Results 22,481-22,500 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

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

Joan Burton: During the years of the Celtic tiger it rose from 200,000 to 300,000. We could all work out different elements of the explanation and, when people talk about reform, it is a significant number. Senator van Turnhout referred to children. The worst poverty outcome for children is to be in jobless households. The most important thing for a child to be successful, in terms of being financially...

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

Joan Burton: I will return to some of the issues raised last week as well. With regard to the issues relating to applications for demand-led schemes such as illness and disability benefit and invalidity pension, we do not appreciate in this country that 300,000 people and their families are on these three schemes, which comprises 16% of the working age population. It is a high figure.

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

Joan Burton: On illness and disability benefits and invalidity pension. A total of 300,000 people are on one form of illness support payment or other and they may have dependants and children. That equates to 16% of adults of working age. That is a very high figure. Countries that we recognise as having good social welfare systems and that have reformed social welfare, such as Denmark, Holland and the...

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

Joan Burton: I will return to some of the issues raised last week as well. With regard to the issues relating to applications for demand-led schemes such as illness and disability benefit and invalidity pension, we do not appreciate in this country that 300,000 people and their families are on these three schemes, which comprises 16% of the working age population. It is a high figure.

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

Joan Burton: On illness and disability benefits and invalidity pension. A total of 300,000 people are on one form of illness support payment or other and they may have dependants and children. That equates to 16% of adults of working age. That is a very high figure. Countries that we recognise as having good social welfare systems and that have reformed social welfare, such as Denmark, Holland and the...

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

Joan Burton: During the years of the Celtic tiger it rose from 200,000 to 300,000. We could all work out different elements of the explanation and, when people talk about reform, it is a significant number. Senator van Turnhout referred to children. The worst poverty outcome for children is to be in jobless households. The most important thing for a child to be successful, in terms of being financially...

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.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (24 Oct 2012)

Joan Burton: I confirm that an application was received from the person in question on 18th July 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: Pension Provisions (24 Oct 2012)

Joan Burton: There are two main contributory State pension schemes – the State pension (transition) and the State pension (contributory). The State pension (transition) is paid to people aged 65 who have retired from work and who have the required number and class of social insurance contributions. State pension contributory (SPC) is paid at age 66 to those who meet the qualifying conditions. ...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Civil Registration of Deaths (24 Oct 2012)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 86 and 97 together. Under the provisions and procedures governing the registration of deaths in Ireland, which are contained in Part 5 of the Civil Registration Act, 2004, if a death occurs in the State it is the duty of a qualified informant (normally a relative of the deceased) to attend at a registrar’s office and register the death on foot of a...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Fuel Allowance Applications (24 Oct 2012)

Joan Burton: Yes. Persons who transferred from a one parent family payment onto a community employment scheme since the 16th January 2012 and who were entitled to fuel allowance in the last fuel season and are entitled to a fuel allowance this season can receive the additional payment on top of their CE allowance.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (24 Oct 2012)

Joan Burton: I confirm that the department received an application for carer’s allowance from the person in question on the 7th December 2011. 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: Departmental Bodies (24 Oct 2012)

Joan Burton: There is ongoing contact between officials of my Department and their counterparts in Northern Ireland, both at operational level and at the most senior management level. While there is no specific North South Co-operation Unit in my Department of Social Protection, matters relating to North South relations are dealt with by the EU International Section of the Department. There are 9 staff...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance Scheme Eligibility (24 Oct 2012)

Joan Burton: An application was received from the customer concerned in the back to school clothing and footwear allowance section on the 14th of August 2012. The application was processed on the 24th of September 2012 and was disallowed as the person’s means exceed the income limit for their family size. A review of this decision was completed on the 22nd of October and the original decision was...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Child Benefit Payments (24 Oct 2012)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 93 and 95 together. Child benefit is a monthly payment made to families with children in respect of all qualified children up to the age of 16 years. The payment continues to be paid in respect of children up to their 18th birthday who are in full-time education, or who have a physical or mental disability. The estimated expenditure on child benefit for...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Proposed Legislation (24 Oct 2012)

Joan Burton: The Gender Recognition Advisory Group (GRAG) was established in 2010 to advise the Government on the legislation required to give legal recognition to the acquired gender of transgender persons. The Report of the Group, which recommends a scheme for the legal recognition of transgender persons, was approved by the Government on 12 July 2011, and was subsequently published on 14 July, 2011. ...