Results 25,781-25,800 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (29 Mar 2012)

Joan Burton: The person concerned was refused carer's allowance on grounds that the Department's medical assessor expressed the opinion that the care recipient is not so disabled as to require full-time care and attention as prescribed in regulations. He was notified of this decision, the reason for it and of his right of review/appeal within 21 days. Additional medical evidence was received and...

Written Answers — Appointments to State Boards: Appointments to State Boards (28 Mar 2012)

Joan Burton: The three statutory bodies operating under the aegis of the Department are the Social Welfare Tribunal, the Citizens Information Board and the Pensions Board. In addition, the Office of the Pensions Ombudsman comes under the remit of the Department but it does not have a Board. The Social Welfare Tribunal consists of a Chairperson and four ordinary members, two are nominated by the Irish...

Written Answers — Redundancy Payments: Redundancy Payments (28 Mar 2012)

Joan Burton: A redundancy lump sum claim in respect of the person concerned was received on 10 August 2011. We are currently processing lump sum claims received in July 2011.

Written Answers — National Internship Scheme: National Internship Scheme (28 Mar 2012)

Joan Burton: The National Internship Scheme provides internship opportunities of either 6 or 9 months for unemployed individuals on the Live Register, in organizations in the private, public and community voluntary sectors. The scheme is limited to individuals who are currently on the Live Register and have been in receipt of Jobseekers Allowance/Benefit or are signing on for credits for at least 3 of...

Written Answers — Rent Supplement Scheme: Rent Supplement Scheme (28 Mar 2012)

Joan Burton: The person concerned was awarded a rent supplement on 26 March 2012. She is in receipt of her full entitlement to rent supplement based on her household circumstances.

Written Answers — Disability Allowance: Disability Allowance (28 Mar 2012)

Joan Burton: All the medical evidence received from the person concerned is being reviewed by the Acting Deputy Chief Medical Advisor and when his opinion is received the deciding officer will inform the person of the outcome.

Written Answers — Community Employment Schemes: Community Employment Schemes (28 Mar 2012)

Joan Burton: The aim of Community Employment (CE) remains as an active labour market programme with the emphasis on progression into employment and/or further education and training. The programme is managed within this context, with consideration to the availability of resources and the needs of participants and the community. The CE programme is one of a range of employment programmes offered by the...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (28 Mar 2012)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that the appeal from the person concerned was referred to an Appeals Officer who proposes to hold an oral hearing in this case. There has been a very significant increase in the number of appeals received by the Social Welfare Appeals Office since 2007 when the intake was 14,070 to 2010 and 2011 when the intake rose to 32,432 and 31,241...

Written Answers — Carer's Allowance: Carer's Allowance (28 Mar 2012)

Joan Burton: The person in question was refused carer's allowance on the grounds that the care recipient is not so disabled as to require full-time care and attention as prescribed in regulations. On 11th January 2012, she was notified of this decision, the reasons for it and of her right of review/appeal within 21 days. Additional medical evidence was received and forwarded to the Medical Assessor for...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Cheques: Social Welfare Cheques (28 Mar 2012)

Joan Burton: The Department currently issues approximately 87 million payments in respect of over 60 welfare schemes on a weekly, monthly and annual basis depending on the scheme type. These are delivered via electronic transfers to An Post and to banks, building society accounts, certain credit unions and by cheque. 104,150 people were paid by cheque over the course of February 2012. This represented...

Written Answers — Redundancy Payments: Redundancy Payments (28 Mar 2012)

Joan Burton: A redundancy lump sum claim in respect of the person concerned was received on 9 November 2011. The claim is currently being processed and is expected to be finalised in the coming weeks.

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (28 Mar 2012)

Joan Burton: The deciding officer decided that the person concerned failed to meet the condition of being habitually resident in the State on the basis of the nature and purpose of her residence in the State and that the person failed to show her main centre of interest was Ireland. The deciding officer, in making his decision, also noted that the person was absent from the State for a lengthy period of...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (28 Mar 2012)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 153, 154 and 158 together. Domiciliary care allowance is a monthly payment to the carer of a child with a disability so severe that the child requires care and attention and/or supervision substantially in excess of another child of the same age. This care and attention must be provided to allow the child to deal with the activities of daily living. The child...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (28 Mar 2012)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 18th January 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 due course to...

Written Answers — Departmental Schemes: Departmental Schemes (28 Mar 2012)

Joan Burton: Pathways to work is a new approach to working with individuals to assist them in returning to work at the earliest possible opportunity. The implementation of this approach requires a significant investment in and transformation of operating structures processes and systems and will, as a consequence, require a multi-annual programme of work. As part of this programme, the Department will...

Written Answers — Community Employment Schemes: Community Employment Schemes (28 Mar 2012)

Joan Burton: Following clarification of the changes to the Community Employment (CE) programme announced in Budget 2012, correspondence was sent to the operational staff responsible for the CE programme on the 3rd February 2012. The statement in this correspondence related to the Materials and Training budget allocations as follows: The baseline amount of the grant remains the €500 per participant...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (28 Mar 2012)

Joan Burton: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an Appeals Officer having fully considered all the available evidence disallowed the appeal, of the person concerned, by way of summary decision. Notification of the Appeals Officers decision issued 26 March 2012. The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Social Protection and of the Department and is...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (28 Mar 2012)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 160 to 163, inclusive, together. The Office of Public Works provides design, acquisition, refurbishment and maintenance services to the Department. The Department does not engage external property consultants, surveyors or estate agents nor is it responsible for the details of leasing arrangements, such as rent review clauses, as these matters are dealt with...

Social Welfare Appeals (28 Mar 2012)

Joan Burton: I thank Deputy Phelan for raising this important matter. Behind these numbers, there are people being affected by the appeal processing times. Unfortunately since the economic crash there has been an enormous increase in the numbers of appeals in the social welfare system. At the start of the year in 2008 - the year of the crash when things really began to bite - some 5,723 delayed appeals...

Social Welfare Appeals (28 Mar 2012)

Joan Burton: I have stated previously in the House that reform of the information technology and business structures is relevant to Deputies of all parties throughout the House. I would prefer to see fewer appeals and more determinations at the initial presentation of cases. If better information were available and a better presentation was made at the beginning we could reduce the volume of appeals...