Results 7,901-7,920 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Child Poverty (17 Nov 2015)

Joan Burton: The CSO Survey on Income and living Conditions for 2013 shows that 11.7 per cent of children were in consistent poverty, a slight but not statistically significant increase on the 2012 rate. The Survey also found that the at-risk-of-poverty for children decreased from 18.8 per cent in 2012 to 17.9 per cent in 2013. Social transfers, such as welfare payments and child benefit, play a key role...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (17 Nov 2015)

Joan Burton: The table below shows the numbers of CA refusals from 2010 to 2014 and since the introduction of the Act in May 2015: Year: 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015* Refusals: 6,972 5,227 6,827 9,881 7,078 3,513 As a % of processed applications: 42% 38% 37% 35% 33% 36%*6/5/2015 to 31/10/2015, Change in the act only became effective from May 2015. Carer's allowance (CA) is a...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (17 Nov 2015)

Joan Burton: My Department is currently making inquiries regarding this matter and I will get back to directly regarding this.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Treatment Benefit Scheme Applications (17 Nov 2015)

Joan Burton: The medical appliance benefit available under the Department’s treatment benefit scheme is based on a person’s PRSI contribution record. PRSI paid at classes A,E,H, or P counts towards eligibility. The person concerned is self-employed and is paying class S contributions. This is a reduced-rate contribution which does not count towards treatment benefit; as a result he is not...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (17 Nov 2015)

Joan Burton: I confirm that the department received an application for carer’s allowance from the person concerned on 31 July 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: Domiciliary Care Allowance Appeals (17 Nov 2015)

Joan Burton: Domiciliary Care Allowance (DCA) is paid in respect of children who have a severe disability requiring constant care and attention substantially in excess of that needed by a child of the same age without the disability. The need for the additional care and attention must be likely to last for at least 12 months. Eligibility for DCA is not based on the type of disability, but on the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Appeals (17 Nov 2015)

Joan Burton: I confirm that the department received an application for carer’s allowance (CA) from the person in question on 28 October 2014. The person concerned was refused CA on the grounds that her means exceeded the statutory limit. She was notified on 4 June 2015 of this decision, the reason for it and of her right of review and appeal. The person concerned has appealed this decision to the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: JobPath Implementation (17 Nov 2015)

Joan Burton: JobPath is a new approach to employment activation that will support people who are long-term unemployed and those most at risk of becoming long-term unemployed to secure and sustain paid employment. All decisions regarding a person’s welfare entitlements while on JobPath will be taken only by Departmental officials and not by the JobPath companies. The JobPath companies may neither...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Job Initiatives (17 Nov 2015)

Joan Burton: JobPath is a new approach to employment activation that will support people who are long-term unemployed and those most distant from the labour market to secure and sustain full-time paid employment. Participants on JobPath retain their social welfare entitlements. JobPath has no impact on the eligibility criteria for jobseeker’s allowance. If a client is in part-time or casual work...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Job Initiatives (17 Nov 2015)

Joan Burton: JobPath is a new approach to employment activation that will support people who are long-term unemployed and those most at risk of becoming long-term unemployed to secure and sustain paid employment. JobPath is one of the range of activation supports, including schemes such as CE and Tús, catering for long-term unemployed jobseekers. In general, and JobPath is not an exception, it...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Domiciliary Care Allowance Appeals (17 Nov 2015)

Joan Burton: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an Appeals Officer, having fully considered all of the available evidence, has decided to allow the appeal of the person concerned by way of a summary decision. The person concerned has been notified of the Appeals Officer's decision. The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Social Protection and of...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (17 Nov 2015)

Joan Burton: I confirm that the department received an application for carer's allowance from the person concerned on 3 September 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: Respite Care Grant Administration (17 Nov 2015)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 125 and 145 together. The Department provides a range of income supports to carers including carer’s benefit, carer’s allowance, domiciliary care allowance and the annual carer’s support grant (formerly the respite care grant). The total expenditure on carers in 2015 is estimated at €822 million. Carers receive significant...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: JobPath Implementation (17 Nov 2015)

Joan Burton: JobPath is a new approach to employment activation that will support people who are long-term unemployed and those most at risk of becoming long-term unemployed to secure and sustain paid employment. All participants on JobPath have a right to be treated fairly and in a professional manner. As part of the contractual arrangements with the providers they are required to honour a service...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: JobPath Implementation (17 Nov 2015)

Joan Burton: All decisions regarding a person’s welfare entitlements are made by deciding officers of the Department. The application of a sanction to a jobseeker’s payment is governed by the provisions of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005, as amended by the Social Welfare and Pensions (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2013. JobPath companies cannot make any decisions regarding a...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: One-Parent Family Payments (17 Nov 2015)

Joan Burton: The issue of maintenance payments is first and foremost a private matter for the persons concerned, and if they cannot resolve the problem, for the Courts through family law provisions. The liability to maintain family provisions, contained in social welfare legislation, are separate to family law legislation. In every case where a one-parent family payment is awarded, the Department...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Jobseeker's Allowance Payments (17 Nov 2015)

Joan Burton: The client’s earnings for two days worked were €350.17, which is in excess of the prescribed weekly rate of Jobseeker's Allowance for a person in his family circumstances of €312.80. The client was therefore not entitled to his unemployment payment of €312.80 for that week and is overpaid by that amount.

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

Joan Burton: In 2011, the previous Government reduced most weekly rates of payment to people aged under 66 by €8 per week, a reduction of approximately 4%, at a time when the rate of inflation was 2.6%. This Government has protected core weekly rates of payment since coming into office. The best way of increasing a household’s income is through employment. In this regard, this Government...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Code (17 Nov 2015)

Joan Burton: The current system of establishing if a person is genuinely seeking work is well established and based on a number of steps that have to be taken by all customers in order to satisfy the Department that they are actively seeking work. These steps may include making oral, written or on-line applications for work, researching job vacancies, availing of reasonable training opportunities,...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Code (17 Nov 2015)

Joan Burton: The jobseeker's benefit scheme provides income support for people who lose work and who have the required number of social insurance contributions. The 2015 Estimates for the Department provide for expenditure on jobseeker’s benefit of €407 million. Jobseeker’s benefit is not a means tested payment and as such the means of a spouse, civil partner or cohabitant are not...