Results 24,081-24,100 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Written Answers — Carer's Allowance: Carer's Allowance (3 Jul 2012)

Joan Burton: I confirm that the department is in receipt of an application for carer's allowance from the person in question. On completion of the necessary investigations relating to all aspects of the case a decision will be made and the person in question will be notified of the outcome.

Written Answers — Redundancy Payments: Redundancy Payments (3 Jul 2012)

Joan Burton: The purpose of the Redundancy Payments Scheme is to compensate workers, under the Redundancy Payments Acts 1967 to 2011, for the loss of their jobs by reason of redundancy. In the first instance, it is up to the employer to determine if a genuine redundancy situation exists. In general, this means that the job no longer exists and the person is not replaced. This can occur where, for...

Written Answers — Sick Pay Scheme: Sick Pay Scheme (3 Jul 2012)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 364, 365 and 377 together. The question of introducing a scheme of statutory sick pay, whereby employers would directly meet the costs of sick absence for an initial period of illness is being considered in the context of the need to reform the social welfare system to bring it into line with practices in other countries in this area; the need to address the...

Written Answers — Disability Allowance: Disability Allowance (3 Jul 2012)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 6th December 2011. 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 the...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (3 Jul 2012)

Joan Burton: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that there are 39 Appeals Officers working in the Appeals Office. A new Appeals Officer has just been appointed and will take up duty within the coming weeks. In order to ensure the smooth running of the appeal system, cases are issued to the Appeals Officers on a staggered basis. Therefore the number of cases assigned to individual Appeals...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (3 Jul 2012)

Joan Burton: Based on figures to the end of June 2012, the current average turnaround time for appeals dealt with by way of a summary decision is 26 weeks, and for those requiring an oral hearing is 40 weeks. These processing times are calculated from the registration date of the appeal to the date of its finalisation and include all activities during this period including time spent in the Department...

Written Answers — Community Employment Schemes: Community Employment Schemes (3 Jul 2012)

Joan Burton: All CE projects are currently being notified individually of their revised allocations for materials and training. Under the revised arrangements, schemes will no longer be given universal amounts of financial support but instead will be provided with a specific level of support aimed at meeting the particular costs necessarily incurred by them, having regard to the overall level of funding...

Written Answers — Domiciliary Care Allowance: Domiciliary Care Allowance (3 Jul 2012)

Joan Burton: An application for domiciliary care allowance was received from the person concerned on the 11th November 2011. This application was referred to one of the Department's Medical Assessors who found that the child was not medically eligible for the allowance. A letter issued on the 7th February 2012 advising of the decision. The person concerned subsequently lodged an appeal against this...

Written Answers — Supplementary Welfare Allowance: Supplementary Welfare Allowance (3 Jul 2012)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 12 June 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. When received, the appeal in question will be referred in to an Appeals Officer...

Written Answers — Redundancy Payments: Redundancy Payments (3 Jul 2012)

Joan Burton: The purpose of the redundancy payments scheme is to compensate workers, under the Redundancy Payments Acts, for the loss of their jobs by reason of redundancy. Compensation is based on the worker's length of reckonable service and reckonable weekly remuneration subject to a ceiling of €600.00 per week. It is the responsibility of the employer to pay statutory redundancy to all their...

Written Answers — Carer's Allowance: Carer's Allowance (3 Jul 2012)

Joan Burton: The Department is committed to delivering the best possible service to its customers. Currently the average time taken to award a carer's allowance application is 28 weeks. There are approximately 8,650 new carer's allowance applications registered and awaiting a decision. I acknowledge that the time taken to process carer's allowance claims at present is not satisfactory but I am satisfied...

Written Answers — Appointments to State Boards: Appointments to State Boards (3 Jul 2012)

Joan Burton: The three statutory bodies operating under the aegis of the Department of Social Protection are the Social Welfare Tribunal, the Citizens Information Board and the Pensions Board. In addition, the Office of the Pensions Ombudsman (which does not have a board) comes under the remit of the Department. Social Welfare Tribunal The Tribunal consists of a Chairman and four ordinary members, two on...

Written Answers — Rent Supplement Scheme: Rent Supplement Scheme (3 Jul 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 — Domiciliary Care Allowance: Domiciliary Care Allowance (3 Jul 2012)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 18 October 2011. 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 17 January...

Written Answers — Carer's Allowance: Carer's Allowance (3 Jul 2012)

Joan Burton: I confirm that the department is in receipt of an application for carer's allowance from the person in question. In the interests of fairness and equity, applications are dealt with by the Department as far as possible in the order in which they are received. On completion of the necessary work relating to all aspects of the case a decision will be made and the person concerned will be...

Written Answers — Domiciliary Care Allowance: Domiciliary Care Allowance (3 Jul 2012)

Joan Burton: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an oral hearing of the appeal of the person concerned took place on 13th June 2012 and the Appeals Officer is now considering the appeal in the light of all the evidence submitted, including that adduced at the hearing. The person concerned will be notified of the Appeals Officer decision when the appeal has been determined. The...

Written Answers — Invalidity Pension: Invalidity Pension (3 Jul 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 expressed the opinion that the person...

Written Answers — Domiciliary Care Allowance: Domiciliary Care Allowance (3 Jul 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, allowed the appeal of the person concerned who has been notified of the decision. The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Social Protection and of the Department and is responsible for...

Written Answers — Domiciliary Care Allowance: Domiciliary Care Allowance (3 Jul 2012)

Joan Burton: On the basis of figures for the first half of 2012, the overall average times taken to process domiciliary care allowance appeals decided by summary decision was 29 weeks and 42 weeks for those requiring an oral hearing. These processing times are calculated from the registration date of the appeal to the date of its finalisation including, in cases requiring an oral hearing, the time...

Written Answers — School Meals Programme: School Meals Programme (3 Jul 2012)

Joan Burton: The school meals programme operated by the Department provides funding towards the provision of food services for disadvantaged children through two schemes. The first is the statutory urban school meals scheme, operated by local authorities and part-financed by this Department. The second is the school meals local projects schemes through which funding is provided directly to participating...