Results 7,041-7,060 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Money Advice and Budgeting Service (13 Jan 2016)

Joan Burton: The Citizens Information Board (CIB) is the statutory body responsible for providing information, advice (including money and budgeting advice service) and advocacy services on a wide range of public and social services. CIB delivers on this remit through a network of delivery partners which includes 51 local Money Advice and Budgeting Services (MABS) and 42 local Citizens Information...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Eligibility (13 Jan 2016)

Joan Burton: It is a condition for receipt of carer’s benefit and carer’s allowance that the carer must be providing full-time care and attention to a person who requires such full-time care and attention because of a specified illness or disability. This condition is moderated by legislation allowing the carer to work or engage in training outside the home for an aggregate total of 15...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Pension Provisions (13 Jan 2016)

Joan Burton: The Irish pensions system is comprised of a number of schemes, based on criteria such as contributions paid, income need, and other factors. These ensure that people have an adequate income in old age. This range of supports has resulted in very similar outcomes for male and female pensioners in Ireland. Consistent poverty rates for women and men over 65 have effectively been at parity...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Water Conservation Grant Administration (13 Jan 2016)

Joan Burton: The Department of Social Protection is administering the Water Conservation Grant on behalf of the Department of Environment, Community, and Local Government. The administration and payment of this grant is a significant project for the Department and required the development and implementation of ICT systems, ICT infrastructure and various customer support and communications services. ...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Data (13 Jan 2016)

Joan Burton: As of 1 January 2016 there were 32,770 people signing for jobseeker’s credits at my Department’s offices. These people are not excluded from, but are in fact included in the overall figure of 321,616 persons on the Live Register on that date, as published by the Central Statistics Office (CSO). The Live Register is not designed to measure unemployment. The Quarterly...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme Data (13 Jan 2016)

Joan Burton: Rent supplement plays a vital role in housing families and individuals, with the scheme supporting approximately 61,000 people for which the Government has provided approximately €267 million for 2016. In view of the reduction of supply in the private rented market and increasing rents at this time, the Department has implemented a policy approach that allows for flexibility where...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Community Services Programme (13 Jan 2016)

Joan Burton: The Department of Social Protection supports service provision through a number of programmes and schemes. e community services programme (CSP) provides financial support in the form a contribution to the cost of wages to community companies that provide revenue generating services of a social inclusion nature in their areas. The centre referred to by the Deputy receives a contribution...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: State Pension (Contributory) Eligibility (13 Jan 2016)

Joan Burton: The State pension contributory is a very valuable benefit and is the bedrock of the Irish pension system. Therefore, it is important to ensure that those qualifying have made a sustained contribution to the Social Insurance Fund over their working lives. To ensure that the individual can maximise their entitlement to a State pension, all contributions paid or credited over their working...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Family Income Supplement Data (13 Jan 2016)

Joan Burton: The family income supplement (FIS) provides support for employees, with families, who have low earnings in relation to their family size. The number of families in receipt of FIS from 2011 to 2015 is given in the table below;Table --- FIS Numbers Year Ending Recipients - Families 2011 28,876 2012 32,307 2013 44,159 2014 50,306 2015 55,913

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Operation (13 Jan 2016)

Joan Burton: Community Employment (CE) is an active labour market programme designed to provide eligible long-term unemployed people and other disadvantaged persons (including lone parents, recovering drug mis-users and persons with a disability) with an opportunity to engage in part-time work and training within their communities on a temporary, fixed-term basis. All CE sponsors and participants are...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Supplementary Welfare Allowance Payments (13 Jan 2016)

Joan Burton: The Government approved the payment of a Christmas Bonus on an administrative basis to long-term recipients of basic supplementary welfare allowance (Basic SWA) in 2015. Customers who had been in receipt of Basic SWA continuously for more than 15 months received a Christmas Bonus of 75% of their normal weekly payment during the first week in December 2015, subject to a minimum payment of...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: National Internship Scheme Review (13 Jan 2016)

Joan Burton: JobBridge, the National Internship Scheme, was introduced in July 2011 in response to the unprecedented collapse in the economy – particularly the sharp increase in unemployment. The primary aim of the scheme is to give unemployed people the opportunity to secure work experience and prove their competence to prospective employers. To date, JobBridge has attracted the voluntary...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Youth Unemployment Data (13 Jan 2016)

Joan Burton: OECD data indicate that the rate of youth unemployment in a country is typically about twice that of the overall level of unemployment. This international ‘norm’ held true for Ireland before the recession, during the recession and again during the recovery period since 2012. Youth unemployment rate rose relatively rapidly in the recession, from 9% on average in 2007 to over 30%...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Employment Support Services (13 Jan 2016)

Joan Burton: The Government’s primary strategy to reduce long-term unemployment and youth unemployment is through policies to create the environment for a strong economic recovery by promoting competitiveness and productivity. Economic recovery will underpin jobs growth and the availability of productive employment for young people. This strategy has been succeeding; by Q3 2015 the level of...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Humanitarian Assistance Scheme (13 Jan 2016)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 37 to 39, inclusive, 104, 106, 114, 181 and 182 together. The Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government is the lead Department for severe weather emergencies and the Office of Public Works has responsibility for capital flood relief activities. However, the Department of Social Protection has an important role to play in assisting...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Invalidity Pension Applications (13 Jan 2016)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was referred to an Appeals Officer on 26 November 2015, who will make a summary decision on the appeal based on the documentary evidence presented or, if required, hold an oral hearing. The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Social Protection and of the Department...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Registration of Deaths (13 Jan 2016)

Joan Burton: The Civil Registration (Amendment) Act 2014 was enacted on 4 December 2014. The Act contains a wide range of provisions which are being commenced on a step by step basis. Section 13 of the Act inserts a new Part 5A into the Civil Registration Act 2004 which provides that an tÁrd-Chláraitheoir maintain a record of deaths of Irish Citizens who die while abroad. The provisions of the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Code (13 Jan 2016)

Joan Burton: The most recent Eurostat data highlights the crucial role that Ireland’s social protection system has played in cushioning the effect of unemployment on household incomes and acting as an automatic stabiliser during the economic and fiscal crisis. It also belies the assertion that fiscal consolidation has disproportionately impacted on the most vulnerable in society. Central to this...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Disability Allowance Applications (13 Jan 2016)

Joan Burton: IO confirm the department received an application for disability allowance (DA) on 12 November 2015.In order to determine the circumstances of the person concerned, his file was forwarded to his local Social Welfare Inspector (SWI).The SWI will arrange to meet with the person in question as soon as possible. A decision on his entitlement to DA will be made on receipt of the Social Welfare...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Supplementary Welfare Allowance Eligibility (13 Jan 2016)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 44 and 74 together. The Christmas bonus was introduced in 1980 for certain welfare schemes and was extended to long-term jobseekers in 1985. Payment of the bonus was abolished by the previous Government in 2009. I was pleased to re-introduce the bonus in December 2014 at a rate of 25%. On Budget Day, I announced a 75% Christmas bonus for 2015, which...