Results 21,781-21,800 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Other Questions: Rent Supplement Scheme Administration (9 Jul 2013)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 61 and 115 together. The purpose of the rent supplement scheme is to provide short-term support for eligible persons 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 84,000 rent supplement recipients, of...

Other Questions: Rent Supplement Scheme Administration (9 Jul 2013)

Joan Burton: In the way it grew the rent supplement scheme was meant for people in employment who lost their jobs suddenly and could no longer afford to pay their rent because they had no wages. The scheme then migrated, particularly during the period of office of the Deputy's Government, to provide a general catch-all housing supplement which, as the Deputy noted, was far removed from what had been...

Other Questions: Rent Supplement Scheme Administration (9 Jul 2013)

Joan Burton: The complexity of that question is probably better addressed to the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government. What is important from the point of view of the Department of Social Protection is that one of the biggest poverty unemployment traps arises when somebody on rent supplement is offered employment and loses the whole of the rent supplement whereas if they are on...

Other Questions: Rent Supplement Scheme Administration (9 Jul 2013)

Joan Burton: I will have to come back to Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh on the details of the project. Yes, there is a role for enhanced investment in social housing, particularly at a time when we need stimulus programmes. We need to see some of those in the construction industry who have been long-term unemployed get back into employment. Under the recent stimulus programme my colleague, the Minister...

Other Questions: Paternity Leave (9 Jul 2013)

Joan Burton: While male employees are not entitled under law to either paid or unpaid paternity leave, they may be entitled to parental leave. Parental leave entitles parents who qualify to take a period of up to 18 weeks of unpaid leave from employment, generally in respect of children aged up to eight years. While there is no provision for a social insurance based payment for periods of parental...

Other Questions: Paternity Leave (9 Jul 2013)

Joan Burton: About 23,000 women take maternity leave every year. If it were available, it is estimated that half of all fathers would take some paternity leave. I favour the idea in principle. The cost of maternity leave is about €300 million. The difficulty with previous working groups was agreeing how such leave would be provided for and who would pay for it. There would have to be an agreed...

Other Questions: Paternity Leave (9 Jul 2013)

Joan Burton: That is a de facto arrangement with employers, rather than a universal legislative arrangement, and it varies from employer to employer. If we were to change the system, there would be very significant issues of administration. None the less, especially as the economy recovers over time, it might be something we would consider as a socially progressive measure that would give more...

Other Questions: Mortgage Interest Supplement Eligibility (9 Jul 2013)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 63 and 86 together. The purpose of the mortgage interest supplement scheme is to provide short-term support to eligible people who are unable to meet their mortgage interest repayments. There are currently some 12,000 people in receipt of mortgage interest supplement, for which the Government has provided almost €42 million in 2013. To ensure that...

Other Questions: Mortgage Interest Supplement Eligibility (9 Jul 2013)

Joan Burton: We are spending €42 million on this very important supplement, which is being received by around 12,000 people who are in difficulty with their mortgages. The critical issue is that there must be a solution between the borrower and the lender - namely, the bank and the person who is in difficulty. The Department of Social Protection spends €42 million on mortgage interest...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Child Benefit Rates (9 Jul 2013)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 64 and 96 together. Child benefit is a universal payment that assists parents with the cost of raising children and contributes towards alleviating child poverty. The estimated expenditure on child benefit in 2013 is around €1.9 billion and it is currently paid to around 613,000 families in respect of some 1.17 million children. The Government is...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme Eligibility (9 Jul 2013)

Joan Burton: No application for rent supplement has been received in respect of the person concerned. All claims are assessed on a case by case basis. The Department will be in a position to assess whether the client has an entitlement to a higher rent limit when an application has been received regarding same. An application can be sent to the Wicklow Rents Unit, PO Box 11758, Dublin 24.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Fraud Cost (9 Jul 2013)

Joan Burton: The following table outlines the numbers of cases referred to the Chief State Solicitor’s Office (CSSO) for consideration of criminal prosecution under social welfare legislation for the years 2008 to 2012. It also outlines the numbers referred to An Garda Siochána for consideration of prosecution under criminal justice legislation. Cases referred for Legal Proceedings 2008...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme Eligibility (9 Jul 2013)

Joan Burton: No application for rent supplement for new accommodation has been received in my Department from the person concerned. Any new application would have to be considered in the context of the person’s ability to meet the qualifying conditions for rent supplement and the revised maximum rent limits which came into effect on 17 June 2013.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Unfair Dismissals (9 Jul 2013)

Joan Burton: Under the Unfair Dismissals Acts 1977 to 2007 a person may take a case to the Rights Commissioner Service or to the Employment Appeals Tribunal (EAT) if they feel they have been unfairly dismissed from employment. Where the case is upheld an award may be made against the employer in accordance with the penalties set out in that legislation. The unfair dismissals legislation falls under the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: State Pensions Reform (9 Jul 2013)

Joan Burton: The sustainability of State pension into the future is vital given the changing demographics, the increased numbers of those over 65 and increased longevity and reduced dependency ratio. Sustainable public finances are a prerequisite for future economic stability and growth, as well as being a prerequisite for maintaining and developing our social protection system. The Government’s...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Youth Unemployment Measures (9 Jul 2013)

Joan Burton: The Government have not made any decisions in relation to measures to be introduced in Budget 2014. The Government will finalise its consideration of the Budget in the coming months having regard to all of its commitments, including the commitment in the Programme for Government to maintain core welfare rates. The outcome of this process will be announced on Budget Day. Youth unemployment...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Farm Assist Scheme Eligibility (9 Jul 2013)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 71, 74 and 107 together. The farm assist scheme is based on jobseeker’s allowance. It was introduced in 1999 to replace ‘Smallholders Unemployment Assistance’ for low income farmers, without the requirement to be available for and genuinely seeking work. Farm assist recipients retain all the advantages of the jobseeker’s...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Youth Guarantee (9 Jul 2013)

Joan Burton: As part of the European Council agreement on the 2014 – 2020 EU Budget in February, it was decided, in association with the agreement on the Youth Guarantee, to provide €6 billion for a new Youth Employment Initiative (YEI) for regions with particularly high levels of youth unemployment. This funding will consist of €3 billion from the European Social Fund and an...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Offices (9 Jul 2013)

Joan Burton: The Property Management Section of the Office of Public Works (OPW) is responsible for the acquisition of all accommodation requirements for the Department. The Department has identified the need for a new office to serve the Lucan/Adamstown area and the Office of Public Works is committed to providing a new Intreo Office in this area during 2014. Given the time required to secure new leases...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Pension Provisions (9 Jul 2013)

Joan Burton: The Funding Standard, which monitors the funding level of defined benefit pension schemes, was re-introduced in June 2012 and pension schemes were required to submit funding proposals to the Pensions Board by end June 2013. The Funding Standard had been in abeyance following the financial downturn in 2008, until June 2012. Many administrative and legislative measures were introduced during...