Results 26,541-26,560 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme Administration (17 Sep 2014)

Joan Burton: The purpose of the rent supplement scheme is to provide short-term income support to assist with reasonable accommodation costs of eligible people living in private rented accommodation who are unable to provide for their accommodation costs from their own resources. The overall aim is to provide short term assistance, and not to act as an alternative to the other social housing schemes...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Household Benefits Scheme (17 Sep 2014)

Joan Burton: The overall concern of Government in Budget 2014 and previous Budgets has been to protect the primary social welfare rates. The largest block of expenditure in the Department in the Estimate for 2014 is on pensions which will amount to €6.5 billion, or 33% of overall expenditure. Because of demographic change the Department’s spending on older people is increasing year on year....

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

Joan Burton: The person concerned had been in receipt of a one-parent family payment from 21 June 2012. As her youngest child was over 7 years old on 3 July 2014, she was no longer eligible for a one-parent family payment. The person concerned had also been in receipt of a half-rate carer’s allowance. From 3 July 2014 this has been increased to a full personal rate, with child dependant...

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

Joan Burton: Where a client is in receipt of a relevant social welfare payment and is successful in acquiring a training place, a training allowance may be payable at the same rate of payment. Under 25 year olds may have their payment increased when partaking in training and education. The availability of and access to training places is a matter in the first instance for my colleague the Minister for...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Budget 2015 (17 Sep 2014)

Joan Burton: Increasing State pension age and the abolition of the State pension (transition) are steps that have been taken to ensure the sustainability of pensions into the future. The decision to reform State pension was taken in the context of changing demographics and the fact that people are living longer and healthier lives. The OECD report on the Review of the Irish Pension System confirms that...

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

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that the appeal from the person concerned was referred to an Appeals Officer who has decided to hold an oral hearing in this case on 24thSeptember 2014.The person concerned has been notified of the arrangements for the hearing. The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Social Protection and of the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Pensions Legislation (17 Sep 2014)

Joan Burton: While I am aware of the issues arising in relation to this scheme, you will appreciate that it is not appropriate for me to comment on developments relating to a particular pension scheme as these are a matter for the management of the company and the trustees of the pension scheme. You will be aware that a number of changes were made to the Pensions Act in recent years to assist both the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (17 Sep 2014)

Joan Burton: As outlined in previous responses, the person concerned has been advised on more than one occasion to make an application to her Local Social Welfare Office in order to determine her entitlement to the one parent family payment. There is no record of any contact having been made by the person concerned with the Department since she received an emergency needs payment on 07/08/14. The person...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Appeals (17 Sep 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 14thApril 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: Pensions Legislation (17 Sep 2014)

Joan Burton: While I am aware of the issues arising in relation to this scheme, you will appreciate that it is not appropriate for me to comment on issues relating to a particular pension scheme as these are a matter for the management of the company and the trustees of the pension scheme. You will be aware that a number of changes were made to the Pensions Act in recent years to assist both the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Free Travel Scheme Review (17 Sep 2014)

Joan Burton: The free travel scheme permits free travel on most CIE public transport services, Luas and a range of services offered by some 90 private operators in various parts of the country for those eligible under the scheme. There are currently in excess of 780,000 customers with direct eligibility. My Department appreciates the important role that free travel plays in promoting social inclusion...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Disability Allowance Appeals (17 Sep 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 allow 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...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Exceptional Needs Payments (17 Sep 2014)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 130 and 151 together. 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 €31.3m for ENPs in 2014. There is no...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Pensions Reform (17 Sep 2014)

Joan Burton: The various findings and recommendations contained in the OECD Review of the Irish Pensions System and published last year remain under consideration and continue to inform our development of pensions policy. The OECD recommended that the single greatest goal in Irish pension policy should be to increase pension coverage through the introduction of a mandatory or quasi mandatory earnings...

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

Joan Burton: An application for domiciliary care allowance (DCA) was received from the person concerned on the 9th July 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 over 10 weeks to process an application for DCA.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Staff Training (17 Sep 2014)

Joan Burton: Deciding officer training is delivered throughout all business areas that process social welfare claims in Headquarter Buildings and the network of Intreo/local office centres. The training comprises a blend of formal classroom based training and on-the-job mentoring and is provided by full and part-time trainers in business divisions and Intreo offices. These trainers are supported from...

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

Joan Burton: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that statistics are not maintained in respect of the number of appellants who request oral hearings and it is not in a position, therefore, to supply the information sought by the Deputy. Social Welfare legislation provides that an Appeal Office may determine an appeal without an oral hearing where s/he is of the opinion that it can be...

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

Joan Burton: The client has made an application for Rent Supplement for his current rental accommodation. The client has been advised the current rent payable is well in excess of the maximum limit appropriate to his family composition and location which is €575. Should he secure a rent reduction or source alternative accommodation, the client’s Rent Supplement entitlement can be re-assessed.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Pension Provisions (17 Sep 2014)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 136 to 138, inclusive, together. Under a Memorandum of Understanding between the Department of Social Protection (DSP) and the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) in the UK, the DSP has received information from the DWP regarding their clients, with addresses in the Republic of Ireland, who are in receipt of United Kingdom welfare payments. This...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Pension Provisions (17 Sep 2014)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 139 and 140 together. The information requested by the Deputy is not available to my Department. Details of an individual’s income and assets (including any state pensions they may receive from other countries) are only required by my Department where that person makes an application for a social assistance scheme for which a means test must be satisfied.