Results 34,121-34,140 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Nomination of Taoiseach (Resumed) (6 Apr 2016)

Joan Burton: Hence, we are not in a position to support Deputy Enda Kenny’s nomination today as Taoiseach, but we acknowledge that Fine Gael has put forward a basis for progress. Fianna Fáil, in my view, has prevaricated while its members try to figure out what is best for themselves. That is why we will oppose the nomination of Deputy Micheál Martin today. His party has presented...

Nomination of Taoiseach (Resumed) (6 Apr 2016)

Joan Burton: Irresponsible game playing on Irish Water is the closest thing I have seen to an act of national vandalism since old Fianna Fáil abolished rates in the late 1970s without developing any alternative model.

Nomination of Taoiseach (Resumed) (6 Apr 2016)

Joan Burton: We know how that set the country back both economically and in terms of developing the infrastructure Ireland needed. I am sorry to say, however, that now Fianna Fáil is at it again. Fianna Fáil should be sitting down with Fine Gael to see if a responsible, rather than a reckless, set of policy agreements can form the basis for a Government. In 2011, the Labour Party did not...

Nomination of Taoiseach (Resumed) (6 Apr 2016)

Joan Burton: I will conclude on this. As regards today's vote, I ask Members not to waste the Dáil's time.

Nomination of Taoiseach (Resumed) (6 Apr 2016)

Joan Burton: The next time the Dáil votes, it should be for the election of a Taoiseach. Many of the contributions today have been about play-acting and shadow-boxing. However, we do, and will eventually, need a Government that can govern on behalf of all the people of this country.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Registration of Deaths (6 Apr 2016)

Joan Burton: The Civil Registration (Amendment) Act 2014 was enacted on 4 December 2014. The Act contains a wide range of provisions which are being commenced on a step by step basis. Section 13 of the Act inserts a new Part 5A into the Civil Registration Act 2004 which provides that an tÁrd-Chláraitheoir maintain a record of deaths of Irish Citizens who die while abroad. The provisions of the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Disability Support Services (6 Apr 2016)

Joan Burton: The Citizens Information Board (CIB) is the statutory body responsible for supporting the provision of information, advice (including money and budgeting advice) and advocacy services to all citizens on a wide range of public and social services. One of the functions of the CIB, as defined in the Comhairle Act 2000 and the Citizens Information Act 2007, is to directly provide or support the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Domiciliary Care Allowance Applications (6 Apr 2016)

Joan Burton: An application for domiciliary care allowance (DCA) was received from the person concerned on the 27th January 2016. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (6 Apr 2016)

Joan Burton: The application for carer’s allowance (CA) in respect of the person concerned was awarded on 5 March 2016 and the first payment is due to issue to the person’s nominated post office on 31 March 2016. Any arrears of CA due from 5/11/2015 to 30/3/2016 will issue shortly.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Labour Activation Measures (6 Apr 2016)

Joan Burton: The person concerned is required to attend the office of the JobPath company in Buncrana for activation purposes. He is not required to attend the Department’s offices for such purposes. The person concerned has been assigned a personal advisor who has assisted him in drawing up a personal progression plan which includes a schedule of activities, actions and job focused targets. The...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Disability Allowance Applications (6 Apr 2016)

Joan Burton: I confirm that the department is in receipt of an application for disability allowance (DA) from the above named person on 10 November 2015. The person concerned is currently in receipt of illness benefit. On 23 March 2016 a letter issued to the person concerned, advising that their current payment is slightly higher than their entitlement on DA. They have been asked to choose which scheme...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Jobseeker's Allowance Eligibility (6 Apr 2016)

Joan Burton: The jobseeker's benefit and jobseeker’s allowance schemes provide income support for people who have lost work and are unable to find alternative full-time employment. The 2016 Estimates for the Department provide for expenditure this year on the jobseekers’ schemes of €2.8 billion. It is a fundamental qualifying condition of both schemes that a person must be fully...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Supplementary Welfare Allowance Eligibility (6 Apr 2016)

Joan Burton: Self-employed persons are liable for pay related social insurance (PRSI) which entitles them to access long-term benefits such as the state pension (contributory) and widow’s, widower’s or surviving civil partner’s pension (contributory). However, they are not entitled to jobseeker’s benefit based on any contributions paid as a self-employed person. The...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Disability Allowance Payments (6 Apr 2016)

Joan Burton: The claim for disability allowance, by the person concerned, was disallowed by a Deciding Officer of the Department on the grounds that he did not satisfy the statutory means test. The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal was registered in that office on 01stSeptember 2015 and in accordance with statutory requirements the relevant papers and comments were sought from...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Child Benefit Eligibility (6 Apr 2016)

Joan Burton: Child Benefit is a monthly payment made to families with children in respect of all qualified children up to the age of 16 years. The payment continues to be paid in respect of children up to their 18th birthday who are in full-time education, or who have a physical or mental disability. Child Benefit is currently paid to around 620,000 families in respect of some 1.19 million children,...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Child Benefit Payments (6 Apr 2016)

Joan Burton: Child benefit is a universal monthly payment made to the parents/guardians of children that assists families with the cost associated with raising children. Currently, child benefit is paid to around 620,000 families in respect of some 1.19 million children with an estimated expenditure in the order of over €2 billion in 2016. The needs of the children are the priority consideration...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Occupational Injuries Benefit Payments (6 Apr 2016)

Joan Burton: The person concerned made a claim to injury benefit (OIB) on 2ndMarch 2016. The relevant application form (MC1) was not completed by the employer and it was, therefore, necessary to issue another form (OB4) to the employer to confirm details of the accident. This form issued on 31stMarch 2016 and a decision cannot be made on the OIB claim until the form is returned. In the meantime the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Child Maintenance Payments (6 Apr 2016)

Joan Burton: The issue of maintenance payments is first and foremost a private matter for the persons concerned, and if they cannot resolve the problem, for the Courts through family law provisions. The liability to maintain family provisions, contained in social welfare legislation, are separate to family law legislation. In every case where a one parent family payment is awarded, the Department...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Qualified Child Increase Payments (6 Apr 2016)

Joan Burton: It is a common feature across short-term income support schemes, such as illness benefit, that a person can only qualify for an increase in respect of a child aged between 18 and 22 years of age, resident in the family home and in full-time education, if the person has been in receipt of the payment for 156 days, or if they have an accumulation of at least 156 days of relevant social welfare...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Water Conservation Grant (6 Apr 2016)

Joan Burton: The eligibility criteria for the Water Conservation Grant are set out in the Water Services Act 2014 (Water Conservation Grant) Regulations 2015. Under regulation 5(1) a person who registers with Irish Water, as required under section 5(2)(a) of the Water Services Act 2014, on or before 30 June 2015 shall be eligible to receive the grant in 2015 if they were normally resident at the...