Results 21,901-21,920 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Domiciliary Care Allowance Appeals (10 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: Disability Allowance Appeals (10 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 24 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: Invalidity Pension Appeals (10 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: Social Insurance Issues (10 Jul 2013)

Joan Burton: A farmer who retired on the early retirement scheme and has reckonable income (including income from the letting of the farm land) over €5,000 is liable for Class S PRSI contributions on that income, provided the person is under pensionable age (currently 66) and no tax exemptions apply to the rental income from the farm. Where tax exemptions apply to the rental income from the farm...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Insurance Issues (10 Jul 2013)

Joan Burton: Class M PRSI relates to people with a nil contribution liability (such as employees under age 16, people aged 66 or over (including those previously liable for Class S), persons in receipt of occupational pensions or lump-sum termination payments and public office holders with a weekly income of less than €100 a week). PRSI credited contributions are an integral part of the social...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Eligibility (10 Jul 2013)

Joan Burton: To qualify for carer’s allowance the applicant must satisfy a means test. The income which is taken into account for the means test is set out in legislation and regulations and described in the information material produced for the scheme. Money received as a rebate of past medical expenses, say under a scheme of medical insurance, is not assessable. However, money received as...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Domiciliary Care Allowance Applications (10 Jul 2013)

Joan Burton: An application for domiciliary care allowance was received from the person concerned on the 11th April 2013. This application was referred to one of the Department’s Medical Assessors who considered that the child was not medically eligible for the allowance. A letter issued on the 13th June 2013 advising of the decision. The person concerned subsequently requested a review of the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Appeals (10 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 6 February 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. These papers were received in the Social Welfare Appeals Office on 28 May 2013 and the case...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Budget 2014 Issues (10 Jul 2013)

Joan Burton: I hosted a Pre- Budget forum in Dublin Castle on Friday, 5 July last. It was attended by 37 voluntary and community groups, including Active Retirement Ireland, Age Action Ireland, Alone, Barnardos, Care Alliance Ireland, Carers Association, Centre for Independent Living, Children’s Rights Alliance, Congress Centres Network, CROSSCARE, Cúram, Disability Federation of Ireland, End...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Pre-Budget Consultation Process: Discussion with Minister for Social Protection (10 Jul 2013)

Joan Burton: I thank the Oireachtas joint committee for its invitation to appear before it to consider the budget and Estimates process for 2014. As the Chairman said, I recently appeared before the select committee to discuss the Revised Estimates for 2013. While we look forward to next year, it is important to outline some of the issues that I highlighted at the select committee meeting. I want to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Pre-Budget Consultation Process: Discussion with Minister for Social Protection (10 Jul 2013)

Joan Burton: Expenditure on children and families amounts to €2.3 billion. We have a happy population statistic in that we have a lot of children compared to other countries and the overall cost figure includes child benefit. We also spend €230 million on family income supplement. The supplementary payments, including rent and mortgage interest supplement, amount to nearly €500...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Pre-Budget Consultation Process: Discussion with Minister for Social Protection (10 Jul 2013)

Joan Burton: I would like to begin by responding to Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh's comment on the numbers of families in which no adult in the household has a significant amount of work, which is generally defined as less than ten hours a week of paid work. I will send the exact technical definition to the Deputy. This recognised measure of deprivation has become a very important social indicator in...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Pre-Budget Consultation Process: Discussion with Minister for Social Protection (10 Jul 2013)

Joan Burton: Yes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Pre-Budget Consultation Process: Discussion with Minister for Social Protection (10 Jul 2013)

Joan Burton: With regard to the JobsPlus initiative, if a person is taken from the live register on either a one-year or two-year basis, the time includes any period spent on any of the Department's schemes such as the community employment scheme, the rural social scheme and JobBridge. For employers, this means that they are not just taking somebody who has been unemployed for two years or more. The...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Pre-Budget Consultation Process: Discussion with Minister for Social Protection (10 Jul 2013)

Joan Burton: Yes, or they can move to a different one. Over 18,000 people have participated in the JobBridge programme since it started. At any one time there are approximately 6,000 people participating in it. Indecon carried out a study which indicated that five months after people had completed the JobBridge programme, 60% of those who were graduates had found work. In the case of non-graduates,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Pre-Budget Consultation Process: Discussion with Minister for Social Protection (10 Jul 2013)

Joan Burton: I certainly hope so, but at the end of the day, budgetary decisions are for the whole Government to make. The substantive discussions have not begun and no decisions have yet been made. It is my objective to maintain weekly rates as that makes economic and social sense. It makes sense for the communities affected in the way described by Deputies Aodhán Ó Ríordáin and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Pre-Budget Consultation Process: Discussion with Minister for Social Protection (10 Jul 2013)

Joan Burton: Let us take County Kerry as an example. There are 416 people in the county who are moving into self-employment and who are in receipt of the back to work allowance. This is very important in the context of generating small businesses. Some 924 people in County Kerry are on back to education allowances which are important in helping them to find a good job. There are others in receipt of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Pre-Budget Consultation Process: Discussion with Minister for Social Protection (10 Jul 2013)

Joan Burton: That is why it is important to meet the committee today and I have focused on making sure abuses in the system are reduced because the cost ends up hitting the people about whom the Deputy is talking.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Pre-Budget Consultation Process: Discussion with Minister for Social Protection (10 Jul 2013)

Joan Burton: It will hit the sales of fake tan quite a bit.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Pre-Budget Consultation Process: Discussion with Minister for Social Protection (10 Jul 2013)

Joan Burton: I will begin with Senator Marie Louise O'Donnell's question on fraud and the roll-out of the personal services card. The card contains a biometric standard photograph. When we sign somebody up for it, we also take an electronic signature. Instead of having to fill in details when a person goes back to the office, the card is swiped, the person's photo comes up and if he or she signs on for...