Results 22,461-22,480 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (25 Oct 2012)

Joan Burton: I acknowledge that the time taken to process carer’s allowance claims at present is not satisfactory but I am satisfied that the Department is taking appropriate action to resolve the situation. Carer’s allowance section has recently completed a major service delivery modernisation project to improve the efficiency with which it processes applications from clients for...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Invalidity Pension Applications (25 Oct 2012)

Joan Burton: The Department is continually reviewing it processes in an effort to improve processing times and customer service. Many improvements have been introduced in Invalidity Pension Section. Since June 2011 all Invalidity Pension claims are processed on a new IT platform under the department's service delivery model project. A comprehensive business process improvement exercise has recently...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (25 Oct 2012)

Joan Burton: Tables detailing the processing times for appeals, by month, to date in 2012 and for all of 2011 are provided in the following table. Annual processing times for the years 2007 to 2010 are also included. Statistics of the monthly average processing times prior to 2011 are not held. These processing times are calculated from the registration date of the appeal to the date of its...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Unemployment Levels (25 Oct 2012)

Joan Burton: The total number of persons on the Live Register at the end of September 2012 was 429,335. That total includes people in receipt of Jobseeker’s Allowance or Jobseeker’s Benefit and also includes people who were not in receipt of a payment at that time. The total number of people recorded as having had occupations in construction trade categories at that time was 111,769. The...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Consultancy Contracts (25 Oct 2012)

Joan Burton: The Department will compile the information sought and will revert to the Deputy at the earliest possible opportunity.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Jobseeker's Allowance Applications (25 Oct 2012)

Joan Burton: An Inspector from this Department will contact the person concerned shortly in order to progress his application for jobseeker’s allowance.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Jobseeker's Allowance Applications (25 Oct 2012)

Joan Burton: The person concerned is currently assessed as having an entitlement to the maximum rate of jobseeker’s allowance for his family composition based on the information available to this Department.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme Eligibility (25 Oct 2012)

Joan Burton: As part of a review of this case the person concerned was asked to submit documentation in support of his rent supplement claim. On receipt of the requested documentation the review will be completed and the person concerned will be informed of the outcome.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Back to Education Allowance Eligibility (25 Oct 2012)

Joan Burton: The person concerned did not meet the eligibility criteria for the back to education scheme because the course he applied to participate in would not have been progression from his previous course as required under the framework of qualifications. The jobseeker’s allowance claim for the person concerned remains awarded and paid up to date.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: State Pension (Contributory) (25 Oct 2012)

Joan Burton: To be eligible for a State pension (contributory) at age 66, an applicant must: - have entered insurable employment before attaining the age of age 56 years - have at least 520 paid contribution week since entry into insurance, from employment or self-employment - have a yearly average of 48 paid and/or credited contributions from 1979 to the end of the last complete tax year preceding...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Expenditure (25 Oct 2012)

Joan Burton: The Department’s records show that the direct cost of staff attending conferences in the last 12 months, including registration fees, was €9,772. The associated travel and subsistence cost was €11,134. To place this total of less than €21,000 in context, the Department employs some 7,000 people.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Staff Promotions (25 Oct 2012)

Joan Burton: I understand that the Deputy requires this information in relation to staff at or above Assistant Principal (AP) Officer grade. My Department has been operating within the terms of the Moratorium on Recruitment and Promotions within the Public Service, and the promotions and assignments to higher duties have been effected in accordance with a number of sanctions as authorised by the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Staff Redeployment (25 Oct 2012)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 115 and 116 together. Since 27th March 2009, a total of 457 posts (476 people) have been permanently redeployed to my Department from other Government Departments and public sector organisations. Included in this number, are 19 public servants who are currently on secondment to the Department, pending legislation which will allow for their definitive...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Staff Remuneration (25 Oct 2012)

Joan Burton: Historically the Gaeltacht allowance is not been payable to the staff of my Department. However, nine staff who transferred to my Department from the HSE (Community Welfare Service), with effect from 1st October 2011, were in receipt of a Gaeltacht allowance. The terms and conditions under which the staff in question transferred provided for retention of the allowance on a personal basis....

Prospects for Irish Economy: Statements (Resumed) (24 Oct 2012)

Joan Burton: Since taking office the Government has made significant progress in restoring sustainability to the public finances. We have worked hard to build a new and sustainable economic model for the country from the ashes of Fianna Fáil's debt-fuelled property bubble that we inherited. In recent weeks and in the past six months we have been heartened by the new jobs announcements....

Seanad: Social Protection: Statements (Resumed) (24 Oct 2012)

Joan Burton: The Senator mentioned that to me and it merits consideration. Sometimes the objectives in the budget are like the loaves and fishes, where I try to do all these good things, and I am grateful for people's support, on a limited budget. There was a question about caps on social welfare payments. In the context of the structure of the Irish system, that would be difficult. At the moment there...

Seanad: Social Protection: Statements (Resumed) (24 Oct 2012)

Joan Burton: It is the way the systems are arranged. There could be a series of payments from different sources. An inspector can review particular cases and he would collate the information but the information is not there automatically.

Seanad: Social Protection: Statements (Resumed) (24 Oct 2012)

Joan Burton: I am not in favour of some of the changes being made in Britain; some of them are extremely difficult. I prefer to encourage and provide people with the supports and capacity to re-engage in work and education. We do not have the technical resources to do it anyway. If we suspect someone of fraud, and members of the public telephone us all the time when they feel something is wrong about...

Seanad: Social Protection: Statements (Resumed) (24 Oct 2012)

Joan Burton: I thank the Senator. I will be happy to come back and talk about pensions. I commissioned a study on pensions to see if we would work out what the charges were and I will be happy to talk to the Senator and hear her proposals.

Seanad: Social Protection: Statements (Resumed) (24 Oct 2012)

Joan Burton: I will find out about that and come back to the Senator.