Results 33,061-33,080 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Public Services Card (1 Dec 2015)

Joan Burton: Section 263 of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005 (as amended), provides the legal basis for the issuance and use of the Public Services Card (PSC). Depending on the variant, a PSC contains one or two secure chips. All PSCs contain a contact chip, which can exchange information securely with a terminal (and, if the terminal is online, with remote servers), via a reader in which...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Adult Education (1 Dec 2015)

Joan Burton: An assessment of a jobseeker’s literacy or numeracy does not form part of the INTREO Case Management process. Where jobseekers declare a numeracy or literacy difficulty, INTREO Case Officers will guide them towards local Adult Literacy provision. Policy in relation to provision of Adult Literacy services comes under the remit of the Department of Education and Skills.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Programmes (1 Dec 2015)

Joan Burton: The table shows the most recent end of month statistics on the number of people availing of a range of programmes targeted primarily at the long-term unemployed (over 12 months on a jobseeker payment) and recipients of other welfare payments, including One Parent Family Payment and Disability Allowance. These data are published by the CSO as part of its monthly Live Register release....

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Disability Allowance Appeals (1 Dec 2015)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that the appeal from the person concerned was referred to an Appeals Officer who has decided to hold an oral hearing in this case on 9 December 2015. The person concerned has been notified of the arrangements for the hearing. The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Social Protection and of the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (1 Dec 2015)

Joan Burton: The person concerned is in receipt of CA at a reduced rate of payment and a review of their entitlement by the Department is currently underway to ensure that the correct payment is being made. The person concerned has a UK social security pension. When a carer is getting a social security payment from another State, an amount up to the maximum rate of the Irish State contributory...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Disability Allowance Applications (1 Dec 2015)

Joan Burton: I confirm the department received an application for disability allowance (DA) on 12 October 2015. In order to determine the circumstances of the person concerned, his file was forwarded to his local Social Welfare Inspector (SWI). The SWI will arrange to meet with the person in question as soon as possible. A decision on his entitlement to DA will be made on receipt of the SWI’s...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (1 Dec 2015)

Joan Burton: The person concerned is currently in receipt of carer’s allowance (CA) in respect of one care recipient. The department received an application for CA from the person concerned on 19 October 2015 in respect of a second care recipient. Once processed, the person concerned will be notified directly of the outcome.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Legal Cases Data (1 Dec 2015)

Joan Burton: The information requested is currently being compiled within the Department and will be made available to the Deputy as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Staff Data (1 Dec 2015)

Joan Burton: I am aware of two staff members employed in my Department on the basis of Contracts of Indefinite Duration awarded by the Department. The Deputy will be aware that since 2011 more than 1,700 posts from the Community Welfare Services and FAS have been transferred to my Department, along with a significant number of staff who joined the Department using the redeployment arrangements agreed...

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 37 - Department of Social Protection (Supplementary) (1 Dec 2015)

Joan Burton: I thank the committee for the opportunity to present a Supplementary Estimate for the Department of Social Protection. I propose to briefly outline the overall expected financial position of the Department post the budget and the main reasons for the Supplementary Estimate. I am seeking a Supplementary Estimate of €299 million for 2015. This is necessary for two reasons, first, to...

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 37 - Department of Social Protection (Supplementary) (1 Dec 2015)

Joan Burton: I can only assume the absence of the rest of the Opposition is because by and large they are happy enough with the very positive changes in social welfare and they have left it in the good hands of Deputy O'Dea to speak for all of them. Many of the changes we made are positive for many people. The additional money that is being sought for the jobseeker's allowance is €120.11...

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 37 - Department of Social Protection (Supplementary) (1 Dec 2015)

Joan Burton: First, I thank Deputy Conaghan for his comments. On carer's benefits and restoration of the respite care grant, which I am pleased to have been able to provide for, expenditure on carers in 2012 was €772 million. Expenditure in this regard for this year was €866 million. It is estimated that expenditure in this area will be approximately €911 million, which is close to...

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 37 - Department of Social Protection (Supplementary) (1 Dec 2015)

Joan Burton: I did not answer the question that Deputy Byrne asked about jobseeker's allowance and the Christmas bonus. The Christmas bonus is paid under the same terms and conditions under which it has always been paid. It is paid to long-term recipients of social welfare payments. This means it covers the full range of social welfare payments. Obviously, people associate it most with pensioners and...

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 37 - Department of Social Protection (Supplementary) (1 Dec 2015)

Joan Burton: Deputy Ryan asked about the Social Insurance Fund, which is built on people's contributions being sufficient to pay for their needs when they retire, particularly in relation to the State retirement pension, the payments made to widows and maternity benefit. This will also apply to paternity leave in the future. They are the principal payments out of the Social Insurance Fund. It is...

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 37 - Department of Social Protection (Supplementary) (1 Dec 2015)

Joan Burton: Yes, absolutely.

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 37 - Department of Social Protection (Supplementary) (1 Dec 2015)

Joan Burton: We keep all of the schemes constantly under review. We will set out our aims and ambitions when we are launching the next Pathways to Work programme within the next week or two. I appreciate that the composition of the schemes has changed to take account of two groups that need to be focused on - younger people under the age of 25 and older people who lost their jobs at the height of the...

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 37 - Department of Social Protection (Supplementary) (1 Dec 2015)

Joan Burton: On what page is that?

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 37 - Department of Social Protection (Supplementary) (1 Dec 2015)

Joan Burton: It is anticipated that there will be an underspend of €3 million in the Department's budget at the end of the year under this heading. This is because the Department was unable to source staff to fill critical posts that became vacant, primarily due to retirements. It is anticipated that about 170 staff will have retired by the end of this year and due to the moratorium on...

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 37 - Department of Social Protection (Supplementary) (1 Dec 2015)

Joan Burton: Yes. We propose to continue them on an ongoing basis. The employment control framework figure at the end of the year is 6,350, and we also have 20 people from the Garda and 218 people working on the public services card, which gives a total of 6,588. The actual number at the end of October was 6,550. Even now we are recruiting in or around another 40 people. We expect that process to be...

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 37 - Department of Social Protection (Supplementary) (1 Dec 2015)

Joan Burton: No. "Agency services" relates to JobPath. The original Estimate for JobPath for 2015 was €12 million. At the time it was thought that JobPath would commence earlier in 2015 than turned out to be the case. There were many complications around contracts, tendering and so on. Provision was made for a more aggressive roll-out schedule, with multiple locations going live over a shorter...