Written Answers Nos. 275-290
276. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the number of staff members currently working at the Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement; the number of staff holding professional qualifications in the areas of forensic accounting, company law, money laundering, financial fraud and other areas relevant to the body's work; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33489/13]
View answerThe Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement (ODCE) has a total staff complement of 36.3 Whole Time Equivalents (WTEs). In addition, there is 1 temporary Legal Secretary on contract and 6.6 members of An Garda Síochána seconded to the Office. The ODCE’s staff complement comprises three distinct sub-categories, i.e.
- staff in professional grades (9 WTEs)
- staff in general civil service grades (28.3 WTEs including the temporary Legal Secretary on contract); and
- members of An Garda Síochána seconded to the Office from the Garda Bureau of Fraud Investigation (GBFI) (6.6 WTEs).
Professional Grades
A total of 9 staff occupy professional grades, as follows:
- 2 Accountants
- 6 Lawyers; and
- 1 Compliance Manager.
All 6 of the Lawyers are solicitors and, in addition, hold a range of other legal qualifications. Both Accountants hold professional accountancy qualifications and, in addition, hold a range of other qualifications relevant to their roles as Accountants in the Office.
Whilst the Compliance Manager does not, unlike the Accountants, work as an accountant in the Office, he holds a professional accountancy qualification and, in addition, holds other relevant qualifications. Whilst the Director does not, unlike the Accountants, work as an accountant in the Office, he holds professional accountancy qualifications.
General Service Grades
Staff occupying general service grade posts in the ODCE are not required to hold professional qualifications as a prerequisite. However, 10 staff members in general service grades hold third level qualifications. These qualifications include Degrees in Business, Public Administration and various branches of the Arts as well as Diplomas in various aspects of law.
Members of An Garda Síochána seconded to the Office
Gardaí seconded to the ODCE from the GBFI are not required to hold professional qualifications as a prerequisite. However, in addition to having completed Detective Training, Fraud Investigation and Crime & Technology Courses respectively, members of the GBFI seconded to the ODCE also hold other qualifications including Policing Studies, Psychology of Criminal Behaviour, Barrister at Law and Accountancy.
277. Deputy John Deasy asked the Minister for Social Protection her views as to the reason Ireland has an unemployment rate of 30.3% in the 15 to 24 age group, almost double the OECD average of 16.2%. [32999/13]
View answerIn Q4, 2012, OECD data show that Ireland had a youth unemployment rate of 29.2% and an unemployment rate of 14.3% for all persons in the labour force. This compares to an overall OECD youth unemployment rate of 16.4%, with 8% unemployment in the OECD labour force. In both instances, the rate of youth unemployment is slightly double the rate of unemployment in the overall economy. Young people, typically, suffer disproportionately from job losses in recessions as they tend to have entered employment more recently, are more likely to hold temporary contracts and to be employed in cyclically sensitive industries than older workers. The youth unemployment rate in Ireland is higher than the OECD average as the overall level of unemployment is higher in Ireland than in the OECD.
278. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason a person (details supplied) in County Kildare has been refused permission to sign on at their local employment exchange notwithstanding the fact that they are available for work; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32866/13]
View answer289. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason a person (details supplied) in County Kildare has been refused permission to sign on at their local employment exchange notwithstanding the fact that they are available for work; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32931/13]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 278 and 289 together.
The person concerned will be contacted by an official of this Department to facilitate an application for a jobseeker’s payment as required.
279. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Social Protection the guidelines that apply to State bodies, such as vocational education committees, when hiring JobBridge applicants; the measures in place to ensure the system is not abused by, for example, a VEC rehiring a different JobBridge applicant each term; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32868/13]
View answerIn order to protect the Intern and to ensure the integrity of the JobBridge Scheme a variety of control measures and criteria have been introduced. These are designed to try to ensure that the internship does not displace an existing position; that it provides appropriate training and development experience; and that appropriate mentoring and support is provided to the Intern. Under the current guidelines, upon the conclusion of an internship position a cooling off period of 6 months must elapse before a Host Organisation, including state bodies such as VECs, can re-advertise either this position or another placement in the same area of activity. This procedure is in place to prevent potential displacement arising. The cooling off period is longer than any vacation period in the VEC calendar.
280. Deputy Michael Creed asked the Minister for Social Protection when a decision will be made on an invalidity pension appeal in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Cork; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32873/13]
View answerI am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an Appeals Officer, having fully considered all of the available evidence, has decided to disallow the appeal of the person concerned by way of a summary decision. The person concerned has been notified of the Appeals Officer’s decision. The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Social Protection and of the Department and is responsible for determining appeals against decisions in relation to social welfare entitlements.
