Results 10,141-10,160 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme Payments (16 Jun 2015)

Joan Burton: The client concerned should provide the Department with an up to date lease agreement and Rent Supplement application form confirming any increase in monthly rent. On receipt of this documentation the client's rate of Rent Supplement entitlement can be assessed.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Redundancy Payments (16 Jun 2015)

Joan Burton: A redundancy payment made to the person concerned was disputed by his former employer. The person concerned acknowledged that his entitlement to a redundancy payment was under dispute and informed this Department that he had lodged an appeal with the Employment Appeals Tribunal (EAT) for adjudication. He subsequently withdrew his appeal. As the matter was under dispute and the EAT appeal...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Illness Benefit Eligibility (16 Jun 2015)

Joan Burton: Illness Benefit is a payment for people who cannot work due to illness and who satisfy the pay related social insurance (PRSI) contribution conditions. From my Department's records the person concerned does not satisfy the statutory contribution condition due to insufficient PRSI contributions in the 2013 governing contribution year. To date a claim to disability allowance has not been...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Back to Education Allowance Payments (16 Jun 2015)

Joan Burton: The Back to Education claim of the person concerned was briefly suspended pending the return of documentation necessary to process her claim for the coming academic year. These forms have now been returned and the payment has been restored. All payments due have been paid to the person concerned.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Disability Allowance Eligibility (16 Jun 2015)

Joan Burton: The application, based upon the evidence submitted, was refused on medical grounds and the person in question was notified in writing of this decision on 20 March 2015. In our letter mentioned above to the person in question, she was given the option of seeking a review or appealing our decision directly to the Social Welfare Appeals Office, within 21 days. To date, neither option has been...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Appeals (16 Jun 2015)

Joan Burton: The person concerned was refused carers allowance on the grounds that the care recipient is not so disabled as to require full time care and attention as prescribed in regulations. He was notified on the 16th of December 2014 of this decision, the reason for it and of his right of review and appeal. The person concerned appealed this decision to the Social Welfare Appeals Office and...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Disability Allowance Payments (16 Jun 2015)

Joan Burton: The person in question has been awarded a disability allowance payment with effect from 18 March 2015. First payment will be on 1 July 2015 and any arrears due will follow shortly thereafter.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: EU Funding (16 Jun 2015)

Joan Burton: The Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived (FEAD) is worth €3.8 billion in real terms across all Member States. Ireland’s share is roughly €22.8m and with an Exchequer contribution of €4m will provide some €26.8m overall in support for the period to the end of December 2023. The Department of Social Protection is the designated managing authority...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (16 Jun 2015)

Joan Burton: The impact of social transfers (that is all welfare payments excluding pensions) on poverty and income inequality for the period 2008-2013 is set out in the accompanying tables, using official EU indicators and data from Eurostat. In 2013, social transfers reduced the at-risk-of-poverty rate from 38.5% to 14.1%; thereby lifting almost a quarter of the population out of income poverty. This...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Staff Career Breaks (16 Jun 2015)

Joan Burton: Details of the number of staff from my Department currently on career breaks are provided below. The duration for which a career break is sanctioned is not recorded as staff can extend the duration during the course of the career break. All career breaks are sanctioned for a minimum period of six months. The details provided indicate the duration since the career break commenced. On career...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Expenditure (16 Jun 2015)

Joan Burton: Photography services are used, in conjunction with some press releases and conferences, to communicate the Department’s initiatives, schemes and services to customers and to the regional and national media. Since March 2011, photography services were used for the occasions as set out in the table below. The total cost from that date is €12,662. The procurement of these...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Consultancy Contracts (16 Jun 2015)

Joan Burton: In line with Department of Social Protection policy, the press office deals with all media queries and public relations matters. It is the Department’s policy to use in-house resources as much as possible and to restrict the use of external firms to a minimum. During the period referred to by the Deputy, the Department has used the services of one external public relations firm for...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Consultancy Contracts Expenditure (16 Jun 2015)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 198 and 201 together. The Department is engaged in a number of service delivery modernisation and transformation programmes involving business process, organisational and technological change. These programmes are supported by the procurement of separate external development services (IT external service provision) as well as engagement of external IT...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Parliamentary Questions (16 Jun 2015)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 199 and 200 together. In 2014, the Department answered 3,693 parliamentary questions. To ensure that parliamentary questions are answered fully and to a high standard, each question is initially sent to the appropriate policy or scheme area for response, where the most detailed information is at hand. This reply is then reviewed by senior management and...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: State Bodies (16 Jun 2015)

Joan Burton: The statutory bodies operating under the aegis of the Department of Social Protection are the Citizens Information Board, the Pensions Authority, the Pensions Council, the Pensions Ombudsman (which does not have a Board) and the Social Welfare Tribunal. Details relating to the Boards, as requested by the Deputy, are outlined in the table below. Agency/Board Number of appointments made since...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Invalidity Pension Appeals (16 Jun 2015)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 24thMarch 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: Legislative Process (16 Jun 2015)

Joan Burton: The Government approved an expansion and reinforcement of the arrangements for pre-legislative scrutiny in September 2013. A number of new Standing Orders were adopted by the Dáil on 17 October 2013 in order to underpin these new arrangements and these Standing Orders came into effect on 5 November 2013. In order to clarify the operation of these new Standing Orders, an Agreed Protocol...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Legislative Process (16 Jun 2015)

Joan Burton: I have initiated seven Bills since September 2013, six of which have been enacted. The details requested by the Deputy are set out in the table below. Bills Initiated by Minister for Social Protection since September 2013 Title of Bill as initiated Date Initiated Status Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2013 (No. 101 of 2013) 21st October 2013 Social Welfare and Pensions Act 2013 (No. 38...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Staff Expenses (16 Jun 2015)

Joan Burton: The total amount spent on staff subsistence payments and staff taxi payments by my Department for the period 2011 to 12 June, 2015 is outlined in the following table. Description 2011 2012 2013 2014 up to 12 June 2015 Total Subsistence €1,188,212 €1,575,093 €1,554,823 €1,503,576 €546,114 €6,367,818 Taxi €34,552 €92,739...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Consultancy Contracts Data (16 Jun 2015)

Joan Burton: The procurement of services is essential to support the Department in providing a high quality service to the public in a cost effective and efficient manner and is governed by a comprehensive regulatory, legal and procedural framework. The Department engages consultants (individuals or organisations) to provide intellectual or knowledge based services (e.g. expert analysis and advice)...