Results 33,261-33,280 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Eligibility (16 Dec 2015)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 41 and 51 together. On Budget Day, I was pleased to announce a 75% Christmas Bonus to over 1.2 million long-term social welfare recipients, such as pensioners, people with disabilities, carers and long-term jobseekers at a cost of €198 million. The Bonus was introduced in 1980, and long-term jobseekers became eligible for the payment in 1985....

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Insurance (16 Dec 2015)

Joan Burton: Class S PRSI at the rate of 4% may be payable on reckonable income received by an individual, provided their annual income from all sources exceeds €5,000. Reckonable income for the purposes of charging class S PRSI includes a broad range of income, including income from a profession or trade as well as rental and investment income and maintenance payments received by an individual...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Tax Credits (16 Dec 2015)

Joan Burton: The impact of the new €550 earned income tax credit for the self-employed is a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Finance.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Eligibility (16 Dec 2015)

Joan Burton: On Budget Day, I was pleased to announce a 75% Christmas Bonus, which has been paid to long-term social welfare beneficiaries, such as pensioners, people with disabilities, and carers. Long-term recipients of jobseeker's allowance (JA) or supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) are eligible for the bonus if they have been in receipt of their payment for 15 months, in recognition of their being...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Domiciliary Care Allowance Applications (16 Dec 2015)

Joan Burton: The person concerned was notified on the 15th December 2015 that her application for domiciliary care allowance was successful and that the allowance has been awarded from the 1st October 2015. The first payment of the allowance, along with arrears due, will issue on 19th January 2016.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Domiciliary Care Allowance Applications (16 Dec 2015)

Joan Burton: An application for domiciliary care allowance (DCA) was received from the person concerned on the 27th October 2015. This application has been forwarded to one of the Department's Medical Assessors for their medical opinion. Following receipt of this opinion, a decision will be made by a Deciding Officer and notified to the person concerned. It can currently take 12 weeks to process an...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Domiciliary Care Allowance Applications (16 Dec 2015)

Joan Burton: An application for domiciliary care allowance was received from the person concerned on the 26 August 2015. This application was not allowed as the child was not considered to satisfy the qualifying conditions for the allowance. A letter issued on the 13 November 2015 outlining the decision of the deciding officer to refuse the application. A review of this decision was requested on 23...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Eligibility (16 Dec 2015)

Joan Burton: According to the records of the Department the person concerned advised that he is a casual worker and is classified as such. As a casual worker he was requested to produce documentation relating to his employment in late October 2015, he was advised his payment would be affected if this documentation was not returned. The requested documentation was not returned and his claim was suspended...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: State Pension (Contributory) Eligibility (16 Dec 2015)

Joan Burton: The State pension contributory is a very valuable benefit and is the bedrock of the Irish pension system. Therefore, it is important to ensure that those qualifying have made a sustained contribution to the Social Insurance Fund over their working lives. To ensure that the individual can maximise their entitlement to a State pension, all contributions paid or credited over their working...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (16 Dec 2015)

Joan Burton: Carer's Allowance (CA) is a social assistance payment made to persons who are providing full-time care and attention to a person who has a disability such that they require that level of care and who satisfy a means test. I can confirm that an application for CA was received on 18 August 2015. A request for information issued to the person concerned on 8 December 2015. Once the requested...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Jobseeker's Allowance (16 Dec 2015)

Joan Burton: Reduced rates for younger jobseeker's allowance recipients were first introduced in 2009, extended in Budget 2014 and now apply to jobseeker's allowance recipients under 26 years of age. These measures are targeted activation measures, aimed at protecting young people from welfare dependency by incentivising them to avail of education and training opportunities. If a jobseeker in receipt of...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Youth Guarantee (16 Dec 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. Within this strategy, the Youth Guarantee sets a medium-term objective of ensuring that young people receive an offer...

Leaders' Questions (17 Dec 2015)

Joan Burton: I thank the Deputy for raising an issue which is important for many people. Anyone who owns a car is aware of the pressure from insurance companies in terms of rising premiums. That said, this is happening at a time when fuel prices have fallen substantially. In many cases, for example, people going back to work who are commuting in the greater Dublin area, notwithstanding the pressure...

Leaders' Questions (17 Dec 2015)

Joan Burton: There are several factors which explain the rise in motor insurance premiums, one of which emanated from the European Union a number of years ago and involved the equalisation of charges for female and male drivers. As Deputy Michael McGrath will know, that equalisation process worked to the advantage of younger male drivers who tend, unfortunately, to feature more often in accident...

Leaders' Questions (17 Dec 2015)

Joan Burton: The Deputy is not familiar with the views of women on this issue.

Leaders' Questions (17 Dec 2015)

Joan Burton: We should reflect before we re-establish another entity which was in place in different times before the industry changed dramatically. By the way, the Deputy would not dismiss the higher insurance premiums charged to women out of hand if he was a woman looking at her insurance bill.

Leaders' Questions (17 Dec 2015)

Joan Burton: Deputy Michael McGrath needs to talk to some of the women in his life who will tell him about it. Let me tell him: it is a very sore point. The Deputy is saying the insurance companies are overcharging for motor insurance cover and that he wants to see motor insurance premiums come down. I have no difficulty in agreeing with him. He is his party's finance spokesperson. We provided for...

Leaders' Questions (17 Dec 2015)

Joan Burton: -----before we set up what the Deputy is proposing which, effectively, would be a quango. I do not have a problem with-----

Leaders' Questions (17 Dec 2015)

Joan Burton: The PIAB, for instance, has done very good work, which I acknowledge, in cutting the cost of claims and keeping them out of court. However, with all of the people working in the Central Bank, we should be able, through the members of the finance committee, to receive a detailed report from the Central Bank-----

Leaders' Questions (17 Dec 2015)

Joan Burton: I am sorry, but the Central Bank is the regulator in terms of both prudential regulation and the regulation of the insurance industry in general.