Results 27,521-27,540 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Allegations Regarding Sexual Abuse by Members of the Provisional Republican Movement: Statements (12 Nov 2014)

Joan Burton: I wish to share my time with the Minister of State at the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Deputy Ged Nash. I welcome the opportunity to speak on the allegations of sexual abuse by members of the provisional republican movement and the Maíria Cahill case. First, this is not simply a debate about events that took place in Belfast a number of years ago. It is not just...

Allegations Regarding Sexual Abuse by Members of the Provisional Republican Movement: Statements (12 Nov 2014)

Joan Burton: Writing in a newspaper a couple of weeks ago, Maíria herself described the trauma she has experienced in recent weeks. Addressing Sinn Féin directly, she wrote the following, which I am sure Sinn Féin members have read: "And you, by denying my experiences, invalidate me as a human being, and by default, every other victim of abuse out there. And that’s a very dangerous...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Domiciliary Care Allowance Appeals (12 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 6 November 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: Budget Measures (12 Nov 2014)

Joan Burton: Social impact assessment is an evidence-based methodology which uses a tax/welfare simulation model developed by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) to estimate the likely distributive effects of budgetary measures on income and social inequalities. The Department has previously published social impact assessments (using the ESRI Switch model) of the main welfare and tax...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Pension Provisions (12 Nov 2014)

Joan Burton: Article 17 of the IORPS Directive places an obligation on certain occupational pension schemes to hold additional reserves where they underwrite death or disability benefits, guarantee a given investment performance or a given level of benefits. Such schemes are commonly known as ‘regulatory own funds’(ROF). Part 4 of the Social Welfare and Pensions Act, 2011 provided for...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (12 Nov 2014)

Joan Burton: As part of the Budget 2015 measures, a 25% Christmas Bonus will be paid this December to recipients of a long-term social welfare payment and also to participants on the Community Employment, Job Initiative, Rural Social Scheme, Tús and Gateway programmes. Over 1.16 million people will benefit from this measure.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Invalidity Pension Eligibility (12 Nov 2014)

Joan Burton: Invalidity Pension is a long-term payment for people who are permanently incapable of work because of illness or incapacity and who satisfy the relevant contribution conditions. A person is regarded as being incapable of work if for the period of one year immediately before the date of application the person has been continuously incapable of work and a deciding officer or an appeals officer...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Staff Data (12 Nov 2014)

Joan Burton: The Deputy will be aware that the staffing of my Department is limited by (i) the salary budget and (ii) the requirement to meet and maintain the Employment Control Framework figure established by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. In essence, any course of action which would increase staffing costs, including approval for an increase in hours of attendance for duty, must be...

Leaders' Questions (13 Nov 2014)

Joan Burton: I will place this issue in context. Everyone who has a mortgage, in particular younger people in the age group of 35 to 50 years, may have taken out a mortgage in good faith when Fianna Fáil was in government at the height of the boom-----

Leaders' Questions (13 Nov 2014)

Joan Burton: -----and house prices were in a bubble. Of course we know that at a certain stage the banks stopped offering tracker deals. I am sure Deputy McGrath will be happy to acknowledge that it was very much on his party's watch that when the tracker deals ended the people who came after that period faced variable rates. There are times in financial structures when a fixed rate can militate...

Leaders' Questions (13 Nov 2014)

Joan Burton: I am glad the Deputy mentioned the Central Bank. Banks in Ireland are regulated and supervised by the Central Bank-----

Leaders' Questions (13 Nov 2014)

Joan Burton: I put it to Deputy McGrath, as have many commentators remarked on the actions of his Government in respect of banking, that there was a grossly inadequate supervisory model in place during Fianna Fáil's time-----

Leaders' Questions (13 Nov 2014)

Joan Burton: Does Deputy McGrath recognise that the Central Bank is the supervisory authority for Irish banks?

Leaders' Questions (13 Nov 2014)

Joan Burton: Let us be clear as to what we want for Ireland. We want functioning credit institutions which, unfortunately, the Deputy's Government destroyed. That is history.

Leaders' Questions (13 Nov 2014)

Joan Burton: They were destroyed as a result of the guarantee. We set up a series of regulatory structures to ensure that the supervisory authority for banking in Ireland is the Cental Bank. Deputy McGrath is a member of the finance committee. He has the power to call in the Governor of the Central Bank and to talk to him about the bank's supervision-----

Leaders' Questions (13 Nov 2014)

Joan Burton: -----of the rates for the kind of mortgages we have been discussing. The Deputy is ignoring-----

Leaders' Questions (13 Nov 2014)

Joan Burton: You are ignoring----

Leaders' Questions (13 Nov 2014)

Joan Burton: On the financial crash, what you are now suggesting-----

Leaders' Questions (13 Nov 2014)

Joan Burton: -----is that we ignore the Central Bank and go back to what Fianna Fáil used to do, which is to call in the bankers and order them directly. This is the road-----

Leaders' Questions (13 Nov 2014)

Joan Burton: If this is your policy suggestion, it is the way to return the country, should you get the chance, to another bank crash. That is what you are suggesting.