.
• Restructuring the Pensions Board to distinguish between the regulatory and policy advisory functions.
• Dividing the governing body of the Pensions Board in two bodies – a three-member regulatory oversight group comprised of an independent chair and Government representatives; and an unpaid policy advisory council with broader representation of stakeholders.
• Renaming the Pensions Board as the Pensions Authority to ensure public awareness and clarity of its role and functions, distinguish it from the policy advisory activities, and obviate the current perception of regulatory capture.
• Renaming the CEO of the Pensions Board as the Pensions Regulator.
• Amalgamating the Pensions Ombudsman and the Financial Services Ombudsman to provide a single reference point for the public on financial products, facilitate the sharing of expertise, and deliver an enhanced service for consumers.

The Government has accepted the recommendations in the Critical Review and the Minister will move to implement them in the forthcoming Social Welfare Bill.
ENDS

Both the Critical Review and the 2012 Report on Pensions Charges, as well as the OECD Review of the Irish Pensions System, are available on the Department’s website at www.welfare.ie

Notes:

RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE REPORT ON PENSION CHARGES 2012

The following specific recommendations are proposed:
1. Continue to monitor the implementation of the 2012 Consumer Code (Central Bank) and take specific actions to:
a. Examine the practice of re-brokering to ensure that it is always in the best interests of the consumer; and
b. Conduct an exercise to ensure compliance with the recently introduced requirement for Annual Statements.

2. Develop approaches to improve consumer, employer and trustee awareness and knowledge of pension charges. This should ensure that information is clear and concise. It should be standardised, where possible, and based on best practice.
3. Develop a communications action plan on pension charges.
4. Improve trustees’ knowledge and awareness of pension charges. Take specific actions to:
a. Develop a separate module on pension charges in trustee training;
b. Provide a support service to trustees setting out principles and best practice.

5. Review occupational pension disclosure regulations specifically to:
a. Provide for the issue of an Annual Statement to all deferred members;
b. Improve the information provided in the Statement of Reasonable Projection and the need for focussed detail should be reviewed.

6. Monitor developments and continue efforts to develop a single standard measure that would assess all costs and charges and thereby enable easier comparisons to be made.
7. Conduct further research on the drivers behind consumer choice of individual pension products – with particular reference to PRSAs.
8. Ensure data on charges is collected on a periodic basis – 3 yearly intervals is considered appropriate – to allow for continued scrutiny and future decision-making.
9. Evaluate the impact of this report, these recommendations and future EU developments after two years and assess if further and more stringent recommendations are required.

Joan Burton TD

Society of St Vincent de Paul 200^th  Anniversary Conference

‘Participation, Contribution & Citizenship’

I wish to begin by thanking the Society of St Vincent de Paul for the invitation to address you here today.

The work of the Society has never been more important.

It is 200 years since your founder, Frederic Ozanam, was born in Milan.

Frederic Ozanam once wrote:

“The question which is agitating the world today is a social one. It is a struggle between those who have nothing and those who have too much. It is a violent clash of opulence and poverty which is shaking the ground under our feet.”

The world has changed an awful lot since Ozanam’s time.

But in some ways, it has not changed at all.

Two hundred years since his birth, the world is still a struggle between the haves and the have-nots – a struggle much more pronounced by the global recession.

St Vincent de Paul, and organisations like it, are a bulwark in the struggle against poverty.

Participation: A Vision of Full Employment

However the strongest protection against poverty is decent, secure and fairly paid work. This has been my abiding political conviction since I first entered politics and it has informed me throughout my career.

Sadly we live in a world where the availability of decent, secure and fairly paid work has contracted massively since the financial crisis.

In particular we face a generational crisis of youth unemployment. Across Europe right now, 5.5 million young people – one in five of those aged between 15 and 24 who are on the labour market – are without a job. In some individual member states, the situation is even worse.

In Spain and Greece, it’s one in every two young people on the labour market, with youth unemployment rates above 50 per cent. In Ireland, the rate is 32 per cent, which corresponds to about 61,000 young people.

