Results 21,181-21,200 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Eligibility (29 May 2013)

Joan Burton: Self-employed persons are liable for PRSI at the Class S rate of 4% which entitles them to access long-term benefits such as State pension (contributory) and widow's, widower's or surviving civil partner's pension (contributory). Self-employed workers may establish eligibility to assistance-based payments such as jobseeker's allowance. They can apply for the means-tested jobseeker's...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Eligibility (29 May 2013)

Joan Burton: There are significant differences between the qualification criteria for illness benefit (formerly known as disability benefit), disability allowance and invalidity pension. These differences include both medical and non-medical criteria. Illness benefit is a payment for insured people who cannot work due to illness. A person may qualify if they are unable to work due to illness, satisfy...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Community Services Programme (29 May 2013)

Joan Burton: Access to transport services for persons with mobility impairments is primarily as matter for the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sports and the Health Services Executive. In a number of instances nationally, the Department, through the Community Services Programme (CSP), has been able to support the provision of services by community companies. Cork Accessible Transport Limited has...

Social Welfare and Pensions (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2013: Order for Second Stage (30 May 2013)

Joan Burton: I move: "That Second Stage be taken now."

Social Welfare and Pensions (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2013: Second Stage (30 May 2013)

Joan Burton: I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." As Minister for Social Protection in arguably the most challenging economic period this country has ever faced, I have operated on simple and enduring principles, namely, welfare must be there for those who need it and the Government must do everything it can to help people back to work. In short, welfare must be both a safety net and a...

Social Welfare and Pensions (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2013: Second Stage (30 May 2013)

Joan Burton: The Deputy might need to recheck this. I think he is wrong.

Social Welfare and Pensions (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2013: Second Stage (30 May 2013)

Joan Burton: Privacy.

Social Welfare and Pensions (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2013: Second Stage (30 May 2013)

Joan Burton: I am working on it and have been always.

Social Welfare and Pensions (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2013: Second Stage (30 May 2013)

Joan Burton: Nobody has total wisdom on everything. I know the Deputy is an admirer of certain models but there are occasions when we can examine something in depth. The Deputy produced a report on the issue.

Social Welfare and Pensions (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2013: Second Stage (30 May 2013)

Joan Burton: I know that.

Social Welfare and Pensions (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2013: Second Stage (30 May 2013)

Joan Burton: Perhaps the Deputy might give us the details relating to the case and we will examine the position. I do not want to comment on a case with which I am not familiar.

Social Welfare and Pensions (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2013: Second Stage (Resumed) (30 May 2013)

Joan Burton: I thank all Deputies from both Government and Opposition who contributed so thoughtfully to the debate. I want to start by mentioning today's latest employment figures from the CSO, which Deputies on all sides referred to. The figures show employment grew by 20,500 in the first quarter of the year. It is important to remind people that in the three years after the bank guarantee, and the...

Social Welfare and Pensions (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2013: Second Stage (Resumed) (30 May 2013)

Joan Burton: -----but merely to point out the obvious, that this is a complex problem which requires time to address properly. I am bringing proposals to Government to address the range of issues facing defined benefit schemes and the pension sector generally. The funding standard was suspended by the previous Government when the economic crisis struck in order to allow employers and trustees assess...

Social Welfare and Pensions (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2013: Second Stage (Resumed) (30 May 2013)

Joan Burton: They are in trouble because of the worldwide collapse of the stock market and the way in which the stock market and bond prices have been affected. That is the core problem for the schemes, dating back to the time of the dotcom bubble and the catastrophe from 2008 onwards. On the approaching deadline of 30 June for funding proposals, more than 300 schemes are due to send in funding...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: National Internship Scheme Numbers (30 May 2013)

Joan Burton: JobBridge, the National Internship Scheme, came into operation on 1 July, 2011. The Scheme has made very significant progress in a relatively short period of time. I wish to advise the Deputy that 3,748 internships had commenced as at year end 2011. An additional 9,725 internships commenced in 2012. An additional 4,136 internships have commenced so far in 2013. In total 17,609...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Youth Unemployment Measures (30 May 2013)

Joan Burton: The official labour market figures published by the CSO indicated that the number of young unemployed at the end of 2012 was 59,000, of whom 27,300 were long-term (over one year) unemployed. The number of young long term unemployed represented a fall of 8,300 on the figure of 35,600 at the end of 2011. In the first instance, the Government’s primary strategy to tackle all forms of...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals Status (30 May 2013)

Joan Burton: The person concerned will have a decision on the review next week.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Disability Allowance Appeals (30 May 2013)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that the person concerned was assessed by a Medical Assessor of the Department of Social Protection who was of the opinion that she was capable of work. She appealed this decision on 13 May 2013 and the relevant Departmental papers and comments by or on behalf of the Deciding Officer who made the decision have been sought. On receipt of the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: National Internship Scheme Issues (30 May 2013)

Joan Burton: The JobBridge Scheme has made exceptional progress since it came into operation on 1 July 2011. A recent independent evaluation conducted by Indecon Economic Consultants found that 61% of interns progress to paid employment after completing their internship. The 61% progression rate for JobBridge is among the best in Europe, where progression rates for similar internship schemes average...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme Issues (30 May 2013)

Joan Burton: The purpose of the rent supplement scheme is to provide short-term income support to eligible people living in private rented accommodation whose means are insufficient to meet their accommodation costs and who do not have accommodation available to them from any other source. There are approximately 86,000 recipients of rent supplement for which the Government has provided over €403...