Results 26,321-26,340 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

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

Joan Burton: The three statutory bodies operating under the aegis of the Department are the Citizens Information Board, the Pensions Board and the Social Welfare Tribunal. In addition, the Office of the Pensions Ombudsman comes under the remit of the Department but it does not have a Board. Citizens Information Board Ms. Sylda Langford (Chairperson) and Ms. Noeline Blackwell have volunteered to waive...

Written Answers — Ministerial Transport: Ministerial Transport (28 Feb 2012)

Joan Burton: A Cabinet decision was made in March 2011 confining the use of State cars with effect from the 01 May 2011 and accordingly I now use my own car for official business. The travel/mileage allowance rates payable depend on the car engine size and also incorporate a number of expense elements associated with the cost of running a car. These cost elements include insurance, full membership of...

Leaders' Questions (28 Feb 2012)

Joan Burton: Who is behind the cartridges?

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (23 Feb 2012)

Joan Burton: Rent supplement provides 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. Since 2005, rent supplement expenditure has increased from €369 million to a provisional outturn of €503 million in 2011. As the Department currently...

Written Answers — Personal Debt: Personal Debt (23 Feb 2012)

Joan Burton: My Department participated in the Interdepartmental Mortgage Arrears Working Group (referred to as the Keane group) and is currently a member of the Steering Group set up by the Minister for Finance to oversee and drive its overall recommendations. My Department provides a number of supports for those in mortgage difficulty, particularly through the Mortgage Interest Supplement scheme which...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (23 Feb 2012)

Joan Burton: The person concerned made an application for rent supplement on 9 of December 2011. He moved into accommodation that was far in excess of the prescribed rent limits applicable to his circumstances. The person concerned has recently been contacted by an official from the Department and asked to renegotiate his rent to a suitable amount. The Department is prepared to allow him a rent higher...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (23 Feb 2012)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 125 and 136 together. 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...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (23 Feb 2012)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 8th November 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. When received, the appeal in question will be referred in due course to...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (23 Feb 2012)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 21st July 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 6th...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (23 Feb 2012)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that the appeal from the person concerned was examined by a Medical Assessor of the Social Welfare Services who was of the opinion that she was capable of work. She appealed this decision and in that context she was examined by another Medical Assessor who also expressed the opinion that she was capable of work. In the light of this, it was...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (23 Feb 2012)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 24 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 06th...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (23 Feb 2012)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned has not been received by that office. The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Social Protection and of the Department and is responsible for determining appeals against decisions on social welfare entitlements.

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (23 Feb 2012)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 23rd January 2012. In accordance with statutory requirements, the Appeals Office has contacted the person concerned requesting her to set out the complete grounds of her appeal. On receipt of a response the appeal will be processed. The Social Welfare Appeals Office...

Written Answers — Proposed Legislation: Proposed Legislation (23 Feb 2012)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Act 2011, which was enacted on 19 December 2011, gave legislative effect to a number of social welfare measures arising from Budget 2012. It will also be necessary to bring forward a further Social Welfare Bill to enact a number of other measures announced in Budget 2012, which are due to take effect early in 2012. This Bill will also provide for a range of other...

Written Answers — Freedom of Information: Freedom of Information (23 Feb 2012)

Joan Burton: The number of Freedom of Information requests received by my Department in 2011 was 1,106. This included the following numbers received by FOI agencies of the Department: Comhairle 5 Pensions Board 1 Pensions Ombudsmans Office 1 SW Appeals Office 178 A large percentage of...

Written Answers — Community Employment Schemes: Community Employment Schemes (23 Feb 2012)

Joan Burton: The purpose of Tús is to focus on those people who are long-term unemployed. For this reason, eligibility for both participatory and supervisory positions on Tús is at present confined to those on the Live Register for 12 months and in receipt of jobseeker's allowance. These provisions are to ensure a targeted approach to those currently affected by long-term unemployment. A review of...

Written Answers — Community Employment Schemes: Community Employment Schemes (23 Feb 2012)

Joan Burton: There are 11 Community Employment (CE) projects in Co Cavan and 13 projects in Co Monaghan. I have requested a financial review of all CE projects and I am advised by Department officials in Cavan and Monaghan that the CE Sponsors in both counties have fully engaged in the review process. As already stated we will be ceasing the current practice of allocating the same level of training and...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (23 Feb 2012)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 20th August 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 19th...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (23 Feb 2012)

Joan Burton: An inspector from the Department will complete her report on the one-parent family payment application of the person concerned in the coming week and a decision will be made on her application as soon as possible thereafter.

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (23 Feb 2012)

Joan Burton: The person concerned applied for disability allowance on 6 July 2010. The medical evidence supplied with his claim was referred to one of the department's medical assessors who was of the opinion, based on the information supplied, that the person was not medically suitable for disability allowance. The deciding officer accepted this opinion and the claim was refused and the person was...