Results 20,161-20,180 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Numbers (16 Apr 2013)

Joan Burton: The respite care grant (RCG) is an annual payment made automatically to people in receipt of carer’s allowance, carer’s benefit or domiciliary care allowance from my Department. Other persons who are not in receipt of one of these payments, but who are providing full time care and attention can also apply for the grant via separate application. A further 197 carers had been...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Jobseeker's Allowance Eligibility (16 Apr 2013)

Joan Burton: There are no retraining facilities under the remit of the Department of Social Protection. Training programmes for unemployed people are generally provided by FÁS or through further education providers and come under the remit of the Department of Education and Skills. Persons who are unemployed but not eligible for a jobseeker’s payment are generally eligible to take part in...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Appeals (16 Apr 2013)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal, by the person concerned, was registered in that office on 27th March 2013. 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. When received, the case will be referred to an Appeals Officer who will...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Appeals (16 Apr 2013)

Joan Burton: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an Appeals Officer having fully considered all the available evidence disallowed the appeal of the person concerned by way of summary decision. The person concerned has been notified of the Appeals Officer decision. The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Social Protection and of the Department...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals Status (16 Apr 2013)

Joan Burton: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an Appeals Officer having fully considered all the available evidence disallowed the appeal of the person concerned by way of a summary decision. Under Social Welfare legislation, the decision of the Appeals Officer is final and conclusive and may only be reviewed by the Appeals Officer in the light of new evidence or new facts. ...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (16 Apr 2013)

Joan Burton: Social welfare legislation provides that a person must satisfy the conditions of being available for and genuinely seeking work in order to be entitled to jobseeker’s benefit or jobseeker’s allowance. Any person who fails to satisfy these conditions is not entitled to a jobseeker’s payment. A student undergoing a full-time course of study, instruction or training is...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Illness Benefit Applications (16 Apr 2013)

Joan Burton: The person concerned made a claim for illness benefit from 13 March 2012. According to Departmental records this customer does not have 13 reckonable PRSI contributions paid in the years 2008 to 2012. This is a necessary condition that a claimant must satisfy in order to qualify for payment of illness benefit. The Department subsequently wrote to this customer on 23 May 2012 requesting...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Pension Provisions (16 Apr 2013)

Joan Burton: As you are aware, there are significant structural and affordability problems with DB schemes due to a range of factors such as an underestimation of longevity, poor investment decisions and the impact of the downturn in financial markets. A range of both administrative and legislative measures have been put in place since 2008 to assist trustees and employers respond to the impact that the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Schemes (16 Apr 2013)

Joan Burton: The person concerned was originally a participant on the Job Initiative scheme sponsored by KWCD Partnership and, in 2004, she became directly employed by the Partnership where she provided administrative support to the scheme. This Job Initiative scheme is now sponsored by Dublin 12 Congress Centre and it is funded by this Department. The Department agreed to grant to the person concerned...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme Eligibility (16 Apr 2013)

Joan Burton: There is, at present, no rent supplement application in respect of the person concerned. If he wishes to apply for rent supplement, he can complete an application form and return it to the Rents Unit, PO Box 11758 Dublin 24.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Eligibility (16 Apr 2013)

Joan Burton: The Rural Social Scheme provides income support for farmers and those engaged in fishing who have an entitlement to specified social welfare payments. Participants are engaged for 19½ hours per week to provide certain services of benefit to rural communities. The scheme currently provides work opportunities for around 2,600 participants and 130 supervisory staff. To qualify for...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Correspondence (16 Apr 2013)

Joan Burton: The information requested by the Deputy is set out in respect of 2012 in tabular form below Item Expenditure 2012 (€) Note Postage 11.044m Includes cost of posting cheque payments Envelopes 0.419m Includes envelopes for cheque payments Printing/paper 1.006m Not including cheque stationery As a general strategy my Department favours the introduction of electronic channels to...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Correspondence (16 Apr 2013)

Joan Burton: The Department of Social Protection provides a range of contact channels for all its customers including members of the Oireachtas. The practice within the Department is to reply to queries and requests for information by the same channel through which they were received, where appropriate. Where a written request for information is received from an Oireachtas member, the response issues...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Jobseeker's Benefit Applications (16 Apr 2013)

Joan Burton: According to the Department’s records there is no recent application from the person concerned for a jobseekers payment. It is open to the person concerned to make an application for such a payment at his local social welfare office.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Advocacy Services (16 Apr 2013)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 662 and 663 together. The Citizens Information Board (CIB) is the statutory body responsible for supporting the provision of information, advice (including money and budgeting advice) and advocacy services to members of the public on a wide range of public and social services. One of the functions of the CIB, as defined in the Comhairle Act 2000 and ...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Supplementary Welfare Allowance Applications (16 Apr 2013)

Joan Burton: The person concerned applied for Supplementary Welfare Allowance (SWA) on 21 March 2013. The Department requested him to submit a valuation of his additional property in order to assess his entitlement to SWA as this is a means-tested payment. As this information is still outstanding, a determination of entitlement cannot be established.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Jobseeker's Allowance Appeals (16 Apr 2013)

Joan Burton: The jobseeker’s allowance claim of the person concerned was reviewed in March 2013 in accordance with the provisions of the scheme. The review did not result in a change in the entitlement of the person concerned. It is open to the person concerned to appeal the decision to the Social Welfare Appeals Office.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Disability Allowance Appeals (16 Apr 2013)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that the disability allowance claim of the person concerned was disallowed following an assessment by a Medical Assessor who expressed the opinion that he was medically unsuitable for the allowance. An appeal was registered on 25th March 2013 and in accordance with the statutory procedures the relevant department papers and the comments of...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Domiciliary Care Allowance Applications (16 Apr 2013)

Joan Burton: An application for domiciliary care allowance (DCA) was received from the person concerned on the 11th December 2012. This application was referred to one of the Department’s Medical Assessors who considered that the child was not medically eligible for DCA. A letter issued on the 18th February 2013 outlining the decision to refuse the allowance. The person concerned subsequently...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Jobseeker's Allowance Eligibility (16 Apr 2013)

Joan Burton: The jobseeker's allowance scheme provides income support for people who have lost work and are unable to find alternative employment. It is a fundamental qualifying condition for this scheme that a person must be available for full-time work and the scheme is also subject to a means test. A person is entitled to jobseeker’s allowance where, inter alia, they are fully unemployed for...