Results 21,861-21,880 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Functions (9 Jul 2013)

Joan Burton: To assist and support persons who are in mortgage difficulties, the Mortgage Arrears Information and Advice Service (MAIAS) was established in 2012. This service provides comprehensive information and advice to mortgage holders in arrears or pre-arrears in assessing their options. The service has three elements: - Website: is the key online access portal for general mortgage arrears...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Supplementary Welfare Allowance Payments (9 Jul 2013)

Joan Burton: The person concerned made a claim for supplementary welfare allowance on 3 July 2013. This is a means tested payment and the current prescribed supplementary welfare allowance rate for two adults is €310.80 per week. Based on his spouse's earnings from insurable employment, means has been assessed as €307.50 per week. Accordingly, his current entitlement is €3.30 per week.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Appeals (9 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 26 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 is...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Appeals (9 Jul 2013)

Joan Burton: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that the current average time taken to process carer's allowance appeals decided by summary decision is 28.2 weeks and 34.7 weeks for those requiring an oral hearing. These processing times are calculated from the registration date of the appeal to the date of its finalisation. They include all activities during this period including time...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Appeals (9 Jul 2013)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that there is no record of a Carer’s Allowance appeal by the person concerned having been received by that office. The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Social Protection and of the Department and is responsible for determining appeals against decisions in relation to social welfare entitlements.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Disability Allowance Appeals (9 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 8 April 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 an...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Appeals (9 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 19 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 is...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Personal Public Service Number Applications (9 Jul 2013)

Joan Burton: Where a Personal Public Services Number is required to be allocated in respect of a deceased person, an application may be made to have one allocated under the exceptional registration process by submitting the required documentation to the Client Identity Services (CIS) Division of my Department. From the information provided to date, the CIS Division has been unable to trace an application...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Domiciliary Care Allowance Appeals (9 Jul 2013)

Joan Burton: The person concerned made an application for domiciliary care allowance (DCA) on the 9th June 2010. This application was not allowed and she was notified of the decision in writing on the 30th July 2010. She appealed this decision and was notified by the Social Welfare Appeals Office on 21st July 2011 that the appeal had not been allowed. There is no record of a more recent DCA application...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Jobseeker's Allowance Payments (9 Jul 2013)

Joan Burton: As a standard part of the jobseekers claim process, customers are required to attend their local office to sign on at specified intervals. The customer is notified of their individual signing arrangements at the outset of their claim and are reminded each time they sign of their next signing day. To further assist the customer, a system is now in place whereby jobseeker customers who have...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals Status (9 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 28 March 2013. The medical evidence provided by the claimant in support of his claim was examined by a medical assessor who was of the opinion, based...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Citizen Information Services (9 Jul 2013)

Joan Burton: The Money Advice and Budgeting Service ( MABS), under the aegis of the Citizens Information Board, provides a high quality personal service to assist people who are over-indebted and need help and advice in coping with debt problems, in particular those on low incomes and people living on social welfare payments. In 2013, the Citizens Information Board has been allocated some €47.4...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Citizen Information Services (9 Jul 2013)

Joan Burton: The Money Advice and Budgeting Service (MABS), under the aegis of the Citizens Information Board, assists people who are over-indebted and need help and advice in coping with debt problems, in particular those on low incomes and people living on social welfare payments. In 2013, the Citizens Information Board has been allocated a budget of approximately €47.5 million of which some...

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

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare and Pensions Act, 2011 provides that State pension age will be increased gradually to 68 years. This will begin in 2014 with the abolition of the State pension (transition) thereby standardising State pension age for all at 66 years. The State pension age will be further increased to 67 years in 2021 and to 68 years in 2028. These changes apply to all fully insured...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Eligibility (9 Jul 2013)

Joan Burton: The requirement to be habitually resident in Ireland was introduced as a qualifying condition for certain social assistance schemes and child benefit with effect from 1 May 2004. This qualifying condition is applied to all applicants, regardless of their nationality. The effect of the condition is that a person whose habitual residence is elsewhere would not normally be entitled to social...

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

Joan Burton: Appeals cases for schemes such as invalidity pension and disability allowance are also normally medically assessed at desk level on the basis of assessment of medical evidence submitted by the customer and with reference to the Department’s evidence based medical guidelines and protocols. However the option is available to assess someone by in person assessment in special...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals Status (9 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 7 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 an...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (9 Jul 2013)

Joan Burton: I confirm that the Department received an application for carer’s allowance from the person in question on 1 February 2013 in respect of the care of two people. The person concerned was refused carer’s allowance for one of the care recipients on the grounds that the care recipient was not so disabled as to require full time care and attention as prescribed in regulations. The...

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

Joan Burton: The person concerned has a substantial overpayment of almost €59,000, most of which remains to be recovered, and it is in this context that it was decided to offset arrears due to her against the overpayment. The person concerned was communicated with and given an opportunity to comment on the proposal before the decision to withhold the monies was made. Her comments were considered...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Supplementary Welfare Allowance Eligibility (9 Jul 2013)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 332 and 337 together. The purpose of rent supplement 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. Under...