Results 22,001-22,020 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Family Income Supplement Eligibility (21 Nov 2012)

Joan Burton: The Department is committed to providing a quality service to all its customers. The average waiting time for new FIS claims is currently 16 weeks and for renewal applications is 17 weeks. At the end of October, there were 7,267 new FIS applications and 7,864 renewal applications awaiting decision. The volume of FIS claims on hands and the delays in processing are a consequence of...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Semi-State Sector Remuneration (21 Nov 2012)

Joan Burton: The information requested by the Deputy, in relation to the agencies that come under the aegis of my Department is set out in tabular format below: Citizens Information Board Year 2009 2010 2011 Number of staff earning > €100,000 1 1 1 Bonuses/ Allowances Nil Nil Nil Pension Ombudsman Office Year 2009 2010 2011 Number of staff earning > €100,000 1 1 1...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Semi-State Sector Remuneration (21 Nov 2012)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 140 and 141 together. The statutory agencies that operate under the aegis of my Department are the Pensions Board and the Citizens Information Board. In addition, the Office of the Pensions Ombudsman comes under the remit of the Department. None of the former employees of these organisations are in receipt of a pension in excess of €90,000 per annum.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Code (20 Nov 2012)

Joan Burton: The Government will continue to ensure that the social protection system incentivises rather than blocks the return to work for unemployed people, including those with families. This holds for all sectors of the labour market, including the care sector. Incentivising the take-up of employment is essentially being achieved by three means:- - First, the Government is determined to continue...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (20 Nov 2012)

Joan Burton: I confirm that the Department received an application for carer’s allowance from the person in question on the 18th June 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: Social Welfare Appeals (20 Nov 2012)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 28th September 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 09th...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Family Income Supplement Application Numbers (20 Nov 2012)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 327 and 328 together. The Department is committed to providing a quality service to all its customers. The current average waiting time for new family income supplement (FIS) claims is 16 weeks and for renewal applications is 17 weeks. At the end of October, there were 7,267 new FIS applications and 7,864 renewal applications awaiting decision. The...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (20 Nov 2012)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 03rd May 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: Employment Support Services (20 Nov 2012)

Joan Burton: The JobBridge Scheme has made significant progress since it came into operation on the 1st July 2011. Over 12,100 internships have commenced to date with 5,398 participants currently on an internship as at 15th November 2012 and over 1,900 internship opportunities presently advertised on The interim evaluation report conducted by Indecon found that 52% of the participants who have...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Job Initiatives (20 Nov 2012)

Joan Burton: The JobBridge Scheme has made significant progress since it came into operation on the 1st July 2011. Over 12,100 internships have commenced to date with 5,398 participants currently on an internship as at 15th November 2012 and over 1,900 internship opportunities presently advertised on . The interim evaluation report conducted by Indecon found that 52% of the participants who have...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Eligibility (20 Nov 2012)

Joan Burton: The criteria for participating on Community Employment (CE) are based on age and length of time in receipt of various social welfare payments. The core eligibility criterion for CE is that the person is in receipt of a qualifying social welfare payment such as jobseekers allowance, jobseekers benefit, one parent family payment for a specified amount of time, generally 12 months. Persons in...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (20 Nov 2012)

Joan Burton: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an Appeals Officer having fully considered all the available evidence, including that adduced at oral hearing, disallowed the appeal of the person concerned. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (20 Nov 2012)

Joan Burton: I confirm that the department received an application for carer’s allowance from the person in question on the 29th November 2011 in respect of two carers. These applications were referred to one of the Department’s Medical Assessors who found that the carees in question were not medically eligible for carer’s allowance. A letter issued on the 9th October 2012 refusing...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (20 Nov 2012)

Joan Burton: I confirm that the department received an application for carer’s allowance from the person in question on the 1st December 2011. This application was referred to one of the Department’s Medical Assessors who found that the caree in question was not medically eligible for carer’s allowance. A letter issued on the 1st October 2012 refusing the allowance.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Invalidity Pension Applications (20 Nov 2012)

Joan Burton: There is no trace of a claim for invalidity pension from the person concerned. I confirm that the department received an application for carer’s allowance from the person in question on the 22nd August 2011. This application was referred to one of the Department’s medical assessors who found that the caree in question was not medically eligible for carer’s allowance. A...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (20 Nov 2012)

Joan Burton: I confirm that the department received an application for carer’s allowance from the person in question on the 25th October 2012. On completion of all the necessary a decision will be made and the person in question will be contacted directly with the outcome.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (20 Nov 2012)

Joan Burton: I confirm that the department received an application for carer’s allowance from the person in question on the 28th June 2011. This application was referred to one of the Department’s medical assessors who found that the caree in question was not medically eligible for carer’s allowance. A letter issued on the 7th March 2012 refusing the allowance. The person in question...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: State Pension (Contributory) (20 Nov 2012)

Joan Burton: The State pension is a very valuable benefit and is the bedrock of the Irish pension system. Therefore, it is important to ensure that those qualifying have made a sustained contribution to the Social Insurance Fund over their working lives. The homemaker’s scheme makes qualification for the State pension (contributory) easier by disregarding time spent out of the workforce for...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Community Welfare Services (20 Nov 2012)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 340 and 341 together. My Department is very conscious of the need to provide efficient and effective customer services at a local level for all customers of the Department, having regard to the resources that are available. In this context, the staffing needs of all areas within the Department are continuously reviewed. In recent months, the Department...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (20 Nov 2012)

Joan Burton: This Department has no record of a recent application for an exceptional needs payment in respect of the person concerned.