Results 28,601-28,620 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: National Internship Scheme Administration (5 Feb 2015)

Joan Burton: I believe that the Deputy is referring to a recent report on Job Clubs prepared by the internal audit unit of the Department. In preparing this report the Department’s internal auditor raised a query in relation to the appropriateness or otherwise of one Job Club hosting a small number of interns in a role of Job Club instructor. It is important to note in this regard that the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Schemes (5 Feb 2015)

Joan Burton: The Department provides a free recruitment service to employers and recruitment agencies through the Jobs Ireland website (). The purpose of the service is to support employers and recruitment agencies to increase employment and to provide a mechanism through which jobseekers can search for job opportunities and submit applications. In 2014, over 110,000 vacancy positions were advertised on...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Poverty Data (5 Feb 2015)

Joan Burton: The recently published CSO release on SILC 2013 shows that the basic deprivation rate was 30.5 per cent, an increase of 3.6 per cent on 2012. The increase on deprivation in particular affected children, the unemployed, households with no one at work, and lone parent households. Overall, the rise in basic deprivation has affected all income groups and reflects the legacy of the economic...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance Scheme Payments (5 Feb 2015)

Joan Burton: The back to school clothing and footwear allowance (BSCFA) scheme provides a once-off payment to eligible families to assist with the extra costs when children start school each autumn. The Government has provided €44.3 million for this scheme in 2015. In 2014, BSCFA payments were made to over 166,000 families in respect of over 304,400 children at a cost of €42.5 million. The...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Youth Guarantee (5 Feb 2015)

Joan Burton: The Government’s primary strategy to tackle youth unemployment is to create the environment for a strong economic recovery by promoting competitiveness and productivity. Economic recovery will underpin jobs growth and the availability of productive employment for young people. This strategy has been succeeding, with an increase of over 80,000 in employment over the last 2 years....

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: One-Parent Family Payment Eligibility (5 Feb 2015)

Joan Burton: There are currently 69,884 lone parents being supported by the one-parent family payment (OFP) scheme at an estimated cost to my Department of approximately €607 million in 2015. The purpose of the phased OFP scheme age change reforms that were introduced in the Social Welfare and Pensions Act, 2012, is to reduce long-term social welfare dependency and poverty among lone parents...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Pension Provisions (5 Feb 2015)

Joan Burton: Defined benefit pension schemes in Ireland are, in general, set up under trust. The trustees of such pension schemes have a fiduciary duty to act in the best interest of all scheme members.Section 50 of the Pensions Act makes provision for the restructuring of a defined benefit pension scheme where the scheme fails to comply with the Funding Standard. The Pensions Authority can either...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme Payments (5 Feb 2015)

Joan Burton: As detailed to the Deputy in reply to Parliamentary Question No 175 of 27th January 2015 and Parliamentary Question No 47 of 15th January 2015, there is no record of the Department having sought a rent reduction from the client. If the Deputy has information pertaining to the client and their rent situation he should contact the Department directly to discuss.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Mortgage Interest Supplement Scheme Appeals (5 Feb 2015)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 62 and 71 together. The Government’s strategy to assist those in mortgage difficulty is built around the following measures, as recommended in the 2011 Interdepartmental Mortgage Arrears Working Group (Keane Group), in four main distinct areas: - Lenders providing sustainable and durable resolution options to their borrower; - A social housing...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: One-Parent Family Payments (5 Feb 2015)

Joan Burton: Despite significant investment in the One-Parent Family Payment (OFP) scheme, lone parents continue to experience higher levels of ‘consistent poverty’ than the population generally. It is generally agreed that the best route out of poverty is through employment. The purpose of the reforms to the OFP scheme is to reduce long-term social welfare dependency and associated...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Youth Unemployment Measures (5 Feb 2015)

Joan Burton: The Government’s primary strategy to tackle youth unemployment is through policies to create the environment for a strong economic recovery by promoting competitiveness and productivity.Economic recovery will underpin jobs growth and the availability of productive employment for young people. This strategy has been succeeding, with an increase of over 80,000 in employment over the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals Delays (5 Feb 2015)

Joan Burton: The average appeal processing time for January 2015 and for 2014 broken down by all social welfare scheme types is outlined in the tables below. Appeal processing times peaked in 2011 when the average time for an oral hearing was 52.5 weeks and for a summary decision was 25.1 weeks. In 2012 the average processing time for an oral hearing dropped to 39.5 weeks and the time for a summary...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Unemployment Benefits (5 Feb 2015)

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) as well as maternity benefit, adoptive benefit and guardians payment (contributory). Self-employed workers may also access social welfare supports by...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Mortgage Interest Supplement Scheme Appeals (5 Feb 2015)

Joan Burton: As outlined in previous replies to the Deputy the documents outstanding to enable this case to be reviewed were set out to the client in letters from the Department on 16th May 2014 and 6th August 2014. The most recent letter of 4th September 2014 also outlined the items that remain outstanding as follows: - Full copy of original loan application in question - Full copy of loan offer -...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Policy Reviews (5 Feb 2015)

Joan Burton: Since the launch of the Strategic Management Initiative in February 1994, the provision of high quality customer service has been an essential element of the modern Public Service. Delivering Better Governmentpublished in May 1996, recommended the introduction of a Quality Service Initiative for the customers of the Civil Service and in 1997 the Quality Customer Service (QCS) Initiative was...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: One-Parent Family Payment Applications (5 Feb 2015)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 76 and 85 together. The person concerned submitted an application for One Parent Family Payment on 30 October 2014. The One Parent Family Payment scheme is subject to a means test and in order to carry out a means test a customer must be available for interview or contactable at a given address. The person concerned was recently invited for interview with...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Eligibility (5 Feb 2015)

Joan Burton: Qualification for the dental benefit scheme is based on a person’s PRSI record. In order to qualify for dental benefit during 2015, the person must have 260 PRSI contributions paid (at Class A, E, H, or P) since first starting work, and 39 such contributions paid or credited in 2013, the relevant PRSI year. While the person concerned meets the first condition listed, according to...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (5 Feb 2015)

Joan Burton: Gateway is a Local Authority initiative which aims to provide short-term quality and suitable work opportunities to improve the employability and maintain the work readiness of those who have been unemployed for 24 months or more. All employees who have income over €352 per week are liable for Class A PRSI contribution at a rate of 4% on the total earnings. Employees are also...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (5 Feb 2015)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned together with the relevant Departmental papers were received by that office on 2ndFebruary 2015 and that the case will be referred to an Appeals Officer 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...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Water Conservation Grant (5 Feb 2015)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 82 and 92 to 94, inclusive, together. The Department of Social Protection will administer, on behalf of the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government, a €100 water conservation grant for households that complete a valid response to Irish Water’s customer registration process. The grant will be paid to the registered...