Results 15,241-15,260 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (25 Apr 2012)

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. There are currently approximately 95,000 persons in receipt of rent supplement, with €436m provided for in 2012. Under the relevant...

Written Answers — Child Care Services: Child Care Services (25 Apr 2012)

Joan Burton: The one-parent family payment (OFP) has played an important role in providing income support to lone parents. Total expenditure on this scheme will be some €1.06 billion this year. Changes have been made to the payment since its introduction in 1991, reflecting the changes taking place in society, the labour market and the expectations and realities of parents' lives, and particularly of...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (25 Apr 2012)

Joan Burton: The staffing needs of my Department are regularly reviewed, having regard to workloads and the competing demands arising, to ensure that the best use is made of all available resources. The Department will continue to source available staff to fill critical vacancies by way of redeployment, or transfer from within the Department and other Government Departments, taking account of the...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (25 Apr 2012)

Joan Burton: The purpose of Rent Supplement is to provide short term income support to assist with reasonable accommodation costs of eligible people living in private rented accommodation who are unable to provide for their accommodation costs from their own resources and who do not have accommodation available to them from another source. There are currently approximately 95,000 persons in receipt of...

Written Answers — Departmental Funding: Departmental Funding (25 Apr 2012)

Joan Burton: A financial review has been requested of all Community Employment (CE) schemes. It is anticipated that CE schemes will see a reduction in the level of grant aid allocated in respect of materials and training in 2012 as funding will be allocated according to the needs of the participants and the project circumstances. The purpose of the review is to establish the level of need and this review...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (25 Apr 2012)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 31, 36 and 99 together. Domiciliary care allowance (DCA) is a monthly payment to the parent or guardian of a child under the age of 16 with a disability so severe that the child requires care and attention and/or supervision substantially in excess of another child of the same age. Eligibility for DCA is not based primarily on the medical or psychological...

Written Answers — Proposed Legislation: Proposed Legislation (25 Apr 2012)

Joan Burton: The general review of the provisions of the Civil Registration Act 2004 was completed in 2011. There are a range of issues to be considered in relation to the scope and implementation of any proposed changes to the provisions of this Act and some of these issues have cross-departmental implications, which need to be considered also. One of the main priorities of the review was to examine...

Written Answers — Departmental Functions: Departmental Functions (25 Apr 2012)

Joan Burton: On 16th June 2011, the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government and the Minister for Housing & Planning published a new housing policy framework statement. This framework statement reflects the content of the Programme for Government and sets out the principles to underpin the development of housing policy into the medium term. The framework statement specifically...

Written Answers — Community Welfare Services: Community Welfare Services (25 Apr 2012)

Joan Burton: The changes to the delivery of community welfare services to which the Deputy refers came into effect from 16th April 2012. They form part of a wider reconfiguration of these services in the Swords/Coolock/Darndale area and are designed to maximise the effectiveness and efficiency of their operation. The backdrop to the changes is the reduction in the number of staff in the area and the...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (25 Apr 2012)

Joan Burton: I understand that the Deputy is referring to the reductions in the weekly rates of social welfare payments for people of working age, which were introduced by the last Government in Budgets 2010 and 2011. The Programme for Government contains a commitment to maintain social welfare rates. In Budget 2012, the Government endeavoured to protect the vulnerable and at the same time secure the...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (25 Apr 2012)

Joan Burton: The purpose of rent supplement is to provide short-term income support to eligible tenants 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. The overall aim is to provide short term assistance, and not to act as an alternative to the other social housing schemes...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (25 Apr 2012)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 16 February 2012. 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 received, the appeal in question will be referred to an Appeals Officer for...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (25 Apr 2012)

Joan Burton: The carer's allowance claim of the person in question was reviewed when the care recipient reached 16 years of age and no longer qualified for domiciliary care allowance. It was decided that the care recipient no longer satisfied the medical criteria for receipt of carer's allowance. Additional medical evidence was received and assessed, but, based upon the opinion of the department's medical...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (25 Apr 2012)

Joan Burton: In the period from February 2011 to date, there have been no expenses incurred by my Department in respect of hair and make-up.

Written Answers — Redundancy Payments: Redundancy Payments (25 Apr 2012)

Joan Burton: A redundancy lump sum claim in respect of the person concerned has been awarded and payment will issue directly to the person's nominated bank account in the coming weeks.

Written Answers — Ministerial Transport: Ministerial Transport (25 Apr 2012)

Joan Burton: The Government decided in March 2011 to confine the use of State cars from 1 May 2011. Accordingly, I now use my own car for official business. The travel /mileage rates payable depend on the car engine size and also incorporate a number of expense elements associated with the cost of running a car. These cost elements include insurance, full membership of AA/RAC, road tax and licence. The...

Written Answers — Community Development: Community Development (25 Apr 2012)

Joan Burton: Following changes to the training and materials grant for Community Employment (CE) schemes announced in Budget 2012, the Department has made a commitment that no CE Scheme would close pending the completion of a review. All CE Scheme Sponsors are working with the Department to ensure that there is adequate funding for the continuation of their projects. The baseline amount of the...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (25 Apr 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 on 01 May 2012. The person concerned has been notified of the arrangements for the hearing. The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Social Protection and of the Department and is...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (25 Apr 2012)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that the disability allowance claim of the person concerned was disallowed following an assessment by a Medical Assessor who expressed the opinion that she was medically unsuitable for the allowance. An appeal was registered on 16 February 2012 and in accordance with the statutory procedures the relevant department papers and the comments of...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (25 Apr 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 February 2012. 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 received, the appeal in question will be referred to an Appeals Officer for...