Results 7,241-7,260 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Ministerial Advisers Remuneration (17 Dec 2015)

Joan Burton: There are four special advisers employed in the Department of Social Protection. The details sought by the Deputy in respect of these Special Advisers are show in the following table. Name Position Annual Salary Edward Brophy Chief of Staff to the Tánaiste €144,550 Terry Quinn* Economic Advisor to the Tánaiste €114,424 Claire Power Special Advisor to the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Eligibility (17 Dec 2015)

Joan Burton: The Department has reviewed this matter. Any person who has been in receipt of supplementary welfare allowance and then transfers to jobseeker's allowance is entitled to the Christmas bonus payment if they have a combined duration of over 390 days in payment from the two schemes. Payment of the Christmas bonus has been authorised in respect of the person concerned.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Ministerial Staff (17 Dec 2015)

Joan Burton: There are 12 political staff working in my Department. Details requested by the Deputy are set out in the following table. Political Appointments in the Department of Social Protection Name Position held Annual salary Edward Brophy * Chief of Staff to the Tánaiste €144,550 Terry Quinn ** Economic Advisor to the Tánaiste €114,424 Claire Power Special Advisor to...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Illness Benefit Payments (17 Dec 2015)

Joan Burton: An application for illness benefit from the person concerned was made from 24 Nov 2015. From 6 January 2014 no illness benefit payment is made for the first 6 days of illness. This means that a person concerned would not have been entitled to illness benefit for the first 6 days of their claim. The person concerned passed away on 29 November 2015, illness benefit is therefore not payable...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Legislative Process RIA (17 Dec 2015)

Joan Burton: I have published fourteen Bills since taking office, all of which have been enacted. Details of these Bills are set out in the following table. Regulatory Impact Analyses (RIAs) are undertaken by the Department of Social Protection in accordance with the relevant guidelines published by the Department of the Taoiseach relating to significant legislative, policy and other changes. A...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Pension Provisions (17 Dec 2015)

Joan Burton: The person concerned is in receipt of the maximum rate of Irish widow's contributory pension, for a person aged under 66, from the Department. Additionally, the person concerned receives a weekly payment under the national fuel scheme. If the person concerned has an enquiry about their UK pension, it should be directed to the authority with responsibility for United Kingdom pensions...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Dental Services Expenditure (17 Dec 2015)

Joan Burton: The dental benefit scheme has been availed of by 312,659 people during 2015. The total amount paid out on the scheme in 2015 to date has been €10.3 million.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Data Protection (17 Dec 2015)

Joan Burton: To date this year, there have been a total of 42 reports of data protection breaches and suspected breaches to the Department of Social Protection. In 18 of the 42 cases investigations were/are being conducted into alleged deliberate unauthorised access and/or disclosure of customers' personal data by staff members. In 10 of these cases no evidence was found of a data breach and 8 cases...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Pensions Insolvency Payments Scheme (17 Dec 2015)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare and Pensions Act 2009 provided for the establishment by the Minister for Finance of a Pensions Insolvency Payments scheme (PIPS) to provide for the payment of pensions, in the event of the wind up of a pension scheme where both the employer and the scheme are insolvent, at less cost than through traditional annuities, thereby making more scheme assets available for the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Eligibility (17 Dec 2015)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 61 and 62 together. My Department does not maintain data on the number of returning emigrants who claim a Social Welfare payment to which the statutory Habitual Residence Condition applies. Therefore it is not possible to estimate a cost of amending the provision as suggested by the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: State Pension (Contributory) Eligibility (17 Dec 2015)

Joan Burton: The social welfare system is primarily a contingency-based system, with entitlement based on a number of defined contingencies such as sickness, unemployment, old age or widowhood. There are two basic principles which underpin the Irish social insurance system. Firstly there is the contributory principle. Under this principle there is a link between the PRSI contributions that a person...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Eligibility (17 Dec 2015)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 66 and 103 together. The Christmas Bonus was abolished by the previous Government in 2009. Last year, I partially re-introduced a 25% bonus, and this year, I was pleased to announce a 75% bonus for over 1.2 million long-term social welfare recipients, such as pensioners, people with disabilities, carers and long-term jobseekers. Illness Benefit was never...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme Payments (17 Dec 2015)

Joan Burton: I refer the Deputy to Parliamentary Question No. 227 of 20 October 2015. The client concerned has not, to date, provided the Department with the required documentation outlined in response to the previous Parliamentary Question.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Reviews (17 Dec 2015)

Joan Burton: As the Deputy is aware all social welfare claims are subject to ongoing review to ensure that the conditions of the relevant schemes continue to be met and where relevant, that the customer continues to satisfy a means test. Reviews can be triggered in many ways such as by way of a change in circumstances notified to the Department by a customer, information received by the Department from a...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Community Welfare Services (17 Dec 2015)

Joan Burton: Delivery of Community Welfare Services in South Kildare, supported by an Integrated Reception service in Newbridge Intreo Centre, is operated through a telephone, postal and appointments based service. All customer contacts are responded to within one working day. Home visits or appointments are facilitated where necessary. Telephone lines are open at all times and contact details are set...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Data (17 Dec 2015)

Joan Burton: The number of carer's allowance (CA) and disability allowance (DA) applications received and disallowed for the period from 2011 to the end of October 2015 as well as the number of appeals processed from 2011 to the end of November 2015 are shown in the following tables. Year CA claims received CA claims Refused CA Appeals Fully Allowed CA Appeals Partially Allowed CA Appeals Disallowed...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Family Income Supplement Payments (17 Dec 2015)

Joan Burton: The family income supplement (FIS) is designed to provide support for employees, with families, who have low earnings. The estimated expenditure on FIS in 2015 is €349.2 million and at the end of November 2015 FIS was being paid to 55,148 families. The estimated expenditure for 2016 is €410.3 million. The current average weekly FIS payment is €131.50. While an average...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Family Income Supplement Eligibility (17 Dec 2015)

Joan Burton: The family income supplement (FIS) is an in-work support which provides an income top-up for employees on low earnings with children. FIS is designed to prevent child and family poverty and to offer a financial incentive to take-up employment as compared to social welfare payments. There are currently some 54,000 families with some 119,000 children in receipt of FIS. Expenditure on FIS is...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Jobseeker's Benefit (17 Dec 2015)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 73, 74 and 88 together. The jobseeker's benefit and jobseeker's allowance schemes provide income support for people who have lost work and are unable to find alternative full-time employment. The 2015 Estimates for the Department provide for expenditure this year on the jobseekers' schemes of €3.01 billion. It is a fundamental qualifying...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Data (17 Dec 2015)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 75, 78 and 99 together. The estimated cost in 2016 of increasing the weekly rate of Disability Allowance by €5, €6, €7, €9 and €12 is detailed in the following table. Increase in the weekly rate Estimated Cost in 2016 (full year) €5.00 €33.0 million €6.00 €39.6 million €7.00...