Results 12,781-12,800 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Written Answers — Departmental Schemes: Departmental Schemes (30 Nov 2011)

Joan Burton: The Rural Social Scheme (RSS) has operated since May 2004 with the aim of providing income support for eligible persons in receipt of specified, long-term social welfare payments. The work undertaken by participants supports the provision of services of benefit to rural communities. The RSS currently funds the engagement of 2,600 participants and 130 supervisors. Supervisors are employed...

Written Answers — Departmental Schemes: Departmental Schemes (30 Nov 2011)

Joan Burton: The Rural Social Scheme (RSS) has operated since May 2004 with the aim of providing income support for farmers and fishermen/women in receipt of specified, long-term social welfare payments. The work undertaken by participants supports the provision of services of benefit to rural communities. The RSS currently funds the engagement of 2,600 participants and 130 supervisors. Supervisors are...

Written Answers — Redundancy Payments: Redundancy Payments (30 Nov 2011)

Joan Burton: The prescribed time for submitting a redundancy lump sum claim is 52 weeks. From the information provided in the question it would appear that the person concerned was made redundant in December 2008. In these circumstances the time–limit for making a redundancy payment has elapsed.

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (30 Nov 2011)

Joan Burton: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an Appeals Officer, having fully considered all the evidence, including that adduced at oral hearing, disallowed the appeal of the person concerned. The person concerned has been notified of the decision. Under Social Welfare legislation, the decision of the Appeals Officer is final and conclusive and may only be reviewed by the Appeals...

Inter-Country Adoptions (1 Dec 2011)

Joan Burton: I am taking this matter, which is of great interest to many Members, on behalf of the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Deputy Fitzgerald, and I thank Deputy McCarthy for raising it. There was a fundamental change to adoption in Ireland with the commencement of the Adoption Act 2010 and the coming into force of the Hague Convention on the Protection of Children and Co-operation in...

Inter-Country Adoptions (1 Dec 2011)

Joan Burton: I will ask my colleague, the Minister, Deputy Fitzgerald, to give urgent consideration to the meeting Deputy McCarthy suggests with the Irish people interested in adopting from Ethiopia. As I stated in the detailed reply, there is much work ongoing arising from the entering into force of the 2010 Adoption Act. Also, Ireland has finally, after long years of discussion, signed up to the Hague...

Employment Support Services (1 Dec 2011)

Joan Burton: I thank Deputy Ó Caoláin for raising this important issue in general and in particular for his constituent. Earlier this year, the Government announced its jobs initiative, which was a major step in helping to get Ireland back on the road to recovery. The Government's aim was to begin the process of restoring confidence in Ireland's economy, but also restoring hope and confidence in the...

Employment Support Services (1 Dec 2011)

Joan Burton: I will bear in mind what the Deputy has said. We got the go-ahead for the scheme under the very stringent conditionality that it related to people on the live register, for reasons I am sure the Deputy appreciates and understands. JobBridge is not for everybody, and I never claimed it was. It is a specific initiative providing 5,000 places over a two year period. It is very heavily...

Written Answers — Redundancy Payments: Redundancy Payments (1 Dec 2011)

Joan Burton: A redundancy rebate claim in respect of the company concerned was received on 28 July 2011. Redundancy rebate claims received at the start of May 2011 are currently being processed.

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (1 Dec 2011)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 89, 99 and 102 together. The Labour Court recommended in July 2008 that an agreed pension scheme should be introduced for community employment (CE) scheme supervisors and assistant supervisors, and that such a scheme should be adequately funded by FÁS. Notwithstanding the positions of the Department in rejecting that liability for these costs falls to be met...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Fraud: Social Welfare Fraud (1 Dec 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 — Employment Support Services: Employment Support Services (1 Dec 2011)

Joan Burton: Self-employed persons who lose their jobs or businesses due to the recession may establish entitlement to payments made under social assistance means-tested schemes, including jobseeker's allowance. They can apply for the jobseeker's allowance where their business ceases and they become unemployed or in other circumstances where they are on low income as a result of a downturn in demand for...

Written Answers — Community Employment Schemes: Community Employment Schemes (1 Dec 2011)

Joan Burton: Community Employment is an employment and training programme which helps long-term unemployed people to re-enter the active workforce by breaking their experience of unemployment through a return to a work routine. The programme assists by enhancing and developing a person's technical and personal skills which can then be used in the workplace. The criteria for participating on community...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (1 Dec 2011)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 5 August 2011. 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 17...

Written Answers — Job Initiative: Job Initiative (1 Dec 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; - and have been in receipt of Jobseeker's Benefit, Jobseeker's Allowance or signing for Social Insurance Contribution Credits for a total of 78...

Written Answers — Employment Support Services: Employment Support Services (1 Dec 2011)

Joan Burton: Persons with a disability who meet the entry criteria are able to participate in the full range of FÁS programmes and services. Persons with a disability may call into a FÁS Employment Service Office or Local Employment Service Office to meet with an Employment Services Officer or Mediator who will provide them with full information, advice and guidance in relation to training and...

Written Answers — Job Initiative: Job Initiative (1 Dec 2011)

Joan Burton: In order to be eligible to participate in JobBridge, the National Internship Scheme, an individual must: - currently be on the Live Register; and - have been in receipt of Jobseeker's Benefit, Jobseeker's Allowance or signing for Social Insurance Contribution Credits for a total of 3 months or more in the last 6 months. Given the scale of the unemployment crisis, it is imperative to keep...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (1 Dec 2011)

Joan Burton: The Rural Social Scheme (RSS) has operated since May 2004 with the aim of providing income support for eligible farmer and fishermen/women in receipt of specified, long-term social welfare payments. The work undertaken by participants supports the provision of services of benefit to rural communities. The RSS currently funds the engagement of 2,600 participants and 130 supervisors....

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (1 Dec 2011)

Joan Burton: The transfer of the Community Welfare Service from the HSE to the Department of Social Protection was effective from 1 October 2011. With the exception of one person, all those who transferred from the HSE to this Department are permanent staff members. The employment contract of the one Temporary CWO who transferred is not due to end until December 2011, and the Department has honoured the...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (1 Dec 2011)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 1 June 2011. 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 14 October...