Results 23,861-23,880 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Offices (18 Dec 2013)

Joan Burton: It is standard Departmental practice to make jobseeker payments at the customers designated post office. The vast majority of jobseeker customers receive their payments in this manner on a weekly basis. Exceptions are made in certain circumstances, for instance while a person is undertaking a course of study under the back to education allowance, partaking of an internship under the Work...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Money Advice and Budgeting Service Issues (18 Dec 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. The table below provides details of the number of people in Cork City and County...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Appeals (18 Dec 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 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: Rent Supplement Scheme Administration (18 Dec 2013)

Joan Burton: The processing of rent supplement applications for County Carlow was transferred some months ago to a centralised rents unit for the Mid Leinster area. There was an initial accumulation of applications following the transfer of rents that resulted in unavoidable delays in awarding. All claims are now being processed within a two week period from application where all relevant information is...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Jobseeker's Allowance Applications (18 Dec 2013)

Joan Burton: It is sincerely regretted that a reply regarding the jobseeker’s allowance enquiry in relation to the person concerned did not issue to the Minister’s office in a timely manner. The file was with the independent Social Welfare Appeals Office and the correspondence should have been forwarded promptly from the Western Divisional Office to that office. I can confirm that the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme Appeals (18 Dec 2013)

Joan Burton: The person concerned was disallowed a rent supplement on the grounds that their means exceed the amount payable to a person in their circumstances.New information provided by the Minister’s office has been forwarded to a Designated Officer who is currently reviewing the rent allowance payable. A decision will be made on their entitlement and the person concerned will be notified of...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme Appeals (18 Dec 2013)

Joan Burton: Following a review, the person concerned was awarded a rent supplement payment from 18th November 2013 at the weekly rate of €29.80 with an overpayment deduction of €10.00 giving him a net weekly payment of €19.80. He was informed of this decision on 12th November 2013. It is open to the person concerned to appeal this decision by writing to the independent Social...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Pension Provisions (18 Dec 2013)

Joan Burton: The person has been awarded State pension (non-contributory) with effect from 23rd November 2012, the date of application. Arrears will issue this week and the pension will commence in payment after Christmas.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Family Income Supplement Payments (18 Dec 2013)

Joan Burton: At the end of August 2013, 41,391 customers were in receipt of FIS with 3,595 or 9% recorded as public servants. Of these, 1,365 (3% of the overall number of FIS recipients and almost 38% of the total public servant recipients) were recorded as members of the Defence Forces. At the end of November 2013, 43,668 customers were in receipt of FIS with 3,744 or 9% recorded as Public Servants. Of...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Pension Provisions (18 Dec 2013)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 135 and 136 together. You will appreciate that it is not appropriate for me to comment on matters relating to an individual pension scheme. The Social Welfare and Pensions Act 2009 broadened the options available to the trustees of a pension scheme in the event of the restructure of scheme benefits in include the benefits of deferred scheme member and...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Invalidity Pension Appeals (18 Dec 2013)

Joan Burton: Invalidity pension (IP) 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 IP for the person concerned on 25 September 2012. His application for IP was disallowed by a deciding officer (DO) on the ground that the person concerned was deemed to be engaged in...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Ministerial Advisers Remuneration (18 Dec 2013)

Joan Burton: As my special advisor Mr Ed Brophy was previously employed in the private sector on a salary package that was more than twice the highest point of the Principal Officer (standard) scale, I sought sanction from the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform for remuneration in excess of the applicable pay scale grade. A single point salary of €127,796 was sanctioned by the Minister for...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Insurance Issues (19 Dec 2013)

Joan Burton: Employer PRSI is payable on earnings at the rate of 10.75% in respect of weekly earnings in excess of €356 and at 8.5% on weekly earnings of €356 or less. As part of the 2011 Jobs Initiative, the Minister for Finance announced the halving of the 8.5% rate of employer PRSI to 4.25%, as a means of helping job creation and improving labour cost competitiveness, particularly in...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Mortgage Interest Relief Appeals (19 Dec 2013)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 17th December 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...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme Data (19 Dec 2013)

Joan Burton: The purpose of the rent supplement scheme is to provide short-term support to eligible people living in private rented accommodation whose means are insufficient to meet their accommodation costs and who do not have accommodation available to them from any other source. The overall aim is to provide short term assistance, and not to act as an alternative to the other social housing schemes...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme Eligibility (19 Dec 2013)

Joan Burton: The purpose of the rent supplement scheme is to provide short-term support to eligible people living in private rented accommodation whose means are insufficient to meet their accommodation costs and who do not have accommodation available to them from any other source. The overall aim is to provide short term assistance, and not to act as an alternative to the other social housing schemes...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Pension Provisions (19 Dec 2013)

Joan Burton: The sustainability of the pension system is a particular concern because of the demographic challenges Ireland faces, the associated increases in pension (and other age related) costs, and the deterioration in the public finances. This means that, in the future, the task of financing increased pension spending will fall to a diminishing share of the working population as demographic...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Invalidity Pension Appeals (19 Dec 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 invalidity pension appeal of the person concerned by way of a summary decision. The person concerned has been notified of the Appeals Officer’s decision. With regard to the disablement pension appeal, I am further advised by the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Unemployment Benefits (19 Dec 2013)

Joan Burton: The replacement rate for given income levels is a tool used to measure the degree to which out-of-work benefits when unemployed replace take home income from work. While there is no pre-determined level of replacement rate, which would influence every individual’s decision to work, higher replacement rates may indicate lower incentives to take up employment. In this regard a...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Freedom of Information Requests (19 Dec 2013)

Joan Burton: The response to the Deputy's question is provided in tabular format: No of requests 2012 1/1/2013 to 16/12/ 2013 Personal 1,581 n/a Non-personal 103 89 No of requests for which a fee was sought 2 5 Max fee sought €5,500 €200 No of requests not proceeded following the non-payment of fee 1 4