Results 12,701-12,720 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (29 Nov 2011)

Joan Burton: The Pensions Act sets out the order in which the assets of a pension scheme must be applied in the event of a scheme wind-up. The statutory order of priority is of no consequence where a scheme winds up with sufficient assets to meet all of its liabilities. In a wind–up situation, all benefits to pensioners except provision for post retirement increases are given the highest priority...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (29 Nov 2011)

Joan Burton: Any proposals of this nature would have to be considered in a budgetary context.

Written Answers — Social Insurance: Social Insurance (29 Nov 2011)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 232 and 233 together. Current estimates indicate that an increase of 0.5% in the main employer rate of PRSI from 10.75% to 11.25% would yield an additional €268 million in a full year for the Social Insurance Fund. A 1% increase in the rate of employer PRSI would yield approximately €535 million. An equivalent 0.5% increase in the rate of PRSI paid by...

Written Answers — Redundancy Payments: Redundancy Payments (29 Nov 2011)

Joan Burton: Rebates to employers and lump sums paid directly to employees are paid from the Social Insurance Fund (SIF). The total amount paid out in redundancy rebates to employers was €161.8 million in 2008; €247.9 million in 2009; €373.2 million in 2010 and €185.3 million to date in 2011. My Department does not compile information on redundancy payments paid in respect of enterprises which may...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (29 Nov 2011)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 14th October 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 (29 Nov 2011)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that the appeal from the person concerned was assessed by a Medical Assessor of the Social Welfare Services who was of the opinion that he was capable of work. He appealed this decision and in that context the appeal was assessed by another Medical Assessor who also expressed the opinion that he was capable of work. In the light of this,...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (29 Nov 2011)

Joan Burton: The following tabular statement shows the current number of rent supplement recipients by claim duration. It should be noted that the table relates to unbroken continuous claims and that the duration spent at a previous address is not be taken into account in these statistics. However, an in-depth analysis indicates that there are over 51,400 recipients who have been in receipt of rent...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Fraud: Social Welfare Fraud (29 Nov 2011)

Joan Burton: The prevention of fraud and abuse of the social welfare system is an integral part of the day-to-day work of my Department which processes in excess of 2 million claims each year and makes payments to some 1.4 million people every week at a cost of some €21 billion per annum. However, it is important to recognise that the vast majority of people are receiving the entitlement due to them....

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (29 Nov 2011)

Joan Burton: The person concerned was refused a back to school clothing footwear allowance on the grounds that the family income was in excess of the limits prescribed for the scheme. This decision was subsequently upheld on review of the claim.

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (29 Nov 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 in this case. There has been a very significant increase in the number of appeals received by the Social Welfare Appeals Office since 2007 when the intake was 14,070 to 2010 when the intake rose to 32,432. This has significantly...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (29 Nov 2011)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 24 November 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, in due course, to an...

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (29 Nov 2011)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 242 and 243 together. My Department has not incurred any expenditure which is attributable to the proposed relocation of staff to Donegal town under the Decentralisation Programme as announced in December 2003. The Central Applications Facility (CAF), which is administered by the Public Appointments Service (PAS), was established to allow staff to register...

Written Answers — Budgetary Measures: Budgetary Measures (29 Nov 2011)

Joan Burton: As part of the deliberative process for Budget 2012, my Department will analyse, in so far as possible, the distributive and poverty impact, including the impact on children, of possible budget measures prior to the finalisation of Budget 2012. My Department undertook an analysis of the distributive and poverty impacts on families of the Budget 2011 tax and welfare package, in conjunction...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (29 Nov 2011)

Joan Burton: Receiving the full adult rate of a jobseeker's payment without a strong financial incentive to engage in education or training can lead to welfare dependency. While many young people with low levels of education and training were able to get work in construction and other areas when the economy was doing well, they are likely to find it much harder to get work over the course of the next few...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (29 Nov 2011)

Joan Burton: The person concerned made an application for rent supplement on 15th July but his rent was in excess of the maximum rent limit appropriate to his family composition. The person concerned has been requested to provide further information in support of his claim. A decision will be made on his application when the information has been provided.

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (29 Nov 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. Under Social Welfare legislation, the decision of the Appeals Officer is final and conclusive and may only be reviewed by the Appeals Officer in the light of new evidence or new facts. Following the...

Written Answers — Social Insurance: Social Insurance (29 Nov 2011)

Joan Burton: The question of introducing a scheme of statutory sick pay (SSP) is being considered as a means of bringing Ireland's approach to the management of illness related work absences into line with the rest of Europe and other OECD countries. Studies undertaken by the OECD indicate that Ireland is one of the very few countries that does not oblige employers to cover some element of sick absence...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (29 Nov 2011)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 3 October 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 in due course to an Appeals...

Written Answers — Departmental Bodies: Departmental Bodies (29 Nov 2011)

Joan Burton: The establishment of the new National Employment and Entitlements Service (NEES), under the management of my Department, will be a multi-annual programme of work between now and 2014 requiring the development of the new service, the assignment of functions to the Service and the development of its organisational processes and operational systems. We have already made significant progress....

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (29 Nov 2011)

Joan Burton: Child benefit assists parents with the cost of raising children and it contributes towards alleviating child poverty. Expenditure on child benefit for 2011 is estimated at €2.08 billion in respect of some 1.133 million children. The Government is conscious that child benefit, as a universal payment, can be an important source of income for all families, especially during a time of...