Results 24,721-24,740 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Poverty Data (5 Mar 2014)

Joan Burton: The CSO is completely independent.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Poverty Data (5 Mar 2014)

Joan Burton: I am delighted that the Deputy wants the information and statistics to be published in a more timely fashion; he is singing my song in that regard. It is important that the CSO be seen to be independent from the viewpoint of the European Union and other international institutions. It organises its work programmes according to its own schedules. I agree with the Deputy that it would be...

Other Questions: Employment Support Services (5 Mar 2014)

Joan Burton: That is the Deputy's view. Deputies on all sides of the House have asked me to increase the number of work opportunities for people who have been locked out of employment by the difficulties in the economy and desperately want to get back to work. If that is not immediately possible, they want to participate and contribute to their community through community employment and Tús...

Other Questions: Employment Support Services (5 Mar 2014)

Joan Burton: I beg to disagree with the Deputy and I am not sure she fully understands the scheme. I know people from the Deputy's side of the House have heavily praised community employment and Tús while seeking more places. The terms and conditions are exactly the same.

Other Questions: Employment Support Services (5 Mar 2014)

Joan Burton: I do not understand why somebody like the Deputy would not correctly praise community employment for the opportunity it gives for people to participate in the community and for the services it helps to provide for the community. We should be clear that Gateway aims to improve the employability and work-readiness of participants. This can be done by providing good quality work opportunities...

Other Questions: Employment Support Services (5 Mar 2014)

Joan Burton: All I can say is that I meet many people who have unfortunately lost a job or business during the recession. My aim is very clear in helping people get back to work, self-employment and the rebuilding of business. The Deputy has extensive work experience and knows that when people go to an interview after being out of work for a long time - as is the case for some unfortunate people,...

Other Questions: Social Insurance (5 Mar 2014)

Joan Burton: Self-employed persons are liable for PRSI at the class S rate of 4%. This entitles them to access valuable long-term benefits such as the contributory State pension and contributory widow's, widower's or surviving civil partner's pension. In September 2013, I published the report of the advisory group on tax and social welfare on extending social insurance coverage for the self-employed....

Other Questions: Social Insurance (5 Mar 2014)

Joan Burton: The net point here is to do with cost and economic sustainability. The actuarial study of the Social Insurance Fund showed what people know, which is that a self-employed person paying 4%, who is covered for areas such as maternity benefit and widow's and survivor's pensions and for the retirement pension, gets an extremely good deal compared to the person in employment for whom the...

Other Questions: Social Insurance (5 Mar 2014)

Joan Burton: -----the recommendation in the report states clearly that it would have to be mandatory, that a voluntary scheme in this type of situation would simply not work and one would not get a sufficient financial contribution to cover the numbers who over a period of time would be likely to benefit. By the way, this would be introduced on a staggered basis over a number of years.

Other Questions: Social Insurance (5 Mar 2014)

Joan Burton: As Deputy O'Dea read the report, he will be aware that the group carried out a specific examination. After I became Minister, I changed the method of assessment which is carried out by social welfare assistants on the self-employed accessing jobseeker's allowance. For instance, if there is a catastrophic fall or collapse in a person's business, under the previous Government of which Deputy...

Other Questions: Social Welfare Appeals Waiting Times (5 Mar 2014)

Joan Burton: I thank Deputy Broughan for acknowledging the improvements. Significant improvements have been achieved but I agree that there is still more to be done. The workload of the appeals office has increased dramatically in recent years. It is the cause of the problem. The number of appeals received annually has increased, from an average of 15,000 up to 2009. Close to 32,800 appeals were...

Other Questions: Social Welfare Appeals Waiting Times (5 Mar 2014)

Joan Burton: -----which we sought to change.

Other Questions: Social Welfare Appeals Waiting Times (5 Mar 2014)

Joan Burton: Significant effort and resources have been devoted to reforming the appeals process to manage this increased workload while, at the same time, recognising the need to ensure that quality and fairness are not compromised. An additional 15 appeals officers have been assigned to the office over the past three years, bringing the number up to 41. In addition, a new operating model has been...

Other Questions: Social Welfare Appeals Waiting Times (5 Mar 2014)

Joan Burton: The Deputy made successful representations to me, on which I congratulate him, to continue departmental funding for the Northside Community Law Centre. I have been in it and met people there on a number of occasions. The work it does on social welfare issues and appeals is very important. We have transformed the way the domiciliary care allowance is handled. After becoming Minister, I...

Other Questions: Social Welfare Appeals Waiting Times (5 Mar 2014)

Joan Burton: The greatest reform will take place when more people are back at work. An extra 61,000 people were at work at the end of 2013. That is the greatest boost to the economy.

Other Questions: Social Welfare Appeals Waiting Times (5 Mar 2014)

Joan Burton: We are also expanding and spending €280 million on the family income supplement scheme. One of the problems with applications for important and sensitive schemes such as domiciliary care allowance is that the individual applicant does not put forward the best case for a child or carer. People often turn to a public representative who can give good advice on what may be required. The...

Other Questions: Public Services Card (5 Mar 2014)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 9, 17 and 30 together. Considerable progress has been made in the roll-out of the new public service card, PSC. Approximately 580,000 cards have now been produced. The purpose of the PSC is to enable people to gain access to public services more efficiently and with a minimum of duplication of effort, while preserving their privacy to the maximum extent...

Other Questions: Public Services Card (5 Mar 2014)

Joan Burton: I assume many transport providers have technology to verify journeys taken, either on a spot check or a complete basis. People taking the train must go to the ticket office and I presume these verification methods will continue. In reply to Deputy David Stanton's question about other activities, we are looking at that issue. There are discussions taking place with the Road Safety...

Topical Issue Debate: Community Employment Drug Rehabilitation Projects (5 Mar 2014)

Joan Burton: I thank Deputy Ó Snodaigh for raising this important issue and assure him that I am very familiar with the Oblates and am aware of this project. As the houses of my dad's sister and my grandad backed onto the grounds of the Oblates in Inchicore, I have known them all my life. Consequently, the Deputy may rest assured that I know exactly where we are talking about. It is an important...

Topical Issue Debate: Community Employment Drug Rehabilitation Projects (5 Mar 2014)

Joan Burton: It was in the Deputy's question.