We are all familiar with the notion of the scarring effect of unemployment – where periods of unemployment earlier in people’s working lives lead to lower earnings and less meaningful careers later on.

But there is an even more insidious aspect to unemployment, which is the bias and discrimination that those who are unfortunate enough to be unemployed face in re-entering the labour market.

My attention was recently drawn to US research which found that employers would rather call back someone with no relevant experience who’s been out of work for a few months than someone with lots of relevant experience who’s been out of work for longer than six months.

In other words, it doesn’t matter how much experience you have. It doesn’t matter why you lost your previous job — it could have been bad luck. If you’ve been out of work for more than six months, you face an enormous uphill struggle to return to employment.

This is particularly the case for young people who have never had a job or who have limited work experience.

This is why I have long advocated a formal guarantee that any young person will receive training, work experience or an apprenticeship within a short period of becoming unemployed.

I was therefore delighted to reach agreement on an EU wide Youth Guarantee at February’s EU Council meeting and look forward to making this guarantee a reality for young people in Ireland in the months and years ahead.

A new economic strategy: taxation, growth and full employment

However all our policy responses will be set at naught unless we can move to a position where the target of close to full employment becomes the overarching objective of economic policy.

And in order to do this, we need to make a very strong argument at EU level for a decisive shift away from what has now become the counter-productive policy of austerity.

One of the chief architects of the bailout programme Ashoka Mody, recently said the approach of austerity-only was wrong. In this he was merely confirming the IMF’s existing doubts about an austerity-only approach.

He also warned of the unending human pain it would create if Europe continued along this path, and the fraying of the economic and social fabric that would ensue.

However this re-examination of long held theories by the IMF has not, as of yet, been reflected at Eurogroup level, where there in the wake of the Cyprus bailout there still appears to be an inexplicable preference for loading the costs of banking crises squarely on the shoulders of ordinary people and small business.

While we suffer austerity fatigue, many German taxpayers are suffering bailout fatigue. Meanwhile we learn from recent media investigations that massive tax evasion and offshoring of wealth have become the norm for certain sections of the global elite.

The truth is that ordinary people everywhere have shouldered too much of the burden.

A shift to international  tax justice is overdue and I am encouraged in this by David Cameron’s promise at Davos in January to table global tax evasion as an item for immediate action at this year’s G8 gathering in Fermanagh.

I do hope the bracing air of that glorious setting among Fermanagh’s lakes will inject some fresh thinking into this shocking scandal on the part of our distinguished visitors Barack, Angela, David , Francois and the others.

The evidence is now overwhelming on the extent to which wealthy individuals and major corporations systematically evade even the historically low levels of tax contributions they are asked to make.

Remember the famous remark of an American Chief Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes who said taxes are the price we pay for a civilised society. This comment should be on the desk of every Minister for Finance.

We all knew for decades how widespread organised tax evasion is here and elsewhere. The notorious Ansbacher accounts revealed at various Tribunals showed how common it was in Ireland.

Now we have compelling evidence that the international scale of this practice amounts not to billions of euros but to trillions. It is difficult for individual states to go it alone on this issue as there is always an army of lawyers and even accountants ready to move funds at  a moment’s notice to an off shore haven.

International action by the G8 and the EU can achieve results that individual states cannot. In Dublin last week EU Finance Ministers took initial action on the sharing of banking records. Luxembourg is now on board for this and Switzerland has been co-operating with Germany at last in rooting out tax evasion.

If this international effort succeeds I know that every country will have access to funds previously untaxed and these can be mobilised to secure public investment in schools, roads, hospitals and housing – the kind of initiatives that helped Franklin Roosevelt overcome the 1930s depression.

However none of this will take place unless there is a fully- fledged commitment to growth and investment at EU level. Otherwise, we risk consigning Europe to a full decade of retrenchment without respite – austerity with no alleviation of the suffering people are going through.

So what would an EU growth strategy look like?

