Results 26,681-26,700 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Guardian's Payment Applications (18 Sep 2014)

Joan Burton: Guardian’s payment is payable between the ages of 18 and 22, where the child is attending full time education by day. Certification from the school or college is required to confirm attendance. The Department has not yet received the relevant documentation from the person concerned confirming that their grandchild has returned to full time education. As soon as this documentation is...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Community Welfare Services (18 Sep 2014)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 60 to 63, inclusive, together. A key objective of the transfer of the Community Welfare Service (CWS) from the Health Service Executive to the Department on 1st October 2011 was to provide a streamlined and consistent service to the customer. The Department has since re-engineered its business model to support the provision of integrated services across...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Staff Data (18 Sep 2014)

Joan Burton: The number of staff employed in each Division of the Department will be forwarded to the Deputy shortly, as the data is not readily available and will take some time to collate. The information requested regarding staff that have left the Divisions over the past three years is not maintained in the manner requested. Figures are held on overall retirements, resignations and transfers out of...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Customer Charters (18 Sep 2014)

Joan Burton: The Department is committed to delivering a high quality customer service to all its customers. Each week the Department delivers social welfare payments to in excess of 1.5 million customers. In 2013, it answered 8.3 million telephone calls, processed 2.1 million applications and carried out 1.1 million control reviews. The Department’s Customer Charter and Action Plan 2013-2015...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Records (18 Sep 2014)

Joan Burton: Under the National Archives Act 1986, the Department is obliged to retain and preserve all records, which are created and held in the Department, unless disposal of any such records is authorised by the Office of the National Archives. Accordingly, there are a number of Certifying Officers appointed across the business areas of the Department who liaise with the Office of the National...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Records (18 Sep 2014)

Joan Burton: Records which have archival value are ultimately transferred to the National Archives. It is a matter for the National Archives Office to appraise records and to decide if records have, or do not have, archival value. It is the responsibility of the National Archives Office to sanction disposal of records which do not have archival value. As the archival value or otherwise of records is...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments Administration (23 Sep 2014)

Joan Burton: The cost of a 1% increase in the rate of all weekly social welfare payments is estimated at €145.89 million in a full year. The cost includes a proportionate increase, where applicable, in the qualified adult rate of payment.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Domiciliary Care Allowance Applications (23 Sep 2014)

Joan Burton: An application for domiciliary care allowance (DCA) was received from the person concerned on the 8th 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: Work Placement Programmes (23 Sep 2014)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 71 and 72 together. Gateway is a work placement initiative provided by county and city councils with the support of the Department of Social Protection. The initiative aims to improve the employability and maintain the work readiness of those who have been unemployed for 24 months or more. Responsibility for delivery of this initiative rests with individual...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Public Services Card (23 Sep 2014)

Joan Burton: The Public Services Card (PSC) has been introduced to enable individuals gain access to public services more efficiently and with a minimum of duplication of effort, while at the same time preserving their privacy to the maximum extent possible. The PSC is designed to replace other cards within the public sector such as the Free Travel Pass and the Social Services Card (SSC) of this...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Appeals (23 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 25 June 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 appeal in question will be...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Fuel Allowance Expenditure (23 Sep 2014)

Joan Burton: The fuel allowance is a weekly payment of €20 to low income households on long-term social welfare payments to assist them with their energy costs. The allowance is paid for 26 weeks from October to April. The payment represents a contribution towards the energy costs of a household. It is not intended to meet those costs in full. Only one allowance is paid per household. The...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Pension Provisions (23 Sep 2014)

Joan Burton: When assessing whether an individual is entitled to a State pension, and to ensure that they can maximise such entitlement, all contributions (paid or credited) from when they first enter insurable employment until pension age are taken into account Credited contributions (credits) are social insurance contributions designed to protect the social insurance entitlement record of insured...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Review (23 Sep 2014)

Joan Burton: Prior to Budget 2012 measures coming into force, certain Community Employment (CE) participants (i.e. those in receipt of one parent family payment, disability allowance, invalidity pension, illness benefit, blind pension, deserted wife’s benefit, or widow(ers) pension) could retain their original social welfare payment whilst simultaneously receiving CE allowances. With effect from...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Jobseeker's Benefit Applications (23 Sep 2014)

Joan Burton: It is open to the person concerned to make an application for Jobseekers Benefit. In order to qualify the person must - be unemployed - be under pension age - be capable of work - be available for full-time work - be genuinely seeking work - have sustained a substantial loss of employment - satisfy the contribution conditions - prove unemployment in the prescribed manner.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Insurance (23 Sep 2014)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 86 to 90, inclusive, together. The table below shows the estimated yield from changing employees’ PRSI for Classes BX, B1, CX, C1, DX, D1, HX and H1 to 4% on all earnings above €352 per week. CLASS YIELD NO. OF EMPLOYMENTS AFFECTED BX and B1 €38.5m 24,422 CX and C1 €1.2m 589 DX and D1 €110.4m 62,917 HX and H1...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Live Register Data (23 Sep 2014)

Joan Burton: The allocation of activation places on programmes for live registrants is generally on the basis of the demand for such places (i.e. the extent of unemployment in a region). The number of persons on courses in County Wexford as of the end of August is outlined in the table below. The total figure as of the end of August was 1,908. However, it should be borne in mind that in regards to some...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: National Internship Scheme Data (23 Sep 2014)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 93, 115 to 117, inclusive, and 125 together. As at 19thSeptember 2014, 200 individuals were on JobBridge internships and a further 772 individuals had finished internships in County Wexford. As of the same date, there were 331 participants and 17 supervisors participating in TÚS in County Wexford. As of the same date, 102 individuals had started third...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme Data (23 Sep 2014)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 94, 102, 118, 121 and 126 together. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Disability Allowance Appeals (23 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 22ndAugust 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 question will be...