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Untitled Document Tuesday, 18th July, 2017: Today Minister for Employment and Social Protection, Regina Doherty, T.D. published the Department’s Annual Report for 2016. The Department is the largest Department in Government with some 6,000 staff and an annual budget of almost €20bn. In launching the report, the Minister reflected on the wide and diverse customer groups served by the Department - including families, people in employment, jobseekers, employers, people with illness and disabilities, carers, and older people. “Through the wide range of services it provides, the Department of Social Protection impacts on the lives of almost every citizen in the State in the course of their life – from Child Benefit to the State pension and every possible life stage in between – maternity, paternity, illness, unemployment and redundancy. “The scale of the Department’s work is considerable. Each week almost 1.4 million social welfare payments are made and, when qualified adults and children are included, around 2.1 million people benefit from these payments. In addition, some 623,000 families receive monthly Child Benefit payments in respect of almost 1.2 million children.” Minister Doherty acknowledged the role of her predecessor, An Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, in providing enhanced supports to jobseekers seeking to get back to work during his tenure in the Department of Social Protection; “Throughout 2016, the Department implemented key actions and initiatives from the Pathways to Work Strategy for 2016-2020. Significant progress was made in supporting jobseekers to return to work with the unemployment rate falling from a peak of 15.1% in 2012, to 7.1% at the end of 2016. This success has continued and this Government’s continued and relentless focus on tackling unemployment is continuing to reap rewards into 2017, with an unemployment rate of 6.3% for June this year.” While recent improvements in the performance of the Irish economy have reduced the numbers of people in receipt of unemployment related income supports, wider demographic trends in Irish society mean that the demands on the Department’s services continue to grow. In 2016, a number of improved measures for people receiving social welfare payments were also secured in the Budget that was announced in October. These included the weekly increase of €5 for people receiving the maximum rates of payment with a proportionate increase for those on reduced rates. The Budget also provided for the extension of Treatment Benefit (dental, optical, hearing) and Invalidity Pension to the self-employed, all of which are taking effect at various stages throughout this year. A Christmas Bonus, amounting to €221 million was paid at the increased rate of 85% to 1.2 million people during the first week of December 2016. The developments outlined in the Department’s report show the wide range of service and policy reforms that were implemented by the Department in 2016, to help jobseekers secure employment, to reflect the changing needs of families and to improve service delivery. These included the provision of work placement opportunities, guidance and training services for jobseekers as well as the delivery of a range of services for employers including recruitment services, PRSI supports and jobsfairs. Key Achievements of the Department in 2016 include: - The introduction of Paternity Benefit in September 2016 that offers two weeks payment to new fathers who avail of paternity leave - The Department completed its rollout of the full Intreo service to people with disabilities as part of commitments under the Comprehensive Employment Strategy (CES) - The Department partnered with the Department of Health to commence work on a ‘Healthy You: Early Intervention’ as part of a commitment in the Programme for Government to support people to get back to work if they have an illness or disability - The Department and the National College of Ireland became partners in the development and delivery of accredited educational programmes for the staff working in the Department - The Department released its Customer Charter and Action Plan 2016 – 2018 which sets out the level of service customers can expect when dealing with the Department and its commitment to providing a professional, efficient, courteous and timely service to all customers - The roll out of a programme of online services via the www.mywelfare.ie customer facing platform commenced in 2016. By the end of 2016, Maternity and Paternity Benefit were available online with further services continuing to become available to customers presently - The Department won the International Social Security Association Good Practice Award for Europe 2016 for its work in developing the integrated welfare and employment Intreo service which is now nationwide - The Department was included in the 2016 Civil Service Excellence Awards, being honoured in the category of World Class Civil Service and also in the category of Leading Civil Service Renewal - An innovative mortgage arrears resolution service, Abhaile, was officially launched on 3rd October 2016. The scheme, co-ordinated by the Department of Social Protection and the Department of Justice and Equality, is implemented by MABS, working closely with the Insolvency Service of Ireland (ISI), the Legal Aid Board, and the CIB. - 2016 also saw the extension of the Personal Micro Credit (PMC) Scheme which provides for small scale loans by Credit Unions to borrowers who have difficulty accessing low cost credit. The aim of the scheme is to move people from the use of high cost moneylenders to legitimate low cost, locally available, alternative access to credit. - In September, JobsWeek 2016 held over 150 events nationwide which saw an overall attendance by over 14,000 jobseekers. The events included jobsfairs, career advice and networking initiatives along with networking events with a broad range of employers. The Annual Report 2016 is available on the Department of Social Protection’s website at http://www.welfare.ie/en/downloads/ar2016.pdf ENDS