Longer term the ECB should, like the Fed in the US, pursue a dual strategy of price stability and growth. In particular it needs to have an employment target that is as close to full employment as possible.

In the short-term there is clearly room for core euro area countries to raise spending. This is because borrowing rates for countries like Germany are close to zero and the euro area as a whole has a debt ratio similar to areas such as the UK and the US, where central banks are actively willing to purchase sovereign debt.

So a eurobond-financed stimulus programme would be economically feasible and effective. The only obstacle is a political one. In other words, the reluctance to consider policy choices beyond austerity.

However I strongly believe that the debate has decisively shifted in Europe. The results of Italy’s election and the recent judgement of the Portugese Supreme Court point to an inescapable conclusion: that electorates in advanced societies have a limit beyond which they are not prepared to accept policies of austerity. I believe that we have reached the limits of austerity now.

It is my strong personal conviction that the time is right to put in place a new economic strategy based on sustainable growth, investment and full employment.

Contribution: A Vision for Social Protection

Another crucial bulwark against poverty is the welfare state.

The role of the welfare state is partly to redress the imbalances that bad luck can bring. The welfare state redistributes wealth from the fortunate to the less fortunate. It encourages solidarity between generations and groups of people facing different life challenges. When you are inactive – young, old, pregnant, ill or disabled – you are helped. But you are also encouraged to contribute during your working life.

There are those who would argue that, at this time of scarcity, we cannot afford welfare — at least not the type of welfare we have become used to. There are others who go further and say that welfare itself acts as an impediment to recovery, that it imposes an unnecessarily high floor on labour costs, that it distorts decision making and that it reduces the incentive to work.

• What this argument misses however is that welfare was borne out of austerity:
• The Bismarck concept of Social Insurance in 1870s Germany,
• The Roosevelt New Deal in Depression era America and

The Beveridge reforms in post war Britain

These were all responses to economic recession.

A recognition, even by conservative governments, that citizens and society itself need protection from the vagaries of the boom and bust economic cycle which we all know only too well is a systemic feature of free market capitalism.

Something for something: the contributory system

Last year was the 70^th anniversary of the Beveridge report. William Beveridge is the founding father of the modern welfare state. His big idea was the creation of a system of benefits to provide social security so that people would be protected from the cradle to the grave.

Beveridge understood that his plan would be immeasurably strengthened by broad public support. So he shaped his proposals around the principle that “benefit in return for contributions, rather than free allowances from the State, is what the people of Britain desire”.　 Everyone would put something in, and everyone would get something out.　 Beveridge appealed both to altruism and self-interest.

And crucially this reciprocal system depended on there being close to full employment so that citizens would be in a position to contribute throughout their working lives.

This is often described as a welfare ‘contract’ or ‘bargain’. But that would be to misunderstand why the welfare state used to be so popular.

As the British filmmaker Ken Loach shows brilliantly in his recent film ‘The Spirit of ’45’, the welfare state was popular because it represented an emotional connection, a way of thinking about the type of society which Britain was after the war – a covenant between each to look after all.

How then do we reignite the Spirit of ’45?

The current negative attitude to welfare is partly down to people’s experiences of the system. The costs of childcare and social care are exorbitant, parents don’t have proper time with their young kids, retirement is often a struggle and redundancy can trigger losing a home or racking up debt. We act as if these are problems the welfare state could never cover.

The issue of personal debt is one I have taken a particular interest in since becoming Minister and I was particularly pleased to fund and support your sister organisation the Vincentian Partnership for Social Justice in the pioneering work it has done on minimum income levels.

This work has been much in the news recently with the reasonable living expenses issued by the Insolvency Service. The Vincentians work will act as a critical bulwark and threshold of decency for families negotiating debt resolution arrangements with banks and I support them very strongly in this.

We could of course choose to do things differently. We could reorder the protections the welfare state offers us. At the moment, social welfare offers people too many benefits that are marginal in good times and can be insufficient in bad.

