Results 12,941-12,960 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (8 Dec 2011)
Joan Burton: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an Appeals Officer having fully considered all the available evidence disallowed the appeal of the person concerned by way of a summary decision. The person concerned has been notified of the Appeals Officers decision. Under Social Welfare legislation, the decision of the Appeals Officer is final and conclusive and may only be...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (8 Dec 2011)
Joan Burton: I confirm than an application for carer's allowance has been received from the person concerned. On completion of the necessary investigations relating to all aspects of his claim a decision will be made and the person concerned will be notified directly of the outcome.
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (8 Dec 2011)
Joan Burton: The back to education allowance (BTEA) scheme is a second chance education opportunities scheme designed to remove the barriers to participation in second and third level education by enabling eligible people on certain social welfare payments to continue to receive a payment while pursuing an approved full-time education course that leads to a higher qualification than that already held....
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (8 Dec 2011)
Joan Burton: Further to parliamentary Question No. 148 of 17 November, the person concerned made an application for rent supplement on the 1 September 2010. The only information relating to his child prior to the original application was the housing needs assessment dated 29 July 2010. There was no evidence of a history of financial support regarding the care of his child prior to the application for...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (8 Dec 2011)
Joan Burton: The person concerned has been awarded a back to school clothing and footwear allowance and payment will issue shortly.
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (8 Dec 2011)
Joan Burton: The purpose of rent supplement is to provide short-term support to eligible people living in private rented accommodation, whose means are insufficient to meet their accommodation costs and who do not have accommodation available to them from any other source. Under the legislative provisions governing rent supplement, the Department's relationship is with the tenant; the tenant makes the...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (8 Dec 2011)
Joan Burton: Payment of illness benefit, to the person concerned, was disallowed by a Deciding Officer following an examination by a Medical Assessor of the Department who expressed the opinion that she was capable of work. An appeal was registered on 7 November 2011 and the Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that, in accordance with statutory requirements, the Department was asked for the...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (8 Dec 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 — Redundancy Payments: Redundancy Payments (8 Dec 2011)
Joan Burton: A redundancy lump sum claim in respect of the person concerned was awarded on 6 December 2011. Payment will issue to the nominated bank account in the near future.
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (8 Dec 2011)
Joan Burton: The person concerned is currently in receipt of carer's allowance in respect of one care recipient. On 3 October 2011 she was refused carer's allowance in respect of a second care recipient on the grounds that the care recipient is not so disabled as to require full time care and attention as prescribed in the regulations. She was notified of this decision. Additional medical evidence from...
- Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (8 Dec 2011)
Joan Burton: During the period specified Ms. Bernadette Lacey, Secretary General, retired from my Department on 22 July 2010 at 60 years of age. The lump sum paid to the officer was â¬359,267.37 and the annual pension awarded at the time was â¬119,755.79. No special severance gratuity was payable to the officer concerned.
- Social Welfare Bill 2011: Second Stage (Resumed) (9 Dec 2011)
Joan Burton: No. It is five.
- Social Welfare Bill 2011: Second Stage (Resumed) (9 Dec 2011)
Joan Burton: It is five years and not ten. There was an error in the original Bill which is corrected by one of the amendments.
- Social Welfare Bill 2011: Second Stage (Resumed) (9 Dec 2011)
Joan Burton: No. It is being increased by two years in line with the increase in the age of the State pension to bring it from three to five years. There was an error in the Bill and the correction is reflected in the amendments.
- Social Welfare Bill 2011: Second Stage (Resumed) (9 Dec 2011)
Joan Burton: It is amendment No. 1.
- Social Welfare Bill 2011: Second Stage (Resumed) (9 Dec 2011)
Joan Burton: It is the most generous regime anywhere in the world.
- Social Welfare Bill 2011: Second Stage (Resumed) (9 Dec 2011)
Joan Burton: I thank all Deputies for their contributions, some of which were more robustly made than others. A lot of valid points were made. I will try to deal with them as best I can. I reiterate that savings had to be made in the social welfare budget. There were no easy options. Every cut or change affects someone now or in the future. We must balance our national income and expenditure....
- Social Welfare Bill 2011: Second Stage (Resumed) (9 Dec 2011)
Joan Burton: I reduced those cuts to â¬475 million. I could not abolish all of them but what I did do is-----
- Social Welfare Bill 2011: Second Stage (Resumed) (9 Dec 2011)
Joan Burton: For the first time in three years, there will be no cut in overall rates. Deputy Healy-Rae's former party introduced a cut of â¬8 per week in all the primary rates, other than for old age pensioners. I made a strategic decision-----
- Social Welfare Bill 2011: Second Stage (Resumed) (9 Dec 2011)
Joan Burton: -----to maintain the primary rates to give pensioners, people on jobseekers benefit, lone parents, people on invalidity and disability allowances, certainty about their primary income rate. As such, there is no cut in rates. However, savings of â¬475 million must be made and, in addition, the social welfare system must be reformed to make it easier for people to be supported in education,...