Results 7,481-7,500 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 37 - Department of Social Protection (Supplementary) (1 Dec 2015)

Joan Burton: The last actuarial review was carried out by a big firm of accountants; I think it was KPMG. The review was carried out not long after I came into office, so it was at the height of the employment difficulties. Much of it was based on the then unemployment figures. The deficit in the fund had grown alarmingly at the beginning of our term, up to nearly €2.8 billion. We started the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Appeals (1 Dec 2015)

Joan Burton: Carer's Allowance (CA) is a social assistance payment, made to persons who are providing full-time care and attention to people who have a disability such that they require that level of care and who satisfy a means test. A person can be considered to be providing full-time care and attention where they are engaged in employment, self-employment or on training courses outside the home for a...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Insolvency Payments Scheme Payments (1 Dec 2015)

Joan Burton: Under the provisions of the Protection of Employees (Employers’ Insolvency) Act, 1984 an employer company shall be regarded as being insolvent if the company is placed into receivership or if a winding-up order has been made or a resolution for the voluntary liquidation of the company has been passed. The former employer of the persons concerned has not engaged in any of these...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (1 Dec 2015)

Joan Burton: I confirm that the department received an application for carer’s allowance from the person concerned on 3 November 2015. Once processed, the person concerned will be notified directly of the outcome.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Appeals (1 Dec 2015)

Joan Burton: Carer's Allowance (CA) is a social assistance payment made to persons who are providing full-time care and attention to a person with a disability requiring that level of care and whose income falls below certain limits. In April 2013, the person concerned was refused CA on the grounds that the disability of the care recipient was not such that there was a requirement for full-time care...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (1 Dec 2015)

Joan Burton: I confirm that the department received an application for carer's allowance from the person concerned on 20 August 2015. The application is currently being processed and once completed, the person concerned will be notified directly of the outcome.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Disability Allowance Payments (1 Dec 2015)

Joan Burton: Disability allowance arrears issued to the person in question by their chosen payment method on 26 November 2015.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Free Travel Scheme Eligibility (1 Dec 2015)

Joan Burton: There are currently approximately 839,000 people in Ireland in receipt of free travel at an annual cost of €77 million per annum. The free travel scheme is available to all people aged over 66 living permanently in the State. Applicants who are under age 66, including those with learning disabilities, must be in receipt of a qualifying payment in order to qualify for the scheme. The...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Fuel Allowance Eligibility (1 Dec 2015)

Joan Burton: The person concerned is a participant on a Community Employment (CE) Scheme. Participants on CE Schemes can only be paid Fuel Allowance where they had applied for, or were awarded the allowance prior to commencing on the scheme. They may not accrue an entitlement while on the scheme. As the client concerned was not in receipt of Fuel Allowance prior to commencing on the CE Scheme, he does...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Payments (1 Dec 2015)

Joan Burton: The application for carer's allowance in respect of the person concerned was awarded on 24 November 2015 and the first payment is due to issue to the person's bank nominated bank account on 3 December 2015. Arrears of allowance due from 2 April 2015 have also issued to the bank for payment on 3 December 2015. The person concerned was notified on 24 November 2015.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Water Conservation Grant Administration (1 Dec 2015)

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: Respite Care Grant Payments (1 Dec 2015)

Joan Burton: The person concerned was awarded the 2014 and 2015 Respite Care Grants on 25 November 2015. Payment of €2,750 (€1,375 for each year) will be sent to her nominated bank account over the next few days.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Respite Care Grant Applications (1 Dec 2015)

Joan Burton: An application for Respite Care Grant from the person concerned was received in my Department on 2 September 2015. This application is currently being processed and a decision will be made as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals Waiting Times (1 Dec 2015)

Joan Burton: The average appeal processing time for 2014 and to date in 2015 broken down by all social welfare scheme types as outlined in the tables. Appeal processing times generally peaked in 2011 when the overall average time for an oral hearing was 52.5 weeks and 25.1 weeks for a summary decision. In 2014 average appeal processing times for an oral hearing had almost halved to 28.6 weeks and the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Eligibility (1 Dec 2015)

Joan Burton: Under Community Employment (CE) regulations, the term of participation for persons commencing a CE scheme when less than 55 years of age is one year. However, this can be increased with annual extensions to a maximum of three cumulative years. The person concerned commenced participation on a CE scheme on 12 November 2012 when aged 54. His total eligibility was therefore limited to these...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Domiciliary Care Allowance Applications (1 Dec 2015)

Joan Burton: An application for domiciliary care allowance was received from the person concerned on the 11th December 2013. This application was not allowed as the child was not considered to satisfy the qualifying conditions for the allowance. A letter issued on the 18th February 2014 outlining the decision of the deciding officer to refuse the allowance. A review of this decision was requested on...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Community Services Programme (1 Dec 2015)

Joan Burton: The applicant applied to the Community Services Programme (CSP) for funding to support the management and staffing of a community service facility. The CSP provides direct funding support in the form of subsidies for the employment of permanent staff to deliver a broad range of services. The service providers supported by this programme operate on a community business or social enterprise...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Code (1 Dec 2015)

Joan Burton: Self-employed persons who earn €5,000 or more in a contribution year are liable for PRSI at the class S rate of 4%, subject to a minimum payment of €500. These contributions entitle them to access social insurance benefits, including State pension (contributory), widow’s, widower’s or surviving civil partner’s pension (contributory), guardians payment...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (1 Dec 2015)

Joan Burton: The person in question is currently in receipt of a contributory State pension. Carer's Allowance (CA) is a social assistance payment made to persons who are providing full-time care and attention to a person with a disability requiring such care and whose income falls below certain limits. I confirm that the department received an application for CA from the person concerned on 4...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Disability Allowance Applications (1 Dec 2015)

Joan Burton: The Department is in receipt of an application for disability allowance (DA) from the above named person on 6 November 2015. 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 disability allowance claims may vary in accordance with their...