Results 24,601-24,620 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Public Services Card (25 Feb 2014)

Joan Burton: The Department of Social Protection has developed, in conjunction with a number of other Government Departments, a rules based standard for establishing and authenticating an individual’s identity for the purposes of access to public services. This programme of work, which is known as the Standard Authentication Framework Environment or SAFE for short, also provided for the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Live Register Numbers (25 Feb 2014)

Joan Burton: The table below shows the number of persons on the Live Register (i.e. “signing on”) in Kilbarrack and Coolock Intreo Centres in December 2013 and January 2014 - December 2013 January 2014 Kilbarrack 4,868 4,987 Coolock 4,299 4,403

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: One-Parent Family Payment Eligibility (25 Feb 2014)

Joan Burton: The Department is in the process of reforming the one-parent family payment (OFP) scheme. These reforms, which were introduced in the Social Welfare and Pensions Act, 2012, are predicated on activation and on facilitating lone parents back into the workforce once their children have reached an appropriate age. The table below indicates the number of recipients who lost their entitlement...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: State Pensions Reform (25 Feb 2014)

Joan Burton: Invalidity pension (IP) is a payment for people who are permanently incapable of work due to illness or injury and who satisfy the PRSI contribution conditions. IP recipients will continue to transfer automatically from IP to a state pension contributory (SPC) at age 66 which is currently paid at the maximum weekly personal rate of €230.30. With regard to the numbers of IP...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme Data (25 Feb 2014)

Joan Burton: The purpose of rent supplement 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 operated by...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Budget 2014 (25 Feb 2014)

Joan Burton: The operational, administrative and IT arrangements required for the recovery of benefits measure are currently being finalised with a view to the measure coming into operation in Quarter 2 this year.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Insurance Fund Deficit (25 Feb 2014)

Joan Burton: The Revised Estimates Volume for 2014 provides for an estimated deficit of the Social Insurance Fund (SIF) of just over €685 million this year. This is down from close to €1,315 million in 2013. The reduction in the estimated deficit is due to a wide range of factors affecting both the income and expenditure of the SIF in 2014. Income is projected to increase as a consequence...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Eligibility (25 Feb 2014)

Joan Burton: A carer must be living with the person he or she is looking after, or be in a position to provide full time care and attention to a person who is not living with him/her. They must also be providing care on a full time basis. In the case of caring for a child under 16 the child must be in receipt of Domiciliary Care Allowance. A person can qualify for half rate Carers’ Allowance...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Pension Schemes Issues (25 Feb 2014)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 395 and 397 together. The trust deed and rulesof the scheme will usually set down the various circumstances in which a scheme can be wound up. Typically, these would include the employer: -notifying the trustees of its intention to stop contributions to the scheme -failing to make contributions due to the scheme within a specified period -going into...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Pensions Ombudsman Remit (25 Feb 2014)

Joan Burton: The Pensions Ombudsman investigates and determines complaints and disputes concerning occupational pension schemes and Personal Retirement Savings Accounts (PRSAs). The length of time taken for an investigation will vary, depending on the issues arising in relation to the matter to be investigated. There is no regulated timeframe within which a determination must be made. The annual Report...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: One-Parent Family Payments (25 Feb 2014)

Joan Burton: One Parent Family Payment (OPFP) is a means tested payment and earnings from employment are assessable as means. The customer concerned was awarded OPFP from 2nd April 1998. I can confirm that at the time of applying for the scheme this customer was not in employment. Subsequently, however, she commenced employment but failed to notify this Department. On the 6th January 2004 this...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Pension Schemes Issues (25 Feb 2014)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 399 and 410 together. You will appreciate that it is not appropriate for me to comment on matters relating to an individual pension scheme. I am very aware of the serious challenges facing many pension schemes at this time and the efforts being made by both the trustees and the sponsoring employers of these scheme to meet these challenges. You will be aware...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Jobseeker's Allowance Eligibility (25 Feb 2014)

Joan Burton: The person concerned had a review of his means on 31 December 13. At this time means of €54.00 were calculated based on savings held by the person concerned. There has been no further request to review means nor has a change in circumstances been notified to this Department. It is open to the person concerned to request a review of his current entitlement at his local social welfare...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Community Welfare Services (25 Feb 2014)

Joan Burton: A key objective of the transfer of the Community Welfare Service (CWS) from the Health Service Executive to the Department on 1st October 2011 was to provide a streamlined and consistent service to the customer. As part of this process and to support the Department’s activation commitments under the Pathways to Work Programme and the development of Intreo services nationally, it has...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals Status (25 Feb 2014)

Joan Burton: The applications for supplementary welfare allowance and jobseeker’s allowance, by the person concerned, were disallowed by a Deciding Officer of the Department on the grounds that she failed to disclose her means and failed to furnish the requested and relevant documents. The application for disability allowance in this case was also refused as the person concerned did not satisfy...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Domiciliary Care Allowance Appeals (25 Feb 2014)

Joan Burton: An application for domiciliary care allowance was received from the person concerned on the 13th September 2013. This application was referred to one of the Department’s Medical Assessors whose opinion was that the child was not medically eligible for the allowance. A letter issued on the 1st November 2013 advising of the decision to disallow the application. The person concerned...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Offices (25 Feb 2014)

Joan Burton: The Intreo service is fully operational in forty four offices across the country, including in Kilbarrack, Dublin 5. The Department is working with the OPW towards a target of completing the roll-out of the Intreo service to all offices by the end of 2014.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Eligibility (25 Feb 2014)

Joan Burton: I confirm that the department received an application for carer’s allowance from the person in question on the 13th November 2013. The person in question was previously in receipt of carer’s benefit, which exhausted. While the care recipient satisfied the medical criteria for carer’s benefit, this was only for a two year period after which a review was recommended by the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Domiciliary Care Allowance Appeals (25 Feb 2014)

Joan Burton: An application for domiciliary care allowance was received from the person concerned on the 20th May 2013. The application was disallowed as the child was not considered to satisfy the qualifying conditions for the allowance. A letter issued on the 18th July 2013 advising of the decision. The person concerned subsequently requested a review of the decision. The case was reviewed again on...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Humanitarian Assistance Scheme (25 Feb 2014)

Joan Burton: A humanitarian assistance scheme was approved by Government in November 2009. The scheme, which is means tested, is available to assist people whose homes are damaged by flooding and who are not in a position to meet costs for essential needs, household items and in some instances structural repair. Humanitarian assistance does not cover business or commercial losses. Accordingly,...