Results 6,081-6,100 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Jobseeker's Allowance Eligibility (28 Apr 2016)

Joan Burton: Jobseeker’s allowance is a means tested social protection scheme. In the case of a couple, account is taken of the means of both members of the couple and this reflects the fact that married couples, civil partners and cohabitants are financially interdependent on each other. The jobseeker’s allowance scheme features a range of disregards and tapering arrangements where one...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Waiting Times (28 Apr 2016)

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 carer's allowance (CA) applications at the end of March was 19 weeks. At the end of March, there were 5,851 CA applications awaiting decision. The...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rural Transport Services (28 Apr 2016)

Joan Burton: The Free Travel Scheme permits customers to travel for free on most CIE public transport services, LUAS and a range of services offered by up to 80 private operators in various parts of the country. Free travel is also available on cross border journeys to and from Northern Ireland. Additionally, customers aged 66 years and over can travel for free on journeys within Northern Ireland....

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (28 Apr 2016)

Joan Burton: I confirm that the department received applications for carer’s allowance (CA) from the person concerned on 29 September 2015 in respect of two care recipients. In order to qualify for CA the applicant, inter-alia, must be habitually resident in the State. The person concerned was refused CA on the grounds that this condition was not satisfied. He was notified on 22 March 2016 of...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Pension Provisions (28 Apr 2016)

Joan Burton: The Pensions Act 1990 provides for all matters relating to occupational pensions, including the protection of members of pension schemes and providing for balance between the paying members, deferred members and drawing members (pensioners) of a pension scheme. Under the provisions of the Pensions Act, the Minister for Social Protection must make Regulations specifying the percentage...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (28 Apr 2016)

Joan Burton: I confirm that the department received an application for carer’s allowance (CA) from the person concerned on 4 November 2015. The application is currently being examined by the department to assess the level of care being provided, assess means and confirm that all the conditions for receipt of carer’s allowance are satisfied. A decision on the application will be made as...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Jobseeker's Allowance Applications (28 Apr 2016)

Joan Burton: Where a person is engaged in casual or part-time employment, the days worked each week can vary. Accordingly, to ensure that the correct weekly payment issues, customers are required to complete a form on a weekly basis setting out the days on which they worked and the days on which they were unemployed and have this form verified by their employer. This is normally a very quick process...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Payments (28 Apr 2016)

Joan Burton: The application for carer’s allowance in respect of the person concerned was awarded on 22 December 2015. Arrears of allowance due from 23 July 2015 to 16 December 2015 were issued by cheque on 23 December 2015. That cheque was cashed so the department has obtained a copy of the cashed cheque in order to examine the signature. Having examined the cashed cheque and compared it to...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Appeals (28 Apr 2016)

Joan Burton: Carer’s allowance (CA) was in payment to the person concerned from 15 April 2010 to 27 January 2016. The person concerned was notified on 24 March 2016 that her payment had been terminated as she had failed to co-operate, as she is required to, with a social welfare inspector (SWI) during the course of an investigation. The person concerned has recently appealed this decision to...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme Applications (28 Apr 2016)

Joan Burton: The client concerned made application for Rent Supplement in December 2015 and was found to be ineligible. As the client is living in an area designated for the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP), he was advised at that time, to make application to Kildare County Council. Kildare County Council has confirmed to us that the client made a HAP application to them at the end of March 2016 and...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Water Conservation Grant Applications (28 Apr 2016)

Joan Burton: The eligibility criteria for the Water Conservation Grant are set out in the Water Services Act 2014 (Water Conservation Grant) Regulations 2015. Under regulation 5(1) a person who registers with Irish Water, as required under section 5(2)(a) of the Water Services Act 2014, on or before 30 June 2015 shall be eligible to receive the grant in 2015 if they were normally resident at the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme Eligibility (28 Apr 2016)

Joan Burton: As detailed to the Deputy in reply to Parliamentary Question No 43420-15 and several related Parliamentary Questions, the client concerned has been requested on numerous occasions to provide the Department with details of all capital accrued from the sale of the family home. This documentation has not, to date, been received by the Department. A final reminder was issued to the client on...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Family Income Supplement Applications (28 Apr 2016)

Joan Burton: I can confirm that the spouse/partner of the person concerned is claiming an increase on his Jobseekers Allowance (JA) for a qualified adult (IQA). FIS is not payable to a person who is either on JA or is being claimed as an IQA on JA. It is more beneficial for the family in question to claim FIS than for the person concerned to remain as an IQA on her spouse/partner’s (JA) payment....

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Overpayments (28 Apr 2016)

Joan Burton: The Department has written to the client in question to discuss the issue of her outstanding debt and future repayment schedule, having regard to the family circumstances you raise.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Family Income Supplement Payments (28 Apr 2016)

Joan Burton: The person concerned has been awarded a family income supplement (FIS) from 03 March 2016 to 01 March 2017 at a weekly rate of €98.00. This payment is based on the person’s income and circumstances at the time of application for FIS. In accordance with legislation, rate changes during the 52 week payment period can happen only in certain specified circumstances i.e. where the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Disability Allowance Applications (28 Apr 2016)

Joan Burton: I confirm that the department is in receipt of an application for disability allowance (DA) from the above named person on 13 April 2016. 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. The processing time for individual DA claims may vary in accordance with their...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (28 Apr 2016)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 7thJanuary 2016. It is a statutory requirement of the appeals process that the relevant papers and comments by or on behalf of the Deciding Officer on the grounds of appeal be sought from the Department of Social Protection. These papers have been received in the Social...

Ireland's Stability Programme Update April 2016: Statements (27 Apr 2016)

Joan Burton: The stability programme update, SPU, document tells a positive story of remarkable change and of challenge which has yet to be overcome. In April 2011, shortly after the Labour Party entered government, that year's SPU told a grim story. It spoke of a critical need to try to get the public finances into some kind of order, of ensuring the sustainability of the Government's debt position, of...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Invalidity Pension Appeals (27 Apr 2016)

Joan Burton: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an Appeals Officer having fully considered all of the available evidence, including that adduced at oral hearing, has decided to allow the appeal of the person concerned. The person concerned has been notified of the Appeals Officer’s decision. The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Social...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Illness Benefit Appeals (27 Apr 2016)

Joan Burton: Payment of Illness Benefit to the person concerned was disallowed by a Deciding Officer following an examination by a Medical Assessor of the Department who expressed the opinion that she was capable of work. An appeal was opened and in the context of that appeal her case was reviewed by a second Medical Assessor who also expressed the opinion that she was capable of work. I am advised...