Results 26,461-26,480 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Money Advice and Budgeting Service (17 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: The Money Advice and Budgeting Service (MABS), under the aegis of the Citizens Information Board, provides a high quality personal service to assist people who are over indebted and need help and advice in coping with debt problems, in particular those on low incomes and people living on social welfare payments. The table provides details of the number of people in Cork City and County who...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Pension Fund Fees (17 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: The Report on Pension Charges, published in October 2012, was undertaken by my Department, working with the Central Bank and the Pensions Authority, and with support from PWC and was the first comprehensive Government report on this subject. The purpose of the report was to gather information on pension charges levied to assess whether charges are reasonable and transparent, and make...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Unemployment Data (17 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: The number of persons in receipt of either jobseeker's benefit or jobseeker's allowance at the end of June 2014 was 47,707 and 295,594 respectively; of these totals, 3,330 jobseeker’s benefit recipients and 59,410 jobseeker’s allowance recipients had occupations in construction-related trade categories. When other trades are added which may include some people who had worked in...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Child Care Services Provision (17 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: The Community Employment (CE) programme is a valuable resource in the provision of a range of services to communities, including childcare services. To support the delivery of these essential services, the ring-fencing and prioritisation of places for childcare was introduced on CE in 2002. Total CE expenditure on childcare amounted to €24.8m in 2013. In order to support the delivery...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Code (17 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: The supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) scheme is considered the "safety net" within the overall social welfare system in that it provides assistance to eligible people in the State whose means are insufficient to meet their needs and those of their dependants. The main purpose of the scheme is to provide immediate and flexible assistance for those in need who do not qualify for payment...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (17 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: The statistics as requested by the Deputy are not available. The jobseekers allowance and one-parent family schemes are subject to a means test and in order to carry out a means test the customer must be available and contactable at a given address. Where it is not possible to discern the means of an applicant, the claim may be suspended or closed. The specific closure reason outlined by...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (17 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 380 and 382 together. The primary responsibility for provision of accommodation for homeless persons rests with local authorities. Kildare County Council have staff and arrangements in place to provide emergency support to persons who find themselves homeless. The Community Welfare Service and Mid-Leinster rents unit work closely with County Council staff...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Parking Provision (17 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: A meeting between OPW and DSP officials was held in Longford in January to discuss, inter alia, the issue of traffic congestion on the Government Buildings site and options to ameliorate same. A number of options were discussed, however not all are practical or cost effective. In this context, some further consideration of the matter has been required by OPW following the meeting. I am now...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Ministerial Advisers Remuneration (17 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: Government limits on numbers of advisers are not applicable to the Taoiseach and Tánaiste. The names and details of the salaries of the two Special Advisers I have appointed are shown in the following table. Title Name Annual Salary Special Adviser Edward Brophy €119,577 Press Adviser Paul O’Brien €75,647 - €92,550 As Mr. Edward Brophy was...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Gender Balance Issues (17 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: The statutory bodies operating under the aegis of the Department of Social Protection are the Citizens Information Board, the Pensions Authority, the Pensions Ombudsman (which does not have a Board) and the Social Welfare Tribunal. Citizens Information Board The legislative provisions governing appointments to the Citizens Information Board are contained in the Comhairle Act 2000, the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Ministerial Priorities (17 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: As the Deputy will be aware, the Government published a Statement of Government Priorities for the period 2014 to 2016 on Friday, 11thJuly. The statement sets out how we will build a social recovery to accompany the economic recovery that is now under way. The key priorities in the statement are: 1. Strengthening the Domestic Economy & Prioritising New Jobs for the Unemployed 2....

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Ministerial Responsibilities (17 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: As well as being Tánaiste I will be continuing as Minister for Social Protection. I will not require a briefing as I have held the position of Minister for Social Protection since 2011. The briefing I received from the Department on entering office in 2011 is available on the Department’s website at the following link:

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Jobseeker's Allowance Payments (17 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: Based on information available to this Department, the correct rate of jobseeker’s allowance payable to the first person concerned is €62.60 per week. Her payment was adjusted for means in respect of the second person concerned’s employment. The second person concerned is in receipt of family income supplement. It is open to the person concerned to request a review of...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme Eligibility (17 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: The maximum rent limit applicable to a person with this family composition and living in the following locations - Leixlip, Maynooth, Kilcock and Celbridge - is €750 per calendar month. The maximum rent limit applicable in the remainder of Kildare is €650 per calendar month.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Appeals (17 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 31stJanuary 2014. It is a statutory requirement of the appeals process that the relevant papers and comments by or on behalf of the Deciding Officer on the grounds of appeal be sought from the Department of Social Protection. These papers were received in the Social...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals Waiting Times (17 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 394 and 395 together. A breakdown of the average time, where available, to award claims during June 2014 is detailed in Table 1. It should be noted that processing times vary by scheme reflecting the differing requirements to satisfy conditions such as income/means limits and medical eligibility. The processing times provided in the table also incorporate...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Domiciliary Care Allowance Applications (17 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: An application for domiciliary care allowance was received on the 24th February 2014. The application was not allowed as it was considered that the child did not meet the eligibility criteria for the allowance. A decision letter issued to the customer on the 13th June 2014 advising of this decision. In the case of an application which is refused on medical grounds the applicant may...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals Data (17 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: The figures requested by the Deputy relating appeals received for each social welfare payment, the average completion time for these appeals, and the percentage of appeals, in respect of each payment, which were upheld by the Appeals Office are provided in Tables 1-3 below. Appeal processing times are calculated from the registration date of the appeal to the date of its finalisation. They...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Invalidity Pension Appeals (17 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on the 6thDecember 2013. It is a statutory requirement of the appeals process that the relevant papers and comments by or on behalf of the Deciding Officer on the grounds of appeal be sought from the Department of Social Protection. These papers were received in the Social...

Death of Former Member: Expressions of Sympathy (17 Sep 2014)

Joan Burton: On behalf of the Labour Party, I want to express my sincere sympathies to the family of the late Albert Reynolds. I was privileged to serve in the coalition Government that Albert Reynolds and Dick Spring led together, a Fianna Fáil-Labour Government that achieved a tremendous amount in a short period. I was a new Deputy. Deputy Howlin, Deputy Stagg - no, perhaps not that one - and I...