Tag Archives: Joan Burton

NEW data released by Facebook has revealed that Fine Gael are the most discussed political party on Facebook in Clare since November. Across the county, Labour were the second most discussed party while Fianna Fáil are in third spot. Sinn Féin come fourth in the rankings for conversations in Clare, followed by the Green Party, then Renua, the Social Democrats, the Anti Austerity Alliance and the People Before Profit Alliance. Facebook’s data, published with less than two weeks to polling day, has also revealed that infrastructure, health and the economy were the most discussed election-related issues in Clare. After that came social welfare, crime and corruption, flooding, education, housing and abortion. In terms of personality politics, Taoiseach Enda Kenny was the most discussed political leader in Clare, with Tánaiste Joan Burton coming second. Gerry Adams of Sinn Féin was third in the county ahead of Fianna Fáil’s Micheál Martin. Eamon Ryan of the Green Party was the fifth most discussed …

  DURING her visit to Clare recently, Tбnaiste and Minister for Social Protection Joan Burton told The Clare Champion that issues relating to the provision of social housing in Clare could be eased if Clare County Council follows the example of their Limerick counterparts and rolls out the Housing Assistance Programme (HAP). During her visit to the offices of The Clare Champion, Barrack Street was closed off to vehicular access, while there was a significant garda presence patrolling the street. Minister Burton was speaking in the context of homeless issues in Kilkee and Lahinch, which were highlighted by The Clare Champion in recent weeks. “We’re approaching this on a case-by-case basis. This is a discussion we want to have with Clare County Council. Along with Jim Lynch, the overall manager of the Department of Social Protection Services in the Mid-West, we would like to see Clare County Council becoming part of HAP,” the Tбnaiste said. “It has been piloted by …

The latest Live Register figures show a continuing reduction in unemployment. There were 358,672 people on the Register in January 2015, a decrease of 40,958, or 10.2%, compared with the same month last year. The unemployment rate now stands at 10.5%, down from a crisis peak of 15.1% but over €i billion is to be invested in a number of measures ensure the downward trend continues. The Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection Joan Burton, has made clear that the Government’s target is to reduce unemployment to below 10% by the end of 2015, and with this in mind, the following is a short but not exhaustive list of some of the key measures the Department of Social Protection is taking as part of the Pathways to Work and Action Plan for Jobs strategies to speed up the progress on the employment front and help jobseekers return to work. The Action Plan for Jobs, overseen by the Department of Jobs, …

Budget 2015 will help families back to work, provide extra financial support for children and a range of vulnerable groups, according to Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection, Joan Burton. “Through the Pathways to Work strategy to reduce the Live Register, the Department has placed an unrelenting focus on helping jobseekers return to work, with unemployment down from a crisis peak of 15.1% to 11.1% now. This focus will continue in 2015, and will produce significant savings from reduced jobseeker payments, which produces a number of benefits. “Firstly, it means that overall welfare spending continues to decrease, contributing to the stabilisation of the public finances. Secondly, it ensures there will be no reductions to any social welfare scheme in 2015. Thirdly, we can use some of the savings to increase payments in certain areas to assist the most vulnerable,” she said. Main social welfare elements in Budget 2015 Return to Work Initiatives – €1.1 billion to be spent on employment …

Over 5,000 lone parent families will lose their entitlement to One Family Payment from this Thursday but this will rise to 9,000 by the end of the year. By highlighting the fact By July 2015, almost 60,000 families will lose One Family Payment when their youngest child turns seven, SPARK (Single Parent Acting for the Rights of Kids) has called on the promise made by Minister Joan Burton in April 2012 not to proceed with these ‘reforms’ unless there was “system of safe, affordable and accessible child care in place, similar to what is found in the Scandinavian countries to whose systems of social protection we aspire. “There have been 800 after school childcare places provided (ASCC) for all low income families and this is nowhere near the requirement needed to assist the 60,000 effected families. Minister Joan Burton has cited the fact that lone parent families are the poorest group in Society as the reason for reform, however, the changes being introduced have a …

A CALL has gone out for Clare businesses to row in behind the annual National Supported Employment Week from Monday, April 7 to Sunday 13. Job Shadow Day (Wednesday) is the high point of the week and will see hundreds of people with disabilities take the opportunity to shadow a workplace mentor, as he or she goes about a normal working day. The Irish Association for Supported Employment (IASE) initiative seeks to encourage businesses throughout the country to support equal employment opportunities and sign up at www.iase.ie to participate. Last year, over 460 individuals with a disability shadowed at 439 employment sites in Ireland, with 27 securing a permanent job placement as a direct result. Following on from its success in Ireland, National Supported Employment Week is set to roll-out in Europe, with 12 countries already committed to take part in 2015. Many high profile individuals participated in Job Shadow Day last year, including Minister Joan Burton and Today FM …