Results 10,841-10,860 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (6 May 2015)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was referred to an Appeals Officer on 8 April 2015, who will make a summary decision on the appeal based on the documentary evidence presented or, if required, hold an oral hearing. The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Social Protection and of the Department...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Supplementary Welfare Allowance Applications (6 May 2015)

Joan Burton: The person concerned is a Lithuanian national and made an application for supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) on 23 March 2015. He advised the Designated Person investigating his claim that he had come to Ireland after a period being resident in Denmark and that he had previously lived in Ireland. As the most recent payment made to him from this Department was in July 2013, he was asked to...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Disability Allowance Payments (6 May 2015)

Joan Burton: Following a review of the entitlement of the person in question and based on the information provided, the person concerned was deemed to have an increase in means. This decision was based on her spouse's earnings as stated on his P60 for 2014. The person in question was notified of this decision on 9 March 2015 and was also given the option to submit further documentation/evidence if...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Universal Retirement Savings Group (6 May 2015)

Joan Burton: In line with the Statement of Government Priorities, the Government recently decided to proceed with work to develop a roadmap for the introduction of a new, universal, supplementary workplace retirement saving scheme. The Universal Retirement Savings Group (URSG) has been established to consider the constituent factors involved in constructing an efficient and effective universal retirement...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Disability Allowance Appeals (6 May 2015)

Joan Burton: I confirm that the department was notified by the Social Welfare Appeals Office on the 14 April 2015 that the appeal for the person in question was upheld and was deemed to be medically suitable for the scheme. His file has been passed to a deciding officer to implement the appeals officers’ decision and the person concerned will be notified in writing once full entitlement has been...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Pension Provisions (6 May 2015)

Joan Burton: State pensions account for the single largest block of social welfare expenditure, and while expenditure on pensions is increasing because of demographic pressures, this is being managed within the overall welfare budget. This year, the Department of Social Protection will spend an estimated €6.675 billion on pensions, i.e., 34.4% of all welfare expenditure, and an increase of...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Occupational Injuries Benefit (6 May 2015)

Joan Burton: The exceptional circumstances that would be considered appropriate grounds for considering an application for occupational injuries benefit by a person who applied more than six months from the date of the injury are set out in regulations - where it is shown to the satisfaction of a deciding officer or an appeals officer that the delay was due to information provided by an officer of the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Mortgage Repayments (6 May 2015)

Joan Burton: As detailed to the Deputy in reply to Parliamentary Question 3255-14 of 23 January 2014 and Question 37562-14 of 2 October 2014 certain documents were outstanding in relation to the application for mortgage interest supplement from this client and the claim was closed as it could not be processed. The claim was closed in April 2014 following a final reminder, as despite numerous written...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Domiciliary Care Allowance Applications (6 May 2015)

Joan Burton: The person concerned applied for domiciliary care allowance in respect of her child on the 20th January 2015. The application was disallowed as it was considered that the child did not meet the eligibility criteria for the allowance. A decision letter issued to the customer on the 29th April 2015 advising of the decision. In the case of an application which is refused the applicant may...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Jobseeker's Allowance Data (6 May 2015)

Joan Burton: At the end of December in each of the years 2012, 2013 and 2014 there were 33,476, 38,174 and 32,691 while at the end of April there were 31,067 persons under 25 years of age in receipt of a reduced Jobseeker's Allowance social welfare payment. These figures do not include persons under the age of 25 to whom penalty rates were applied to their rate of payment at these dates.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Pension Provisions (6 May 2015)

Joan Burton: The issue of engagement with the industrial relations machinery of the State falls within the remit of the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation. It is acknowledged that the industrial relations system in Ireland is voluntary in nature both as regards access to the Labour Relations Commission and the Labour Court. Any change to that principle which would put in place a mandated right...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Widow's Pension Eligibility (6 May 2015)

Joan Burton: An application for widow’s contributory pension was received from the person concerned on the 10thof April 2015. A Deciding Officer has noted that there is no record of the person’s marriage held by the General Register Office and has requested the person concerned to furnish a copy of their marriage certificate. On receipt, a Deciding Officer will make a decision on the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Pension Provisions (6 May 2015)

Joan Burton: EU social security legislation provides that a resident of Ireland who has been insurably employed in another EU Member State(s) or a European Economic Area State (Norway, Iceland, Switzerland, Liechtenstein), and who is approaching state pension age in that country(ies), should make their application for pension through the Department of Social Protection. The Department will set out the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Data (6 May 2015)

Joan Burton: The person in question is in receipt of the half-rate carer's allowance in respect of one care recipient. The weekly carer's allowance payment he receives is €102.00 per week. In addition, his spouse is in receipt of a DSP payment in her own right including an increase for a qualified adult in respect of the person concerned amounting to €124.80 per week plus increases for...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Personal Public Service Numbers (6 May 2015)

Joan Burton: The Personal Public Service (PPS) Number is an individual’s unique reference number for all dealings with Government Departments and public bodies. Before a PPS Number can be allocated, the person making the application must provide evidence of identity and demonstrate a valid reason for the application. PPS Numbers are issued by the Department following checks on an...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Invalidity Pension Payments (6 May 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 person concerned was awarded IP from 11thAugust 2011 at the maximum weekly personal rate of €193.50. If there has been a change in circumstances and the person concerned wishes to...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme Eligibility (6 May 2015)

Joan Burton: The person concerned was claiming one parent family payment from October 2007 until October 2013, when her claim was disallowed following an investigation which determined that her means were in excess of the statutory limit for receipt of the payment. This decision was appealed to the Social Welfare Appeals Office (SWAO); however her appeal was disallowed by that office in April 2014. A...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Code (6 May 2015)

Joan Burton: The means test for social assistance schemes takes account of all cash income which income the claimant has as well as the yearly value of property (other than the home) and capital which a claimant owns. The key issue, for means testing purposes, in the case of trust funds is the ownership of such funds. Trust funds which are owned by a child of a claimant are not assessable in order to...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Expenditure (6 May 2015)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 105 and 106 together. The information requested by the Deputy is provided in the table: - - Actual expenditure Actual expenditure Actual expenditure Actual expenditure - 2015 Revised Estimate Jan 2015 Feb 2015 Mar 2015 Year to date end of Mar 2015 - €000 €000 €000 €000 €000 Overall Department of Social Protection...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (6 May 2015)

Joan Burton: Average appeal processing times for 2014 and 2015 broken down by all social welfare scheme types are outlined in the tables below. Appeal processing times peaked in 2011 when the average time for an oral hearing was 52.5 weeks and for a summary decision was 25.1 weeks. In 2012 the average processing time for an oral hearing dropped to 39.5 weeks and the time for a summary decision increased...