Results 17,161-17,180 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Child Benefit Payments (18 Sep 2012)

Joan Burton: Child benefit is a universal payment that assists parents with the cost of raising children and it contributes towards alleviating child poverty. The estimated expenditure on child benefit for 2012 is around €2 billion in respect of some 1.15 million children. The Government is conscious that child benefit, as a universal payment, can be an important source of income for all...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (18 Sep 2012)

Joan Burton: I confirm that the department is in receipt of an application for carer’s allowance from the person in question. The medical assessment has been completed. The application is currently with a social welfare investigative officer for a means assessment. Once the investigative officer has completed and submitted the report a deciding officer will make a full decision. The application...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Scéimeanna Teanga (18 Sep 2012)

Joan Burton: Dréachtaíodh an dara scéim Ghaeilge do mo Roinnse sa bhliain 2010. Níorbh fhéidir, áfach, teacht ar réiteach ar an dara dréachtscéim toisc nárbh fhéidir gealltanas a thabhairt go ndéanfaí seirbhís Ghaeilge a thairiscint i ngach áit a bhí ar áireamh sa chéad scéim, cé go bhfuil an Roinn tiomanta...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Appointments to State Boards (18 Sep 2012)

Joan Burton: The three statutory bodies under the aegis of the Department of Social Protection are the Citizens Information Board, the Social Welfare Tribunal 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. When filling vacancies on the boards of these bodies, every effort is made to comply with the target...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Illness Benefit Reform (18 Sep 2012)

Joan Burton: The illness benefit system involves Medical Certifiers who are responsible for the certification of illness in relation to customers. Medical certifiers, who are in the main general practitioners or hospital doctors, enter into a contract with the Department that requires them to medically examine persons claiming illness or injury benefit and to certify as accurately as possible the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Schemes (18 Sep 2012)

Joan Burton: Penalty rates are a means of encouraging jobseekers to engage with activation measures, including the National Employment Action Plan (EAP). A penalty rate may be imposed where the customer fails, without good cause, to engage in activation, including within the EAP process. Since the application of penalties for jobseekers became operational at the end of May 2011, some 1,332 penalty rates...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals Status (18 Sep 2012)

Joan Burton: The information requested by the Deputy is not available.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals Status (18 Sep 2012)

Joan Burton: The information requested by the Deputy is as follows. Tabular statement Jobseekers Allowance Claims Registered Claims Disallowed Appeals Lodged Appeals Allowed Appeals Partly Allowed Revised Deciding Officer’s Decision Appeals Disallowed 2009 273,653 23,681 6,794 780 230 756 2,072 2010 263,942 27,884 9,488 855 299 1,259 5,275 2011 239,667 23,017 6,869...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Public Services Card (18 Sep 2012)

Joan Burton: The Department of Social Protection has developed, in conjunction with a number of other Government Departments, a rules based standard for establishing and authenticating an individual’s identity for the purposes of access to public services. This programme of work, which is known as the Standard Authentication Framework Environment or SAFE for short, also provided for the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Public Services Card (18 Sep 2012)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 869 and 870 together. In conjunction with a number of other Government Departments, my Department has developed a Public Services Card (PSC) under the Standard Authentication Framework Environment (SAFE) Programme, the main objective being to develop a common standard across public services for establishing and authenticating identity. The rollout of the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Applications (18 Sep 2012)

Joan Burton: Having reviewed the circumstances of this case I can confirm that the person concerned is in receipt of the maximum rate of State pension (non-contributory) of €219.00 per week along with Living Alone Allowance of €7.70 per week and Fuel Allowance (during the fuel season) of €20 per week. I can also confirm that the Department has been served with a Court order which it...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (18 Sep 2012)

Joan Burton: This application for carer’s allowance was disallowed on 23/06/12. A request for review was made by the person in question. That review has been completed. The decision that full time care and attention is not being supplied in this case remains unchanged. She was notified of this decision, the reasons for it and of her right of appeal in a letter that issued 12/09/12.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (18 Sep 2012)

Joan Burton: I confirm that the department is in receipt of an application for carer’s allowance from the person in question. The medical assessment has been completed and the application is awaiting examination by a deciding officer for a means assessment and a full decision. The application will be processed as quickly as possible and when a decision is made the person concerned will be...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Work Placement Programme (18 Sep 2012)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 875 to 880, inclusive, together. Tús is a work placement initiative focussed on those people on the live register and receiving a job seekers payment for over a year. Selection is by a randomised process undertaken by my Department. The number of persons to be contacted is agreed at a local level between officials and staff of the implementation body...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Family Income Supplement Application Numbers (18 Sep 2012)

Joan Burton: The statistics requested covering the period from September 2011 to August 2012 are as follows: New applications received: 22,097 Renewal applications received: 30,366 Renewal applications refused: 2,231 The number of decreased, increased and unchanged awards is only available from May 2012 onwards and is as follows: Renewal applications awarded with reduced rate 4810 Renewal...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (18 Sep 2012)

Joan Burton: I confirm that the department is in receipt of an application for carer’s allowance from the person in question. The medical assessment has been completed and the application is awaiting examination by a deciding officer for a means assessment and a full decision. The application will be processed as quickly as possible and when a decision is made the person concerned will be notified...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (18 Sep 2012)

Joan Burton: I confirm that the department is in receipt of an application for carer’s allowance from the person in question. Further medical information and other information sought by the deciding officer has been received from the person in question. The additional medical evidence has been referred to a medical assessor for assessment and opinion. On completion of the medical assessment,...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Domiciliary Care Allowance Applications (18 Sep 2012)

Joan Burton: An application for domiciliary care allowance (DCA) was received on the 29th March 2012. This application was referred to one of the Department’s Medical Assessors who found that the child was not medically eligible for DCA. A letter issued on the 10th May 2012 refusing the allowance. The person concerned subsequently lodged an appeal against this decision. As part of the appeal...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme Application Numbers (18 Sep 2012)

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

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Mortgage Arrears Proposals (18 Sep 2012)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 888 and 889 together. The Interdepartmental Mortgage Arrears Working Group (referred to as the Keane group) recommended that an independent mortgage support and advice service be established to advise mortgage holders in arrears or pre-arrears in assessing their options. A Working Group chaired by my Department, examined the issues relating to the...