Results 27,421-27,440 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

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

Joan Burton: Jobseekers allowance is a means-tested payment and is payable subject to a number of conditions. The rules in regard to means testing are contained in Part 2 of Schedule 3 of the SW Con Act 2005 as amended and in S.I. 142 of 2007, part 3, chapter 6, section 141 (1) onwards. In order to decide on a jobseekers means it may be necessary for a deciding officer to seek verification details of...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's 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 24 September 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: Public Services Card (4 Nov 2014)

Joan Burton: The Department of Social Protection has developed, in conjunction with a number of other Government Departments, a rules based standard for establishing and authenticating an individual’s identity for the purposes of access to public services. This programme of work, which is known as the Standard Authentication Framework Environment or SAFE for short, also provided for the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Bodies (4 Nov 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 and the Social Welfare Tribunal. No new statutory or other bodies have been established under the aegis of the Department of Social Protection since 2011.The Pensions Board was renamed the Pensions Authority on 7 March 2014.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Back to Education Allowance Applications (5 Nov 2014)

Joan Burton: One of conditions of the back to education allowance (BTEA ) scheme is that applicants must be commencing the first year of an approved full-time course. As the person has completed year one of a full time course, and applied for BTEA in year two of that course, an entitlement to BTEA does not exist. A review was completed on 3rd November 2014 and the original decision stands.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Appeals (5 Nov 2014)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was referred to an Appeals Officer on 01 October 2014, who will make a summary decision on the appeal based on the documentary evidence presented or, if required, hold an oral hearing. The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Social Protection and of the Department...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Back to Education Allowance Eligibility (5 Nov 2014)

Joan Burton: Persons in receipt of illness benefit for at least two years and who want to return to education on a full-time basis may transfer to the back to education allowance (BTEA) scheme. If a person fails to satisfy the two year requirement on illness benefit, periods spent on other qualifying social welfare claims can be used to make up the two year qualifying period provided that at least 50% of...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Superannuation Schemes (5 Nov 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: Appointments to State Boards (5 Nov 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 Council, the Pensions Ombudsman (which does not have a Board) and the Social Welfare Tribunal. Appointments to position on Boards under the remit of the Department are made in accordance with the relevant legislation, guidelines...

Leaders' Questions (6 Nov 2014)

Joan Burton: I am happy to tell the House that very good and solid progress has been made with Irish Water. The objective of the Labour Party, Fine Gael and the Government is to have an Irish Water charging regime that is affordable, that offers clarity and certainty, and that is capped so that if people, on the evidence of the meters, are using less water than the standard charges would indicate, they...

Leaders' Questions (6 Nov 2014)

Joan Burton: Tipperary people are usually proud of each other, particularly when they are on the national stage. I assume that is what I was hearing from that quarter. The objective here is that Ireland will have clean, safe and healthy drinking water for ourselves and future generations. That is important. This country gets a large amount of rain and there is no shortage of water, thankfully....

Leaders' Questions (6 Nov 2014)

Joan Burton: All I can say is that I am happy that very solid progress is being made. I am very anxious to have affordable charges that will provide us with clean, reliable and healthy drinking water. In addition, we have an ambitious programme for the next ten years to invest approximately €10 billion in Irish Water. The Deputy mentioned that the Minister, Deputy Alan Kelly, went to Ringsend a...

Leaders' Questions (6 Nov 2014)

Joan Burton: -----to between €170 million and €180 million.

Leaders' Questions (6 Nov 2014)

Joan Burton: If that is what one Tipperary man can do in four months in office as Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government-----

Leaders' Questions (6 Nov 2014)

Joan Burton: It is a good performance from the Tipp stars.

Leaders' Questions (6 Nov 2014)

Joan Burton: Tell us when Fianna Fáil met in public.

Leaders' Questions (6 Nov 2014)

Joan Burton: On the transparency front, what Irish people want is clean, clear and healthy water.

Leaders' Questions (6 Nov 2014)

Joan Burton: When Deputy Dooley's party left government its legacy was that people in County Roscommon had been unable to drink their water for almost 12 years. After Christmas and in the new year, the people of Roscommon will be able to drink their water. I would have expected the Deputy to take a positive view of that. We have an ambitious programme of investment in Irish Water amounting to more...

Leaders' Questions (6 Nov 2014)

Joan Burton: -----which, in the history of that party in government, were used by the ESB and Bord Gáis, as publicly owned utilities, to bring forward desperately needed investment in the country's infrastructure. We are using the same model.

Leaders' Questions (6 Nov 2014)

Joan Burton: This approach makes business and economic sense and in terms of the recovery in which all of us are interested, it allows us to provide key investment in a resource that is incredibly important in the daily lives of everyone in this country, not to speak of its importance for agriculture, tourism, the pharmaceutical industry, international investment and local businesses.