Results 61-80 of 288 for 5 million speaker:Joan Burton

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

Joan Burton: ...economic growth. Since the introduction of this Government’s Pathways to Workprogramme, over 100,000 people have left the Live Register to enter employment. Unemployment has fallen from a crisis peak of 15.1% to 9.3% in October 2015. Importantly, the rate of long-term unemployment has decreased at a slightly faster rate, down from a peak of 9.5% to 5.5% in the second quarter of...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Water Conservation Grant Applications (10 Nov 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: Water Conservation Grant Applications (10 Nov 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 for 2015 if they were normally resident at the...

Social Welfare Bill 2015: Second Stage (4 Nov 2015)

Joan Burton: ...and carers aged 66 years and over. There is also an increase of €2 a week for adult dependants aged under 66 years and an increase of €2.70 for adult dependants aged 66 years or over. These will benefit 583,000 pensioners and over 93,000 qualified adults who live with pensioners. It is the first weekly rate increase for pensioners since 2009. From talking to pensioners I...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Child Benefit Eligibility (3 Nov 2015)

Joan Burton: ...respect of children up to their 18th birthday who are in full-time education, or who have a physical or mental disability. Child benefit is paid to around 619,000 families in respect of some 1.19 million children, with an estimated expenditure of around €1.9 billion in 2015. In Budget 2016, the Government increased child benefit by €5 to €140 per month, at a cost of...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Water Conservation Grant (3 Nov 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: Family Income Supplement Payments (3 Nov 2015)

Joan Burton: I was pleased to announce on Budget Day the payment of a 75% Christmas Bonus to all the schemes which received it in previous years, with the addition this year of the Back to Work Family Dividend. The bonus will be paid in the first week of December to over 1.2 million long-term social welfare recipients, including recipients of one-parent family payment. The Family Income Supplement...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: State Pension (Contributory) (3 Nov 2015)

Joan Burton: ...managed within the overall welfare budget. This year (2015), the Department will spend an estimated €6.675 billion on pensions – 34.4% of all welfare expenditure and an increase of €168 million over 2014. The overall concern of the Government in recent budgets has been to protect the primary weekly social welfare rates where possible. Maintaining the rate of the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Water Conservation Grant (3 Nov 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: Qualified Child Increase Payments (20 Oct 2015)

Joan Burton: The estimated cost in 2016 and in a full year of increasing the qualified child increase by €5 and by €10 is €93.7 million and €187.3 million, respectively. This includes the costs related to the Back to Work Family Dividend. On Budget Day yesterday, I announced a social welfare Budget package for 2016 with four key aims: - To increase supports for pensioners...

Financial Resolutions 2016 - Financial Resolution No. 5: General (Resumed) (14 Oct 2015)

Joan Burton: ...for families where both parents are in the workplace. This includes the extension of the early childhood care and education scheme, which has been a long-standing priority for me. In addition, I am allocating €5 million in 2016 for a new paternity benefit scheme. This will allow fathers in employment, from next September, to take two weeks paternity leave. This will be paid at...

Financial Resolutions 2016 - Financial Resolution No. 5: General (Resumed) (14 Oct 2015)

Joan Burton: ...Moreover, if they have younger children, they also will benefit from additional early childhood care. It also includes the 66 year old carer who will receive an increase to his or her weekly payment and a 75% Christmas bonus and who will see the respite care grant restored in full to €1,700; the retired couple who will see their pensions increase and receive the 75% Christmas...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Qualified Child Increase Payments (13 Oct 2015)

Joan Burton: The full year cost of increasing the weekly rate of the Qualified Child Increase by €5, €10 and €15 in 2016 is €94 million, €187 million and €281 million, respectively.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Data (1 Oct 2015)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 42 to 44, inclusive, and 55 together. The cost in 2016 of a 1%, 2% and €5 per week increase in the weekly rate of all pension-age payments (including proportionate increases for qualified adults, where applicable) is €71 million, €141.1 million and €154.6 million respectively. The cost in 2016 of a €5 increase in the monthly...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Child Benefit Eligibility (30 Sep 2015)

Joan Burton: ...of children up to their 18th birthday who are in full-time education, or who have a physical or mental disability. Child Benefit is currently paid to around 610,000 families in respect of some 1.16 million children, with an estimated expenditure of around €1.9 billion in 2014. Child Benefit is an important source of income for all families and in Budget 2015, Government increased...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (30 Sep 2015)

Joan Burton: Budget 2015 was the first Budget in recent years where there was scope to make improvements for welfare recipients, and in this regard, I was pleased to be in a position to increase Child Benefit by €5 per child per month, to increase the Living Alone Allowance, which is paid to pensioners and people with disabilities who live alone, to €9 per week, and introduce a new Back to...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Public Services Card Data (29 Sep 2015)

Joan Burton: ...Department’s locations nationwide are processing registrations for the PSC. 6 of these locations are in County Galway - in Ballinasloe, Gort, Clifden, Loughrea, Tuam, and in Galway city and a further 5 locations are in County Mayo – in Castlebar, Ballina, Westport, Achill, and Belmullet. Considerable progress has been made in the national roll out of the PSC with over 1.59...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Expenditure (24 Sep 2015)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 81 and 82 together. The estimated cost in 2016 (and a full year) of a €5 and €10 increase in the weekly rate of all working age payments is €201.7 million and €403.4 million, respectively. The estimated cost in 2016 (and a full year) of a €5 and €10 increase in the weekly rate of all pension age payments is...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Child Benefit Data (22 Sep 2015)

Joan Burton: .... 138 and 139 together. Child Benefit is a monthly universal payment to assist with the costs associated with raising children. It is paid to around 616,000 families in respect of some 1.17 million children, with an estimated expenditure of around €1.9 billion in 2014. Child Benefit continues to be paid in respect of children up to their 18th birthday who are in full-time...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Poverty Data (22 Sep 2015)

Joan Burton: ...from 18.8 per cent in 2012 to 17.9 per cent in 2013. A key driver in reducing income poverty among children is social transfers, which reduced the at-risk-of-poverty rate for children from 45.5 per cent to 17.9 per cent, thereby lifting a quarter of all children out of poverty. This equates to a poverty reduction effect of 60.7 per cent. Ireland is amongst the best performing member states...