Results 26,141-26,160 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Disability Allowance Payments (2 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: Arrears of disability allowance due to the person concerned issued by cheque on 30 June 2014 .

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Staff Redeployment (2 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: The only formal structure in place in respect of transfers at Executive Officer level and above is the Central Applications Facility (CAF) that was established for locations included in the Decentralisation Programme. The CAF is administered by the Public Appointments Service. While my department maintains informal transfer lists for the grades of Executive Officer and above I understand...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2014: Committee Stage (2 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: The Senator does not even believe that himself.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2014: Committee Stage (2 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: This is just scaremongering. The Senator is seeking to make people such as pensioners worry. That is his political job and he should continue.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2014: Committee Stage (2 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: There will not be a post office in the country if Sinn Féin enters power.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2014: Committee Stage (2 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: I thank the Senator for the concern he expressed about post offices. I am sure he is aware from reading the Grant Thornton report that a grand total of four post offices have closed. Most often, such closures are due to the death of the proprietor or postmaster. We are all - particularly those of us on the Government side - concerned and anxious that post offices and sub-post offices have a...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2014: Committee Stage (2 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: Unless it wanted to walk away from the contract, which is unlikely.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2014: Committee Stage (2 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: Not after two years.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2014: Committee Stage (2 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: Yes.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2014: Committee Stage (2 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: There were a couple of questions from Senator Mooney which he also raised on Second Stage. They were on the nature of state aid, social services and economic contracts. The Commission does not specifically define what is meant by the term "social services of general interest". However, it has described such services as economic activities which deliver outcomes in the overall public good...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2014: Committee Stage (2 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: I ask the Senator to bear with me. They can launch legal action, as they did during the time of the previous Government in 1999. This goes back to then. The payment services provided by An Post to social welfare clients are similar to the payments services delivered by banks and, nowadays, other operators using mobile phones and the Internet. In relation to social welfare clients, the...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2014: Committee Stage (2 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: I understand the amendments have been ruled out of order. The social assistance payments are means tested and are payable on the basis of income need. The situation between somebody who is ordinarily resident and domiciled in the State is slightly different from the person who may be in the State for a period of time - I think it is important to keep that distinction - but who may qualify...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2014: Committee Stage (2 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: I will reiterate what I said. If somebody has become resident in Ireland and they then leave the country for extended periods of time, it is hard to justify why we should continue to pay qualified adult social welfare payments. However, if somebody is going for some kind of family issue or family emergency, such as a funeral or illness in the family, that is an entirely different issue....

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2014: Committee Stage (2 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: That would not normally arise because, as the Senator knows, the principle in regard to remand in Ireland, except in certain cases, is that it is for relatively short periods, people normally apply to the courts and there is a court procedure for dealing with that. Social welfare staff have special services for people who are in prison and, when they are coming out of prison, in particular to...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2014: Committee Stage (2 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: I do not propose to accept this amendment. Family income supplement, FIS, is a weekly tax-free support targeted at low-income workers who have children. FIS provides a crucial support for over 44,000 working families and almost 100,000 children. We are spending some €280 million this year, which is a very significant increase in this payment. The purpose of the support is to provide...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2014: Committee Stage (2 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: I do not propose to accept the amendment. The proposal is that 20 serving gardaí would be recruited into the Department of Social Protection to assist with a better emphasis on fraud detection and, where the fraud is significant, prosecution. That is a very important element of saving money for the Department. I mentioned earlier that last year the Department recovered over €70...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2014: Committee Stage (2 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: Different parties and individuals have different views on this matter. As well as having a responsibility to those who rely on a social welfare income, I have a responsibility to those who pay PRSI, income tax and other taxes to ensure payments go to the right people in the right amount. To give members an indication of the percentages involved, approximately 42% of overpayments arise as a...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2014: Committee Stage (2 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: The information here which potentially will be of most value to Irish Water is in regard to children in a household - children whose parents are in receipt of child benefit. Obviously, for child benefit purposes and in many educational situations, PPS numbers are used, and this provides confirmation of where the child is residing. It is anticipated that Irish Water may use that data because...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2014: Committee Stage (2 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: I am happy to confirm that for the Senator. The ability of Irish Water to use PPS numbers and access relevant information is compatible with the State's data protection obligation, as provided for under the Data Protection Acts of 1988. The use of PPS numbers by Irish Water will have a legislative base and it will serve a public purpose, but the Social Welfare Consolidation Act provides...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2014: Committee Stage (2 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: I appreciate Senator Mooney's concerns. The training and selection of trustees in obviously critical in pension funds. I do not propose to accept the amendment, the reasons for which I will clarify. Section 3 of the Pensions Act already makes it an offence for a trustee to fail to notify members where the pension authority makes a direction for a scheme to restructure scheme benefits....