Results 10,561-10,580 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (8 Jun 2011)

Joan Burton: Under the supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) scheme an exceptional needs payment (ENP) may be made by the Health Service Executive (HSE) to help meet an essential, once-off cost which the applicant is unable to meet out of his/her own resources. There is no automatic entitlement to this payment. Each application is determined by the HSE based on the particular circumstances of the case....

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (8 Jun 2011)

Joan Burton: The Department has been accepting new claims for domiciliary care allowance (DCA) since the 1st April 2009. Statistics relating to the period prior to April 2009 are not held by this Department and are a matter for the HSE, the previous administrator of the scheme. Table 1 - Domiciliary Care Allowance applications received Applications received Applications fully processed Applications...

Written Answers — Community Employment Schemes: Community Employment Schemes (8 Jun 2011)

Joan Burton: The purpose of Tús is to focus on those people who are long-term unemployed. For this reason, eligibility is at present confined to those on the Live Register for 12 months and in receipt of jobseeker's allowance. These provisions are to ensure a targeted approach to those currently affected by long-term unemployment. Persons already in employment are not eligible for these positions....

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (8 Jun 2011)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned has been registered in that office on 3 June 2011 and will, in due course, be referred to an Appeals Officer who will decide whether the case can be decided on a summary basis or whether to list it for oral hearing. The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Social...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (8 Jun 2011)

Joan Burton: In order to qualify for a payment under the back to school clothing and footwear allowance scheme a person must be resident in the State. The total expenditure on the back to school clothing and footwear allowance scheme in 2010 was some €77.4 million; no expenditure has yet been incurred to date in 2011, a breakdown of expenditure for Dublin South Central is not available.

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (8 Jun 2011)

Joan Burton: The claim for State pension (non-contributory), by the person concerned, was disallowed by a Deciding Officer of the Department on the grounds that her means exceeded the statutory limit for entitlement to state pension. I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an Appeals Officer, having fully considered all the evidence, disallowed the appeal by way of summary decision. The...

Written Answers — Employment Support Services: Employment Support Services (9 Jun 2011)

Joan Burton: Through FÁS Employment Services, responsibility for which has been transferred to my Department, a fully integrated nationwide range of services and supports is available to Employers and Jobseekers. Employers Employers can access a wide range of Jobseekers by using FÁS Employment Services. FÁS Jobs Ireland provides a service for employers who wish to register with FÁS and advertise job...

Written Answers — Enterprise Support Services: Enterprise Support Services (9 Jun 2011)

Joan Burton: The Short Term Enterprise Allowance (STEA) is one of a range of activation supports and policies with the objective of assisting social welfare recipients to improve their life chances by facilitating access to self employment, work experience, education and training. The STEA is designed to provide immediate support for a person who qualifies for Jobseeker's Benefit (JB) and who wishes to...

Written Answers — Redundancy Payments: Redundancy Payments (9 Jun 2011)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 111 to 116, inclusive, together. On 1 January 2011, my Department assumed responsibility for making redundancy payments from the Social Insurance Fund. There are two types of redundancy payment made from the fund i.e. rebates to those employers who have paid statutory redundancy to eligible employees and statutory lump sums to employees whose employers are...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (9 Jun 2011)

Joan Burton: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an Appeals Officer, having fully considered all the evidence, allowed the appeal of the person concerned by way of an oral hearing. The person concerned has been notified of the decision. However, the file was returned to the Appeals Officer by the Department with a query in relation to the Appeals Officer's decision. The Appeals...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (9 Jun 2011)

Joan Burton: In 2010, just over 550,000 people were members of a defined benefit schemes. In the same period, almost 260,000 people were members of defined contribution schemes. At the end of 2010 there were over 187,000 Personal Retirement Savings Account contracts in force, which represents an increase of 16,252 contracts over 2009. The most recent coverage figures available from the Central...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (9 Jun 2011)

Joan Burton: The Health Service Executive has advised that the person concerned is in receipt of her full entitlement to rent supplement based on her household circumstances.

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (9 Jun 2011)

Joan Burton: On 26 November 2009 the person concerned was refused carer's allowance on the grounds that he had failed to disclose means to an investigative officer as prescribed in the social welfare legislation. He was notified of this decision, the reasons for it and of his right of review or appeal to the Social Welfare Appeal's Office. The person concerned appealed this decision and the matter was...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (9 Jun 2011)

Joan Burton: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an Appeals Officer, having fully considered all the evidence, disallowed the appeal of the person concerned by way of summary decision. Notification of the Appeals Officers decision was issued on 25 November 2010. Under Social Welfare legislation, the decision of the Appeals Officer is final and conclusive and may only be reviewed by...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (9 Jun 2011)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 13th September 2010. It is a statutory requirement of the appeals process that the relevant Departmental papers and comments by or on behalf of the Deciding Officer on the grounds of appeal be sought. These papers were received in the Social Welfare Appeals Office on 1st...

Death of Member: Expressions of Sympathy (15 Jun 2011)

Joan Burton: Ba mhaith liom mo chomhbhrón a ghabháil ar son Pháirtí an Lucht Oibre do mhuintir agus do chlann Brian Lenihan. On behalf of the Labour Party, I offer my sincere condolences to Brian's family: his wife, Patricia; his children, Tom and Clare; his mother, Mrs. Ann Lenihan; his brothers, Conor, Niall and Paul; his sister, Anita; and his indefatigable aunt, Mary O'Rourke, a former colleague...

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2011: Committee Stage (15 Jun 2011)

Joan Burton: I thank the Deputy for the amendment. However, for reasons I will explain, the definition being proposed is not required in the Bill and, therefore, I do not propose to accept it. While previous Social Welfare Acts have contained a definition of "the Minister" for the purposes of those Acts, it has not been considered necessary by the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel to include such a...

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2011: Committee Stage (15 Jun 2011)

Joan Burton: I move amendment No. 2: In page 6, line 36, to delete "1 July 2011" and substitute "2 July 2011". These are minor amendments to sections 3 and 23 of the Bill to align the commencement dates applying to the overall provisions of each of these sections with the date given in the table accompanying each section. The main provisions contained in section 3 provide for a halving of the lower rate...

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2011: Committee Stage (15 Jun 2011)

Joan Burton: The reduction of employer's PRSI on those earning €356 or less a week was a commitment in the programme for Government. While it is important to create new jobs, it is also important to maintain existing jobs. This reduction in employer's PRSI, which will last until the end of 2013, applies to existing and new jobs. Everyone knows from the economic collapse the difficulties in getting...

Employment Rights (15 Jun 2011)

Joan Burton: The need for reform of the joint labour committee system was clearly signalled in the programme for Government. A very detailed report, the independent review of employment regulation orders and registered employment agreement wage-setting mechanisms, setting out a reform mechanism was finalised in April of this year and circulated to members of the Government in the usual way. The relevant...