Results 27,381-27,400 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Ministerial Meetings (4 Nov 2014)

Joan Burton: I have not had any meetings with Mr. John Tierney, the managing director of Irish Water. Officials from my department have not had any bilateral meetings with Mr Tierney. However, advisers from my office attended two meetings with Mr Tierney and other Irish Water employees as well as officials from the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government to discuss general issues...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Correspondence (4 Nov 2014)

Joan Burton: A letter dated the 29thof August 2014 was received from the person concerned by the Department on the 2ndof September 2014 and acknowledged on the 5thof September 2014. A similar letter was also received by the Community Employment (CE) sponsor and employer of the person concerned. The Department wrote to the CE sponsor on the 5thof September 2014 requesting that they, as the employer,...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Eligibility (4 Nov 2014)

Joan Burton: Carer’s allowance is a means tested income support payment that seeks to assist full-time carers on low incomes living within the jurisdiction who satisfy the habitual residence condition and who are providing full time care and attention to a person in need of such care. On 10th July 2014 the European Commission issued a reasoned opinion which called into question the restriction of...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Eligibility (4 Nov 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) and maternity benefit. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Domiciliary Care Allowance Applications (4 Nov 2014)

Joan Burton: An application for domiciliary care allowance (DCA) was received from the person concerned on the 20th August 2014. This application has been forwarded to one of the Department’s Medical Assessors for their medical opinion. Following receipt of this opinion, a decision will be made by a Deciding Officer and notified to the person concerned. It can currently take 10 weeks to process...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Household Benefits Scheme (4 Nov 2014)

Joan Burton: The Department will spend €230 million this year on the household benefits package for almost 415,000 customers. The Government has already announced that from 2015 the household benefits package and the fuel allowance will also include a quarterly water support payment of €25. The estimated cost of this new water support payment of €100 per annum will be in the region...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Domiciliary Care Allowance Applications (4 Nov 2014)

Joan Burton: An application for domiciliary care allowance (DCA) was received from the person concerned on the 10thAugust 2010 and awarded in October 2010. The person concerned also made an application for DCA in respect of another child on the 13thSeptember 2010. This application was refused as it was considered that the child did not meet the criteria for the allowance. A letter issued on 8 November...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Overpayments (4 Nov 2014)

Joan Burton: The current legislation allows this Department to recoup overpayments at 15% of a person’s personal rate of payment per week. In the case of the person concerned consideration was given at the time to the overpayment amount and to the amount of income received. As the person concerned is receiving a salary in addition to her one parent family payment an overpayment deduction amount of...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Child Benefit Eligibility (4 Nov 2014)

Joan Burton: Child benefit is a monthly payment to assist with the costs associated with raising children. It is paid to more than 600,000 families in respect of almost 1.2 million children, with an estimated expenditure of around €1.9 billion in 2014. It is paid in respect of all qualified children up to the age of 16 years in line with the statutory school attendance age. The payment continues to...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Jobseeker's Benefit Payments (4 Nov 2014)

Joan Burton: Under the Social Welfare Consolidation Act an applicant shall be disqualified for payment in respect of any period before the date on which a claim for Jobseeker's Benefit (JB) is made. Notwithstanding this, a person may be entitled to a payment where the claimant shows "good cause" for not making the claim within the prescribed time, subject to all of the other criteria of the scheme being...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Staff Retirements (4 Nov 2014)

Joan Burton: Details of the number of persons who retired from my Department on ill health grounds between 2010 and to date in 2014, and who received added years to their service are set out below: Year Number of ill-health retirements 2010 16 2011 18 2012 28 2013 20 2014 to date 20 In the case of ill health retirement, added years may be awarded on receipt of a recommendation from the Chief...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Mortgage Interest Supplement Applications (4 Nov 2014)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 200 and 209 together. As outlined in previous replies to the Deputy the documents outstanding were set out to the client in letters from the Department on 16thMay 2014 and 6thAugust 2014. The most recent letter of 4th September 2014 also outlined the items that remain outstanding are as follows: - Full copy of original loan application in question - Full...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Code Reform (4 Nov 2014)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 203 and 234 together. Since the Government took office in March 2011, I have implemented an unprecedented programme both of policy reform in the social welfare system and organisational change in the Department of Social Protection. The Department successfully completed the most significant merger in the history of the Irish public service, while at the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Funding (4 Nov 2014)

Joan Burton: As part of the operation of community employment (CE) the Department provides a materials grant to the Sandymount Community Employment scheme to defray the material costs of producing the Newsfour newsletter. However, the operational costs of producing and delivering the newsletter are not the responsibility of the Department or of Sandymount CE scheme. It is not common practice for travel...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Illness Benefit Eligibility (4 Nov 2014)

Joan Burton: The person concerned was receiving illness benefit from 24thSeptember 2013 until 4thSeptember 2014 and is attending a course of study at Blanchardstown Institute of Technology. As she has now been medically assessed as being fit to take up employment she can no longer qualify for illness benefit. In order to qualify for a jobseeker’s payment a person must be available for and actively...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Jobseeker's Allowance Payments (4 Nov 2014)

Joan Burton: Following a review of the jobseeker’s allowance claim of the person concerned his weekly payment was reduced. The weekly means assessed were based on his spouse/partners income from employment and were calculated in accordance with statutory requirements. The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned together with the relevant Departmental...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Illness Benefit Appeals (4 Nov 2014)

Joan Burton: At the in person medical assessment performed on the customer for illness benefit on 20 January, 2012, the Medical Assessor provided a medical opinion that the customer was not eligible for illness benefit and indicated in her medical report completed at the assessment that the customer would be capable of doing other categories of work i.e. such as light semi-skilled/lesser skilled work...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Appeals (4 Nov 2014)

Joan Burton: The person in question is currently in receipt of carer’s allowance in respect of one care recipient. I confirm that the department received an application for carer’s allowance from the person in question on the 6th March 2014 for a second care recipient. The person concerned was refused carer’s allowance on the ground that the care recipient is not so disabled as to...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Disability Allowance Appeals (4 Nov 2014)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 16thOctober 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...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Appeals (4 Nov 2014)

Joan Burton: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an Appeals Officer having fully considered all of the available evidence, including that adduced at the oral hearing, has decided to allow the appeal of the person concerned. The person concerned has been notified of the Appeals Officer’s decision The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for...