Results 32,701-32,720 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Invalidity Pension Payments (17 Nov 2015)

Joan Burton: Invalidity pension (IP) is a payment for people who are permanently incapable of work because of illness or incapacity and who satisfy the pay related social insurance (PRSI) contribution conditions. To qualify for IP a claimant must, inter alia, have at least 260 (5 years) paid PRSI contributions since entering social insurance and 48 contributions paid or credited in the last complete...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (17 Nov 2015)

Joan Burton: I confirm that the department received an application for carer’s allowance (CA) from the person concerned on 7 May 2015. To qualify, the applicant must satisfy a means test and be providing full-time care and attention to a person requiring full-time care and attention. Where an applicant can show to the satisfaction of a deciding officer (DO) that adequate provision has been made...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Data (17 Nov 2015)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 187 and 191 to 193, inclusive, together. The information requested by the Deputy (where available) is detailed in the tabular statements. Claims Processing Statistics¥ 1 January 2015 – 31 October 2015 Scheme Claims Awarded Claims Rejected Average time to Award (Weeks) Farm Assist* N/a N/a N/a Family Income Supplement (New Claims) 18,195 7,531...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Child Benefit Reform (17 Nov 2015)

Joan Burton: There is no requirement for both parents to apply for child benefit or for any other child related payment. According to Irish legislation the person with whom a child ordinarily resides is considered the qualified person to claim child benefit. Where a child is residing with both parents, the mother is the qualified person to claim child benefit. There are no plans to amend the current...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Public Sector Staff Career Breaks (17 Nov 2015)

Joan Burton: This application for a career break is being reviewed in accordance with normal procedures.

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2015: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (18 Nov 2015)

Joan Burton: We have overseen very significant expenditure on improving social welfare incomes this year. We focused in this regard on measures such as restoring the Christmas bonus and improving the fuel allowance scheme. Deputy O'Dea is proposing that we produce reports on the impact of changes in such schemes as the household benefits package. Has he forgotten those changes were introduced by Fianna...

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2015: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (18 Nov 2015)

Joan Burton: No such proposals are contained in the documentation available from the Fianna Fáil website. There was no proposal in regard to the Christmas bonus, free travel and a whole range of other provisions.

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2015: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (18 Nov 2015)

Joan Burton: I am looking at the documentation published by the Deputy's party. Perhaps he did not have a good conversation with his colleague, Deputy Michael McGrath. Perhaps Deputy O'Dea desired a lot of things in his heart but they did not make it into his party's pre-budget submission. There was no proposal to reinstate the Christmas bonus. There is not a word about it in the Fianna Fáil document.

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2015: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (18 Nov 2015)

Joan Burton: We have put an additional €3 million into the provision of free travel. We have guaranteed that scheme for people, while the Deputy's party did not propose any additional allocation.

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2015: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (18 Nov 2015)

Joan Burton: There is nothing about it in his party's pre-budget proposals.

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2015: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (18 Nov 2015)

Joan Burton: In Fianna Fáil's pre-budget proposals it proposed to spend €154 million on pensioners. We have spent vastly more than that figure, with an increase in the rate of €3 a week. We restored the Christmas bonus and improved-----

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2015: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (18 Nov 2015)

Joan Burton: Hold on - you can dish it out, dear, but just hold on until you hear on what you signed off yourself.

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2015: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (18 Nov 2015)

Joan Burton: Listen; calm yourself.

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2015: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (18 Nov 2015)

Joan Burton: Fianna Fáil further proposed to improve child benefit by the same amount by which we had improved it, namely, €5 per month.

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2015: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (18 Nov 2015)

Joan Burton: Fianna Fáil talked about increasing the respite care grant, which we did.

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2015: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (18 Nov 2015)

Joan Burton: Finally, there was its proposal on one-parent supports. It was miserable, even for Fianna Fáil. From where did it get the sum of €33 million? We trebled it. Do you understand, dear Deputy O'Dea, that our social welfare package in the budget amounted to about €500 million? Do you understand that?

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2015: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (18 Nov 2015)

Joan Burton: Deputy Willie O’Dea can have lots of views and condemn everything. However, he has to remember that it was Fianna Fáil that cut the weekly social welfare payment, blind pension and carer’s allowance by €16.40. Admittedly, it was during hard times, but have I heard one word of an apology from the Deputy? Is there one word about restoration? Fianna Fáil had...

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2015: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (18 Nov 2015)

Joan Burton: And restored it.

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2015: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (18 Nov 2015)

Joan Burton: Maybe you never read your pre-budget submission.

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2015: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (18 Nov 2015)

Joan Burton: I thank Deputy Willie O'Dea for tabling these two amendments. It is important to note that the decision to wind up a defined benefit pension scheme does not rest with the sponsoring employer. It is a matter for the trustees of the pension scheme. The trustees of pension schemes are duty bound to act in the best interests of all the scheme members regardless of their other roles and duties....