Results 23,501-23,520 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Pension Provisions (28 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: It is an important issue.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Fraud Investigations (28 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: There is a good working relationship between the Department of Social Protection and An Garda Síochána. We closely co-operate with each other in the context of multi-agency operations and investigations to combat social welfare fraud. A proposal for the secondment of 20 gardaí to the Department of Social Protection to assist with fraud investigation work is currently being...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Fraud Investigations (28 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: Yes.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Fraud Investigations (28 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: To give Deputy O'Dea some background that might be helpful, in the period 2010 to 2013 there have been a total of 270 multi-agency vehicle checkpoints.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Fraud Investigations (28 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: The secondment of the gardaí directly to the Department of Social Protection is the new initiative. The multi-agency vehicle checkpoints have been increased quite significantly in recent years. In case the Deputy is in any doubt, I made it clear that the estates I was referring to are industrial estates. In this case, those being approached - the Revenue Commissioners made the same...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Fraud Investigations (28 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: Of course, the presence of the multi-agency vehicle checkpoint encouraged the person to go to sign off. That case would be subject to investigation to see whether there was a wider issue. As the Deputy will be aware, I brought in legislation on airports where a significant project was set up to look at those who may be welfare tourists coming repeatedly to the country with a view of...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Fraud Investigations (28 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: First, I will not comment in any detail on the powers of the Garda. The multi-agency vehicle checkpoints have been underway for some time and they are a significant and important technique in terms of detecting persons who may be involved in tax, social welfare or other fraud.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Fraud Investigations (28 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: On the reason for extending these and enhancing the resources, the special investigation unit of my Department is responsible for participating in these with the Garda Síochána, and having members of the Garda Síochána working with their expertise and powers on a trial basis in the Department------

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Fraud Investigations (28 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: -----will significantly enhance the investigative powers of the Department to combat fraud.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Fraud Investigations (28 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: The gardaí, under the Garda Commissioner, can do whatever they wish to do on their own.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Fraud Investigations (28 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: Deputy O'Dea is speaking about the Garda and the Garda Commissioner's powers. As Deputy O'Dea will be well aware, the Garda Commissioner has powers to do whatever appears to be appropriate to combat crime and provide for law and order in the context of the resources of the force as it sees fit. There is no change in that regard.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Disability Allowance Payments (28 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: The Department aims to process and pay without delay all successful appeals returned by the social welfare appeals office. There are currently no delays in implementing successful appeal decisions across schemes. The Deputy has been kind enough to acknowledge that we have completely overhauled our IT and processing systems in respect of domiciliary care allowance, carer's allowance and...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Disability Allowance Payments (28 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: Another point which must be taken into account is that as most of the 1,200 customers whose appeals are awaiting clearance are already in payment on other schemes, the arrears due will issue once overlaps with these other scheme payments are taken into account. We were obliged to update technology which was very behind the times. I pay tribute to the staff of our Longford office and those...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Disability Allowance Payments (28 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: That is the broad objective. I do not want to give an actual commitment at this point because at some stage there could be a flood of additional applications. Given that unemployment is falling and people are returning to work, the chances of such a flood occurring are less than they were previously when huge numbers of people understandably turned to the Department of Social Protection as...

Other Questions: Exceptional Needs Payments (28 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: Under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme, the Department may make a single exceptional needs payment, ENP, to help meet essential, once-off and unforeseen expenditure which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of his or her weekly income. The expenditure on the scheme in 2011 was €62.9 million, in 2012, €52.7 million was expended and some €31.8...

Other Questions: Exceptional Needs Payments (28 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: I emphasise that the Department provides an extensive range of supports to the immediate next of kin of people who have died. I refer to the important payments that are made to immediate families as opposed to more distant relatives such as cousins and siblings who may not have lived with the deceased. A significant number of bereavement grants were paid to people who were inheriting the...

Other Questions: Exceptional Needs Payments (28 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: To date this year, my Department has paid €876,000 to help people buy prams, cots and buggies for new babies. The number of applications fell slightly in 2012 compared with 2011. As Deputies are aware, many claims for a social welfare payment are not processed for weeks. With the opening of the new Intreo offices, the largest of which is located in Coolock in the Deputy's...

Other Questions: Disability Activation Projects (28 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: I appreciate the Deputy's remarks. His question relates specifically to community employment schemes. Of more than 21,000 participants on community employment schemes at the end of October, 983 were categorised as being in the disability allowance cohort. This indicates that only a small percentage of recipients of the disability allowance participate in community employment. While we do...

Other Questions: Disability Activation Projects (28 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: The community employment scheme is being refocused into two main strands. The first, activation, is directed at persons who are long-term unemployed and involved in a pathway back to work. The second is social inclusion. People who are on a disability allowance, as the Deputy will know, are not part of the activation process because they are registered with the Department as having an...

Other Questions: Work Placement Programme (28 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: Gateway is a work placement initiative for county and city councils. The initiative aims to improve the employability and maintain the work readiness of those who have been unemployed for 24 months or more. Similar to Tús, participants are selected by a random process conducted by the Department of Social Protection from people in receipt of a jobseeker's allowance payment for two...