Results 12,381-12,400 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Code (14 Jan 2015)

Joan Burton: Parliamentary Question 140 of last December relates to the case of an individual who is in receipt of jobseeker’s allowance. He is also paid an increase in respect of a qualified adult (his spouse) and an increase for a qualified child. His spouse is also in receipt of a half-rate carer’s allowance. She was employed as a polling clerk for one day last year. A person in...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Back to Work Allowance (14 Jan 2015)

Joan Burton: The key principles of the Back to Work Enterprise Allowance (BTWEA) were set out in my December reply to the Deputy’s question. The rate of payment of BTWEA in the first year for a customer who pursues a self-employment option is equal to the full value of their previous jobseeker’s payment to which they were in receipt of prior to taking up the Allowance. Therefore, there is...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Defined Benefit Pension Schemes (14 Jan 2015)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 47 and 75 together. Defined benefit pension schemes in Ireland are set up and maintained by employers on a voluntary basis. A statutory obligation on employers under Irish law to contribute to their pension scheme has never existed. The level of employer and employee contributions is agreed and established in contract in the Trust Deeds and Rules of each...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme Payments (14 Jan 2015)

Joan Burton: The person concerned has been in receipt of rent supplement at her current address since 1 October 2011. She is currently receiving the maximum rate payable for a person with her specific circumstances; i.e. that of a single person with a maximum rent limit of €520 per month. The Department is taking measures to ensure that the housing needs of rent supplement customers who are in...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (14 Jan 2015)

Joan Burton: The person concerned was awarded carer’s allowance on 23 December 2014 and the first payment issued to the bank on 8 January 2015. The person in question was notified of this decision on 23 December 2014.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Bodies Data (14 Jan 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. The Pensions Board was renamed the Pensions Authority on 7 March 2014. The Public Service Reform Programme provided for a critical...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Decentralisation Programme Data (14 Jan 2015)

Joan Burton: Under the terms of the Decentralisation Programme which was announced in December 2003, various sections of the Department were designated to move to the following locations, Buncrana, Carrickmacross, Carrick-on-Shannon (in 2 Phases), Donegal Town, Drogheda and Sligo.The Combat Poverty Agency and the Citizens Information Board which operate under the aegis of my Department were designated to...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Pensions Insolvency Payments Scheme (14 Jan 2015)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare and Pensions Act 2009 provided for the establishment by the Minister for Finance of a Pensions Insolvency Payments scheme (PIPS) to provide for the payment of pensions in the event of the wind up of a pension scheme where both the employer and the scheme is insolvent to secure the payment of pension at less cost than through traditional annuities, thereby making more scheme...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Eligibility (14 Jan 2015)

Joan Burton: Where a farmer is in receipt of a payment from the agri-environment schemes known as the Rural Environment Protection Scheme (REPS) and AEOS, social welfare legislation provides, for the purpose of certain social welfare schemes, for the disregard of the first €2,539.48 of such payments and the further disregard of half of the remaining balance. The relevant schemes are farm assist,...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme Administration (14 Jan 2015)

Joan Burton: The payment of Rent Supplement is a matter between the Department and the tenant, subject to the tenant satisfying the eligibility criteria and payment issues directly to the tenant. Where the Department is notified of issues regarding a tenant not passing the Rent Supplement to the landlord, the Department can request the tenant to authorise payment directly to the landlord. This can only...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Pension Provisions (14 Jan 2015)

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

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Domiciliary Care Allowance Applications (14 Jan 2015)

Joan Burton: The person concerned applied for domiciliary care allowance in respect of her child on 17 October 2014. 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 12 January 2015 advising of the decision. In the case of an application which is refused on medical grounds the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Domiciliary Care Allowance Appeals (14 Jan 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...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Illness Benefit Appeals (14 Jan 2015)

Joan Burton: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an Appeals Officer, having fully considered all of the available evidence including that adduced at the oral hearing, has decided to allow the appeal of the person concerned. The person concerned has been notified of the Appeals Officer’s decision. The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Maternity Benefit (14 Jan 2015)

Joan Burton: Maternity benefit is an income maintenance payment awarded to eligible women for a 26-week period on foot of a confinement. Entitlement to this benefit for employees is contingent on entitlement to statutory maternity leave. In 2015 my Department will spend an estimated €254.16 million on maternity benefit and adoptive benefit, a related scheme. Based on this estimate the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Pension Provisions (14 Jan 2015)

Joan Burton: I am very aware of the funding difficulties facing many pension schemes at this time. A number of both legislative and administrative changes have been made in recent years to assist employer and the trustees of pension schemes address the funding challenges facing such schemes. The most recent changes to pension legislation extended the options available to the trustees of a pension...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals Waiting Times (14 Jan 2015)

Joan Burton: The average appeal processing time for 2014 broken down by all social welfare scheme types is outlined in the following table. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Insolvency Payments Scheme Payments (14 Jan 2015)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 73, 74 and 110 together. My Department is continuing to review the position to establish what, if anything, can be done to progress payments to individuals in situations where employers cease trading without engaging in a formal winding-up process, and who owe moneys to their employees. My officials are consulting with a range of interested parties...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Inniúlacht sa Ghaeilge sa Stát Seirbhís (14 Jan 2015)

Joan Burton: Tháinig síneadh mór ar ról agus feidhmeanna na Roinne le 2 bhliain anuas, inar aistríodh breis agus 1,700 comhalta foirne agus a bhfeidhmeanna a bhí ag oibriú, ag an tráth sin, ó bhreis agus 900 láthair. Rinne an Roinn a gnólacht a athstruchtúrú agus a athchumrú ón mbonn aníos, agus rinneadh athruithe ar...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Domiciliary Care Allowance Applications (14 Jan 2015)

Joan Burton: An application for domiciliary care allowance (DCA) was received from the person concerned on 5 November 2014. This application has been forwarded to one of the Department’s Medical Assessors for their medical opinion. Following receipt of this opinion, a decision will be made by a Deciding Officer and notified to the person concerned. It can currently take 10 weeks to process an...