That is why I believe that we need to move decisively over the next decade to a contributory system for social protection. When the economy recovers, the most pressing change would be to progressively replace Jobseekers Benefit with a new system of Income Protection.

This would offer anyone who had made sufficient PRSI contributions but became unemployed up to 60 per cent of their previous earnings in non-means tested support for up to six months, capped at a minimum income level.

This would protect contributors from the dramatic drop in income they face on losing their job, which can often trigger a spiral of further problems, like losing their home, relationship breakdown or falling deeper into personal debt.

In short, Income Protection would offer much greater security to people when it is really needed, without imposing significant new net costs on the state. This would be the first step towards building an Irish version of the much vaunted Danish model of flexicurity into our social protection system and labour market.

Citizenship: A Vision of Mutual Obligations

The welfare state is under attack in many countries.

It’s under attack here too.

And I’d like to take deal with those attacks and dispel a few myths.

One such myth is that there are vast numbers of people on welfare who don’t want to work and who are cosseted by an over-generous benefits system.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

It is abundantly clear from any factual analysis of the Live Register that the great majority of people on it have a very significant financial incentive to work.

We have a particularly serious and worrying problem with long-term unemployment.

And there is a related problem: the number of jobless households that – incredibly – was allowed to increase by the previous government during the economic boom. These are households where adults have worked less than 20 per cent of their total work-time potential during the previous 12 months.

Hard as it is to believe, ESRI research shows that between 2004 and 2007, the percentage of jobless households actually rose to 15%.

By stark contrast, the average across the Eurozone in 2007 was below 10%.

Welfare must be a safety net and a springboard.

Continuing to passively pay benefits to such households is not the solution.

It is not the solution for the adults in the household who are out of work.

And, crucially, it is not the solution for the 25% of children who are growing up in these households, and who need to know something more than welfare dependency if they are to lead fulfilling lives.

The State can and must do more – but in a positive way that encourages and helps people to return to work.

However the obligations of the state must also be balanced by the responsibilities of citizens. Behind the startling numbers on jobless households lies a terrible tragedy of wasted potential, lost hope and the diminution of life opportunities.

Seeing people that are capable of working languish on welfare is not something the left should ever support.

The Labour Party should always be first and foremost about work.

Hence our name and my strong political bias towards work and the policies to promote it like a commitment to full employment, activation, investment and skills training that is required to ensure that working should be the default for all citizens of working age who have the capacity to do.

So there are mutual obligations between state and citizens: the state provides the framework and support system in which citizens are expected to work.

This government has ambition for those citizens who are unfortunate enough to be unemployed or living in jobless households. It views each and every individual on the live register or otherwise distant from the labour market as an untapped resource and a future employee who will participate in the rebuilding of this country and its economic recovery.

Conclusion

When Frederic Ozanam was born in 1813, Napoleon was at war with Europe.

Two hundred years later, it’s sometimes forgotten what a force for good the European Union has been.

But in the response to the current crisis, the EU as a whole – and individual governments – must give citizens hope.

It’s not enough to simply navigate our way out of the storm if we leave millions of people behind fending for themselves.

That is where the social protection system comes in.

I have spoken about the reforms I am implementing, and the kind of social protection system I want to build.

Strong. Robust. One that protects and supports, but also lifts people up to better things.

One to which all contribute, and from which all stand to gain.

Despite the economic crisis, it can be done.

Remember, Beveridge produced his report in the middle of World War II.

Ozanam once said:

“It is truth which will always rise up to judge political systems.”

This Government will be judged on our response to the crisis.

It is my firm intention that we will not be found wanting.

Thank you.

The Minister for Social Protection, Joan Burton, T.D., today (Friday, 19^{th April 2013}) officially opened the Intreo Centre in Blanchardstown.
The Blanchardstown Intreo Centre, which is located in the Department’s offices in Westend House, Snugborough Road, offers jobseekers in Dublin 15 income supports and tailored employment supports in the one location.
Speaking at the opening, Minister Burton said: “The opening of the Intreo Centre here in Blanchardstown, and around the country, marks a fundamental reform in the way the Department of Social Protection supports jobseekers. Intreo provides a personalised service, based on the person’s individual needs including advice on education, training and personal development opportunities, job search assistance as well as information on and access to a range of income supports. Intreo is pro-active, ensuring jobseekers get not just the income supports they need but also employment supports to help them on the path back to work.”

