Results 26,361-26,380 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Irish Airlines Superannuation Scheme (15 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: I am very aware of the issues arising in Irish airlines superannuation scheme. However, you will appreciate that is it is not appropriate for me to comment on matters relating to an individual pension scheme as these are matters for the management of a company and the trustees of the relevant pension scheme. I can advise that the trustees of a pension scheme are required under trust law to...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Insurance Yield (15 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: In Budget 2013 it was announced that from 1 January 2014, the exemption from PRSI applying to employed contributors and occupational pensioners aged under 66 years, whether that pension arises from that person’s own employment or the employment of his or her spouse or civil partner, whose only additional income is unearned income, will be abolished. This means that unearned income...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: JobsPlus Scheme (15 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 376 and 378 to 380, inclusive, together. JobsPlus provides a direct monthly financial incentive to employers who recruit employees from those who are long-term on the Live Register. The incentive is payable, on a monthly basis, over a two year period if the employee is retained in full-time employment for two years. JobsPlus is biased in favour of those who...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Back to Education Allowance Eligibility (15 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: Back to education allowance (BTEA) is an education scheme for people in receipt of certain social welfare payments who wish to pursue a full-time second level or third level course of education. A person wishing to pursue BTEA will have to satisfy a number of conditions such as being a certain age, in receipt of a prescribed social welfare payment for a specified time period, commencing a...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme Payments (15 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: Following a recent rent review, the clients rent supplement of €670.00 per month was found to be in excess of the maximum limit determined by legislation in July 2013. The maximum rent limit applicable is €610.00 per month. The client should endeavour to secure a rent reduction or locate alternative accommodation and forward a new application to the Mid Leinster Rents Unit, PO...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme Administration (15 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: The purpose of rent supplement is to provide short-term income support to eligible people living in private rented accommodation. There are approximately 76,000 rent supplement recipients for which the Government has provided over €344 million for 2014. Under the legislative provisions governing rent supplement, the Department’s relationship is with the tenant; the tenant...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (15 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: An application for optical benefit has not been received to date from the person concerned. However according to the records held, the person referred to is not currently qualified for optical benefit, as he does not meet either of necessary PRSI conditions of having 260 Class A/E/H or P, PRSI contributions paid since first starting work, and 39 such contributions paid or credited in 2012,...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Offices (15 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: As the Deputy will be aware the Pathways to Work document states that the introduction of the new Intreo service is a multi-annual project. The first 44 Intreo offices are now open and the remaining offices will be rolled out to all of the Department’s existing local offices by the end of 2014. The Department of Social Protection provides income support services to unemployed...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Reports (15 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: The 2013 Annual Report of the Department of Social Protection was laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas on 9 April 2014, and was published the following day. The 2013 Annual Report is available for download on the Department of Social Protection website at .

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Springboard Programme (15 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: The person concerned is undertaking an education course under the Springboard Initiative. Springboard is a programme under the remit of the Department of Education and Skills. It offers a choice of 171 free, part-time and intensive conversion courses in higher education from certificate, to degree, to post-graduate level. Springboard participants receive the rate of payment they were in...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Invalidity Pension Appeals (15 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an invalidity pension appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 09thJuly 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 papers have been received from the Department, the case in...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Domiciliary Care Allowance Applications (15 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: An application for domiciliary care allowance (DCA) was received from the person concerned on the 26th May 2014. This application has been forwarded to one of the Department’s Medical Assessors for their medical opinion. Upon receipt of this opinion, a decision will be made and notified to the person concerned. It can currently take up to 12 weeks to process an application for DCA.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: One-Parent Family Payment Eligibility (15 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: The number of one-parent family payment (OFP) recipients stood at 74,426 in June, 2014, and an estimated €863 million is expected to be spent on the scheme during 2014. As a result of the reforms to the one-parent family payment (OFP) scheme, once a lone parent’s youngest child reaches the relevant maximum age limit threshold, they will no longer be entitled to the OFP payment....

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Insurance (15 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: Self-employed persons are liable for PRSI at the class S rate of 4% which entitles them to access long-term benefits such as State pension (contributory) and widow's, widower's or surviving civil partner's pension (contributory). Ordinary employees who have access to the full range of social insurance benefits pay class A PRSI at the rate of 4%. In addition, their employers make a PRSI...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: State Pension (Contributory) Eligibility (15 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: The State pension is a very valuable benefit and is the bedrock of the Irish pension system. Therefore, it is important to ensure that those qualifying have made a sustained contribution to the Social Insurance Fund over their working lives. This is particularly important given the challenges in relation to the future sustainability of the State pension, with increased numbers of older...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (15 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: In its 2015 pre-budget submission to the Department, the Carers Association welcomed the recent review of domiciliary care allowance (DCA), acknowledged the very significant improvements that the revised application process for DCA will offer parents caring for children with Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDD) and requested that the application process for carers payments be similarly...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Live Register Data (15 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: The information requested by the Deputy in respect of the number of persons who are short term and long term unemployed since March 2011 is not routinely collated by my Department. The Central Statistics Office publishes a monthly breakdown of the number of persons who are on the live register in each county. I have for the Deputy’s convenience detailed the live register in County...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: One-Parent Family Payments (15 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 399 and 408 together. The one-parent family payment (OFP) has played an important role in providing income support to lone parents since its introduction in 1997. The number of OFP recipients stood at 74,426 in June, 2014, and an estimated €863 million will be spent on the scheme during 2014. The OFP scheme is in the process of being reformed....

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Disability Allowance Eligibility (15 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: Disability allowance is a means tested scheme and the way means are assessed is laid down in social welfare legislation. In summary, any income, with some exceptions, belonging to the person and his or her spouse/partner or co-habitant is assessable as means for disability allowance purposes. When the means of the person concerned were assessed, which were derived from an occupational...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Public Relations Contracts Expenditure (15 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: There were no costs incurred by my Department in respect of public relations/communications in 2013 and to date in 2014. In line with Department of Social Protection policy, the press office deals with all media queries and public relations matters. It is the Department’s policy to use in-house resources as much as possible and to restrict the use of external firms to a minimum. ...