Results 22,641-22,660 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: School Meals Programme (15 Oct 2013)

Joan Burton: The school meals programme provides funding towards the provision of food services for disadvantaged children through two schemes. The first is the statutory urban school meals scheme, operated by local authorities and part-financed by the Department. The second is the school meals local projects schemes through which funding is provided directly to participating schools and local and...

Financial Resolutions 2014 - Financial Resolution No. 8: General (Resumed) (16 Oct 2013)

Joan Burton: There are significant signs that Ireland is emerging from the very damaging fiscal crisis that we inherited when we came into office in 2011. Thankfully, we are about to exit the bailout programme and will soon regain entry to the club of nations that can control their own fiscal destinies. The financial markets are confident in their belief that we can manage our own fiscal affairs. We...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Disability Allowance Applications (16 Oct 2013)

Joan Burton: The person concerned has been notified in writing that an adult dependent allowance of €124.80 per week will be added to her weekly disability allowance payment on 6 November 2013. Any arrears due will issue directly to her shortly after this date.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Disability Allowance Appeals (16 Oct 2013)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 14 August 2013. It is a statutory requirement of the appeals process that the relevant papers and comments by or on behalf of the Deciding Officer on the grounds of appeal be sought from the Department of Social Protection. These papers were received in the Social Welfare...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Appeals (16 Oct 2013)

Joan Burton: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an Appeals Officer, having fully considered all of the available evidence including that adduced at oral hearing, decided to disallow the appeal of the person concerned. Under Social Welfare legislation, the decision of an Appeals Officer is final and conclusive and may only be reviewed in the light of additional evidence or new facts. ...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Eligibility (16 Oct 2013)

Joan Burton: The age limit for receipt of domiciliary care allowance (DCA) is 16 years. As the child concerned reached the age of 16 years in May 2013, DCA is no longer payable after that date. A letter issued in January 2013 advising that payment of the allowance was due to end in May and that the child could apply for disability allowance in his own right. An application for disability allowance...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Pensions Reform (16 Oct 2013)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 43 and 44 together. There is no statutory compulsory retirement age for employees in Ireland. In relation to the employment relationship, responsibility for setting retirement age is a matter for the employer/employee relationship and the contract of employment. The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) has made rulings in a series of...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Invalidity Pension Appeals (16 Oct 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 03rd October 2013, who will make a summary decision on the appeal based on the documentary evidence presented or, if required, hold an oral hearing. The additional evidence submitted by the Deputy will be brought to the attention of the Appeals Officer dealing with...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Free Travel Scheme Applications (16 Oct 2013)

Joan Burton: The application for a Companion Travel Pass for the customer named above has been medically assessed by a Medical Assessor on 14 October 2013. The medical opinion has been conveyed to Household Benefits Section, Sligo and the customer will be contacted shortly regarding the decision on her application.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: One-Parent Family Payment Appeals (16 Oct 2013)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 11 October 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: Education and Training Provision (16 Oct 2013)

Joan Burton: The Department of Social Protection provides a wide range of second chance education opportunities for unemployed people, lone parents and people with disabilities. The Department's objective in this area is to raise educational and skills levels among such persons in order to help them to meet the requirements of the labour market. In order to establish if the person concerned has an...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Family Income Supplement Appeals (16 Oct 2013)

Joan Burton: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that in the case of an appeal for family income supplement, where it appears that the reason for the Deciding Officers decision may not have been fully understood, the letter of appeal is referred to family income supplement section requesting that the decision be clarified to the appellant. The appellant is advised that if s/he is still not...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals Status (16 Oct 2013)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 22 August 2013. It is a statutory requirement of the appeals process that the relevant papers and comments by or on behalf of the Deciding Officer on the grounds of appeal be sought from the Department of Social Protection. These papers have been received in the Social...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Labour Activation Projects (16 Oct 2013)

Joan Burton: The department provides a wide range of income and work-related supports (previously operated by FAS) for people with disabilities. These include the EmployAbility service (formerly the Supported Employment Programme) which facilitates the integration of people with disabilities into paid employment in the open labour market; and a number of employment supports aimed at employers (the Wage...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Labour Activation Projects (16 Oct 2013)

Joan Burton: I have initiated six Bills since taking office, all of which have been enacted. Details of these Acts are set out in the attached table. Regulatory Impact Assessments (RIAs) are not ordinarily undertaken in relation to the package of measures announced in the annual Budget Day Statements or similar packages of measures. Accordingly, a RIA was not considered necessary in the case of the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Child Benefit Eligibility (16 Oct 2013)

Joan Burton: Child benefit is a monthly universal payment made to families with children, which assists all parents with the cost associated with raising children. Child benefit is paid to around 606,000 families in respect of some 1.15 million children, with an estimated expenditure of around €1.9 billion. Child benefit as a “universal” payment is paid in respect of all qualified...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Disability Allowance Appeals (16 Oct 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 3rd October 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...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Exceptional Needs Payment Applications (16 Oct 2013)

Joan Burton: This Department has no record of having received an application for an exceptional needs payment from the person concerned. If she wishes to make an application, she should contact her local community welfare service office for details.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Overpayments (17 Oct 2013)

Joan Burton: It is the Department's policy to investigate and pursue all overpayments so as to protect public moneys to the greatest extent possible. People who have received an overpayment from the Department have a liability under law to refund the amounts involved. They have received moneys to which they were not entitled. In 2012, overpayments amounting to €97 million were recorded. This...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Overpayments (17 Oct 2013)

Joan Burton: The Department is not in a position to write off overpayments. This is something that Deputies who are members of the Committee of Public Accounts might take up with the Comptroller and Auditor General because, in its annual report, the office of the Comptroller and Auditor General calculates all overpayments going back into the mists of time. There is no arrangement to write off...