Results 25,681-25,700 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Seanad: Youth Guarantee and Rent Supplement: Statements (28 May 2014)

Joan Burton: I thank the Cathaoirleach and Seanad for inviting me before it today. I will start by giving a brief overview of the Government's strategy to tackle the pressing issue of youth unemployment. Research evidence shows that early and prolonged periods of unemployment during a person's lifetime can have a permanent scarring effect on his or her capacity to improve his or her standard of living....

Seanad: Youth Guarantee and Rent Supplement: Statements (28 May 2014)

Joan Burton: I should make a general point about a number of questions as Senators can be helpful. There is a decreasing rate of youth unemployment, which is fantastic. One of the difficulties is that areas like retail and entry-level jobs dry up in a recession, so as the economy recovers, some of those sectors again have openings and young people can get such entry-level jobs. Employers have an...

Seanad: Youth Guarantee and Rent Supplement: Statements (28 May 2014)

Joan Burton: In Germany, for example, if a son or daughter achieves an apprenticeship, it would be celebrated just as much as any achievement of a third level place. In other words we lack a "dual" system. It is really important to understand that this is a cultural shift to include young people and to have very limited social acceptance of young people being unemployed during what are potentially their...

Seanad: Youth Guarantee and Rent Supplement: Statements (28 May 2014)

Joan Burton: All of those are fantastic areas for people with an interest in them to be involved and to be creative. On fiscal constraints, what we have now in terms of the youth guarantee Europe-wide is a fund of money over the next EU budget period. As this country had high youth unemployment – it has since fallen – when the agreement was brokered at the Heads of State meeting, it was...

Seanad: Youth Guarantee and Rent Supplement: Statements (28 May 2014)

Joan Burton: -----and Senator O'Donnell, will recognise the phenomenon of a certain kind of young person who will slightly shrink back and appear to want to be left alone because he or she is not sure what is going on. I went to a graduation ceremony some months later and one would not believe the difference. The young people were wearing very nice shirts and chinos. Their heads were up and they were...

Seanad: Youth Guarantee and Rent Supplement: Statements (28 May 2014)

Joan Burton: The caps are based on what is indicated to us on the basis of analysis of the data. I want to say the following again. Social protection accounts, through rent supplement, for about 30% of the housing rental market nationally. Last year we raised rents, particularly in the Dublin area but in other areas of tight supply, by about 9% which was a very significant increase compared, for...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Domiciliary Care Allowance Applications (29 May 2014)

Joan Burton: An application for domiciliary care allowance (DCA) was received from the person concerned on the 19th March 2014. This application is currently with a Deciding Officer who will shortly make a decision on the application. As soon as the decision is made the person concerned will be notified of the outcome.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Appeals (29 May 2014)

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 disallow the appeal of the person concerned by way of a summary decision. The person concerned has been notified of the Appeals Officer's decision. The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Social Protection...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Invalidity Pension Appeals (29 May 2014)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 21stMay 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 to an...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Invalidity Pension Appeals (29 May 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: Invalidity Pension Appeals (29 May 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 21stMay 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: Fuel Allowance Expenditure (29 May 2014)

Joan Burton: The annual cost of increasing the duration of the fuel allowance season by 2 weeks, 4 weeks and 6 weeks, is estimated, based on expenditure data on the scheme in the year to date, to be €8.2 million, €16.4 million and €24.6 million, respectively.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals Waiting Times (29 May 2014)

Joan Burton: The workload of the appeals office has increased dramatically in recent years. Up to 2009 the average number of appeals received was 15,000 per annum, whereas in 2012 the number of appeals received peaked at 35,484, reducing to 32,777 appeals in 2013. This has placed considerable pressure on the office. Significant effort and resources have been devoted to reforming the appeals process to...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Appeals (29 May 2014)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 13thMarch 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 to...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (29 May 2014)

Joan Burton: I confirm that the department received an application for carer's allowance from the person in question on the 10th April 2014. The application is with a deciding officer for a decision. Once processed, the person concerned will be notified directly of the outcome.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme Eligibility (29 May 2014)

Joan Burton: The client concerned has not made an application for rent supplement to the Department. In order for the client to receive an informed decision, all pertaining information regarding the application must be sent to the Mid Leinster Rents Unit, PO Box 11758, Dublin 24. A rent supplement booklet has been posted to her in order to facilitate the application. A decision on eligibility can be...

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2014: Order for Second Stage (4 Jun 2014)

Joan Burton: I move: "That Second Stage be taken now."

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2014: Second Stage (4 Jun 2014)

Joan Burton: I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." Just over three years ago in the programme for Government, we pledged to change the social welfare system to make it fairer, better structured, more transparent and less open to abuse. We pledged, among other things, to provide a fit-for-purpose system, provide better services, remove poverty traps and, critically, focus on providing...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Jobseeker's Allowance Appeals (4 Jun 2014)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 28thMarch 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 to...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Respite Care Grant Applications (4 Jun 2014)

Joan Burton: Examination of my Department's computer records indicates that an application for the Respite Care Grant has not been received from the person concerned, to date. An application form, together with a covering letter outlining the conditions for payment of the Grant, was sent to the person concerned on 30thMay.