Results 8,981-9,000 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Eligibility (22 Sep 2015)

Joan Burton: The Department endeavours to keep all information on its website accurate, complete and up-to-date. The Department is arranging for the carer's allowance operational guidelines to be updated to reflect any changes that have occurred in the BTEA since 2012 and appreciates your drawing of this oversight to its attention. Entitlement to the back to education allowance (BTEA) is dependent on...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Appeals (22 Sep 2015)

Joan Burton: Appeal processing times peaked in 2011 when the average processing time for an appeal of carers allowance was 38.8 weeks. In 2012 the average processing time reduced to 33.8 weeks. Further improvements were achieved in 2013, when the average appeal processing time reduced to 28.5 weeks. As at the end of August 2015, the average time taken to process a carer’s allowance appeal has...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: State Pensions Reform (22 Sep 2015)

Joan Burton: The State pension contributory (SPC) is a very valuable benefit and is the bedrock of the Irish pension system. Therefore, it is important to ensure that those qualifying have made a sustained contribution to the Social Insurance Fund over their working lives. To ensure that an individual can maximise their entitlement to an SPC, all contributions paid over their working life from when they...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Application Forms (22 Sep 2015)

Joan Burton: My Department updates and reviews its application forms on a regular basis, to take account of evolving requirements. Recently revised application forms reflect a more neutral wording of the payment options section of the forms. The revised forms have been distributed and are also available on the Department’s website .

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments Administration (22 Sep 2015)

Joan Burton: The estimated average total cost to the Department of Social Protection per individual transaction for social welfare payments made in cash at the Post Office is €1.70 at current volumes. The estimated average total cost to the Department per transaction in respect of social welfare payments direct to bank accounts is 26c.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Payments (22 Sep 2015)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 4 August 2015. It is a statutory requirement of the appeals process that the relevant Departmental papers and comments by the Deciding Officer on the grounds of appeal be sought. When these papers have been received from the Department, the case in question will be...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Momentum Programme (22 Sep 2015)

Joan Burton: The Government recognises the importance of increasing participation in employment for persons with a disability and provides a wide range of income and work related supports through the Department of Social Protection. These supports play an important role in facilitating increased participation in the labour force by people with disabilities. These supports include the wage subsidy...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Disability Allowance Payments (22 Sep 2015)

Joan Burton: I confirm that the person concerned was in receipt of disability allowance (DA) from 2002 to 2013. A review of her entitlement was carried out recently and it was established that the person concerned had means not previously disclosed to this department. These means are derived from a United Kingdom State Pension which was awarded to the person in question in 2007.There is no evidence...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Jobseeker's Allowance Payments (22 Sep 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...

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

Joan Burton: A claim for child benefit was received in respect of the child concerned from his mother in May 2015. She had previously applied for child benefit in respect of this child in June 2014; however the earlier claim was withdrawn as she failed to reply to correspondence issued. Child benefit has now been awarded from July 2014, the month following receipt of the earlier claim. Payment of child...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Invalidity Pension Appeals (22 Sep 2015)

Joan Burton: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an Appeals Officer, having fully considered all the evidence, disallowed the appeal of the person concerned by way of summary decision on the 10 April 2014. Under Social Welfare legislation, the decision of the Appeals Officer is final and conclusive and may only be reviewed by the Appeals Officer in the light of new evidence or new...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Jobseeker's Allowance Appeals (22 Sep 2015)

Joan Burton: The person concerned recently made a claim for jobseeker’s allowance which was disallowed on the grounds that he is not habitually resident in the State. He has submitted an appeal against this decision which has been processed and is being forwarded to the independent Social Welfare Appeals Office (SWAO) by the Deciding Officer involved in the case. The SWAO will be in contact with...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (22 Sep 2015)

Joan Burton: The application for carer’s allowance in respect of the person concerned was awarded on 11 August 2015 and the first payment was issued to the person’s bank nominated bank account on 20 August 2015. Arrears of allowance due from 30 April 2015 to 12 August 2015 were also issued to the bank

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: State Pension (Contributory) Appeals (22 Sep 2015)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 16thApril 2015 It is a statutory requirement of the appeals process that the relevant papers and comments by or on behalf of the Deciding Officer on the grounds of appeal be sought from the Department of Social Protection These papers have been received in the Social...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Youth Unemployment Measures (22 Sep 2015)

Joan Burton: The Government’s primary strategy to tackle youth unemployment is through policies to create the environment for a strong economic recovery, by promoting competitiveness and productivity.Economic recovery will underpin jobs growth and the availability of productive employment for young people. This strategy has been succeeding, with an increase of over 80,000 in employment over the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (22 Sep 2015)

Joan Burton: In addition to their widow’s contributory pension, the person concerned is in receipt of fuel allowance, free electricity allowance and free television licence. The person’s application for living alone increase was disallowed on the basis they had not reached the qualifying age of 66. The decision to disallow the application for living alone increase has been appealed and the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Jobseeker's Allowance Payments (22 Sep 2015)

Joan Burton: As outlined in reply to the Deputy’s question number 29976-15 on 16 July 2015, the person concerned is in receipt of Jobseeker’s Allowance at the appropriate rate (for the client, her partner and one child dependant). Means, which have been reviewed since the reduction in the work pattern, are assessed against this payment in respect of her partner’s income.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (22 Sep 2015)

Joan Burton: I confirm that the department received an application for carer’s allowance from the person in question on the 7 May 2015. Some additional information in relation to the person’s employment was required and has been requested by the deciding officer. Once this information is received, the application will be processed and the person concerned will be notified directly of the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Widow's Pension Applications (22 Sep 2015)

Joan Burton: Entitlement to widow’s contributory pension is based on either the social insurance record of the widow or that of their deceased spouse. Their social insurance records cannot be combined to establish entitlement. The social insurance record of the person concerned consists of 129 paid and credited insurance contributions in respect of the period between 1974 and 1976. This...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Services for People with Disabilities (22 Sep 2015)

Joan Burton: I should clarify at the outset that the WALK Peer initiative was not a “pilot programme”. It was one of 14 disability activation projects (DACT),in the Border, Midlands & West region, which were jointly funded by the European Social Fund (ESF) and the Department. WALK Peer supported a total of 119 participants during the lifetime of the project, with 12 participants...