Results 8,661-8,680 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Benefits (30 Sep 2015)

Joan Burton: -----self-employed people.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Benefits (30 Sep 2015)

Joan Burton: What I am saying is that when we make decisions about the Social Insurance Fund we have to be prudent so that we do not take away or undermine what is a very valuable item in people's lives, namely, the contributory old age pension, the widow's and widower's pension and the maternity benefit, which self-employed people get.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Benefits (30 Sep 2015)

Joan Burton: The Deputy is throwing out suggestions that it is possible for us, as we should-----

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Benefits (30 Sep 2015)

Joan Burton: -----to extend, in particular, cover for illness-related issues-----

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Benefits (30 Sep 2015)

Joan Burton: -----to self-employed people. I strongly support that but, to be honest, that has to be paid for. The well-regarded expert group said it could not be sustained if it was voluntary-----

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Benefits (30 Sep 2015)

Joan Burton: -----and that for policy in Ireland it was not the best idea. We are talking about 1.5 additional contributions.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Disability Activation Projects (30 Sep 2015)

Joan Burton: I am very pleased that I will be launching the comprehensive employment strategy this Friday. I welcomed and supported the Disability Activation Project, which was jointly funded by the European Social Fund and the Department of Social Protection and ran from 2012 to April 2015 in the BMW regions. The objective of the project was to explore ways in which people with disabilities are enabled...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Disability Activation Projects (30 Sep 2015)

Joan Burton: I have not had sight of it for a while. I published reports but-----

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Disability Activation Projects (30 Sep 2015)

Joan Burton: As the Deputy will appreciate, the funding was EU funding. As Minister, I managed to identify and set up the programmes, which related in particular to young adults with disabilities, to help them access work, both in the open market and in terms of work amounting to more than eight hours a week because not everybody doing the programmes would have wanted to be involved in a very lengthy...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Disability Activation Projects (30 Sep 2015)

Joan Burton: It has been a very positive programme. What we hope to do with the next programme is learn from the first one and have a stronger programme.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Disability Activation Projects (30 Sep 2015)

Joan Burton: No. It will be very fast.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Disability Activation Projects (30 Sep 2015)

Joan Burton: I have a strong commitment to young adults with a disability. I am in the position of knowing a number of such young people personally throughout their lives. For friends and relations of mine who would have children in that situation, it is very important. We have mainstreamed many young people into primary and secondary school, and now into preschool, and as the Deputy is aware, there is...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Benefits (30 Sep 2015)

Joan Burton: The self-employed pay PRSI at the class S rate of 4%. These contributions provide cover for long-term social insurance benefits including the State pension (contributory) and the widow’s, widower’s or surviving civil partner’s contributory pension. In contrast, a combined employer and employee PRSI rate of 14.75% is paid in respect of most employees, who can then...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Benefits (30 Sep 2015)

Joan Burton: I recall when I came into the office of Minister for Social Protection the deficit on the social insurance fund was €2 billion, which was a cause of great concern. Through very careful management we have actually reduced that deficit or, as some people in the media used to call it, the hole in the social insurance fund, to about €180 million, compared to the €2 billion...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Delays (30 Sep 2015)

Joan Burton: Carers receive significant income supports from the Department - among the highest rates of income support in Europe. The income disregard and means test for carers is the most generous within the social welfare system. Furthermore, the respite care grant is paid to carers with no requirement to satisfy a means test. A total of €822 million is provided for carers payments in 2015....

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme Data (30 Sep 2015)

Joan Burton: Rent supplement plays a vital role in housing families and individuals, with the scheme supporting approximately 65,000 people at a cost of €298 million in 2015. Over 13,700 rent supplement tenancies have been awarded this year, of which almost 4,300 are in Dublin, showing that landlords are accommodating significant numbers under the scheme. A review of the rent limits...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Free Travel Scheme (30 Sep 2015)

Joan Burton: The Free Travel Scheme permits customers to travel for free on most CIE public transport services, LUAS and a range of services offered by up to 90 private operators in various parts of the country. Free travel is also available on cross border journeys to and from Northern Ireland. Additionally, customers aged 66 years and over can travel for free on journeys within Northern Ireland....

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Pension Provisions (30 Sep 2015)

Joan Burton: Community Employment Supervisors are not employed by the Department of Social Protection. These Supervisors are employees of private companies in the community and voluntary sector and are not part of the public sector. The State is not responsible for funding pension arrangements for employees of private companies, even where those companies are reliant on State funding in whole or in...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Housing Provision (30 Sep 2015)

Joan Burton: The primary responsibility for provision of accommodation for homeless persons rests with local authorities. The Department’s role with regard to people who are homeless is mainly income maintenance. Under the social welfare system, homeless people have entitlement to the full range of social welfare schemes, including supplementary welfare allowance (SWA), subject to the normal...

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

Joan Burton: Child benefit is a universal payment made to families with children. It assists those families with the cost associated with raising children. Child benefit is payable at the monthly rate of €135 per child and is in payment to over 615,000 families in respect of almost 1.2 million children. The expenditure on child benefit in 2014 was €1.91 billion. The estimated expenditure...