A number of elements are key to the Intreo service. They include:
• Activation measures including client profiling, early group engagement and one-to-one meetings which focus on customised employment supports and monitoring of each client’s progress
• Integrated decision-making process leading to quicker decisions
• Integrated reception providing a one-stop shop incorporating all strands of the Department’s employment and income support services
• A ‘social contract’between the service and its clients

Enhanced employer engagement at national and local level maximising access to job opportunities and potential employees.
Intreo is already delivering – clients can access employment supports in Intreo Centres within a week or two of registration as opposed to a minimum of three months previously. Similarly, decisions on welfare claims are made within days instead of weeks, and client attendance at the engagement sessions with case workers has increased significantly.
Minister Burton continued: “This one-stop shop model is also available in a number of the Department’s offices around the country. The full Intreo service will be rolled out to all the Department’s offices nationwide by the end of 2014.”

Briefing for employers
Earlier today, Minister Burton hosted a briefing with employers to outline the extensive range of services and supports available to assist them in growing their businesses and supporting their workforce through engagement with the Department of Social Protection. This is one of a series of
briefings with employers which have been held around the country and it is supported by Chambers Ireland, Fingal Chamber of Commerce, CIPD, Eures, IBEC, ISME and the Revenue Commissioners.

Speaking at the briefing, Minister Burton said: “We know that you – the employer – hold the key to getting Ireland back to work. This briefing session provides an opportunity for you to gain some knowledge of the employment services available to you from the Department of Social Protection – services that can put job-ready candidates at your fingertips at no extra cost and in fact in many cases with a financial subsidy. I have also established a dedicated Employer Relations Division in my Department to engage with employers and support their needs.”

The briefing outlined the incentives, including financial incentives, available to employers when recruiting people from the live register. These include financial supports such as the new JobsPlus scheme, which will be launched at the end of June (further details in the Notes for Editors), and employment initiatives such as JobBridge – the National Internship Scheme, and workplace supports to assist employees with disabilities. All of these services are provided at no costs to employers. Experts from the Revenue Commissioners were also in attendance to provide information on their Job Assist Scheme.

Employment and Advice Fair, Blanchardstown Centre
Minister Burton then visited the Employment and Advice Fair which was arranged by the Department of Social Protection’s International Employment Service and opened yesterday and runs until 6pm today (Friday, 19th April) in the Blanchardstown Centre. The Fair is aimed at Irish and EU workers looking for jobs locally and throughout Europe.
A number of Irish Companies including Hertz, PayPal, National Pen, Douglas Wellness Centre, WALK, Simple Sales & Marketing, Optimum Ltd., At Risk Security, Clarion Hotel and All in Care Ltd. are at the Fair recruiting for vacancies in Ireland.

Jobs is areas such as General Accounting/Financial Accounting, Administrators, Marketing Translator, IT Developers, Project Managers, Customer Service and Sales, Service Engineers, Warehouse and Maintenance Administrator, Retail Store Detective, Loss Prevention Officer, Security Officers, Food & Beverages Assistants, Receptionist and Home Care Assistants are available at the Fair in Blanchardstown Shopping Centre.

EURES Advisers from EU Member State countries, who are specialists in international recruitment, are at the event to advise those interested in employment and career development options in other Member States as well as education and training providers together with Irish advice and welfare agencies including those dealing with taxation and business start-up.

Minister Burton commented: “Through the Department’s EURES service, we are assisting employers to connect directly with potential future employees. Many of these employers have engaged with our services on an on-going basis and include both indigenous and multinational companies seeking employees for a wide range of roles.”

