Results 21,741-21,760 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

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

Joan Burton: In order to qualify for a fuel allowance a jobseeker’s allowance recipient must, in addition to a number of other qualifying conditions, have been in receipt of jobseeker’s allowance for over 390 days. The person concerned has been in receipt of jobseeker’s allowance for 240 days and therefore does not at present qualify for a fuel allowance.

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

Joan Burton: A back to education allowance application form must be completed in order to determine if a person has an entitlement to the allowance. According to the records of this Department, the person concerned has not applied for a back to education allowance.

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

Joan Burton: The person concerned is in receipt of invalidity pension since 15 September 2011. In order to qualify for the national fuel scheme, applicants must satisfy a means assessment and be living alone or only with persons who satisfy specific criteria. On 24 May 2012, in order to determine entitlement to free fuel allowance, the person in question was requested to furnish details regarding means...

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...

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: I thank Deputies for their contributions. I thank Deputies Willie O'Dea and Aengus Ó Snodaigh for supporting the Supplementary Estimate which is needed to enable us to continue to pay all recipients of social welfare that they so strongly defended in their contributions. We had to wait for the PRSI receipts for November which, as stated by Deputy Ray Butler, were the PRSI receipts for...

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: I express my appreciation to the select sub-committee for giving me the opportunity to present a Supplementary Estimate for the Department of Social Protection. I am seeking a supplementary sum of €685 million in 2012. This is necessary for two reasons: there is a need for a higher Exchequer subvention for the social insurance fund because PRSI contributions will be lower than...

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.

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 not dealt with under this heading.

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: In a different part of the Estimate.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Pension Provisions (5 Dec 2012)

Joan Burton: Pensions are a long-term investment aimed at ensuring that people have an adequate income in retirement. Government policy supports this aspiration through generous tax reliefs. At present, people are generally only permitted to access their pension savings at the retirement age defined in their pension schemes. Schemes may also have early retirement provisions from age 50 and when...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Invalidity Pension Appeals (5 Dec 2012)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned has not been received by that office. The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Social Protection and of the Department and is responsible for determining appeals against decisions on social welfare entitlements.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (5 Dec 2012)

Joan Burton: I confirm that the department received an application for carer’s allowance from the person in question on the 10th February 2012. The application is with a deciding officer for a decision. Once processed, the person concerned will be notified directly of the outcome.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Funding (5 Dec 2012)

Joan Burton: The Department is committed to enhancing the viability of CE, including the support for the delivery of services, value for money and the progression of participants. The broad policy direction for CE in 2013 and future years will be based on the main action points detailed in the CE Financial Review recently published by the Department. In general the objective is to assist schemes develop...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Delays (5 Dec 2012)

Joan Burton: The Department is committed to ensuring that claims are processed as expeditiously as possible. The average time taken to award a carer’s allowance application is 25 weeks, however individual cases may vary. Some will be processed quicker, others will take longer depending on complexity and whether all information is supplied by the customer at the outset. In addition, where a...