Results 22,701-22,720 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Other Questions: Child Benefit Appeals (17 Oct 2013)

Joan Burton: Deciding officers have certain powers under the Social Welfare Acts and are required to act in a certain way. I sympathise with the Deputy in the context of the complexity of the case. As is the position in all separations where issues arise, it would be ideal if the parents could reach an agreement that would be in the best interests of their child.

Other Questions: National Internship Scheme Placements (17 Oct 2013)

Joan Burton: JobBridge is one of the key initiatives introduced to assist individuals to bridge the gap between unemployment and the world of work. As of 10 October, some 21,842 jobseekers had participated in the scheme, with 5,918 participants in active internships. In addition, 2,948 internship posts have been advertised and are available on the JobBridge website. It is important to highlight that...

Other Questions: National Internship Scheme Placements (17 Oct 2013)

Joan Burton: JobBridge has been in operation for a little over two years. A total of 21,000 people have taken on a JobBridge internship. I commissioned the examination of how the scheme was working for people. We have extensive web interaction in real time with both the interns and the host organisations, so if there are problems we get onto them immediately. We also get many messages from people on...

Other Questions: National Internship Scheme Placements (17 Oct 2013)

Joan Burton: There are a number of sectors in Ireland that are really important for employment opportunities. The IT sector is a major source of employment for Irish people and for people from other European countries coming to Ireland. In the context of the downturn in both construction and retail, it is odd that the Deputy would choose to make those comments. Across the Border, his party has been...

Other Questions: National Internship Scheme Placements (17 Oct 2013)

Joan Burton: Also, the key aspect of the internship programme is that, unlike in the United Kingdom, to which some references were made, internships in Ireland are voluntary. They are voluntary on the part of the host organisation and on the part of the person who participates. There is no compulsion involved. To be honest, I would not be keen on compulsion given the nature of the internship...

Other Questions: Departmental Customer Charters (17 Oct 2013)

Joan Burton: The Department is committed to ensuring that a customer service ethos is embedded in everything it does and is embraced by everyone in the Department. Significant effort was made to ensure that the highest customer service standards are achieved and these standards are set out in the customer charter and developed further in the Customer Action Plan 2013-2015. The Department employs a range...

Other Questions: Departmental Customer Charters (17 Oct 2013)

Joan Burton: I am interested in hearing about any experience of poor service that does not meet the standards set out in the charter. Perhaps the Deputy is talking about service in a particular area and perhaps Deputy Wallace or Deputy Clare Daly can contact the manager of the office. We issue a large volume of payments and award entitlements to people. The Department processes some 87 million payment...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Budget 2014 (17 Oct 2013)

Joan Burton: I am keenly aware that the expenditure reductions in this Budget will impact on some social welfare recipients. However, the lower adjustment of €226 million, rather than the €440 million originally requested of the Department means I have protected the weekly social welfare payments upon which people depend as well as crucial supplementary payments such as the Fuel Allowance,...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Code Review (17 Oct 2013)

Joan Burton: The family income supplement (FIS) is an in-work income support for employees with families on low earnings, who otherwise might be at risk of financial poverty. FIS also preserves the incentive to remain in employment in circumstances where the employee might only be marginally better off than if he or she were unemployed and claiming social welfare. Expenditure on FIS for 2012 was of the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Eligibility (17 Oct 2013)

Joan Burton: Community Employment (CE) is an active labour market programme which helps long-term unemployed people and other vulnerable groups to re-enter the workforce by breaking their experience of unemployment through a return to work routine. The programme assists them to enhance and develop both their technical and personal skills which can then be used in the workplace.The CE programme is...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: European Court of Justice Rulings (17 Oct 2013)

Joan Burton: The ruling by the European Court of Justice was in response to a reference by the High Court seeking clarification of the interpretation of European law emanating from EU Directive 2008/94EC on the protection of employees in the event of the insolvency of their employer.Following the ECJ ruling, the matter will now revert to the High Court for consideration. Given this matter remains before...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Code Reform (17 Oct 2013)

Joan Burton: The number of one-parent family payment (OFP) recipients stood at 80,823 in August 2013. The expenditure on the OFP scheme was €1.06 billion in 2012 and is estimated to be €935 million in 2013. Currently 36% of OFP recipients are employed. Despite significant levels of state spending on one-parent families, the results have been poor in terms of tackling the poverty and...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme Applications (17 Oct 2013)

Joan Burton: According to the records of this Department the persons concerned are a family with five dependent children. A rent supplement application from an applicant with five dependent children is assessed on a case by case basis, as a maximum rent limit is not stipulated within the maximum rent limit guidelines for such cases. It is open to the persons concerned to contact their local community...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Budget 2014 (17 Oct 2013)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 15, 30, 59 and 63 together. The Expenditure Report 2013 published by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform last December provided for additional new expenditure reduction measures of €440 million to be achieved in 2014 in the Department of Social Protection budget. Again this year I sought to minimise the impact of the necessary...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Fuel Allowance Payments (17 Oct 2013)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 16, 27, 40 and 132 together. I am very aware of the issues raised by the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. Energy poverty is a factor of income, energy prices and the thermal efficiency of the home. The most cost-effective means of protecting households from energy poverty is to improve the thermal efficiency of the home. The Better Energy Warmer Homes...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Farm Assist Scheme Payments (17 Oct 2013)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 17 and 32 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 allowance...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Civil Registration Legislation (17 Oct 2013)

Joan Burton: On the 19 July, 2013 the Cabinet approved the drafting of the Civil Registration (Amendment) Bill 2013. The Bill will provide for a wide range of issues relating to the registration of life events in the State. Representations and recommendations have been made by various groups and organisations since the enactment of the Civil Registration Act 2004 and this Bill seeks to address these...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Jobseeker's Allowance Eligibility (17 Oct 2013)

Joan Burton: The jobseeker's benefit and jobseeker’s allowance schemes provide income support for people who have lost work and are unable to find alternative full-time employment. The Revised Estimates for the Department provide for expenditure on the jobseeker’s schemes of €3.66 billion in 2013. It is a fundamental qualifying condition of both schemes that a person must be fully...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Appointments to State Boards (17 Oct 2013)

Joan Burton: The statutory bodies operating under the aegis of the Department of Social Protection are the Citizens Information Board, the Pensions Board, the Pensions Ombudsman (which does not have a board) and the Social Welfare Tribunal. Citizens Information Board The procedures followed when appointing members to the Citizens Information Board (CIB) are in accordance with the Revised Code of...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Eligibility (17 Oct 2013)

Joan Burton: Details of the social assistance payments offered by the Department are widely publicised, for example on the departmental website , and information is also available through social welfare local offices. Self-employed persons are liable for pay related social insurance (PRSI) at a rate of 4%, which entitles them to access long-term benefits such as state pension (contributory) and widow's,...