Results 20,921-20,940 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Domiciliary Care Allowance Applications (15 May 2013)

Joan Burton: An application for domiciliary care allowance (DCA) was received from the person concerned on 9 April 2013. This application has been forwarded to one of the Department’s Medical Assessors for their medical opinion. Upon receipt of this opinion, a decision will issue to the person concerned. It can take up to 8 weeks to process an application for DCA.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals Reviews (15 May 2013)

Joan Burton: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that the information in relation to the time taken for each of the 39 reviews is not available. Processing times in relation to appeals are measured and reported by an ICT system in the Appeals Office. Reviews by the Chief Appeals Officer are not tracked on this system. When a review is requested, the files in question are recalled...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals Status (15 May 2013)

Joan Burton: The person concerned was refused jobseeker’s benefit by a Deciding Officer of the Department on the grounds that he was not available for full-time work and was not genuinely seeking full-time employment. The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned together with the relevant Departmental papers were received by that office on 03 May 2013...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Disability Allowance Appeals (15 May 2013)

Joan Burton: The person’s claim is with the deciding officer for review and she will be notified shortly in writing of the outcome.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Expenditure (15 May 2013)

Joan Burton: The extent to which my Department has been involved in litigation at the Courts of Justice of the European Union or the European Court of Human Rights is very limited. During the period in question my Department was represented at two cases; one in relation to a referral from the Irish Courts and one where Ireland was intervening in a case in which we had an interest in the decision of the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Invalidity Pension Application Numbers (15 May 2013)

Joan Burton: A breakdown of invalidity claims awarded and disallowed is not available from December 2010 - 2011. A dual payments system was in operation from December 2010 until all claims were migrated onto a new computer platform in May 2011. INVALIDITY PENSION CLAIMS Year Received Awarded Disallowed Total Decided 2008 7757 5431 2165 7596 2009 7475 4580 2933 7513 2010 8774 3445* 3411* 7614 2011...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Child Benefit Rates (15 May 2013)

Joan Burton: The importance of child and family income supports is underlined by the fact that in 2013 my Department will spend over €2.8 billion on supports to families and children through payments such as Child Benefit, the Family Income Supplement, qualified child increases on weekly social welfare payments, and the Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance. This accounts for...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Eligibility (15 May 2013)

Joan Burton: The application, based upon the evidence submitted, was refused on medical grounds and the person concerned was notified in writing of this decision on 8 February 2013. The person submitted further medical evidence in support of her claim and a review of her application is underway. Once a decision is made on this review the person will be notified of the outcome.

Seanad: OECD Review of Irish Pensions System: Statements (15 May 2013)

Joan Burton: I thank the Acting Chairman and the Seanad for the invitation to speak about the OECD pensions report and give Senators some background information on it. Secure and adequate finances are one of the fundamental components of a happy and active retirement. The sustainability of the pensions system is a particular concern. The demographics, or population bonuses, Ireland has mean we have...

Seanad: OECD Review of Irish Pensions System: Statements (15 May 2013)

Joan Burton: I have a commitment at 4 p.m. with a deputation. I am happy to stay for the extra five minutes, but I was here at the time the debate was due to start.

Seanad: OECD Review of Irish Pensions System: Statements (15 May 2013)

Joan Burton: I thank the Senators for their thoughtful and incisive contributions. I wish to stress that the OECD report is quite positive about Ireland, in the sense that we have quite a good and strong universal retirement pension system through the State. One of the features of it is that if somebody has made contributions, they qualify. However, as Senator Moloney said, very often people have a...

Seanad: OECD Review of Irish Pensions System: Statements (15 May 2013)

Joan Burton: Yes, but we must anticipate it as part of the architecture of the scheme. The former Minister, Mr. Charlie McCreevy, allocated part of the then economic surplus to annual transfers to the National Pensions Reserve Fund, which is one way of approaching the matter. However, if people contribute individually, they must have confidence that their contribution is being invested very long term in...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Disability Allowance Appeals (16 May 2013)

Joan Burton: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an Appeals Officer, having fully considered all the evidence, including that adduced at the oral hearing, disallowed the appeal of the person concerned. The person concerned has been notified of this decision. The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Social Protection and of the Department and is...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Invalidity Pension Appeals (16 May 2013)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 16 January 2013. It is a statutory requirement of the appeals process that the relevant Departmental papers and comments by or on behalf of the Deciding Officer on the grounds of appeal be sought. These papers were received in the Social Welfare Appeals Office on the 15...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Treatment Benefit Scheme Applications (16 May 2013)

Joan Burton: Eligibility to the treatment benefit scheme is based on the person concerned having paid the required number of pay related social insurance contributions (PRSI). Qualifying conditions vary depending on the person's age, someone aged under 21 years requires a minimum of 39 PRSI contributions paid at Class A, E, H, or P. According to the Department's records, the person concerned has not...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals Delays (16 May 2013)

Joan Burton: The Department is committed to delivering the best possible service to its customers and works to ensure that claims and appeals are processed in the most efficient and expeditious way possible, having regard to the eligibility conditions that apply to each scheme. There have been significant improvements in work practices across all schemes during the past year, specifically in the illness...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Supplementary Welfare Allowance Payments (16 May 2013)

Joan Burton: Under the supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) scheme, the Department may make a single exceptional needs payment (ENP) to help meet essential, once-off and unforeseen expenditure which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of their weekly income. There is no automatic entitlement to a payment. The Government has provided €47.6 million for the ENP scheme in 2013. For...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Appeals (16 May 2013)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 15th March 2013. The person concerned was afforded an opportunity of setting out the complete and up to date grounds of their appeal. For this purpose, a form SWAO1 was issued to her on 15th March 2013. This form was returned to this office on the 8th May 2013 and in...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Disability Allowance Appeals (16 May 2013)

Joan Burton: The weekly rate of disability allowance payment depends on the amount of weekly means assessed. The legislative provisions regarding disability allowance state that means will be assessed from all income which the claimant or claimant's spouse may reasonably expect to receive during the year following the date of their claim with certain exceptions. Maintenance payments made to a former...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Mortgage Arrears Proposals (16 May 2013)

Joan Burton: The Mortgage Arrears Information and Advice Service was established to provide a comprehensive and coordinated approach to assist people in mortgage distress. The approach differentiates between mortgage information and mortgage advice. The first two elements involve the enhancement of the website www.keepingyourhome.ie and the establishment of a Mortgage Arrears Information Helpline...