Results 19,421-19,440 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Code (29 Jan 2013)

Joan Burton: Creating jobs and tackling poverty are two of the key challenges that Ireland now faces and it is essential that our tax and social protection systems play their part in addressing these issues. To this end, and in line with commitments contained in the programme for Government, I established the advisory group on tax and social welfare in 2011, with the aim of harnessing expert opinion and...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Code (29 Jan 2013)

Joan Burton: Yes.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Code (29 Jan 2013)

Joan Burton: The programme for Government contains a commitment to maintain welfare rates. The commitment relates to primary weekly social welfare payments intended to enable recipients to meet their basic day-to-day income needs. As the Deputy will be aware, there were no reductions in primary weekly social welfare payments, including increases for qualified adults or qualified children in budget 2012...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Code (29 Jan 2013)

Joan Burton: By comparison, the Deputy's party reduced the rates by €16.30 a week.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Code (29 Jan 2013)

Joan Burton: There was a reduction of €8 in one year and €8.30 in another.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Code (29 Jan 2013)

Joan Burton: That amounts to €16.30 a week.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Code (29 Jan 2013)

Joan Burton: These reductions were made by Fianna Fáil.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Code (29 Jan 2013)

Joan Burton: People have not forgotten that.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Code (29 Jan 2013)

Joan Burton: The Deputy's second question was related to the proposed creation of 6,500 after-school child care places. I am happy to say the issue is being worked on intensely by my colleague, the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Deputy Frances Fitzgerald. We expect to have the scheme up and running within-----

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Code (29 Jan 2013)

Joan Burton: I expect to have very detailed proposals some time after Easter.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Code (29 Jan 2013)

Joan Burton: The Deputy will understand the creation of such a system is quite demanding. We will have it up and running in the near future.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Code (29 Jan 2013)

Joan Burton: What I said to the Deputy is that, unlike Fianna Fáil, which cut the core weekly rates by €16.30 a week-----

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Code (29 Jan 2013)

Joan Burton: -----in both this year's budget and last year's, this Government did not cut core weekly rates. I cannot comment, however, on budget 2014 decisions, as the Deputy will be aware.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Code (29 Jan 2013)

Joan Burton: And then cut them by €16.30 a week.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Information and Communications Technology (29 Jan 2013)

Joan Burton: The Department of Social Protection has a number of systems which have been developed over many years to enable it to pay multiple groups of clients and manage data in regard to the various schemes. These systems reliably deliver over 87 million payments yearly between them. Although developed independently, mechanisms exist on its major systems whereby significant changes made to customer...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Information and Communications Technology (29 Jan 2013)

Joan Burton: The Deputy is correct in saying the Department of Social Protection's systems are separate and, to some degree, in silos. Ultimately, with the development of modern IT and cloud computing systems and other developments, one can envisage a situation where over time they will be brought together. From my experience as a Minister for the past year and three quarters, one has to be very careful...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Other Questions: Respite Care Grant (29 Jan 2013)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 128 and 398 together. Expenditure on carers has increased significantly in recent years. In 2013 it is estimated to be €776 million, compared with an estimated outturn of €771 million in 2012. The expenditure on carers in 2012 included €509 million on carer’s allowance, €24 million on carer’s benefit, €135...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Other Questions: Respite Care Grant (29 Jan 2013)

Joan Burton: Like the Deputy, I have immense personal knowledge of the work carers do. What is important for carers is their weekly income. In government the Deputy's party cut the weekly income of carers by €16.30 a week.

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Other Questions: Respite Care Grant (29 Jan 2013)

Joan Burton: From speaking to carers, we know that such a reduction affects them most.

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Other Questions: Respite Care Grant (29 Jan 2013)

Joan Burton: The work carers do is incredibly valuable-----