Results 13,701-13,720 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (31 Jan 2012)
Joan Burton: The person concerned was awarded a Family Income Supplement (FIS) payment on 19 December 2011 with effect from 28 July 2011. At the time of award of her FIS claim the person concerned had an outstanding debt of â¬451.41 to the Department, on foot of a previous overpayment of Jobseeker's Allowance. This debt was recorded centrally on the Department's debt management system. Accordingly the...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (31 Jan 2012)
Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 15 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 9 November...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (31 Jan 2012)
Joan Burton: The claim for treatment benefit was approved on 4 January 2012 and a letter of approval issued to the person concerned at the time. As her claim was lodged in December 2011, before the new rates took effect, it was approved at the older higher grant rate and this decision will be honoured.
- Written Answers — Redundancy Payments: Redundancy Payments (31 Jan 2012)
Joan Burton: The primary purpose of the redundancy payments scheme is to compensate workers, under the Redundancy Payments Acts, 1967 to 2007, for the loss of their jobs by reason of redundancy. Compensation is based on the worker's length of reckonable service and reckonable weekly remuneration, subject to a ceiling of â¬600 per week. It is the responsibility of the employers to pay statutory...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (31 Jan 2012)
Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 22 November 2011. It is a statutory requirement of the appeals process that the relevant Departmental papers and comments by the Deciding Officer on the grounds of appeal be sought. When they are received, the appeal in question will be referred in due course to an...
- Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (31 Jan 2012)
Joan Burton: The salary paid to the Secretary General of my Department is â¬191,417. The Secretary General is not in receipt of an allowance. In my Department, the Private Secretary to the Minister is a civil servant at Higher Executive Officer level. The appropriate salary scale is â¬43,816 - â¬55,415, with an allowance of â¬19,653 per annum. The salaries and allowances payable to civil servants...
- Written Answers — Appointments to State Boards: Appointments to State Boards (31 Jan 2012)
Joan Burton: The three statutory bodies operating under the aegis of the Department of Social Protection are the Social Welfare Tribunal, the Citizens Information Board and the Pensions Board. In addition, the Office of the Pensions Ombudsman (which does not have a board) comes under the remit of the Department. The Social Welfare Tribunal consists of a Chairman and four ordinary members, two of whom...
- Written Answers — Community Employment Schemes: Community Employment Schemes (31 Jan 2012)
Joan Burton: Due to the current economic circumstances and the need for the Department of Social Protection to find savings of â¬475 million in Budget 2012, it was necessary to examine all aspects of Departmental expenditure. This has resulted in the following changes being made to the Community Employment (CE) scheme, which were announced as part of Budget 2012: a reduction in the training and...
- Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (31 Jan 2012)
Joan Burton: There were eight retired former public servants recruited on short-term contracts in the Department of Social Protection from June 2010. These officers were employed on a part time basis as Appeals Officers, and their contracts terminated at the end of December 2011. There were no retired public servants hired by the Social Welfare Tribunal, the Citizens Information Board or the Office of...
- Written Answers — Redundancy Payments: Redundancy Payments (31 Jan 2012)
Joan Burton: A redundancy lump sum claim in respect of the person concerned was received on 26 July 2011. The Department is processing claims received at the start of June 2011.
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (31 Jan 2012)
Joan Burton: The Government announced in Budget 2012 a reduction in the materials and training allocation for Job Initiative schemes.For 2012 the grant per place will be â¬434.90. This will result in a funding reduction for materials/overheads from 8% to 4.35%. The minimum weekly payment to a Job Initiative participant will continue at â¬416. In money terms the materials, overheads and training...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (31 Jan 2012)
Joan Burton: Funding for the free travel scheme was frozen by the previous Government at 2010 levels of expenditure as outlined in the National Recovery Plan 2011-14 and the 2011 Budget. This cap was confirmed in the 2012 Budget. However, there were no changes to the eligibility of old age pensioners, or people in receipt of disability allowance or carer's allowance. The current free travel scheme...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (31 Jan 2012)
Joan Burton: Rent supplement provides 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. Since 2005, rent supplement expenditure has increased from â¬369 million to a provisional outturn of â¬503 million in 2011. The number of persons...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (31 Jan 2012)
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 and 2011 when the intake rose to 32,432 and 31,241...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (31 Jan 2012)
Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 355 and 356 together. There has been no change in the qualifying criteria for Domiciliary Care Allowance (DCA). In general, the allowance can be payable in respect of children under 16 years of age who have a disability so severe that it requires the child needing care and attention and/or supervision substantially in excess of another child of the same age....
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (31 Jan 2012)
Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 1st December 2011. It is a statutory requirement of the appeals process that the relevant Departmental papers and comments by or on behalf of the Designated Person on the grounds of appeal be sought. These papers were received in the Social Welfare Appeals Office on 6th...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (31 Jan 2012)
Joan Burton: The person concerned is now in receipt of her full entitlement to rent supplement based on her household circumstances.
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (31 Jan 2012)
Joan Burton: The mortgage interest supplement scheme is designed to help those who have difficulty meeting their mortgage repayment schedule where their means are insufficient to meet their needs. The scheme provides a short-term "safety net" to ensure that people do not suffer hardship due to loss of employment. The decision to award a mortgage interest supplement is dependent on a number of factors...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (31 Jan 2012)
Joan Burton: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an appeal for the person concerned hasn't been registered. However, because of the large number of appeals currently being lodged, there is a backlog in the office in registering appeals. If the appeal has been submitted in recent weeks the appeal will be registered and acknowledged in due course. The Chief Appeals Officer has assured...
- Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (31 Jan 2012)
Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 364 and 389 together. The challenges facing the Irish pension system are significant. There are currently six people of working age for every pensioner and this ratio is expected to decrease to approximately two to one by 2050. In addition, those aged over 65 will account for a greater proportion of the population while the proportion who are of working age...