Results 26,981-27,000 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Written Answers — Anti-Poverty Strategy: Anti-Poverty Strategy (25 Jan 2012)

Joan Burton: Tackling poverty and protecting the most vulnerable is a key priority for the member states of the European Union and a core element of the jobs and growth strategy set out in Europe 2020. In 2010, the EU Council of Ministers adopted an EU poverty target, with the aiming of lifting 20 million people out of the risk of poverty and exclusion by 2020. Meeting this target requires ambitious...

Written Answers — Redundancy Payments: Redundancy Payments (24 Jan 2012)

Joan Burton: My Department received 49,762 claims in respect of statutory redundancy payments in 2011. The Department does not maintain statistics in relation to the number of companies with regard to their inability to pay or otherwise. However, as lump sums are paid where companies refuse to pay or are unable to pay, an indicator which may be useful to the Deputy in this regard is the level of lump...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (24 Jan 2012)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 305, 352 and 353 together. 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...

Written Answers — Community Employment Schemes: Community Employment Schemes (24 Jan 2012)

Joan Burton: The data is shown in the table below. Analysis of projects in the North East as at 31/12/2011 Eligibility (Multiple Items) Count of CDB Number Region Sponsor Project No Total Project No Address Line 1 Address Line 2 Address Line 3 Address Line 4 NE ALZHEIMER SOCIETY NE REGION 241122651 27 241122651 N.E.REGIONAL OFFICE 6 LISCARTON VILLAS KELLS RD NAVAN, CO MEATH...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (24 Jan 2012)

Joan Burton: The disability allowance payment of the person concerned was suspended on 11 November 2011, as her whereabouts were not known to the Department. I understand that the person has since returned to Ireland and her disability allowance has been put back in payment from 25 January 2012. She has been informed in writing of this decision and any arrears due to her will issue shortly.

Written Answers — Redundancy Payments: Redundancy Payments (24 Jan 2012)

Joan Burton: A redundancy lump sum claim in respect of the person concerned has been awarded. A cheque payment will issue in the near future.

Written Answers — Social Insurance: Social Insurance (24 Jan 2012)

Joan Burton: Public servants employed before April 1995 pay a reduced PRSI contribution which does not qualify them for any of the benefits in question. Public servants employed after that date (April 1995) pay PRSI at the Class A rate. As a result they may qualify for optical, dental, and audiology benefits on the same basis as any other person paying PRSI at Class A. When they have paid sufficient...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (24 Jan 2012)

Joan Burton: I refer the Deputy to my reply to Questions Nos. 89, 99 and 102 of 1 December 2011. The position remains unchanged.

Written Answers — Community Employment Schemes: Community Employment Schemes (24 Jan 2012)

Joan Burton: The Community Employment programme provides a very important and valued contribution to social employment, training and progression for unemployed people. Furthermore, many Community Employment schemes provide vital community services right across the country. There are currently 1,143 CE schemes in operation nationally with 23,300 participants. The overall estimated budget stands at...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (24 Jan 2012)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 19 May 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 13 December...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (24 Jan 2012)

Joan Burton: It was announced on Budget Day that income from weekly carer's payments will be included for the purposes of calculating entitlement to Family Income Supplement in line with other welfare payments. The measure will be implemented on a phased basis over 3 years with one third of the income from carer's allowance and carer's benefit payments assessed in 2012, two thirds in 2013 and full...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (24 Jan 2012)

Joan Burton: Since 2005 rent supplement expenditure has increased from €369 million to a provisional outturn of €503 million in 2011. The number of persons claiming the allowance increased from almost 60,200 persons in 2005 to over 96,800 as at end 2011, a 61% increase. Landlords are legally obliged to register tenancies with the PRTB within one month from the start date of the tenancy or at a later...

Written Answers — Employment Support Services: Employment Support Services (24 Jan 2012)

Joan Burton: Unfortunately, due to technical difficulties, it is not possible to give a reply, however my office will be in touch with the deputy very shortly.

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (24 Jan 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. At the end of 2011, there were 2,734 households in Co Louth and 2,723 households in Co Meath in receipt of rent...

Written Answers — Employment Support Services: Employment Support Services (24 Jan 2012)

Joan Burton: A variety of measures have been introduced to protect the intern and to ensure the integrity of the JobBridge scheme. In order for all applications from host organisations to be approved they must meet a number of criteria so as to ensure that the potential internships are of sufficient quality. These include the following: that the internship does not allow the intern to work unsupervised;...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (24 Jan 2012)

Joan Burton: The person concerned was overpaid rent allowance in respect of the period from 1 August 2008 to 31 July 2009 and was advised accordingly on 7 October 2009. To date, part of the overpayment has been recovered by agreement with the person concerned. She was contacted in December 2011 and January 2012 regarding the balance of the overpayment outstanding and her response is awaited.

Written Answers — Social Welfare Fraud: Social Welfare Fraud (24 Jan 2012)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 320 to 334, inclusive, 381 and 382 together. The prevention of fraud and abuse of the social welfare system is an integral part of the day-to-day work of my Department which processes in excess of 2 million claims each year and makes payments to some 1.4 million people every week at a cost of some €21 billion per annum. However, it is important to recognise...

Written Answers — Community Employment Schemes: Community Employment Schemes (24 Jan 2012)

Joan Burton: Due to the current economic circumstances and the need for the Department of Social Protection to find savings of €475 million in Budget 2012, it was necessary to examine all aspects of Departmental expenditure. Under the Comprehensive Review of Expenditure in 2011 undertaken by my Department in September of last year, the effectiveness and value for money of spending programmes was...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (24 Jan 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 — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (24 Jan 2012)

Joan Burton: The purpose of rent supplement is to provide short-term income 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. Limits are already in place that impose a maximum amount of rent that is payable to landlords in respect of individual tenancies.