Results 23,161-23,180 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Offices (27 Sep 2012)

Joan Burton: Electronic certification (or digital signing) for fully unemployed clients was introduced in Kilbarrack on 23rd March 2012 and in Coolock on 21st May 2012. It is now fully operational in both of these social welfare local offices. This functionality introduces greater flexibility to the signing process as it means offices can respond immediately to queues by opening and closing counters,...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Domiciliary Care Allowance Appeals (27 Sep 2012)

Joan Burton: The person concerned applied for domiciliary care allowance on the 18th January 2012. The case was referred to one of the Department’s Medical Assessors who found that the child was not medically eligible for the allowance. The person concerned was notified of the decision on 22nd February 2012 and she has appealed the decision. As part of the appeal process, the case has been...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Code Issues (27 Sep 2012)

Joan Burton: The purpose of the rent supplement scheme is to provide short-term income support to assist with reasonable accommodation costs of eligible people living in private rented accommodation who are unable to provide for their accommodation costs from their own resources and who do not have accommodation available to them from another source. The overall aim is to provide short-term assistance...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme Applications (27 Sep 2012)

Joan Burton: The person concerned was in receipt of both jobseekers allowance and rent supplement from my Department whilst also being employed on a casual basis. In August last, his jobseekers allowance was suspended as requested documentation had not been provided. This meant that his rent supplement entitlement was also suspended pending review. The necessary documents have been supplied and both...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Invalidity Pension Appeals (27 Sep 2012)

Joan Burton: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an Appeals Officer having fully considered all the available evidence allowed the appeal of the person concerned by way of summary decision. The person concerned was notified of the Appeals Officer’s decision on 24th September 2012. The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Social...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Disability Allowance Appeals (27 Sep 2012)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 12th 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 9th ...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Disability Allowance Eligibility (27 Sep 2012)

Joan Burton: The person concerned is currently in receipt of Disability Allowance at maximum personal rate for a person in her circumstances; she will also shortly receive the Free Fuel Allowance along with this. In addition Rent Supplement is payable to the person concerned, again at the maximum rate for a person in her circumstances. She has also received payments in the past from the Supplementary...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Domiciliary Care Allowance Applications (27 Sep 2012)

Joan Burton: An application for domiciliary care allowance (DCA) was received from the person concerned on 20th June 2011. This application was referred to one of the Department’s Medical Assessors who found that the child was not medically eligible for DCA. A letter issued on 21st September 2011 refusing the allowance. The person concerned subsequently lodged an appeal against this decision and...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (27 Sep 2012)

Joan Burton: I confirm that the department is in receipt of an application for carer’s allowance from the person in question. Additional medical evidence has been received and forwarded to the Department’s medical assessor for further consideration. Once the medical review has been concluded a deciding officer will make a full decision. The application will be processed as quickly as...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Child Benefit Payments (27 Sep 2012)

Joan Burton: Child benefit is a universal payment that assists parents with the cost of raising children and it contributes towards alleviating child poverty. The estimated expenditure on child benefit for 2012 is around €2 billion. Child benefit is paid to around 600,000 families in respect of some 1.15 million children. The Government is conscious that child benefit, as a universal payment, can...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Statutory Sick Pay Scheme (27 Sep 2012)

Joan Burton: The Government is considering the introduction of a scheme of statutory sick pay at this time for a number of compelling reasons – firstly as a measure to help in addressing the deficit in the social insurance fund; secondly, as a measure to limit progression from short-term illness to long-term illness or disability; and thirdly, to bring Ireland into line with practices in other...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Pension Provisions (27 Sep 2012)

Joan Burton: In order to be eligible for a State pension (transition) the person must be aged 65 years, be retired from insurable employment, and satisfy certain other qualifying conditions. They may satisfy the retirement condition if they are employed but earning less than €38 per week, and paying PRSI at Class J. Alternatively, if self-employed, they can be considered retired if they earn less...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Medicinal Products Supply (27 Sep 2012)

Joan Burton: The means of the person concerned were deemed to be in excess of the threshold for payment of diet supplement. A review of this case is being undertaken at present and the person concerned will be informed of the outcome once the review is completed.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Rates (27 Sep 2012)

Joan Burton: The €100 rate of jobseeker’s allowance was introduced for claimants aged under 20 in April 2009, and this rate was applied to claimants aged up to 21 from December 2009. The €100 rate does not apply to certain categories of claimant including: - claimants with a qualified child; - those transferring to Jobseeker's Allowance immediately after exhausting their entitlement...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (27 Sep 2012)

Joan Burton: I confirm that the Department is in receipt of an application for carer’s allowance from the person in question. On 12 July 2012, a deciding officer sent an information request to the person in question with an enclosed Habitual Residency form to be completed. Upon return of this information, a deciding officer will proceed with the processing of this application. When a decision is...

An Bille um an Aonú Leasú is Tríocha ar an mBunreacht (Leanaí) 2012: An Dara Céim (Atógáil) - Thirty-First Amendment of the Constitution (Children) Bill 2012: Second Stage (Resumed) (26 Sep 2012)

Joan Burton: I wish to share my time with Deputies John O'Mahony and Peter Fitzpatrick. The journalist Olivia O'Leary wrote a very moving column the other day describing how as a young reporter she had once written a series on adoption for The Irish Times. She rang a nun, an admirable woman, who was in charge of an orphanage for girls in Dublin. She told Ms O'Leary how sometimes in the middle of the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Budget 2013: Discussion with Minister for Social Protection (26 Sep 2012)

Joan Burton: We also have a multiple claiming project as well as Operation Transport, which involves checking with the transport companies to ensure that the free travel arrangements are being used properly. Operation Lifestyle and Assets is a pilot project directed towards individuals whose lifestyle and displays of wealth or assets are not commensurate with social welfare dependency. In my own...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Budget 2013: Discussion with Minister for Social Protection (26 Sep 2012)

Joan Burton: No, but just let me explain how a family in profile might build up a significant income. The Senator mentioned she was concerned about this. If, for example, one of those children had a caring requirement, one would be talking about the domiciliary care allowance if the child was under 16 and about a disability allowance if the child is over 16. One of the adults might be the carer or...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Budget 2013: Discussion with Minister for Social Protection (26 Sep 2012)

Joan Burton: No, but the Senator set out a concern. I want to be clear. The reasons people get different social welfare payments is because they have an entitlement or because they have particular needs within their family which generate additional payments. In last year's budget, I looked at, and I will continue to look at, the issue of multiple payments. We had a situation, for example, where some...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Budget 2013: Discussion with Minister for Social Protection (26 Sep 2012)

Joan Burton: As I said, some countries, such as Austria, have an account system for each family and household but this is not something that is under active consideration in the Department currently. The Department is trying to develop pathways and the personal services card. We are also attempting to get a lot of people back into work training, education and so on. This is our priority currently. In...