Results 33,621-33,640 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Order of Business (14 Jan 2016)

Joan Burton: Two subjects that are not on the list will definitely arise before the end of the Dáil term. One is the proposal to choose the Ceann Comhairle by way of a secret election, for which room must be provided. 1 o’clock Second, following on from the discussions on flooding we have had since the Dáil came back, certain matters relating to insurance and the regulatory framework...

Order of Business (14 Jan 2016)

Joan Burton: I understand the Horse Racing Ireland Bill 2015 will be debated on Report Stage next week.

Order of Business (14 Jan 2016)

Joan Burton: Everybody in the House is deeply concerned about the safety of Ibrahim Halawa, who is a young man.

Order of Business (14 Jan 2016)

Joan Burton: The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Charles Flanagan, met the Egyptian ambassador to Ireland yesterday. Obviously, the key problem here is that the trial and the legal processes keep being postponed.

Order of Business (14 Jan 2016)

Joan Burton: Unfortunately, they have been put back again. The Government is certainly exerting all of the pressure it can with contacts at a high intergovernmental level-----

Order of Business (14 Jan 2016)

Joan Burton: -----to press the Egyptian authorities to provide for the safe return of this young man to his family and to his home in Ireland.

Order of Business (14 Jan 2016)

Joan Burton: The Deputy also asked about the gambling Bill. Like many people in Ireland, I enjoy racing. I agree that there are numbers of people with gambling problems and that there are serious newer forms of social media-based gambling. However, the gambling legislation referred to by the Deputy is unlikely to come before the House in the near or short term.

Order of Business (14 Jan 2016)

Joan Burton: I was in the Deputy's part of County Laois recently with my colleague, Senator Whelan. I know that many people have concerns about wind energy issues. Officials in the Departments of the Environment, Community and Local Government and Communications, Energy and Natural Resources are working with great dedication on the development of appropriate guidelines.

Order of Business (14 Jan 2016)

Joan Burton: As the Deputy knows, we have also had discussions on the potential for using currently unused boglands and, on a modest scale and in accordance with good planning advice and guidelines, using upland areas where Coillte may have forestry. We want to see wind providing a significant amount of carbon-free or carbon-reduced energy to Ireland. I think Sinn Féin shares that objective....

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Illness Benefit Eligibility (14 Jan 2016)

Joan Burton: Illness benefit is a payment for people who cannot work due to illness and who satisfy the pay related social insurance (PRSI) contribution conditions. One of the PRSI conditions is that a person must have a minimum of 39 reckonable contributions paid or credited in the governing contribution year. Claims made in 2015 were governed by the 2013 tax year, and only PRSI Classes A, E, H, and P...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Insurance Payments (14 Jan 2016)

Joan Burton: A person on ceasing to be employed or self-employed can opt to become a voluntary contributor by submitting an application to the Department. The application has to be submitted within one year of the end of the tax year in which the person last worked and the person is required to make an annual payment of the contribution within prescribed time limits. Two changes have been made to the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Household Benefits Scheme (14 Jan 2016)

Joan Burton: According to the Department’s records the person concerned is now living with his brother and is no longer entitled to a Living Alone Allowance. If a person in receipt of a qualifying payment is living alone or only with another person who is in receipt of Carer’s Allowance or Carer’s Benefit and caring for the person getting the qualifying payment, (in this instance...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Payments (14 Jan 2016)

Joan Burton: I confirm that the department received an application for carer’s allowance from the person in question on the 12 November 2015. The application is currently being processed and once completed, the person concerned will be notified directly of the outcome.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Insurance (14 Jan 2016)

Joan Burton: Section 20 of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005 provides for the collection of PRSI contributions from every person over the age of 16 years and under pensionable age who has reckonable income or reckonable emoluments. The person referred to by the Deputy received a payment from an assurance company after he retired from his previous employment. This payment was reckonable under...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Eligibility (14 Jan 2016)

Joan Burton: The age limit for receipt of domiciliary care allowance (DCA) is 16 years. As the child concerned will reach the age of 16 years in April 2016, DCA is no longer payable after that date. A letter issued in December 2015, to the person concerned, advising that payment of the DCA allowance is due to end in April 2016, but that her child could apply for disability allowance in his own right. ...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Treatment Benefit Scheme (14 Jan 2016)

Joan Burton: The dental and optical benefit schemes were restricted to a free annual dental exam and a free two yearly optical examination from January 2010. The cost (in €millions) for the last 6 years for the two schemes and for 2009, the last year the schemes operated unrestricted, are set out in the table below: Year Dental Optical Total 2009 62.3 17 79.3 2010 25 6.2 31.2 2011 9.1 3.3 12.4...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Disability Allowance Appeals (14 Jan 2016)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was referred to an Appeals Officer on 8 January 2016, 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 and...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Domiciliary Care Allowance Applications (14 Jan 2016)

Joan Burton: An application for domiciliary care allowance was received from the person concerned on 3 July 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 14th October 2015 outlining the decision of the deciding officer to refuse the allowance. A review of this decision was requested on 2nd...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Appeals (14 Jan 2016)

Joan Burton: The appeal of the person concerned against a refusal to backdate carer's allowance has been allowed. The application has been awarded from 27 November 2014. The person concerned was notified of this decision on 8 January 2016. The person concerned has an outstanding disability allowance (DA) debt of €9,463.60 and this debt is recoverable by the department. The department shortly...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Expenditure (14 Jan 2016)

Joan Burton: The costings in the table below are calculated based on the estimated recipient numbers for 2016. Estimates of the average weekly number of persons, on a scheme by scheme basis, are not currently available for 2017 and later years and it is therefore not possible to accurately calculate the costs in 2017 and later years. It should be noted that such costs will be dependent on a range of...