Results 21,721-21,740 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Invalidity Pension Applications (2 Jul 2013)

Joan Burton: Invalidity pension is a payment for people who are permanently incapable of work because of illness or incapacity and who satisfy the contribution conditions. This department received a claim for invalidity pension for the person concerned on 08 August 2011. The medical evidence provided by the claimant in support of her claim was examined by a medical assessor who was of the opinion,...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Invalidity Pension Appeals (2 Jul 2013)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 09th May 2013. It is a statutory requirement of the appeals process that the relevant Departmental papers and comments by the Deciding Officer on the grounds of appeal be sought. When these have been received from the Department, the case in question will be referred to...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Appeals (2 Jul 2013)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 28th May 2013. It is a statutory requirement of the appeals process that the relevant Departmental papers and comments by the Deciding Officer on the grounds of appeal be sought. When these have been received from the Department, the case in question will be referred to...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Mortgage Interest Supplement Payments (2 Jul 2013)

Joan Burton: The person concerned has been in receipt of a mortgage interest supplement from November 2010. As at 01 November 2010 the rate of supplement paid to the person concerned was €895 per month and from 01 January 2011 the rate paid was €886.90. As at the 01 December 2011 the rate paid was €1,170 and from 01 May 2012 the rate paid was €796.50. The person concerned is...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Waiting Times (2 Jul 2013)

Joan Burton: The backlog of claims and processing times for carer’s allowance were unacceptable in 2012 but significant improvements have been made in the past year by my Department and the backlog of carer’s allowance applications has been eliminated. New applications are now being actioned on receipt and applications received in the last 6 months are now decided within 8 weeks. The total...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (2 Jul 2013)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 20th June 2013. It is a statutory requirement of the appeals process that the relevant Departmental papers and comments by the Deciding Officer on the grounds of appeal be sought. When these have been received from the Department, the case in question will be referred to...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Eligibility (2 Jul 2013)

Joan Burton: Men and women are required by law to maintain their dependants. Maintenance can be paid voluntarily or as a result of a maintenance order granted by the courts. If someone is in receipt of a social assistance payment they must satisfy a means test. All sources of income, including maintenance, are assessed as part of the means test.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Supplementary Welfare Allowance Eligibility (2 Jul 2013)

Joan Burton: Where a supplementary welfare allowance is awarded at a rate below the maximum rate payable it is the position of the Department that details of the full means assessment is communicated to the customer in writing. This position applies to refusals, withdrawals, suspensions or reductions in the rate of supplementary welfare allowance payable. If the Deputy has a concern in relation to a...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Funding (2 Jul 2013)

Joan Burton: The payment of wage grants to Community Employment (CE) Sponsors is done on a 4-week basis (called a cycle). There are 13 cycles in a 52-week CE project year. Community Employment (CE) Sponsors are required to pay the participants (employees) on a weekly basis (current week). At the end of each 4-week cycle, the Sponsor can claim a grant from the Department towards the cost of wages paid...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Domiciliary Care Allowance Appeals (2 Jul 2013)

Joan Burton: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an Appeals Officer, having fully considered all of the available evidence, has decided to allow the appeal of the person concerned by way of a summary decision. The person concerned has been notified of the Appeals Officer’s decision. The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Social Protection...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance Scheme (2 Jul 2013)

Joan Burton: The back to school clothing and footwear allowance scheme provides a one-off payment to eligible families to assist with the extra costs when children start school each autumn. The Government has provided €48.8m for the scheme in 2013. This year, approximately 117,000 eligible families will receive an automatic payment in respect of 211,000 children with no application form required.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme Eligibility (2 Jul 2013)

Joan Burton: The purpose of the rent supplement scheme is to provide short-term income support to assist with reasonable accommodation costs of eligible people living in private rented accommodation who are unable to provide for their accommodation costs from their own resources and who do not have accommodation available to them from another source. The overall aim is to provide short term assistance,...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Insurance Rates (2 Jul 2013)

Joan Burton: Permanent and pensionable employees in the public service, other than those who were recruited after 6 April, 1995, are liable to pay social insurance contributions at a lower modified rate of PRSI. Class B covers civil servants, registered doctors and dentists employed in the civil service and Gardaí. Class C covers commissioned officers of the Defence Forces and members of the Army...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Jobseeker's Allowance Appeals (2 Jul 2013)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was referred to an Appeals Officer on 21st June 2013, who will make a summary decision on the appeal based on the documentary evidence presented or, if required, hold an oral hearing. The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Social Protection and of the Department and...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Live Register Statistics (2 Jul 2013)

Joan Burton: At the end of May 2013 there were 421,737 people on the live register of which 266,921 were male and 154,816 were female. A breakdown by age and gender as requested by the Deputy is detailed in the attached tabular statement. Number of people on the Live Register at 31 May 2013 by Age and Gender Age Group Male Female Total 18 - 20 Years 6,994 5,139 12,133 21 - 24 Years 33,369 21,784...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Applications (2 Jul 2013)

Joan Burton: The Department of Social Protection, in conjunction with a number of other Government Departments, has developed a rules based standard for establishing and authenticating an individual’s identity for the purposes of access to public services. This programme of work, which is known as the Standard Authentication Framework Environment or SAFE for short, also provided for the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: One-Parent Family Payment Eligibility (2 Jul 2013)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare and Pensions Act, 2012, introduced several changes to the one-parent family payment (OFP) scheme – including the phased reduction of the age limit of the youngest child at which a recipient’s payment ceases. In July 2014, the age of the youngest child threshold is being reduced to 7 years of age for new entrants and from 2015 for existing recipients....

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme Payments (2 Jul 2013)

Joan Burton: The purpose of rent supplement is to provide short-term 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. The overall aim is to provide short term assistance, and not to act as an alternative to the other social housing schemes operated by...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Birth Certificates (3 Jul 2013)

Joan Burton: The provisions governing the registration of births in Ireland are set out in Part 3 of the Civil Registration Act, 2004. The standard procedures for registration of a birth require a qualified informant to give the required particulars to a registrar of births and to sign the register in the presence of the registrar. In cases where no qualified informant exists or can be found, the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: State Pension (Non-Contributory) Eligibility (3 Jul 2013)

Joan Burton: The person concerned applied for the State pension (non-contributory) on the 21st January 2013 and by decision dated 21st February, 2013 her application was refused as her means exceeded the statutory limit for receipt of that pension. The customer was advised of her right to appeal this decision.