Results 19,801-19,820 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Invalidity Pension Appeals (13 Feb 2013)

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 18th February 2013. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Pension Provisions (13 Feb 2013)

Joan Burton: The person concerned was in receipt of Pre-Retirement Allowance (PRETA) and her payment inadvertently stopped in April 2011. She was issued a yearly review form in order to establish if there was any change in her circumstances and she returned the form, as requested, in March 2011. However, due to a clerical error, it was not updated on her computer record and as a result her payment...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Jobseeker's Allowance Payments (13 Feb 2013)

Joan Burton: The person concerned was in receipt of Jobseeker’s Allowance up to 1st January, 2013 at the weekly rate of €203.00. His entitlement was reviewed and he was requested by the Social Welfare Inspector to furnish documentation in support of his continuing entitlement. As he failed to furnish documentation, his payment was suspended. He will need to provide the outstanding...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Insurance Payments (13 Feb 2013)

Joan Burton: Income received by participants of certain FAS courses including Community Employment is treated, for the purposes of charging PRSI, in the same manner as earnings from employment. This means that participants of such FAS courses can gain entitlement to social insurance benefits, including short-term benefits such as Jobseekers and Illness Benefit, in the same way as private sector...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Invalidity Pension Applications (13 Feb 2013)

Joan Burton: Invalidity pension is a payment for people who are permanently incapable of work because of illness or incapacity and who satisfy the contribution conditions. This department received a claim for invalidity pension for the person concerned on 26 October 2012. The medical evidence provided by the claimant in support of his claim was examined by a medical assessor who was of the opinion...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Disability Allowance Appeals (13 Feb 2013)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was referred to an Appeals Officer on 07th February 2013, 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...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Disability Allowance Payments (13 Feb 2013)

Joan Burton: Following a review of the person’s disability allowance claim, it was found that his weekly means had increased since his last means assessment. The person concerned was assessed with earnings from his spouse’s employment. When this means was assessed he was entitled to a reduced rate of disability allowance and he was notified of this decision in writing on 29 January 2013. ...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Labour Court Recommendations (13 Feb 2013)

Joan Burton: The Labour Court recommended in July 2008 that an agreed pension scheme should be introduced for community employment (CE) scheme supervisors and assistant supervisors, and that such a scheme should be adequately funded by FÁS. This matter has been the subject of discussions between this Department, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and the unions representing CE...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: State Pension (Contributory) (13 Feb 2013)

Joan Burton: The State pension (transition) (SPT) is paid for a maximum of 12 months and is available to people who retire from work on reaching age 65 provided they satisfy the necessary PRSI contributions. The Social Welfare and Pensions Act 2011 provides for changes to State pension provision. SPT will cease to be paid from 2014 which will standardise the payment of pension at age 66. In addition,...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (13 Feb 2013)

Joan Burton: There was a rapid and sustained increase in the number of appeals from 2009 to date which has placed extraordinary pressure on the SWAO. Significant resources and efforts have been put into reducing backlogs and improving processing times for appellants, including the assignment of 15 additional Appeals Officers, improving business processes and implementing a new operating model. There...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Offices (13 Feb 2013)

Joan Burton: Kilbarrack local office is one of a number of the Department’s offices that are currently being surveyed with a view to introducing the Intreo model of service delivery in the future. In the meantime, work is underway to introduce a greater range of services at the office, including the Public Service Card registration.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Eligibility (13 Feb 2013)

Joan Burton: Garda vetting only applies to Employment Programme applicants including Community Employment who may come into contact with children and/or vulnerable adults while working on a scheme. The definition of a “child” is a person under the age of 18 years, as per the National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Act 2012. The Act’s definition of a...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Pension Provisions (13 Feb 2013)

Joan Burton: The Departments of Finance and Public Expenditure and Reform have informed FÁS and subsequently this Department that any provision for pensions for Community Employment (CE) supervisors would have to be financed from the existing financial resource allocation. Additional funding will not be available to cover this item. That has left the Department in the position that it would have to...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Supplementary Welfare Allowance Eligibility (13 Feb 2013)

Joan Burton: Under the supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) scheme, the Department may make a single exceptional needs payment (ENP) to help meet essential, once-off, exceptional and unforeseen expenditure which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of their weekly income. There is no automatic entitlement to a payment. ENPs are payable at the discretion of the officers administering the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Pension Provisions (14 Feb 2013)

Joan Burton: In the event of the failure of a party to comply with a determination of the Pensions Ombudsman, the person concerned or the Pensions Ombudsman can apply to the Circuit Court to make an order directing the party against whom the determination is made to carry out the determination in accordance with its terms. I understand that the company in question is in liquidation and the Pensions...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Expenditure (14 Feb 2013)

Joan Burton: Expenditure information by region as requested by the Deputy is not collated at present by my Department. Social welfare schemes are mainly demand led, and respond to demographic, social and labour market conditions. However, volume based statistics are available. A copy of the Statistical Information on Social Welfare Services report for 2011, which contains statistics relating to recipients...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Pension Provisions (14 Feb 2013)

Joan Burton: I am not in a position to comment on any individual pension scheme; however, I am aware of the significant challenges facing pension schemes at this time. In the event of a scheme windup, the assets of a scheme are distributed in accordance with section 48 of the Pensions Act 1990. The statutory order of priority is of no consequence where a scheme winds up with sufficient assets to meet...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Jobseeker's Allowance Appeals (14 Feb 2013)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 04th December 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 08th ...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Jobseeker's Benefit Appeals (14 Feb 2013)

Joan Burton: As the person concerned is under 25 years of age and living in the family home, parental income is assessable as means. When he applied for jobseeker’s allowance on 18th January 2011, the net weekly parental income was below the assessable threshold applicable in his case and, therefore, he was awarded the full age-related weekly rate of jobseeker’s allowance. On 17th May...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Traveller Community (14 Feb 2013)

Joan Burton: The Special Initiative for Travellers (SIT) provides support for practical approaches to redressing the imbalance in Traveller under-employment, to support Travellers already engaged in the Traveller economy and provides other supports, including for training, to address the needs of Travellers. Responsibility for the programmes transferred from FÁS to the Department of Social...