Tag Archives: Dole

department-of-social-protection

 

Stephen Rogers, in the Irish Examiner, reports:

The Government has begun withholding dole payments to jobseekers who refuse to take part in its Gateway job activation scheme.

The Department of Social Protection has confirmed that, as of May 2, four people had been disqualified from receiving their jobseeker’s allowance for up to nine weeks because they failed to engage with the scheme.

Under the terms of the Gateway initiative, dole claimants who have been on the Live Register for more than two years are paid an extra €20 per week on top of their jobseeker’s allowance to work for local authorities.

An average of 19.5 hours per week is on offer in areas including village enhancement schemes; landscaping; tourism ambassadors; animal control; and libraries.

Each placement lasts for 22 months.

Jobseekers who refuse placement lose dole payment (Irish Examiner)

StatedoleU25Stateover25StateallNetMigration[Click images to enlarge]

These graphs show the number of people of both sexes on the Live Register in the State aged under 25, over 25 and all ages between January 2007 and October 2013, (courtesy of the Central Statistics Office).

They show the number of people aged under 25 on the Live Register has dropped from around 95,000 in July 2009 to just under 65,000 in October 2013.

The number of people aged over 25 went from just over 340,000 in July 2009 to around 333,000 in October 2013.

The third graph shows, the number of people of all ages on the Live Register has gone from just over 430,000 in July 2009 to just over 396,000 in October 2013.

Meanwhile the last table, above, shows the number of people who have  arrived and left the country since 2008. The net migration figure is a negative when more people leave than arrive and positive when more people arrive than leave.

It shows that, out of all the age groups, since 2011, the 15-24 age group has seen the worst net migration figures.

Proof if it were needed.

You can see details for YOUR own social welfare office here.

Previously: U25s With Jobs Fallen By 60%

Daill

Paraicc

Brian

Hannah writes:

“The group ‘we’re not leaving’ had a protest against cuts to social welfare for young people. It’s impossible to survive on €100 a week. They’re giving us no other option but to emigrate.”

Previously: “You’ve Targeted A Group Of People Based On Age”

Pics: (From top) Hannah, Páraic Gallagher and Brian O’Donovan

We’re Not Leaving

00144105Phew.

Not so fast.

Eamon Gilmore went on RTE R1’s  Morning Ireland earlier to explain [to presenter Gavin Jennings} the budget cuts stuff that’s happened to benefits to people under 26.

Caution: It gets a bit ORWELLIAN.

Gavin Jennings: “How will cutting a young person’s dole payment incentivise them into work?”

Eamon Gilmore: “It’s not about incentivising them into work. This government believes that young people should be at work, in education or in training. And that is why we have committed to the Youth Guarantee, this is the idea that no young person under the age of 25 should be out of work or out of education or training for more than four months.”

Jennings: “But then why are you cutting their benefits?”

Eamon Gilmore: “We’re not cutting their benefits.”

Jennings: “But you are. From 188 to 144 or 144 to 100 Euros.”

Gilmore: “Those payments are already in place. What we are doing is extending the age at which those payments will apply.”

Jennings: “You’re cutting the payments to people between 22 and 25 this morning. “Just to be clear.

Gilmore: “Well to be clear about it, what this Government is about is ensuring that young people have a job or have education or training. We do not believe, let’s be very clear about it, this government does not believe that somebody should go on to an employment payment at 18 and still be on it continuously at the age of 25 -26.”

Jennings: “Are you saying it is their fault that they’re not taking up places in jobs and you’re going to punish them for it?”

Gilmore: It’s not their fault. It is the Government’s responsibility to ensure that employment and education and training is provided

Jennings: “But you’re punishing them?”

Gilmore: “And that is why in this Budget we have provided for an additional 500 million Euros package to create employment and generate the jobs into which these young people go. But we also know that for young people to take up employment opportunities they have to have the appropriate education and training and that is why too this budget has 740 million Euros in it for the further education and training sector and why we have in addition provided for 14 million additional Euros for the Youth Guarantee Project for which there is matching European funding.”

Listen here

(Photocall Ireland)

There was only one catch.

And that was Catch 22.

Chris Kelly writes:

At the beginning of May I applied for a Jobseeker’s allowance and, while waiting for the allowance, came across an ad for a social media internship.
The internship is 9 -5 and of course UNPAID and I submitted, at the Social Welfare office’s request, a letter from my employer to this effect.
Then I received a number of phone calls from staff at the office each just asking me about my situation and my internship. The calls got shorter with one staff member ending with “listen pretend I didn’t call” as they didn’t know how to proceed with my case.
.
Then a week or so ago I received my decision.
The claim was denied.
In order for you to get an internship and social welfare you have to be on Jobbridge or a work placement program, but you first have to be on the dole to be eligible to do them and have to be unemployed for minimum of 3 months (’cause being unemployed for a week isn’t enough for the social welfare).
Since my decision I have spoken to other interns who have told me they knew this and have just been lying about their internships in order to get the dole. One guy’s dole was stopped because he was doing an internship, there was also a girl was who was offered a very good internship but was told she was not unemployed long enough to be on Jobbridge so she couldn’t take it.
I will just end this by pointing out the unprofessionalism and simple lack of care shown by the people who I dealt with from the social welfare office.
From the uninformed people ringing asking the same questions to the author of the letter (above) which is signed in pen at the end so the person had a chance to re-read it before they sent it out. Obviously didn’t have time to even do that though.