Results 29,801-29,820 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2011: Report and Final Stages (16 Jun 2011)

Joan Burton: Last night his colleague was attacking measures to reduce fraud.

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2011: Report and Final Stages (16 Jun 2011)

Joan Burton: I thank Deputy Ó Snodaigh for his remarks. I did not introduce the minimum wage into the debate. It was another Deputy who did and I felt it appropriate to respond to the point. In addressing the amendment, both Deputy Ó Snodaigh and Deputy Wallace made important and significant contributions. I will undertake to monitor the situation referred to by both Deputies because it is an...

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2011: Report and Final Stages (16 Jun 2011)

Joan Burton: The key aspect of fraud prevention and control in this case is to ensure that appropriate sanctions are applied in instances for social welfare fraud. The emphasis is on fraud - wilful false statements, concealment and wrongful claiming - not on someone making a mistake. It is important to state that. Where social welfare fraud has been detected, effective debt recovery is an integral part...

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2011: Report and Final Stages (16 Jun 2011)

Joan Burton: -----of the change in circumstances. She continues to sign a yearly annual review form stating that she is not married when in fact she has married. In that case, again, the full overpayment would be claimed back from that person. I do not think anybody in the House should disagree with this if we are to maintain the integrity of the social welfare system. In another case similar to that...

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2011: Report and Final Stages (16 Jun 2011)

Joan Burton: I would not be running my restaurant for very long if the people at the back door were taking out food and bottles of wine.

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2011: Report and Final Stages (16 Jun 2011)

Joan Burton: What I said was that people in the Dáil must get real about the problem that fraud represents to the integrity of the social welfare system. There are three measures in this Bill that are aimed at reducing the level of fraud. The current system for recovery of fraud overpayments is slow. This measure will deal with the two examples I gave, including the case of a person claiming...

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2011: Report and Final Stages (16 Jun 2011)

Joan Burton: I spoke about that last night.

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2011: Committee Stage (Resumed). (16 Jun 2011)

Joan Burton: The changes to the Pensions Act mainly arise from the requirements to implement Article 17 of Directive 2003/41/EC on the activities and supervision of institutions for occupational retirement provision, or the IORPS directive. The Pensions Act is also amended to clarify the responsibility of the Pensions Board in respect of the certification of certain policies or contracts of assurance...

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2011: Committee Stage (Resumed). (16 Jun 2011)

Joan Burton: That was the leagan Béarla, a Theachta.

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2011: Committee Stage (Resumed). (16 Jun 2011)

Joan Burton: My advice is that it will affect few, if any, pension schemes in Ireland that function in the manner described in Article 17 of the directive. It is a particular structure of pension scheme or trust retirement annuity contract and it has nothing to do with the sponsoring employer. It is where they underwrite death or disability benefits - known in the insurance industry as biometric risks -...

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2011: Committee Stage (Resumed). (16 Jun 2011)

Joan Burton: I have received the FLAC submission on the Bill, including its comment on mortgage interest supplement. The Department is looking to address the needs of mortgage holders, having regard to the various commitments in the programme for Government and the recommendations of the mortgage arrears and personal debt expert group. Any changes to the mortgage interest supplement scheme must be...

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2011: Committee Stage (Resumed). (16 Jun 2011)

Joan Burton: I am sympathetic to this amendment which makes a great deal of sense. This proposal has been suggested and debated at various committees before. Social welfare legislation is not as such the place to introduce such legislative measures as it is primarily a matter for the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government. There is the wider issue of examining outcomes from social...

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2011: Committee Stage (Resumed). (16 Jun 2011)

Joan Burton: I move amendment No. 12: In page 25, line 13, to delete "1 July 2011" and substitute "2 July 2011".

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2011: Committee Stage (Resumed). (16 Jun 2011)

Joan Burton: Section 23 must be read in conjunction with section 22, which involves the restoration of the national minimum wage to its previous level. The reinstatement of the national minimum wage will be very important for low-paid employees who work a 40-hour week because they will benefit by €40 per week. The latter is a significant sum. The counterpart measure to this reinstatement is to offer...

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2011: Committee Stage (Resumed). (16 Jun 2011)

Joan Burton: Ba mhaith liomsa go mbeadh an meabhrán mínitheach le fáil i nGaeilge ag an am gcéanna agus an leagan Béarla, ach ní dhéantar sin anois. Deputy Ó Snodaigh has mentioned how good and hard-working the people doing the translation are. They have undertaken to have it available as soon as possible. However, I understand it has been the custom to complete the translation once the Bill...

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2011: Committee Stage (Resumed). (16 Jun 2011)

Joan Burton: Aontaím leis an Teachta gur áis don phobal ar fad aistriúchán a bheith a fáil nuair atá an díospóireacht ar siúl. I wish to make two points about the debate on the date of implementation of the measures. The Government decided to introduce the €1 an hour increase in the minimum wage on 1 July, the same date as the changes in employers' PRSI, the lowering of the VAT rate and the...

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2011: Committee Stage (Resumed). (16 Jun 2011)

Joan Burton: -----simply awaiting the Irish language translation. We should address the issue of Irish language translation and improve services for citizens who wish to use Irish. I will undertake to talk to my colleagues in Government to determine what can be done but I suggest we need to move forward on 1 July with the reinstatement of the minimum wage and the other measures provided for in this Bill...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (15 Jun 2011)

Joan Burton: The question of red line issues arises in the context of the Government's commitment to tackling Ireland's economic crisis and, in particular in the context of the Comprehensive Review of Expenditure currently underway. The Government has not singled out any single programme, scheme or service in the social welfare area or anywhere else that is 100% guaranteed to continue indefinitely in...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Fraud: Social Welfare Fraud (15 Jun 2011)

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. A key objective of the Department's control strategy is to ensure that the right person is paid the right amount of money at the right time. A four-pronged control strategy has been adopted by the Department, namely; · the prevention of fraud and error at the...

Written Answers — Carer's Strategy: Carer's Strategy (15 Jun 2011)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Question Nos. 38 and 54 together. The Government is committed in the Programme for Government to developing a carers' strategy. It will consider how best to progress the development of the strategy, taking into account the prevailing economic realities and the work that was carried out previously. The Department of the Taoiseach chaired an interdepartmental group in 2008...