Results 8,921-8,940 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Invalidity Pension Applications (23 Sep 2015)

Joan Burton: Invalidity pension (IP) is a payment for people who are permanently incapable of work because of illness or incapacity and who satisfy the pay related social insurance (PRSI) contribution conditions. The department received a claim for IP for the person concerned on the 8 September 2015. The claim will be processed as quickly as possible and the person in question will be notified directly...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (23 Sep 2015)

Joan Burton: I confirm that on 19 August 2014 the department received from the person concerned an application for carer’s allowance (CA) in respect of two care recipients. The application was refused in respect of both care recipients on the grounds that person concerned was self-employed outside the home for more than 15 hours per week. He was notified on 5 March 2015 of these decisions,...

Confidence in Taoiseach, the Attorney General and the Government: Motion (22 Sep 2015)

Joan Burton: A capital plan to be published by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Brendan Howlin, next week will increase investment in road, rail, broadband, housing, other essential infrastructure, such as schools and primary care centres, and job creation, both in terms of indigenous industry through Enterprise Ireland and foreign direct investment through IDA Ireland, and will...

Confidence in Taoiseach, the Attorney General and the Government: Motion (22 Sep 2015)

Joan Burton: The Government, in tandem with the people, is working to bring this country up-----

Confidence in Taoiseach, the Attorney General and the Government: Motion (22 Sep 2015)

Joan Burton: There are many things wrong with the country that we want to improve and make better-----

Confidence in Taoiseach, the Attorney General and the Government: Motion (22 Sep 2015)

Joan Burton: -----but there are also many things that the people have achieved. The Deputies opposite should at least have the perspective to be able to recognise and acknowledge these achievements. We have stability, recovery and renewal and we will realise our country's potential to be better for all. As Tánaiste and leader of the Labour Party, I support the motion.

Confidence in Taoiseach, the Attorney General and the Government: Motion (22 Sep 2015)

Joan Burton: It is now very much Labour's way.

Confidence in Taoiseach, the Attorney General and the Government: Motion (22 Sep 2015)

Joan Burton: You got your answer, Micheál.

Confidence in Taoiseach, the Attorney General and the Government: Motion (22 Sep 2015)

Joan Burton: I want to make two points in relation to this. First, had we not established a commission of investigation into these matters the Government would rightly stand accused, particularly by the people gracing the Opposition benches. I think everybody knows that. The Members know that themselves but we established the commission and we ensured these matters would be fully and appropriately...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2015 - Vote 37: Minister for Social Protection (22 Sep 2015)

Joan Burton: I thank the committee for the invitation to appear before it to discuss the mid-year position on the 2015 Estimates for the Department and to look ahead to budget 2016. Late last week, my officials provided briefing material for the use of the committee at this meeting. This includes detailed financial data for 2015, including the mid-year position. Briefing on mid-year progress on the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2015 - Vote 37: Minister for Social Protection (22 Sep 2015)

Joan Burton: I note the guidance is from the Auditor General of New Zealand. The secretariat asked what the breakdown of the output would be. The secretariat also said policy and legislation related targets, for example, the publication of legislation such as the Gender Recognition Bill, are not relevant to performance reporting. On that, the recent enactment of the Gender Recognition Act enables a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2015 - Vote 37: Minister for Social Protection (22 Sep 2015)

Joan Burton: It was five or six months.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2015 - Vote 37: Minister for Social Protection (22 Sep 2015)

Joan Burton: I think what Deputy Ryan has said summarises the heart of the issue and how it goes forward. I could give him a couple of examples. The OECD would be involved in this as well. I draw members' attention to the summary of the notes on Vote 37 - the output table, note No. 18. It is Department item No. 64. This goes back to Deputy Ó Snodaigh's point about processing times. When all...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2015 - Vote 37: Minister for Social Protection (22 Sep 2015)

Joan Burton: Not anymore; exactly. However, as the airport is located just outside his constituency, we share it. It is in an area with potential to achieve considerable employment growth. Therefore, the social and employment activation questions in each area are subtly different. If we are to develop a model, we must develop one that will be sensitive to these differences. I am not sure the New...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2015 - Vote 37: Minister for Social Protection (22 Sep 2015)

Joan Burton: I will comment briefly on that. When Mr. Chopra headed the troika team in Ireland, he introduced a terminology into public policy that has been universally adopted now, which is evidence-based policy making. All my discussions with him were about evidence-based policy making. When I arrived in the Department, some of our interlocutors had the State pension and free travel very much in...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2015 - Vote 37: Minister for Social Protection (22 Sep 2015)

Joan Burton: To be helpful, will the Senator give us a couple of examples of lacunae?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2015 - Vote 37: Minister for Social Protection (22 Sep 2015)

Joan Burton: For the Senator's information, there was no capacity before we began the amalgamation process I described. As an expert in the education field, the Senator knows that people who gained access to a course either did show or did not show up. That is on the FÁS side. Going back to the New Zealand model, one can take it to a greater extreme and say that while somebody who is unemployed is...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2015 - Vote 37: Minister for Social Protection (22 Sep 2015)

Joan Burton: Yes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2015 - Vote 37: Minister for Social Protection (22 Sep 2015)

Joan Burton: The Senator might take up that issue with my colleague, the Minister for Finance, Deputy Michael Noonan. That was a particular feature in terms of the stress endured in the country as a consequence of the crash and also the fact that many in politics and other walks of life were well provided for in terms of pensions.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2015 - Vote 37: Minister for Social Protection (22 Sep 2015)

Joan Burton: May I make a couple of points to try to be helpful and perhaps agree on some common ground?