Minister Joan Burton along with  Professor Paul Reville, unvail a plaque commerating the official opeing of Coiscéim 2 , Huntstown Dublin 15.

Minister Joan Burton TD thanked Seán Ó Diomasaigh, Principal and Tony Hickey, Chairperson of the Board of Management at Sacred Heart National School Hunststown, Dublin 15, and members of the board for the invitation to celebrate the official opening of  Coiscéim 2, which is the second dedicated class for pupils with autism in Sacred Heart Nation School, Huntstown.

Minster Burton, welcomed Professor Paul Reville, Professor of Practice, Harvard Graduate School of Education; Professor Reville is on a reciprocal visit under the auspices of Boston College and the State Department of Massachusetts.  This followed a study visit by the Principal, Seán Ó Diomasaigh, to Boston, representing principals of primary schools in Ireland last year. The Minister continued by  extending a further welcome to all members of staff; pupils; members of the parents association and parent community; public representatives.

Minister Burton said “I would like to commend the Principal and the Board of Management for their commitment and dedication in bringing this refurbishment project of a new autism classroom to completion stage. The school has grown from strength to strength since 1983. It started out with two teachers and it now has 50 teachers, 9 SNAs and 900 pupils. I am delighted to see the progress over the years. The school opened its first autism class – Coiscéim 1 (Step 1) – in 2011 catering for 6 pupils .  Now it has a wonderful new classroom for a second autism class – Coiscéim 2 (Step 2) – catering for another 6 pupils which opened in November 2012. I am aware that the school enjoys a very active parent community and Parents’ Association, who support the principal and staff very well in their work, so very well done to you all.  The old Irish proverb –  ‘ní neart go cur le chéile’ (our strength is our unity) — is inscribed on your school crest. It embodies the dynamic unity and co-operation of the school community here in Huntstown. The school has a long history of providing for the educational needs of all of its pupils in an inclusive and holistic way.

One of the great strengths of a truly inclusive school is that children develop, at an early age, a great sense of caring for others, and an awareness of the importance of community.

Children learn to accept and value individual differences, which in turn leads to a more inclusive society.

This school is an excellent example of how to recognise and respond to diverse needs of their pupils while also having a continuum of support and services to match those needs.

I know that in this school, there has been on-going contact with parents and close cooperation with: the National Council for Special Education (NCSE),  the National Educational Psychology Service (NEPS), and  the Health Service Executive (HSE) This has resulted in a model of excellence for the education of pupils with special educational needs.

It’s wonderful to see the early intervention for children with autism and I am certain that this new classroom will provide very welcome facilities to support this good work and give more children the opportunity to benefit from the expertise and dedication of staff”.

Minister for Social Protection, Joan Burton, TD for Dublin West welcomes the decision from the Primary Staffing Appeals Board, that 17 English as an additional language (EAL) teaching posts have been provisionally approved in Dublin West. EAL supports are provided for students who do not speak English as their first language. The schools have been informed that the Primary Staffing Appeals Board approved the EAL teaching posts subject to the schools achieving their projected student enrolments by 30th September 2013.

The following schools have successfully appealed to retain one or more EAL positions:

Scoil Naomh Lucais, Hollywood Road, Tyrrelstown – 2 positions
Scoil Bride B, Blanchardstown – 2 positions
Scoil Bride C, Blanchardstown – 1 position
St Francis Xavier JNS, Roselawn Road, Castleknock – 1 position
Corduff National School, Blanchardstown – 1 position
Scoil Nais Mhuire Sois, Blakestown, Mulhuddart – 1 position
St Philips Senior National School, Mountview, Clonsilla – 1 position
Sacred Heart National School, Huntstown, Mulhuddart – 2 positions
Scoil Thomais, Laurel Lodge, Castleknock – 1 position
Ladyswell national School, Mulhuddart – 2 positions
Tyrrelstown Educate Together National School, Hollywood Road, Tyrrelstown – 1 position
Powerstown Educate Together National School, Powerstown Road, Tyrrelstown – 2 positions