Results 11,541-11,560 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Written Answers — Departmental Schemes: Departmental Schemes (20 Sep 2011)

Joan Burton: It is unlikely that any additional rural social scheme (RSS) placements will become available in the short-term. However, my Department is keeping the matter under review and, if placements arise from unused allocations elsewhere in the country, opportunities will be afforded to all concerned Implementing Bodies to expand their existing quotas in due course.

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (20 Sep 2011)

Joan Burton: The Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance (BSCFA) scheme operates from the beginning of June until the end of September each year. The administrative arrangements for the 2011 BSCFA scheme differ from those that applied in previous years. For this year, the majority of BSCFA entitlements were fully automated with no application form required from customers, 127,000 households in...

Written Answers — Departmental Responsibilities: Departmental Responsibilities (20 Sep 2011)

Joan Burton: With effect from 1 January 2011, my Department has taken responsibility for the employment programmes and employment service functions of FÁS. My Department has no role in relation to the transfer of other functions from FÁS to SOLAS and this is a matter for the Department of Education and Skills.

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (20 Sep 2011)

Joan Burton: The Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance (BSCFA) scheme operates from the beginning of June until the end of September each year. A person may qualify for a BSCFA payment if he or she is in receipt of a social welfare or health service executive payment, is participating in an approved employment scheme or attending a recognised education or training course, and has household income...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (20 Sep 2011)

Joan Burton: The Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance (BSCFA) scheme operates from the beginning of June until the end of September each year. A person may qualify for a BSCFA payment if he or she is in receipt of a social welfare or health service executive payment, is participating in an approved employment scheme or attending a recognised education or training course, and has household income...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (20 Sep 2011)

Joan Burton: Customer service is at the centre of my Department's strategies and business. Processing times vary across schemes because of both the volume of applications and the differing qualification criteria. For example, means assessments are required for all of the social assistance schemes; medical examinations are required for some of the illness related schemes and customers must also satisfy...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Fraud: Social Welfare Fraud (20 Sep 2011)

Joan Burton: The introduction of the Public Services Card (PSC) will assist in the identification of customers to providers of public services. A more secure registration process, leading to issue of a PSC incorporating the customer's photograph and signature, will give significant assurance as to the identity of the cardholder. This means that the issuer of a PSC will get three main benefits: - It will...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (20 Sep 2011)

Joan Burton: The Health Service Executive has advised that a decision on rent supplement in this case will be made on receipt of documentation requested from the person concerned.

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (20 Sep 2011)

Joan Burton: The supplementary welfare allowance means test includes a value attributed to any capital a person may have. Capital refers to savings, investments, cash-on-hands and property (excluding their own home). The value of all of these items is added together and a formula applied to their total value to calculate a person's weekly means, depending on the particular social assistance scheme in...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (20 Sep 2011)

Joan Burton: The table below shows the number of recipients of rent supplement in County Wicklow from 2007 to 2011. As the Deputy is aware, there are several commitments contained in the Programme for Government in relation to the rent supplement scheme. In this regard, the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government and the Minister of State with responsibility for housing and planning,...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (20 Sep 2011)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that the appeal from the person concerned was referred to an Appeals Officer who proposes to hold an oral hearing on 28 September 2011. The person concerned has been notified of the arrangements. The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Social Protection and of the Department and is responsible for...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (20 Sep 2011)

Joan Burton: It is a condition of any applicant's entitlement to a Rent Supplement that they have not refused to accept within any continuous 12 month period a second offer of accommodation provided by either a housing authority (including accommodation offered under the Rental Accommodation Scheme) or any approved body by the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government for the purposes...

Written Answers — Departmental Schemes: Departmental Schemes (20 Sep 2011)

Joan Burton: In order for an individual to be eligible to participate in JobBridge, the National Internship Scheme an individual must be: - currently in receipt of a live claim (Jobseeker's Allowance/Jobseeker's Benefit/Signing for Credits) on the Live Register; - have been in receipt of Jobseeker's Benefit, Jobseeker's Allowance or signing for Social Insurance credits for a total of 78 days or more in...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (20 Sep 2011)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 9th June 2011. It is a statutory requirement of the appeals process that the relevant Departmental papers and comments by the Social Welfare Services on the grounds of appeal be sought. When received, the appeal in question will be referred to an Appeals Officer for...

Written Answers — Appointments to State Boards: Appointments to State Boards (20 Sep 2011)

Joan Burton: The three statutory bodies operating under the aegis of the Department are the Social Welfare Tribunal, the Citizens Information Board and the Pensions Board. In addition, the Office of the Pensions Ombudsman comes under the remit of the Department but it does not have a board. The information requested by the Deputy in relation to the boards of the Social Welfare Tribunal, the Citizens...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (20 Sep 2011)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 2 September 2011. It is a statutory requirement of the appeals process that the relevant Departmental papers and comments by the Social Welfare Services on the grounds of appeal be sought. When received, the appeal in question will be referred to an Appeals Officer for...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (20 Sep 2011)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that a jobseeker's benefit appeal by the person concerned, was registered in that office on 19 July 2011 and will be referred to an Appeals Officer in due course, 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...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (20 Sep 2011)

Joan Burton: I understand, following clarification with the Deputy, that he is seeking the cost of translating Government reports to Irish for the year 2010. The Department is committed to providing a quality customer service in Irish and meeting its obligations under the Official Languages Act. In this regard the cost of translating Departmental reports to Irish was some €37,500 in 2010.

Written Answers — Redundancy Payments: Redundancy Payments (21 Sep 2011)

Joan Burton: I can confirm that the notification of redundancy in respect of the individual concerned was received in the Redundancy Payments Section on 4 May, 2011 and is awaiting processing.

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (21 Sep 2011)

Joan Burton: Under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance (SWA) scheme, the Community Welfare division of the Health Service Executive (HSE) may make a single payment to meet an exceptional need to people on social welfare or health board payments. These payments are known as Exceptional Needs Payments (ENPs) and may be made towards funeral expenses where it is established that there is an inability to meet...