281. Deputy Michael McCarthy asked the Minister for Social Protection the position regarding an application for carer's allowance in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Cork; and if she will expedite a decision on same. [32876/13]
View answerI confirm that the department received an application for carer’s allowance from the person in question on the 4th February 2013. The person concerned was refused carer’s allowance on the grounds that the care recipient is not so disabled as to require full time care and attention as prescribed in regulations and that she was not providing full time care and attention as required. A letter issued on the 9th of April 2013 refusing the allowance. The person in question submitted further information and evidence on 23 May 2013 in support of her application. This further information and evidence has been reviewed and the deciding officer has confirmed the original decision to disallow the application. The person in question was notified of the outcome of the review on 3rd of July 2013 and of her right of appeal to the Social Welfare Appeals Office.
282. Deputy John O'Mahony asked the Minister for Social Protection when a person (details supplied) in County Mayo will receive a decision on their application for jobseeker's benefit for a retained firefighter; the reason for the delay; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32877/13]
View answerThe Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned has been referred to an Appeals Officer, who will make a summary decision on the appeal based on the documentary evidence presented or, if required, hold an oral hearing. The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Social Protection and of the Department and is responsible for determining appeals against decisions in relation to social welfare entitlements.
283. Deputy John O'Mahony asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will provide a list of the expenses eligible to be claimed in respect of an applicant for farm assist to each applicant who applies for farm assist in advance of the examination of the claim by the local social welfare officer; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32885/13]
View answerFarm assist is a weekly means tested payment that is paid to low income farmers. To qualify for a payment a farmer must be aged between 18 and 66 years, be engaged in farming, and satisfy a means test. The objective of the means assessment is to arrive at a figure which represents the normal net profit or loss from farming and includes an assessment of income from any other self-employment. This includes all income derived from farming (and other self-employment) less legitimate business-related expenses incurred in connection with the running of the farm. These costs may include rent, the cost of inputs like animal feed and fertiliser, veterinary expenses, hire of machinery, interest paid on business-related borrowings, depreciation of farm equipment and business-related utility bills. Labour costs are taken into account, with the exception of the labour of the farmer and spouse, civil partner or cohabitant.
Information on the qualifying conditions for farm assist is available to the applicant and is also available on the department’s website, www.welfare.ie. However, each application for farm assist is determined on the individual circumstances of that case and it is not, therefore, possible to supply an exhaustive list of allowed expenses. If any customer wishes to discuss the nature of expenses allowable in their case, they should contact their Social Welfare Local Office.
284. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Social Protection further to Question No. 407 of 30 April 2013, regarding unfair dismissal awards in respect of former employees of a nursing home (details supplied) in County Kilkenny, if she will confirm the progress that has been made in the context of her Department paying these claims; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32888/13]
View answerThe purpose of the insolvency payments scheme, which operates under the Protection of Employees (Employers’ Insolvency) Act, 1984, which, in turn, derives from EU Council Directive 987/80, is to protect certain outstanding pay-related entitlements due to employees in the event of the insolvency of their employer. These entitlements include wages, holiday pay, sick pay, payment in lieu of minimum notice due under the Minimum Notice & Terms of Employment Acts, 1973-2001, and certain pension contributions. Various other statutory awards made by the Employment Appeals Tribunal, Rights Commissioners, etc., are also covered by the Scheme.
Payments under the scheme are made from the Social Insurance Fund and the Minister becomes a preferential creditor against the assets of an employer in respect of most amounts paid under the scheme. Where a person’s former employer was a limited company, the company should be in liquidation or receivership in order for the person to be eligible to claim under the insolvency payments scheme. In such circumstances, the liquidator or receiver becomes the relevant officer for submitting claims under the scheme as he or she has access to the company records and can certify that the amounts claimed are in order.
I am aware that there are some cases where employers have ceased trading without engaging in a formal winding-up process and that in some such cases, such as the one to which the Deputy refers, their former employees may have moneys owed to them. I am examining the legislative position with regard to these types of situations with a view to establishing what, if anything, can be done to progress payment of entitlements where no liquidator or receiver is appointed.
285. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Minister for Social Protection if she is satisfied that there was enough progress made on youth unemployment during the Irish Presidency; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31473/13]
View answerYouth unemployment continues to present a major challenge for Ireland as it does for most Member States. Recognising the urgency required in tackling the challenge of youth joblessness, the EPSCO Council quickly agreed on the EU Council Recommendation on a Youth Guarantee in February. The Irish Presidency was at the forefront of securing agreement on the adoption of the Recommendation. The Recommendation is that Member States should: Ensure that all young people under the age of 25 years receive a good-quality offer of employment, continued education, an apprenticeship or a traineeship within a period of four months of becoming unemployed or leaving formal education.
As part of the European Council agreement on the 2014 – 2020 EU Budget earlier this year, it was decided, in association with the agreement on the Youth Guarantee, to provide €6 billion for a new Youth Employment Initiative (YEI) for regions with particularly high levels of youth unemployment. This funding will consist of €3 billion from the European Social Fund and an additional €3 billion from a new Youth Employment budget line.
Proposals supported by the Irish Presidency that payments of the Youth Employment Initiative be front-loaded and all monies provided for this purpose be used in 2014 and 2015 were approved last month. In addition, The European Council agreed last week that margins left available below the Multi-annual Financial Framework (MFF) budgetary ceilings for the years 2014-2017 will be used to constitute a "global margin for commitments" to fund in particular measures to fight youth unemployment. The flexibility means, in effect, that beyond the €6 billion that we reserved in February, there will be substantially more available for the Youth Employment Initiative - according to projections, at least €8 billion in total.
It is recognised, both in the Recommendation itself and more generally, that the pace of implementation must take account of the scale of the youth unemployment and inactivity challenge and consider the fiscal capacity of each Member State. At the same time, Member States should take all possible measures to ensure that the Recommendation is swiftly implemented. For our own part, the Government will now review the current range of youth employment policies in Ireland to assess what measures will need to be taken to commence the implementation of the Guarantee. It is intended to produce a concrete plan for the implementation of the Guarantee before the end of 2013. The Government intends to work with all relevant stakeholders to maximise the impact of a Youth Guarantee in Ireland.
The scale and nature of any additional measures required for the implementation of a Guarantee at national level will depend on the trend in youth unemployment, and in particular the number of young people likely to experience periods of unemployment of more than four months under current policies. Recent trends have been positive in this regard. The seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate for young people is now just over 26%, down from an average of over 30% last year. The seasonally-adjusted number of young people on the Live Register, at 67,000, is substantially down from the peak of 89,000 reached in late 2009. Even so, the implementation of a Guarantee will, almost certainly, require an expansion in the range of opportunities currently on offer to young people in the form of further education and training, internships, subsidised private-sector recruitment, and supports for self-employment.
To summarise, significant political progress was made on the issue of youth unemployment during the Irish Presidency. It now remains for the recommendation on the Youth Guarantee to be implemented by individual Member States.
287. Deputy Jack Wall asked the Minister for Social Protection the position regarding a carer's allowance appeal in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32920/13]
View answerThe Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was referred to an Appeals Officer on 26 June 2013 who will make a summary decision on the appeal based on the documentary evidence presented or, if required, hold an oral hearing. The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Social Protection and of the Department and is responsible for determining appeals against decisions in relation to social welfare entitlements.
288. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection the correct maximum rent level at which rent support will be offered in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32930/13]
View answerThe person concerned currently has a lease agreement which expires on 31 July 2013. Therefore following the expiration of this agreement, she has an entitlement to the revised rent limit for a parent and two children in North Kildare which is €800.00 per month.
290. Deputy Sandra McLellan asked the Minister for Social Protection if a person takes up temporary part-time work, whether this will disqualify them from being considered for a further 12 months from when they finish the temporary work; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32941/13]
View answerCommunity Employment (CE) is an active labour market programme designed to provide eligible long term unemployed people and other disadvantaged persons with an opportunity to engage in useful work within their communities on a temporary, fixed term basis. CE helps unemployed people to re-enter the active workforce by breaking their experience of unemployment through a return to a work routine and to assist them to enhance/develop both their technical and personal skills.
Persons in receipt of jobseekers payments for 12 months or more are eligible for CE, but there is a maximum limit of 30 worked days allowed during the 12-month qualifying period, otherwise they become ineligible for CE. This is because persons who have gained work in excess of 30 days are considered not to be as far removed from the workforce as persons who have worked less than 30 days in the qualifying period and are therefore better suited to other interventions instead of CE. Provided the accumulated worked days do not exceed 30 at the time of application, the person will be eligible for CE. If they have exceeded 30 days, they will become eligible again provided they are still signing on and the cumulative total within the current 12-month qualifying period has dropped below 30 worked days.
