Results 26,161-26,180 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Written Answers — Employment Support Services: Employment Support Services (1 Mar 2012)

Joan Burton: Responsibility for the Local Employment Services (LES) transferred from the Department of Education and Skills to the Department of Social Protection with effect from 1st January 2012. The department recognises the valuable role the Local Employment Services play in the activation of unemployed people, particularly those most disadvantaged and distant from the labour market and in the...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (1 Mar 2012)

Joan Burton: Ensuring that the right person is paid the right amount of money at the right time is an integral part of the day-to-day work of the Department which makes payments to over one million people every week. It is important to emphasise, that the vast majority of people are receiving the entitlement due to them each week. Overpayments are generally defined as money obtained contrary to or in...

Written Answers — Social and Affordable Housing: Social and Affordable Housing (1 Mar 2012)

Joan Burton: Policy decisions in relation to social housing are the responsibility of my colleagues the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government and the Minister for Housing and Planning.

Written Answers — Tax and Social Welfare Codes: Tax and Social Welfare Codes (1 Mar 2012)

Joan Burton: The requirement to be habitually resident in Ireland was introduced as a qualifying condition for certain social assistance schemes and child benefit with effect from 1 May 2004. The effect of the condition is that a person whose habitual residence is elsewhere would not normally be entitled to social welfare assistance or child benefit payments on arrival in Ireland. Each case received for...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (1 Mar 2012)

Joan Burton: Domiciliary care allowance (DCA) is currently paid to over 24,000 parents/guardians in respect of 26,000 children at a cost of approximately €100m in 2011, with the accompanying Respite Care Grant costing a further €45m. In addition, the Department makes an extensive range of payments to support families with children. In 2011, some €2.08 billion was paid out in respect of 1.13...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (1 Mar 2012)

Joan Burton: Since January 2009 payment of illness benefit is limited to a maximum of 104 weeks (624 pay days) in most cases. There are a number of possible social welfare payments for which a customer may qualify thereafter, depending on their circumstances. Letters are sent to illness benefit customers 13 weeks before their claim is due to expire. This period of advance notice is kept under review. The...

Written Answers — Community Employment Schemes: Community Employment Schemes (1 Mar 2012)

Joan Burton: The process of reviewing each Community Employment (CE) scheme is well advanced. All schemes have been communicated with and met by an officer of the Department. Returns from these meetings are now being examined on a regional basis in terms of the funding requirements and the savings that can be achieved within the limits set down by the Department. These outcomes will be analysed and...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (1 Mar 2012)

Joan Burton: The partial capacity benefit scheme was formally launched on Monday 13th February 2012. Full details of the scheme have been published on the Department's website and an information leaflet has also been published. The introduction of the partial capacity benefit scheme marks an important and positive development of the social welfare system. The scheme recognises that the welfare...

Written Answers — Proposed Legislation: Proposed Legislation (1 Mar 2012)

Joan Burton: The Registrar General has informed me that a general review of the provisions of the Civil Registration Act 2004 was completed in 2011. There are a range of issues to be considered in relation to the scope and implementation of any proposed changes to the provisions of the Act and some of these issues may have cross-departmental implications, which need to be considered also. It is my...

Written Answers — Departmental Functions: Departmental Functions (1 Mar 2012)

Joan Burton: The Department is committed to providing a quality service to all its customers. This includes ensuring that applications are processed and decisions made on entitlement as quickly as possible. Each application for payment is determined by an officer of the Department taking account of the relevant legislative provisions and on the basis of the merits of each individual case. The timescale...

Written Answers — Anti-Poverty Strategy: Anti-Poverty Strategy (1 Mar 2012)

Joan Burton: Plans to tackle child poverty are outlined in the National Action Plan for Social Inclusion 2007-2016 (NAPSincl) and in the Programme for Government. The Government is committed to achieving the targets in the NAPsincl to reduce the number of people experiencing poverty. These targets are currently being reviewed to ensure that they continue to be appropriate and achievable. Consistent...

Written Answers — Departmental Offices: Departmental Offices (1 Mar 2012)

Joan Burton: My Department operates a range of means tested schemes and these schemes, including the means testing elements, are administered through a network of local and central offices. In the case of means tested social assistance schemes, the vast majority of claimants are means tested only once. In a small number of cases, a second means test may be required if they apply for basic supplementary...

Written Answers — Departmental Programmes: Departmental Programmes (1 Mar 2012)

Joan Burton: There are many activation programmes that do not require one year on Jobseeker's allowance. Those programmes that have such a requirement have particular objectives and are targeted at specific groups as it is not possible to cater for all groups on a single programme. My Department is currently reviewing employment programmes and supports and this review will include eligibility...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Fraud: Social Welfare Fraud (1 Mar 2012)

Joan Burton: My Department has a wide ranging programme to combat social welfare fraud and abuse. The Fraud Initiative 2011-2013 sets out a range of actions to ensure an integrated approach to the prevention, deterrence and detection of social welfare abuse across the Department's services. Among the actions proposed is the roll-out of a new Public Services Card (PSC). The PSC will be issued following...

Written Answers — Employment Support Services: Employment Support Services (1 Mar 2012)

Joan Burton: While the primary responsibility for job creation rests with the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, this Department has a role in supporting people from welfare to work. The Department already operates a diverse range of employment support measures designed to encourage and support social welfare recipients of working age to reduce their dependency on welfare payment and return...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (1 Mar 2012)

Joan Burton: It should be noted that Budget 2012 did not impose any cuts to primary social welfare payments. Under the supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) scheme, the Department may make a single payment to help meet essential, once-off, exceptional expenditure, which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of their weekly income. These exceptional needs (ENP) payments are a vital...

Written Answers — Anti-Poverty Strategy: Anti-Poverty Strategy (1 Mar 2012)

Joan Burton: I am aware of the claim made by an individual at the Energy Action conference and I do not accept it. The publication of "Warmer Homes – A Strategy for Affordable Energy in Ireland" at the end of November 2011 proposes, for the first time, a framework that will combine national and geographically focused actions to improve the thermal efficiency of the housing stock, provide targeted...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (1 Mar 2012)

Joan Burton: I understand that the Deputy is referring to persons who make a claim to invalidity pension and carer's allowance, having previously been in receipt of illness benefit and carer's benefit respectively. Since January 2009 payment of illness benefit is limited to a maximum of 104 weeks (624 pay days) in most cases. There are a number of possible social welfare payments for which a customer may...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Fraud: Social Welfare Fraud (1 Mar 2012)

Joan Burton: The prevention of fraud and abuse of the social welfare system is an integral part of the day-to-day work of the Department which administers over 70 schemes. It processes in excess of 2.5 million applications per annum and issues over 85 million payments per year to 2.2 million customers and their families. I am fully conscious that the vast majority of people are receiving the entitlement...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (1 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 16 June 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 10 December...