Results 28,741-28,760 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (6 Oct 2011)

Joan Burton: The range of payment options currently offered by the Department to pay customers includes electronic information transfer (EIT) through the post office network, electronic fund transfer (EFT) to the customer's account at a bank, building society or certain credit unions that have been authorised by the banking and credit union regulators. Cheque payments are also provided. Government...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (6 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. However, my Department is working with the relevant...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (6 Oct 2011)

Joan Burton: The Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance (BSCFA) scheme operates from the beginning of June until the end of September each year. A person may qualify for a BSCFA payment BSCFA if he or she is in receipt of a social welfare or health service executive payment, is participating in an approved employment scheme or attending a recognised education or training course, and has household...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Fraud: Social Welfare Fraud (6 Oct 2011)

Joan Burton: In line with data protection requirements, the Department has, in the last number of years, been engaged in extensive data matching exercises with a number of other Government Departments and public bodies for control purposes. Data matching is viewed as an efficient and effective mechanism to target control related activity. Data matching acts as an important preventative and detection...

Written Answers — Consultancy Contracts: Consultancy Contracts (6 Oct 2011)

Joan Burton: The procurement of services is essential to support the Department in providing high quality service to the public in a cost effective and efficient manner and is governed by a comprehensive regulatory, legal and procedural framework. The Department is focused on ensuring that all work is carried out in a fashion designed to achieve best value for money in the use of public funds to achieve...

Written Answers — Employment Support Services: Employment Support Services (5 Oct 2011)

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...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (5 Oct 2011)

Joan Burton: Under the supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) scheme, a special heating supplement may be paid to assist people in certain circumstances that have special heating needs (e.g. in the case of ill health, infirmity or a medical condition). In order to qualify for a heating supplement, the claimant must live alone or only with a qualified adult or child and satisfy the standard means test for...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (5 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 20 August 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...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (5 Oct 2011)

Joan Burton: The person concerned was in receipt of a payment of Illness Benefit from the Department until June 2011. The payment was issued weekly every Monday in line with the date of receipt of medical certification from the person concerned. The person concerned is currently in receipt of a weekly Supplementary Welfare Allowance payment since July 2011 pending a decision in relation to her...

Written Answers — Employment Support Services: Employment Support Services (5 Oct 2011)

Joan Burton: In order for an individual to be eligible to participate in JobBridge, the National Internship Scheme, an individual must be: Currently in receipt of a live claim (Jobseekers Allowance/Jobseekers Benefit/Signing for Credits) on the Live Register; have been in receipt of Jobseekers Benefit, Jobseekers Allowance or signing for Social Insurance Contribution Credits for a total of 78 days or...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (5 Oct 2011)

Joan Burton: Since April 2000 the needs of asylum seekers are catered for under the direct provision system operated by the Reception and Integration Agency of the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform. Under the system asylum seekers are provided with full board accommodation and other facilities such as laundry services and access to leisure areas. To take account of the services provided, a...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (5 Oct 2011)

Joan Burton: The Department is committed to providing a quality service to all its customers. This includes ensuring that applications are processed and that decisions on entitlement are made as quickly as possible. The average waiting time for new family income supplement (FIS) claims at the end of August is 18 weeks. The waiting time for renewal FIS claims is currently between 4-5 weeks. At the end...

Written Answers — Departmental Programmes: Departmental Programmes (5 Oct 2011)

Joan Burton: The primary objective of the information policy of the Department is to ensure that all customers are made aware of the wide range of schemes and services available and that they are kept informed of changes and improvements as they occur. The Department operates a network of some 125 local and branch offices throughout the country. Each local office has officers who are dedicated to...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (5 Oct 2011)

Joan Burton: Receiving the full adult rate of a jobseekers payment without a strong financial incentive to engage in education or training can lead to welfare dependency. While many young people with low levels of education and training were able to get work in construction and other areas when the economy was doing well, they are likely to find it much harder to get work over the course of the next few...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (5 Oct 2011)

Joan Burton: The Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance (BSCFA) scheme operates from the beginning of June until the end of September each year. A person may qualify for payment of a back to school clothing and footwear allowance if they are in receipt of a social welfare or Health Service Executive (HSE) payment and getting an increase for a qualified child, or are participating in an approved...

Written Answers — Ministerial Travel: Ministerial Travel (5 Oct 2011)

Joan Burton: I look forward to visiting Obair in Newmarket on Fergus, County Clare. As the Deputy appreciates, coming up to the Budget I have a lot of commitments in my diary.

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (5 Oct 2011)

Joan Burton: Where a person states that they have found work, it is normal practice for a jobseeker claim to be closed. However, in cases where the customer is taking up a short period of temporary work (up to 4 weeks) or training (up to 8 weeks), arrangements are now in place to simplify the process of signing off and back on at the end of this period. In these cases, instead of closing the claim, the...

Written Answers — Employment Support Services: Employment Support Services (5 Oct 2011)

Joan Burton: In order for an individual to be eligible to participate in JobBridge, the National Internship Scheme, an individual must be: · Currently in receipt of a live claim (Jobseekers Allowance/Jobseekers Benefit/Signing for Credits) on the Live Register; · have been in receipt of Jobseekers Benefit, Jobseekers Allowance or signing for Social Insurance Contribution Credits for a total of 78...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (5 Oct 2011)

Joan Burton: Individuals participating in the national internship scheme receive an allowance equivalent to their current Social Welfare allowance plus an additional €50 per week for the duration of the internship (internship allowance). Host organisations must not pay top up contributions. Should an intern be in receipt of a stipend from their host organisation it may affect their underlying...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (5 Oct 2011)

Joan Burton: All interns on the national internship scheme receive an internship allowance equivalent to their current jobseeker entitlements plus an additional €50 per week for the duration of the internship. Individuals under 25 years of age are entitled to their current rate of jobseeker entitlement plus the weekly top-up of €50. When they participate in JobBridge these individuals are not entitled...