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Posts tagged social welfare
Immigrants leaving in thousands
Dec 24th
THE number of foreign nationals working and getting personal public service numbers (PPSNs) plunged last year as thousands of people left the country in the economic downturn.
Despite the huge exodus, social welfare “activity” among those who have stayed has gone up — driven largely by sharp unemployment.
New figures show that more than 154,000 foreign nationals were given PPS numbers last year to help them gain access to social welfare benefits, public services and information inIreland.
This was a drop of more than 60,000 (28pc) on the 2007 figure and almost 72,000 fewer than the peak allocation in 2006.
Paul Gogarty bellowed “F….K YOU, Deputy Stagg, F…K YOU!”
Dec 12th
Good grief. It was as if we all nodded off for a brief snooze during the afternoon Dail debate on the Social Welfare Bill, and suddenly awoke to find ourselves in a chip shop at closing-time.
Like a gurrier gunning for a scrap, the Green’s elected representative for Dublin Mid-West, Paul Gogarty glared belligerently across the chamber and bellowed “F….K YOU, Deputy Stagg, F…K YOU!”
The fusillade of effs came out of a clear blue sky. Just before 4pm, Paul rose to contribute to the debate, but found his oratory impeded by a spate of heckling from the Labour benches who had been giving merry hell to the government side throughout the past two days.
Budget sweeteners
Dec 9th
ALCOHOL prices will be reduced and a new car scrappage scheme will be announced as two minor sweeteners in today’s draconian Budget 2010.
But the Government will still face a wave of public fury over swingeing cutbacks, including those to child benefit and social welfare payments.
The Coalition is planning to rush through the cuts to social welfare payments to prevent Fianna Fail backbenchers from being forced into a climbdown.
Strike to delay social welfare payments
Nov 23rd
Payment to some 55,000 social welfare recipients will be delayed by a day as a result of the strike action by civil and public sector unions tomorrow.
Recipients who are paid through post offices are not expected to be affected.
All offices of the Department of Social and Family Affairs will be closed to the public tomorrow due to the industrial action.
Telephone lines will also be closed.
The vast majority of the over 1.3 million weekly welfare payments, which are made through electronic fund transfer, will not be affected, according to a statement from the Department.
However, about 35,000 people who are on short-term schemes and whose weekly payment is due this Wednesday will experience a delay of one day.
The delay will also affect a further 20,000 recipients who are paid by cheque.
The categories affected are maternity benefit, illness benefit, a small number of jobseekers payments and the supplementary welfare payment.
Recipients who are paid by Social Services Card through their post office are not expected to be affected; neither are those in receipt of disability allowance, and who are due to collect their payment on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, public sector trade unions are expected today to agree to return to talks with the Government aimed at securing €1.3bn of savings.
The public service committee of ICTU is scheduled to consider plans for further industrial action.
However, due to the flooding the Irish Nurses Organisation and the Psychiatric Nurses Association have decided to suspend the planned industrial action scheduled for tomorrow in Cork city and county, Ballinasloe, Co Galway and its immediate area.
The suspension of the planned action means that INO and PNA members are now being advised to report to work as normal in acute hospitals and all other services in these two areas.
Jobless snub FAS offer of work scheme without wages
Jul 30th
A new scheme aimed at giving unemployed people the opportunity to gain work experience has received only a lukewarm reception.
So far, just 170 applicants have registered for the programme, which gives the unemployed, unpaid work experience while retaining their social welfare benefits.
Jobless will skip dole queues by going online
Jul 25th
People who lose their jobs could soon be able to sign on the dole over their mobile phone or the internet.
With lengthening dole queues and unemployment offices swamped by jobless workers seeking benefits, the Department of Social and Family Affairs has launched a fast-track tender for a certification system for unemployment via mobile phones.
Currently, someone who is laid off has to sign on in person at their local unemployment office.
Opposition parties criticise Bord Snip recommendations
Jul 16th
Opposition parties have given a mixed reaction to the contents of the Bord Snip Nua report, which recommends around €5.3 billion worth of public spending cuts.
Fine Gael’s Richard Bruton broadly welcomed the report, but said it wasn’t perfect.
“The notion that you would seek to charge the most vulnerable people for their medicines is something that will shock people,” Mr Bruton said, in reference to the board’s controversial recommendation to introduce a €5 charge for those previously receiving free prescriptions.
Labour leader Eamon Gilmore said the report was written by people who have no experience of poverty
His view was echoed by Sinn Fein TD Aengus O’Snodaigh, who said the Government and the author of the report, Colm McCarthy, are out of touch with reality.
Update:
Finance Minister Brian Lenihan has appealed to the public to avoid “knee-jerk and defensive reactions” after the publication of today’s report by An Bord Snip Nua.
The report, which lays out recommendation for one of the biggest planned cutbacks in the history of the State, urges 17,300 public sector lay-offs and has already drawn threats of a painful strike by public workers.
Unemployment in Ireland soars to second highest in EU-15 countries
Jul 14th
IRELAND has moved from having the second lowest unemployment rate among the EU-15 countries two years ago to the second highest, calculations from the OECD show.
Joblessness has risen faster in Ireland than anywhere else, reflecting the sudden collapse of the building boom.
The 11.7pc rate recorded for May is 85pc higher than the average for last year.