Results 25,101-25,120 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Public Services Card (8 Apr 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: Pension Provisions (8 Apr 2014)

Joan Burton: While I am aware of the developments in the Irish Airlines Staff Superannuation Scheme, you will appreciate that it is not appropriate for me to comment on these developments as these are a matter for the management of the company and the trustees of the relevant pension scheme. The Pensions Authority supervises the regulation of individual schemes in accordance with the Pensions Act. The...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Appeals (8 Apr 2014)

Joan Burton: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an Appeals Officer, having fully considered all of the available evidence including that adduced at the oral hearing, has decided to allow the appeal of the person concerned. The person concerned has been notified of the Appeals Officer’s decision. The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Eligibility (8 Apr 2014)

Joan Burton: With effect from 3rdApril 2000, cumulative lifetime participation on Community Employment (CE) by an individual will be limited to: - 3 years (156 weeks) for persons under 55 years of age. - 6 years (312 weeks) for persons of 55 years of age up to State Pension age. Participation on CE prior to 3rdApril 2000 is not counted. This means that a CE-eligible person of 55 or over who had not...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Employment Support Services (8 Apr 2014)

Joan Burton: Gateway was introduced by the Department of Social Protection to deliver on the policy objectives set out in Pathways to Work and is designed to bridge the gap between unemployment and re-entering the workforce. Responsibility for delivery of this initiative rests with individual county and city councils. Gateway has a target to provide 3,000 placements focusing on those who have been...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme Payments (8 Apr 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. There are currently approximately 78,000 rent supplement recipients at a cost over €344 million for 2014. The limits are...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Invalidity Pension Appeals (8 Apr 2014)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 27thFebruary 2014. 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: Pension Provisions (8 Apr 2014)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare and Pensions Act 2011 provides that State pension age will be increased gradually to 68 years. State pension (transition) available at 65 was abolished in January 2014, thereby standardising State pension age for all at 66 years. State pension age will increase further to 67 in 2021, and to 68 in 2028. The State pension (transition) was introduced in 1970 when it was...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Parliamentary Questions Costs (8 Apr 2014)

Joan Burton: The Department of Social Protection (DSP) has always been committed to being as transparent and helpful as possible to all members of the Oireachtas. In this regard the Department has set up dedicated enquiry telephone lines and specific email addresses for each section in the Department specifically for the purpose of dealing with queries from members of the Oireachtas in relation to...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Invalidity Pension Appeals (8 Apr 2014)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was referred to an Appeals Officer on 28 February 2014, who will make a summary decision on the appeal based on the documentary evidence presented or, if required, hold an oral hearing. The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Social Protection and of the Department...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Ministerial Correspondence (8 Apr 2014)

Joan Burton: The representation made by the Deputy was received in the Department on 6 February, 2014 and acknowledged. In the normal course, a reply would issue within two weeks of receipt. However, it was necessary to investigate the technical feasibility of his suggestion before making a reply. I understand that this investigation is now complete and that a reply will issue in the next few days.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Community Welfare Services (8 Apr 2014)

Joan Burton: One of the primary aims in the transfer of the Community Welfare Service (CWS) from the Health Service Executive to the Department on 1 October 2011 was to provide a streamlined and consistent service to customers. 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 Payments Administration (8 Apr 2014)

Joan Burton: No attachment was received and the Deputy has not referred to any particular scheme in his question but I assume that he is referring to recent communication from Department officials to job seeking customers aged 62 years and older. Prior to Budget 2014 older jobseekers were required to comply with the Department’s activation measures when requested to so do, as is the case with...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Work Placement Programmes (8 Apr 2014)

Joan Burton: Tús, the community work placement initiative introduced during 2011, was set up to provide short-term, work opportunities for those who are unemployed for more than a year. This initiative is being delivered through the network of local development companies and Údarás na Gaeltachta. Tús is designed to break the cycle of unemployment and maintain work readiness thereby...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Labour Court Recommendations (8 Apr 2014)

Joan Burton: This matter concerns a recommendation of the Labour Court in July 2008 that a pension scheme should be introduced for community employment (CE) scheme supervisors and assistant supervisors, and that such a scheme should be adequately funded by FÁS. The position in respect of this matter has been outlined on a number of occasions and has not changed since that outlined in the response to...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Staff Training (8 Apr 2014)

Joan Burton: The Pathways to Work strategy, launched in February 2012 and renewed in July 2013, has introduced a new, locally delivered, fully integrated public employment and benefits service, Intreo, involving the transformation of local social welfare offices and former employment services offices. Significant progress has been made with 44 Intreo centres now operating across the country. The...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Jobseeker's Allowance Eligibility (9 Apr 2014)

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 2014 Estimates for the Department provide for expenditure this year on jobseeker schemes of €3.28 billion. It is a fundamental qualifying condition of both schemes that a person must be fully unemployed for...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Appeals (9 Apr 2014)

Joan Burton: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an oral hearing of the appeal of the person concerned took place on 12 March 2014 and that the Appeals Officer is now considering the appeal in the light of all of the evidence submitted, including that adduced at the oral hearing. The person concerned will be notified of the Appeals Officer's decision when the appeal has been...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Back to Education Allowance Eligibility (9 Apr 2014)

Joan Burton: The back to education allowance (BTEA) scheme is designed to support second chance education. BTEA covers full-time second level courses and third level courses to include a higher diploma qualification in any discipline and the professional diploma in education which are both at level 8 in the national framework of qualifications (NFQ). The BTEA does not currently provide income support for...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Jobseeker's Allowance Eligibility (9 Apr 2014)

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 2014 Estimates for the Department provide for expenditure this year on the jobseekers’ schemes of €3.28 billion. It is a fundamental condition of both schemes that a person must be fully...