Results 14,061-14,080 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Written Answers — Community Employment Schemes: Community Employment Schemes (15 Feb 2012)

Joan Burton: Following the reductions in the CE training and materials grant announced in the Budget, the Department of Social Protection commenced a review of the financial resources of individual schemes. This review is scheduled to be completed by the end of March All sponsors have been contacted by Department officers at local level to brief them on the review, discuss their returns and deal wit h...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (15 Feb 2012)

Joan Burton: Under the supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) scheme, the Department may make a single exceptional needs payment (ENP) to help meet essential, once-off expenditure, which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of their weekly income. However, the scheme is not intended to cover circumstances where another Government Department or Agency has a primary responsibility such as...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (15 Feb 2012)

Joan Burton: Taking account of the unusual circumstances of retained fire brigade personnel and general efforts to develop and standardise our jobseeker schemes, a departmental group was established in late 2011 to examine the position of these workers vis-À-vis jobseeker's benefit and jobseeker's allowance. Deliberations on this issue are currently being finalised. My officials will be in touch with...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (15 Feb 2012)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 21 March 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 28th...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (15 Feb 2012)

Joan Burton: Legislative changes were introduced to the one-parent family payment (OFP) scheme in the Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 2010. These came into effect on 27 April, 2011, and reduced the maximum age limit of the youngest child for receipt of the OFP to 14. Further changes to the maximum age limit of the youngest child for receipt of the OFP were announced in Budget 2012. For...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (15 Feb 2012)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 161 to 163, inclusive, together. The information requested by the Deputy is not routinely collated by my Department across all of its various schemes. Where possible I have included the information requested by the Deputy in full. The Department has not undertaken or commissioned research in relation to qualified adult payments. This is a matter that the...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (15 Feb 2012)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 164 to 167, inclusive, together. There were 90,267 recipients of One-parent Family Payments at the end of January 2012 with payments being made in respect of 149,196 qualified children. It is estimated that approximately 46% of the recipients are in paid employment. Information concerning the working patterns of recipients of One-Parent Family Payment is not...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (15 Feb 2012)

Joan Burton: In November 2010, my Department published a "Report on the Desirability and Feasibility of introducing a Single Payment for People of Working Age". The report concluded that it was both desirable and feasible to move to a single payment over time. There is a commitment contained in the agreed EU/ECB/IMF Programme of Financial Support, that Ireland will present a comprehensive programme of...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (15 Feb 2012)

Joan Burton: At the end of January 2012 there were 90,267 people in receipt of One-parent Family Payment. A breakdown of these recipients by age is set out in the following table. One-Parent Family Payment Age Recipients Under 25 11,701 25-29 17,443 30-34 17,931 35-39 15,946 40-44 13,297 45-49 8,672 50-54 3,803 55-59 1,209 60-64 249 65 & over 16 Total 90,267

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (15 Feb 2012)

Joan Burton: At the end of December 2011 there were 51,666 people in receipt of Carer's Allowance. A breakdown of these recipients by age is set out in the following table. Carer's Allowance Age Recipients Under 25 years 655 25 to 29 years 1,564 30 to 34 years 3,262 35 to 39 years 5,313 40 to 44 years 6,914 45 to 49 years 7,134 50 to 54 years 6,333 55 to 59 years 5,622 60 to 64 years 5,132...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (15 Feb 2012)

Joan Burton: I am informed by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that the number of appeals for invalidity pensions on hand at the end of 2011 was 1,582 and the average length of time to process invalidity pension appeals which were finalised in 2011 was 36.4 weeks for those dealt with by way of a summary decision and 58.9 weeks for those that required an oral hearing. These processing times are...

Written Answers — EU Presidency: EU Presidency (15 Feb 2012)

Joan Burton: Discussions on priorities for the EU Presidency, the functions which will take place under the auspices of my Department and the resources which will be required to support Presidency activities are ongoing at present. Work on the Presidency has so far been undertaken using existing staffing resources. Accordingly, expenditure to date has been quite small and is limited to about €750 on...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (15 Feb 2012)

Joan Burton: The Department incurs expenditure on legal and compensation costs and fees from the Department of Social Protection Vote and the Social Insurance Fund. The elements of these payments relating solely to legal fees are not recorded separately. The following table sets out expenditure on legal and compensation costs/fees for the period from 2007 to 2011. Legal and compensation costs / fees...

Social Welfare Code (16 Feb 2012)

Joan Burton: I thank Deputy Penrose for raising this important issue which is critical for the people, families and communities affected by the loss of employment by so many self-employed people. Not only did these people employ themselves and their families, but they employed many others, particularly in the construction area and allied sectors. Self-employed persons are liable for PRSI at the Class S...

Social Welfare Code (16 Feb 2012)

Joan Burton: I appreciate the Deputy's comments and views. Our social insurance must change to accommodate the fact that many more people will, at some point in their working lives, be self-employed, be self-employed contractors or set up a small family company, for example, in the construction industry. In some cases, employers have structured employment so people who would formerly have been deemed...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (16 Feb 2012)

Joan Burton: I am pleased to advise the Deputy that the Partial Capacity Benefit scheme was formally launched on Monday 13th February 2012. Full details of the scheme have been published on my Department's website and an information leaflet has also been published. My Department will also be engaging with representative bodies in the disability sector to further enhance awareness of the new scheme....

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (16 Feb 2012)

Joan Burton: I confirm that the department is in receipt of an application for carer's allowance from the above named person. On completion of the necessary investigations relating to all aspects of her claim a decision will be made and the person concerned will be notified directly of the outcome.

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (16 Feb 2012)

Joan Burton: Jobseeker's allowance and jobseeker's benefit is paid to people up to 66 years of age at which stage eligibility for a State Pension commences. There are three categories of State Pension to which a jobseeker client may be entitled - State Pension (Transition) which is paid at age 65, State Pension (Contributory) which is paid at age 66 and the means tested State Pension (Non-contributory)...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (16 Feb 2012)

Joan Burton: The person concerned was refused carer's allowance on the grounds that the Department's Medical Assessor expressed the opinion that the care recipient is not so disabled as to require full-time care and attention as prescribed in regulations. On 13 October 2011, he was notified of this decision, the reason for it and of his right of review or appeal. He subsequently appealed this decision...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (16 Feb 2012)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 22nd July 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 19th...