Results 28,661-28,680 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Written Answers — Social Insurance: Social Insurance (12 Oct 2011)

Joan Burton: Self-employed persons are liable for PRSI at the Class S rate of 4% which entitles them to access long-term benefits such as State pension (contributory) and widow's, widower's or surviving civil partner's pension (contributory). Ordinary employees who have access to the full range of social insurance benefits pay Class A PRSI at the rate of 4%. In addition, their employers make a PRSI...

Written Answers — Employment Support Services: Employment Support Services (12 Oct 2011)

Joan Burton: The JobBridge scheme has a number of measures designed 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...

Written Answers — Employment Support Services: Employment Support Services (12 Oct 2011)

Joan Burton: JobBridge, the National Internship Scheme, came into operation on 1st July 2011. My Department has been given sanction to offer at any one time 5,000 internships for unemployed individuals. As of Friday 7th October a total of 1,769 individuals have commenced an internship. In addition, there are currently 2,477 internships opportunities being advertised on the JobBridge website. While I am...

Adult Education (12 Oct 2011)

Joan Burton: The back to education allowance, BTEA, scheme is a second chance education opportunities scheme designed to remove the barriers to participation in second and third level education by enabling eligible people on certain social welfare payments to continue to receive a payment while pursuing an approved full-time education course that leads to a higher qualification than that already held. The...

Adult Education (12 Oct 2011)

Joan Burton: I appreciate Deputy O'Mahony's remarks. All the schemes operated by the Department are under review in the context of the comprehensive expenditure review. We are currently spending around €200 million on 25,000 people who are pursuing back to education schemes. There is a general educational principle that if people have reached third level and if there are others who have not completed...

Adult Education (12 Oct 2011)

Joan Burton: I heard the Deputy's remarks about the facilitators and they are an important source of information so I will talk to some of them.

Leaders' Questions (12 Oct 2011)

Joan Burton: Not at all.

Written Answers — Social Insurance: Social Insurance (11 Oct 2011)

Joan Burton: The dental benefit scheme is paid from the Social Insurance Fund, which has come under serious pressure in the current economic climate. As part of a range of cost-saving measures to ease this pressure, the range of treatments available under the scheme was reduced in Budget 2010. The free examination remains available to qualifying customers to encourage them to continue attending for...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (11 Oct 2011)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 225 and 226 together. The information requested by the Deputy is in the table. There were 71,064 claimants aged under 25 on Jobseeker's Allowance and 9,424 on Jobseeker's Benefit, making a total of 80,488. Half of these have been signing on for less than six months. Almost 6,900 of the total are 19 years of age or older and have been signing on continuously...

Written Answers — Tax Code: Tax Code (11 Oct 2011)

Joan Burton: I understand that the Deputy is enquiring about the Under the Ceiling (UCR) category of Health Levy refund. In 2011 to date, 27,000 applications for the UCR Health Levy refund have been processed and a total of €6.8m refunded. There are approximately 10,000 applications on hand awaiting processing. The total monies refunded in respect of this category of refund in 2007, 2008, 2009 and...

Written Answers — Departmental Bodies: Departmental Bodies (11 Oct 2011)

Joan Burton: Creating jobs and tackling poverty are two of the key challenges that we face. It is essential that our tax and social protection systems play their part in addressing these issues and ensure that work is worthwhile. To this end, I established an Advisory Group on Tax and Social Welfare in June of this year. The main rationale for setting up the Advisory Group is to harness expert opinion...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (11 Oct 2011)

Joan Burton: I am informed by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that the number of appeals waiting to be processed at present is 17,655 (a reduction of some 3,126 on this time last year). These figures must be seen against a background where there has been a very significant increase in the number of appeals received in the Social Welfare Appeals Office since 2007 when the intake was 14,070 to 32,432 in...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (11 Oct 2011)

Joan Burton: The position remains the same as advised in question number 232, which I answered for the Deputy on 20th September – that is only one back to school clothing and footwear allowance is payable annually per qualified child. Under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance (SWA) scheme an exceptional needs payment (ENP) may be made to help meet an essential, once-off cost which the applicant is...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (11 Oct 2011)

Joan Burton: I confirm that the Department is in receipt of an application for carer's allowance from the above named person. On completion of the necessary investigations on all aspects of the claim a decision will be made and the person concerned will be notified directly of the outcome.

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (11 Oct 2011)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that the three appeals, from the person concerned, were referred to an Appeals Officer who proposes to hold an oral hearing in all three cases. 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 when the intake rose to 32,432. This has...

Written Answers — Job Creation: Job Creation (11 Oct 2011)

Joan Burton: As prospective interns apply directly to host organisations, the number of applicants for each position is not available to the Department of Social Protection. The JobBridge scheme is kept continuously under review by the Department.

Written Answers — Job Creation: Job Creation (11 Oct 2011)

Joan Burton: Figures are not available specifically for West Cork. Some 638 internships are currently being advertised in the FÁS Southern Region. Of these there are 85 internships on offer in Cork County. As of Friday 7th October a total of 1,769 individuals have commenced a JobBridge internship. However, it is not possible at this time, to provide a regional breakdown on the number of internships...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (11 Oct 2011)

Joan Burton: The responsibility for setting retirement age in employment in the private sector rests with the individual employer who, in the main, sets retirement age under the contract of employment. Overall State responsibility for employment matters is held by my colleague, Mr Richard Bruton, the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation. My Department is working with the relevant agencies of...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (11 Oct 2011)

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 a summary decision. Notification of the Appeals Officers decision issued 20th May 2011. Under Social Welfare legislation, the decision of the Appeals Officer is final and conclusive and may only be reviewed by...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (11 Oct 2011)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 21st June 2011. It is a statutory requirement of the appeals process that the relevant Departmental papers and comments by the Social Welfare Services on the grounds of appeal be sought. When received, the appeal in question will be referred to an Appeals Officer for...