Results 15,501-15,520 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Written Answers — Employment Support Services: Employment Support Services (1 May 2012)

Joan Burton: The National Internship Scheme is currently limited to individuals who are currently on the Live Register and have been in receipt of Jobseeker's Allowance/Benefit or are signing on for credits for at least 3 of the last 6 months. Given the scale of the unemployment crisis, it is important that as employment opportunities become available they are taken up by those on the Live Register. The...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (1 May 2012)

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

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (1 May 2012)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 371 to 373, inclusive, together. The question of introducing a scheme of statutory sick pay, whereby employers would directly meet the costs of sick absence for an initial period of illness, is being considered in the context of the need to reform the social welfare system to bring it into line with practices in other countries in this area; the need to...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (1 May 2012)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 26th October 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 and have...

Written Answers — Public Services Card: Public Services Card (1 May 2012)

Joan Burton: I presume the Deputy is referring to the Public Services Card (PSC) which is being introduced to act as a key for access to public services in general, identifying and authenticating individuals as appropriate and where required. The card will provide public service providers with verification of an individual's identity thus reducing the resources currently required to do so each time a...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (1 May 2012)

Joan Burton: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an Appeals Officer having fully considered all the available evidence, including that adduced at oral hearing, disallowed the appeal of the person concerned. The person concerned has been notified of the Appeals Officer's decision. The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Social Protection and of the...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (1 May 2012)

Joan Burton: The continued entitlement of the person concerned to domiciliary care allowance was reviewed in December 2011. The case was referred to one of the Department's Medical Assessors who found that the child was no longer medically eligible for the allowance. The person concerned was notified of the decision on 7th December 2011 and she has appealed the decision. As part of the appeal process,...

Written Answers — Child Care Services: Child Care Services (1 May 2012)

Joan Burton: The one-parent family payment (OFP) has played an important role in providing income support to lone parents. 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 mothers, in terms of work and care. These reforms continue that change....

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (1 May 2012)

Joan Burton: There is no record of a rent supplement application in respect of the person concerned. If the person concerned wishes to apply for rent supplement he should complete an application pack available at local Health Centre or by calling 1890 800 698 and return completed application to the Central Rents Unit, P.O. Box 11758, Dublin 24.

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (1 May 2012)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 18th 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 who will...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (1 May 2012)

Joan Burton: The Department has been accepting new claims for domiciliary care allowance (DCA) since 1st April 2009. Statistics relating to the allowance for the period prior to April 2009 are a matter for the HSE, the previous administrators of the scheme. Scheduled reviews, on the recommendation of the medical assessor, are based on the prognosis of the child's disability and how their care needs may...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (1 May 2012)

Joan Burton: Individual DCA cases are routinely reviewed to ensure that the conditions for receipt of the payment continue to be met. Reviews are scheduled based on the recommendation of the medical assessor (MA) when the application is initially processed, based on the potential for the care needs of the child to change over time. The scheduling of reviews is not based on the particular disability of...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (1 May 2012)

Joan Burton: An application for domiciliary care allowance (DCA) was received on 30th March 2012. This application has been forwarded to one of the Department's Medical Assessors for their medical opinion. Upon receipt of this opinion, a decision will issue to the customer. The Deputy should note that, currently, it can take up to 8 weeks to process a DCA application.

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (1 May 2012)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 11th January 2012. 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 21st...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (1 May 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 (1 May 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 — Community Employment Schemes: Community Employment Schemes (1 May 2012)

Joan Burton: I acknowledge the valuable contribution made by Community Employment (CE) Projects such as the Centres for Independent Living (CIL) in providing a service to both participants and the community. However due to the current economic circumstances, the Department has had to find significant savings in the Budget for 2012. The reduction only applies to the grant for materials and training and...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (1 May 2012)

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 he was capable of work. An appeal was registered on 5th March 2012 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 Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (1 May 2012)

Joan Burton: The person concerned was refused carer's allowance on the ground that the care recipient is not so disabled as to require full time care and attention as prescribed in regulations. She was notified of this decision and the reason for it. Additional medical evidence was received and forwarded to the Department's Medical Assessor (MA) for consideration. However, this information did not alter...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (1 May 2012)

Joan Burton: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that no appeal has been lodged in this case. The legislation provides that an appeal must be made within 21 days of the notification of the Deciding Officer's decision but may be accepted after this period with the approval of the Chief Appeals Officer. Factors to which the Chief Appeals Officer would have regard would include the reasons for...