Results 18,801-18,820 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Committee on Jobs, Social Protection and Education: Select Sub-Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2012
Vote 37 - Department of Social Protection (Supplementary) (5 Dec 2012)

Joan Burton: Deputy Brendan Ryan asked about Croke Park savings and administration. Most of the savings come from the Croke Park process but most of the salary savings come from retiring staff who are not replaced in many cases. That is a big administration challenge for the Department, with so many schemes and people applying for different schemes.

Committee on Jobs, Social Protection and Education: Select Sub-Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2012
Vote 37 - Department of Social Protection (Supplementary) (5 Dec 2012)

Joan Burton: That is a function of the family circumstances of the individual. If somebody is going back to education, there may be different numbers of children or a dependent spouse if the person in question is the principal for social welfare purposes. As a consequence, there is a variation depending on family circumstances.

Committee on Jobs, Social Protection and Education: Select Sub-Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2012
Vote 37 - Department of Social Protection (Supplementary) (5 Dec 2012)

Joan Burton: It would come from the live register figures. The live register includes everybody who receives a social insurance payment. Of the 417,000 people, 70,000 to 80,000 people are part-time workers who receive a partial social welfare payment. Others receive the full payment either as an individual or for themselves and their families. I can get the Deputy the detailed breakdown of the end of...

Committee on Jobs, Social Protection and Education: Select Sub-Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2012
Vote 37 - Department of Social Protection (Supplementary) (5 Dec 2012)

Joan Burton: As well as problems with unemployment, there may be a problem with lower wages coming from less overtime and lower bonuses in some jobs. That may well be a factor.

Committee on Jobs, Social Protection and Education: Select Sub-Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2012
Vote 37 - Department of Social Protection (Supplementary) (5 Dec 2012)

Joan Burton: Considering the spending on gas and electricity, which goes to what is broadly the same category of people, expenditure is up significantly because of the reasons outlined by Deputy O'Dea, including an increase in fuel cost that everybody has experienced. It is painful to reduce any social welfare Estimate or payment but there is a major ongoing economic crisis. We have maintained very high...

Committee on Jobs, Social Protection and Education: Select Sub-Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2012
Vote 37 - Department of Social Protection (Supplementary) (5 Dec 2012)

Joan Burton: Sometimes it is said self-employed persons do not receive any social welfare support. As the Deputy knows, that is not quite true. There is a much longer time period, but where both individuals in a family, for example, are without income support or where somebody has been working in a singular occupation and becomes unemployed, over a period of time many such individuals come into the...

Committee on Jobs, Social Protection and Education: Select Sub-Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2012
Vote 37 - Department of Social Protection (Supplementary) (5 Dec 2012)

Joan Burton: No. Ireland has a social insurance system and its basis is that one pays into it when one is of working age. We are moving to a system under which everybody will pay PRSI on all of their income. We are expanding the PRSI base. However, because there are so many unemployed there are very large claims on the Social Insurance Fund. Second, the country has a demographic bonus which, in many...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Employment Support Services (6 Dec 2012)

Joan Burton: The person concerned agreed a Personal Progression Plan with her case officer on 11th October 2012 in which many work and training opportunities were presented to her. It was agreed that she would update her case officer on a regular basis on her efforts to find employment. At a further meeting with her case officer on 18th October 2012 she stated that she did not have time to explore her...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Domiciliary Care Allowance Applications (6 Dec 2012)

Joan Burton: An application for domiciliary care allowance was received from the person concerned on the 9th November 2012. The application was referred to one of the Department’s Medical Assessors who considered that the child was not medically eligible for the allowance. A letter issued on the 30th November 2012 advising of the decision. Additional information has been supplied and the case is...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Invalidity Pension Appeals (6 Dec 2012)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was referred to an Appeals Officer on 29th November 2012, who will make a summary decision on the appeal based on the documentary evidence presented or, if required, hold an oral hearing. The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Social Protection and of the Department...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Jobseeker's Allowance Appeals (6 Dec 2012)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was referred to an Appeals Officer on 27th November 2012, who will make a summary decision on the appeal based on the documentary evidence presented or, if required, hold an oral hearing. The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Social Protection and of the Department...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Back to Education Allowance Payments (6 Dec 2012)

Joan Burton: The weekly rate of back to education allowance payable to the person concerned is €247.60. This consists of a personal rate of €188.00 plus €59.60 qualified child allowance. A fuel allowance of €20.00 per week is also in payment.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Family Income Supplement Application Numbers (6 Dec 2012)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 48 and 49 together. The Department is committed to providing a quality service to all its customers. An in-depth business process improvement (BPI) project has recently been completed for the FIS scheme. This project focused on optimising output, improving customer service and the elimination of backlogs. Part of the project was a detailed examination of...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Disability Allowance Eligibility (6 Dec 2012)

Joan Burton: An increase for a qualified child is typically payable in respect of each qualified child aged up to 18 years of age. The social welfare system provides additionally that an increase for a qualified child (IQC) may continue to be paid where the child is aged between 18 and 22 years while the child is in full-time education. In order to avoid a situation where such payments would cease in the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Supplementary Welfare Allowance Applications (6 Dec 2012)

Joan Burton: The total number of persons in receipt of Supplementary Welfare Allowance on 1 November 2012 was 33,090. I am informed by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that the number of appeals on hands for each scheme on 1st November 2012, along with the average processing time for each scheme for cases dealt with on a summary basis and by oral hearing is as set out in table 1. The number of...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme Applications (6 Dec 2012)

Joan Burton: The person concerned made an application for rent supplement on the 23rd November 2012 and has been requested to provide further information in order to process her claim. A decision will be made on her application when the necessary information has been provided.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme Applications (6 Dec 2012)

Joan Burton: The person concerned has not provided the necessary information required to assess his application in full. The landlord of the person concerned must also provide proof of ownership of the property in question. The Department has supplied the necessary documentation in order to facilitate the application process.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Deserted Wife's Benefit Payments (6 Dec 2012)

Joan Burton: All claims and benefits paid by the Department are subject to periodic reviews to establish continued entitlement. In this instance the person concerned was in receipt of Deserted Wife's Benefit. The customer was recently requested to supply documents to support her continued entitlement to the benefit. To date the documents requested have not been provided and as the deciding officer did...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Insurance Payments (6 Dec 2012)

Joan Burton: Permanent and pensionable employees in the public service, other than those who were recruited after 6 April, 1995, are liable to pay social insurance contributions at modified PRSI rates. Subject to having the required number of PRSI contributions, employees who pay modified contributions may be entitled to the following payments: (a) widow’s/widower’s (contributory) pension...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Child Benefit Rates (6 Dec 2012)

Joan Burton: A reduction in Child Benefit of €10 per child per month would save the Exchequer €142.5m (in a full year).