Results 25,321-25,340 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Defined Benefit Pension Schemes (30 Apr 2014)

Joan Burton: It is estimated that there are some €50 billion of assets in defined benefit pension schemes. At present 470 schemes are in deficit while some 380 schemes satisfy the requirements of the funding standard as set out in the Pensions Act. The overall deficit in defined benefit pension schemes is estimated at €8.5bn. The majority of these schemes in deficit have put in place...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Education and Training Provision (30 Apr 2014)

Joan Burton: MOMENTUM, a scheme for education and training interventions, which is part of the Government’s Action Plan for Jobs initiative, was rolled out by the Department of Education in 2013. MOMENTUM supported the provision of free education and training projects in 2013 to allow up to 6,500 long term jobseekers to gain skills and to access work opportunities in identified growing sectors....

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme Data (30 Apr 2014)

Joan Burton: The purpose of the rent supplement scheme is to provide short-term support to eligible persons 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 for which the Government has provided some €344...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Death Certificates Issues (30 Apr 2014)

Joan Burton: The loss of a family member in any circumstances is an extremely tragic event and I would like to extend my deepest sympathies to those families who have lost a loved one through suicide. Under sections 41 and 42 of the Civil Registration Act 2004 a coroner or a medical practitioner provides the required particulars of a death, including cause of death, in order that the death can be...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Community Services Programme (30 Apr 2014)

Joan Burton: The community services programme (CSP) is designed to address gaps in service delivery and disadvantage and to ensure that community facilities are utilised. The programme is funded by my Department with day-to-day management of contracts undertaken by Pobal. Over 400 not-for-profit companies and co-operatives shared annual funding of €46m from the programme in 2013 and similar...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments Administration (30 Apr 2014)

Joan Burton: The Department is committed to ensuring that the decisions of appeals officers are implemented without delay. In all cases, it takes a number of days for the relevant scheme area to receive notification of an Appeals Officer’s decision, together with returned case papers. Where the appeal has been granted, there are a number of necessary administrative steps which must be completed...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (30 Apr 2014)

Joan Burton: I confirm that the department received an application for carer’s allowance from the person in question on the 19th October 2013. The person concerned was refused carer’s allowance on the grounds that the care recipient is not so disabled as to require full time care and attention as prescribed in regulations. He was notified of this decision on the 14th of January 2014, the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Disability Allowance Appeals (30 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 16thApril 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 and...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Household Budget Facility (30 Apr 2014)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 287 and 367 together. The Household Budget facility, operated by An Post on behalf of the Department of Social Protection, provides customers with a facility to have their household utility bills and social rents deducted directly from their weekly social welfare payment. While some 33,000 housing authority tenants have availed of the facility in terms of...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Farm Assist Scheme Appeals (30 Apr 2014)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned together with the relevant Departmental papers were received by that office on 26thMarch 2014 and that the case will be referred to an Appeals Officer 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...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Appeals (30 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 19thMarch 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 and...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Appeals (30 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 was notified of the Appeals Officer’s decision on 22ndApril 2014. The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Disability Allowance Appeals (30 Apr 2014)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that a disability allowance and a supplementary welfare allowance appeal from the person concerned were registered in that office on the 10thMarch 2014 and 11thMarch 2014 respectively. It is a statutory requirement of the appeals process that the relevant Departmental papers and comments by the Deciding Officers on the grounds of appeals be...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Appeals (30 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 16thApril 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 and...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Appeals (30 Apr 2014)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that a Carer’s Allowance appeal and a Supplementary Welfare Allowance appeal from the person concerned were registered in that office on the 13thNovember 2013 and 28thApril 2014 respectively. I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an oral hearing in respect to the Carer’s Allowance appeal of the person concerned...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Community Welfare Services (30 Apr 2014)

Joan Burton: Under the supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) 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 their weekly income. The Government has provided €31.3 million for the ENP scheme in 2014. There is no automatic entitlement to a payment....

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Invalidity Pension Eligibility (30 Apr 2014)

Joan Burton: The medical eligibility criteria for disability allowance (DA) and for invalidity pension (IP) are not the same. To qualify for DA, a person (inter-alia) must be considered to be substantially restricted in undertaking employment suitable to his/her age, qualifications and experience. The medical eligibility criteria for IP specify that the person must be permanently incapable of work...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Household Benefits Scheme (30 Apr 2014)

Joan Burton: In order to qualify for the household benefits package a person must satisfy certain qualifying conditions. In this instance, the person concerned does not qualify as he is under 66 years of age and he is not in receipt of a qualifying payment from the Department e.g. invalidity pension or disability allowance.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme Applications (30 Apr 2014)

Joan Burton: No rent supplement application has been received from these clients by the relevant Unit of the Department. Should the clients wish to make application they may contact the Unit directly at or on the lo-call number 1890 800 698, where the criteria for rent supplement can be discussed.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals Issues (30 Apr 2014)

Joan Burton: Under Social Welfare legislation, Deciding Officers are appointed to decide on entitlement to benefit or assistance. In coming to their decision on entitlement, the role of the Deciding Officer is to consider the evidence supplied and from that evidence establish the facts of the case. The Deciding Officer applies the legislation to the established facts. In this case, the evidence...