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Untitled Document Cuirim fáilte roimh fhoilsiú Thuarascáil Bhliantúil na Roinne Coimirce Sóisialaí i gcomhair na bliana 2016. Ó ceapadh i m’Aire Coimirce Sóisialaí mé in 2016, is maith mar is eol don an ról éagsúil, tábhachtach atá ag mo Roinn. Is í an Roinn is mó de chuid an Rialtais í, ina bhfuil 6,000 státseirbhíseach, agus tá buiséad beagnach €20bn aici. Tá sí freagrach> as na híocaíochtaí seachtainiúla agus míosúla le breis is 1.5 milliún duine, idir dhaoine aonairCuirim fáilte roimh fhoilsiú Thuarascáil Bhliantúil na Roinne Coimirce Sóisialaí i gcomhair na bliana 2016. Ó ceapadh i m’Aire Coimirce Sóisialaí mé in 2016, is maith mar is eol don an ról éagsúil, tábhachtach atá ag mo Roinn. Is í an Roinn is mó de chuid an Rialtais í, ina bhfuil 6,000 státseirbhíseach, agus tá buiséad beagnach €20bn aici. Tá sí freagrach as na híocaíochtaí seachtainiúla agus míosúla le breis is 1.5 milliún duine, idir dhaoine aonair agus teaghlaigh, agus is le pinsinéirí agus leanaí a dhéantar breis is leath na n-íocaíochtaí uainn. Ina theannta sin, soláthraíonn an Roinn tacaíocht ioncaim do 800,000 duine eile, lena gcuimsítear daoine faoi mhíchumas, cúramóirí, teaghlaigh aontuismitheora agus cuardaitheoirí poist. Chun na críche sin, tríd an raon leathan seirbhísí a sholáthraíonn sí, bíonn tionchar ag an Roinn ar shaol beagnach gach saoránach sa Stát i rith a shaoil nó a saoil – ón sochar linbh go dtí an pinsean stáit agus gach rud a d’fhéadfadh tarlú eatarthu – máithreachas, atharthacht, breoiteacht, dífhostaíocht agus iomarcaíocht. Sa dul chun cinn atá leagtha amach sa tuarascáil seo, léirítear an raon leathan athchóirithe seirbhíse agus athchóirithe beartais a chuir an Roinn chun feidhme in 2016, chun cabhrú le daoine dífhostaithe post a aimsiú, chun freastal ar na hathruithe atá ag teacht ar na riachtanais agus na mianta atá ag teaghlaigh agus chun feabhas a chur ar sholáthar seirbhíse. Ba chúis áthais dom é go háirithe in 2016 saoire atharthachta íoctha a thabhairt isteach ó mhí Mheán Fómhair, ionas go mbeidh tuilleadh deiseanna ag aithreacha chun ról gníomhach a ghlacadh sna céimeanna luatha de shaol a linbh, agus an tús is fearr is féidir a thabhairt don leanbh sin. I measc na mbuaicphointí eile in 2016 bhí laghdú na dífhostaíochta go dtí 7.3%, lenar sáraíodh an sprioc a bhí againn post a bheith ag 20,000 duine a bhí dífhostaithe go fadtéarmach. D’éirigh liom pacáiste Buiséid €330 milliún a fháil, a d’fhág gur fhéadamar €5 in aghaidh na seachtaine a chur leis an bpinsean stáit, mar aon leis na chéad mhéaduithe ó 2009 ar na híocaíochtaí seachtainiúla a dhéantar le daoine faoi mhíchumas, cúramóirí, daoine dalla, baintreacha, teaghlaigh aontuismitheora agus cuardaitheoirí poist, i measc eile. Ina theannta sin, bhain mé amach comhaontú go n-íocfaí bónas na Nollag ar an ráta méadaithe 85 faoin gcéad. In 2016, foilsíodh Ráiteas Straitéise nua na Roinne Coimirce Sóisialaí le haghaidh 2016 – 2019. Sa straitéis sin, cuirfear chun feidhme na tosaíochtaí atá leagtha amach sa Chlár don Rialtas Comhpháirtíochta. Is é an tosaíocht is mó dár gcuid do na blianta beaga atá romhainn ná coinneáil leis an gcur chuige stuama i leith an gheilleagair agus an chaiteachais phoiblí agus a chinntiú nach ndéanfaimid arís na botúin a rinneadh cheana, ach go ndéanfaimid soláthar le haghaidh méaduithe beaga, inbhuanaithe ar ioncam agus seirbhísí poiblí agus bonneagar feabhsaithe. Táimid ag iarraidh a chinntiú go rachaidh an téarnamh chun tairbhe gach duine, agus nach bhfágfar duine ar bith ar lár. Táim ag díriú go tréan ar fhostaíocht, ar athchóiriú pinsin, agus ar Íocaíocht do Theaghlaigh i bhFostaíocht a fhorbairt chun an bhochtaineacht i measc leanaí a laghdú agus a chinntiú nach mbeidh teaghlach ar bith níos fearr as agus iad ag maireachtáil ar íocaíochtaí coimirce sóisialaí ná mar a bheidís de bharr fostaíochta. Tá sé ina sprioc agam a chinntiú go mbeidh luach saothair ag daoine as an obair trí athchóiriú a dhéanamh ar an gcóras ÁSPC agus trí phrionsabal na ranníocaíochta a threisiú. Chomh maith leis sin, táim ag cur chun feidhme Beart Nua do Dhaoine Féinfhostaithe, ar féidir leo leas a bhaint as Sochar Súl agus Sochar Fiaclóireachta anois. Anonn sa bhliain, beidh fáil acu ar líontán sábhála na tacaíochta ioncaim ón Stát más rud é go bhfágfaidh drochbhreoiteacht nó drochghortú nach féidir leo a bheith ag obair, gan iad a bheith faoi réir tástáil acmhainne. Ó ceapadh i m’Aire Coimirce Sóisialaí mé, is mór a chuaigh ardchaighdeán na foirne i bhfeidhm orainn i gcónaí. Táim féin agus mo chomhghleacaí, an tUasal Finian McGrath, T.D., an tAire Stáit a bhfuil freagracht ar leith air i ndáil le Daoine faoi Mhíchumas, ag tnúth le leanúint leis an dlúthchomhar maidir le cur chun feidhme na dtosaíochtaí atá leagtha amach sa Chlár don Rialtas Comhpháirtíochta. Leo Varadkar T.D An tAire Coimirce Sóisialaí