Results 23,041-23,060 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Supplementary Welfare Allowance Appeals (2 Oct 2012)

Joan Burton: The legislation provides that an Appeals Officer may decide a case before him/her on the basis of the documentary evidence. This course of action was taken in this case as it was considered that an oral hearing of the person concerned was not warranted.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Disability Allowance Applications (2 Oct 2012)

Joan Burton: The person concerned applied for disability allowance on 4 July 2012. The medical evidence supplied with her application was referred to one of the department’s medical assessors who was of the opinion, based on the information supplied, that she was not medically suitable for disability allowance. The deciding officer accepted this opinion and the claim was refused and the person...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme Eligibility (2 Oct 2012)

Joan Burton: In order for the person concerned to establish if an entitlement to Rent Supplement exists, he should lodge an application. He should also be assessed by a local authority as having a housing need. Although he did apply for Rent Supplement in September 2011, further necessary documentation which was requested was never submitted by him.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Financial Services Regulation (2 Oct 2012)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 260, 284, 291, 303 and 307 together. I recently announced a three-phased approach to establishing a comprehensive Mortgage Arrears Information and Advice Service to provide the necessary supports to assist people in mortgage distress. The approach differentiates between mortgage information and mortgage advice. The first two involve the enhancement of the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme Eligibility (2 Oct 2012)

Joan Burton: The purpose of the rent supplement scheme is to provide short-term support to eligible people living in private rented accommodation whose means are insufficient to meet their accommodation costs and who do not have accommodation available to them from any other source. The overall aim is to provide short term assistance, and not to act as an alternative to the other social housing schemes...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (2 Oct 2012)

Joan Burton: I confirm that the department is in receipt of an application for carer’s allowance from the person in question. The medical assessment has been completed and the application is awaiting examination by a deciding officer for a means assessment and a full decision. The application will be processed as quickly as possible and when a decision is made the person concerned will be notified...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Child Benefit Payments (2 Oct 2012)

Joan Burton: Qualified child increase (QCIs) are paid as child-related supplements to most weekly social welfare payments. QCIs are paid as supplements to weekly social welfare benefits and allowances in recognition of the need for greater incomes among benefit-dependent households with dependent children. The current full rate of payment is €29.80 per week per dependent child having increased in...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (2 Oct 2012)

Joan Burton: This application for carer’s allowance was disallowed by the appeals office on 30th August 2012. Further information has been submitted with this parliamentary question and therefore the file is being sent to the appeals office on 27th September 2012 along with all new additional information. Once an appeals officer has made a decision on the claim, the person in question will be...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Employment Support Services (2 Oct 2012)

Joan Burton: Given the scale of the unemployment crisis, the key objective of activation policy and labour market initiatives is to keep those in receipt of a live jobseeker’s claim close to the labour market and prevent the drift into long-term unemployment. This policy objective prioritises scarce resources to those in receipt of a live claim so as to increase their chances of gaining employment...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Invalidity Pension Applications (2 Oct 2012)

Joan Burton: Invalidity pension is a payment for people who are permanently incapable of work because of illness or incapacity and who satisfy the contribution conditions. This department received a claim for invalidity pension for the person concerned. The medical evidence provided by the claimant in support of her claim was examined by a medical assessor who was of the opinion that the person...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Domiciliary Care Allowance Appeals (2 Oct 2012)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 16th April 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 16th ...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Back to Education Allowance Eligibility (2 Oct 2012)

Joan Burton: The back to education allowance (BTEA) scheme is a second chance education opportunities scheme designed to remove the barriers to participation in second and third level education by enabling eligible people on certain social welfare payments to continue to receive a payment while pursuing an approved full-time education course that leads to a higher qualification than that already held. ...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Exceptional Needs Payments (2 Oct 2012)

Joan Burton: Department officials provided immediate support to households affected by the Cork floods through the issue of exceptional and urgent needs payments. Most of these payments were made in respect of a household’s immediate needs such as clothing, food, bedding and emergency accommodation needs. The Government announced the extension of the humanitarian assistance scheme, to further...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Eligibility (2 Oct 2012)

Joan Burton: An application for Carer’s Allowance was received from the person in question on the 31st May 2012. Arrears payments for Carer’s Allowance are backdated to the date the application was received. All arrears due to this person have issued dating back to the date the Carer’s Allowance application was received. The person in question made an application for the One...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Insolvency Payments Scheme Applications (2 Oct 2012)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 271 and 273 together. The purpose of the Insolvency Payments Scheme, which operates under the Protection of Employees (Employers’ Insolvency) Act, 1984, which, in turn, derives from EU Council Directive 987/80, is to protect certain outstanding pay-related entitlements due to employees in the event of the insolvency of their employer. The employer...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals Status (2 Oct 2012)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 5th September 2012. It is a statutory requirement of the appeals process that the relevant Departmental papers and comments by the Deciding Officer on the grounds of appeal be sought. When received, the appeal in question will be referred to an Appeals Officer who will...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Free Travel Scheme Administration (2 Oct 2012)

Joan Burton: The estimated cost of the Free Travel Scheme in 2012 is €77 million for 745,466 registered customers. In addition when companion passes are taken into account there are an estimated €1.2 million people with an entitlement to free travel. A new public services card (PSC) has been designed to replace other cards within the public sector such as the free travel pass and the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Jobseeker's Allowance Applications (2 Oct 2012)

Joan Burton: Jobseeker's Allowance is a means tested social assistance scheme operated by my Department. For means test purposes, account is taken of the income and assets of both the claimant and his or her spouse/partner including the earnings of the spouse. Where a spouse/partner has earnings from employment, earnings less PRSI contributions, pension contributions and trade union subscriptions are...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Severe Weather Events Response (2 Oct 2012)

Joan Burton: In the immediate aftermath of the severe flooding experienced in October 2011, the Government put in place a humanitarian assistance scheme to assist households affected by that flooding. The scheme, which is means tested, is available to people whose homes were damaged in the flooding and who are not in a position to meet costs for essential needs, household items and in some instances...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Staff Allowances (2 Oct 2012)

Joan Burton: A list of allowances paid to staff in my Department and the expenditure on each allowance for the year 2011 are shown in the tabular statement. As part of the review of allowances undertaken by my colleague, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, my Department submitted business cases in respect of four allowances that are specific to my Department. Allowances which are paid across...