Results 12,601-12,620 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Strategies (10 Dec 2014)

Joan Burton: Increasing the level of public service delivery to citizens through electronic channels is a key ingredient in creating a vibrant, modern and competitive Irish economy, offering scope to streamline processes and improve customer service. This objective is bedded into a range of Government initiatives including the Public Sector Reform Plan, e-Government Strategy and the Department’s...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Data (10 Dec 2014)

Joan Burton: The information requested by the Deputy is detailed in the attached tabular statements. Please note that separate pending figures for dental benefit and optical benefit as requested are not available. Pending figures for treatment benefits as a whole are available, encompassing dental benefit, optical benefit and hearing aids. The treatment benefits pending figure at the end of May 2014 was...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Unemployment Data (10 Dec 2014)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 42 and 45 together. The Government’s primary strategy to reduce long-term and youth unemployment has been through policies to create the environment for a strong economic recovery by promoting competitiveness and productivity. Economic recovery will underpin jobs growth. This strategy is working. Employment has risen by about 85,000 since the recovery...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Anti-Poverty Strategy (10 Dec 2014)

Joan Burton: One of the key objectives of Budget 2015 was to assist unemployed families to return to work. Through the new Back to Work Family Dividend scheme, long-term unemployed jobseekers with children who leave welfare to return to work can retain the child-related portion of their social welfare payment on a tapered basis over two years. This includes those who move to self-employment, such as the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals Waiting Times (10 Dec 2014)

Joan Burton: The average appeal processing time for 2012, 2013 and 2014 broken down by all social welfare scheme types is 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...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Data (10 Dec 2014)

Joan Burton: In relation to disability allowance the number of children who qualified whose parents had previously been in receipt of domiciliary care allowance is 1064. The number of applications rejected is 299. This is for the twelve month period up to 30/11/14. Invalidity pension is a payment for insured people who are permanently incapable of work due to illness or incapacity. In order to qualify...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Waiting Times (10 Dec 2014)

Joan Burton: All scheme areas will have claims pending decision ‘on hand’ at any point in time, with the number of pending claims being dependent on the number of pending claims on hand at the start of a period, and the number of claims received versus the number of claims cleared during the period. The number of claims cleared in turn is largely dependent on the nature of the claims...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Pension Provisions (10 Dec 2014)

Joan Burton: The State pension 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 and the reform measures introduced to date go somewhat toward that goal. To ensure that the individual can maximise their entitlement to a State pension...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Eligibility (10 Dec 2014)

Joan Burton: The Christmas bonus was paid last week to over 1.2 million long-term social welfare recipients at a cost of €65 million. The Bonus was introduced in 1980 and paid annually (at varying rates) until it was abolished in 2009. I was pleased to be in the position to partially restore the bonus this year. A 25% bonus (subject to a minimum payment of €20) was paid to the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Eligibility (10 Dec 2014)

Joan Burton: The Christmas Bonus was paid last week to over 1.2 million recipients at a cost of €65 million. The Bonus was originally introduced in 1980 for certain recipients and extended to long-term jobseekers in 1985. The bonus was paid annually until it was abolished in 2009. I was pleased to be in a position to partially restore the bonus this year. A 25% bonus (subject to a minimum...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Jobseeker's Benefit Eligibility (10 Dec 2014)

Joan Burton: Social Welfare legislation provides that all claimants for jobseeker’s benefit who are employed on a part-time basis must suffer a substantial loss of employment. A substantial loss is sustained if a person’s normal level of employment is reduced by at least one day with a consequent loss of earnings. The person concerned exhausted his entitlement to jobseeker’s benefit...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Insurance (10 Dec 2014)

Joan Burton: The Scope Section of my Department makes decisions on the insurability of employment on an ongoing basis, including the insurability of family members. If the Deputy can supply my Department with the details of the specific case to which he is referring, I will be happy to have the matter looked into.

Confidence in Taoiseach and Government: Motion (9 Dec 2014)

Joan Burton: That was the reality which this Government faced upon taking office.

Confidence in Taoiseach and Government: Motion (9 Dec 2014)

Joan Burton: The rubble was at our feet and we had to find a way to rebuild the economy and begin the recovery. I heard Deputy Adams recently on a radio programme telling Europe to bugger off or sod off, or whatever phrase he used. That is a recipe for beggaring the Irish people and the Irish economy.

Confidence in Taoiseach and Government: Motion (9 Dec 2014)

Joan Burton: During all the debates he continually wanted to default and now he wants to default in the future precisely when that would be one of the most nonsensical things to do. Not even most of the Independents would agree with a policy of defaulting now.

Confidence in Taoiseach and Government: Motion (9 Dec 2014)

Joan Burton: If that is what it means to have a thought-out economic policy, it would imperil the future-----

Confidence in Taoiseach and Government: Motion (9 Dec 2014)

Joan Burton: -----of every child in this country and put us trundling back into the arms of the troika. It is incredibly irresponsible to suggest at this point in time that this country can default again.

Confidence in Taoiseach and Government: Motion (9 Dec 2014)

Joan Burton: This Government will finish the job it was elected by the people to do. We will work with might and main on behalf of the people to bring the recovery to every individual, every family and every community.

Confidence in Taoiseach and Government: Motion (9 Dec 2014)

Joan Burton: They seem to want welfare only. That is to insult working people. It is for this reason that budget 2015 provides an additional €3 billion in resources for the domestic economy compared to previous plans, to place job creation front and centre. It is for this reason we have established a strategic bank to drive credit into small and medium enterprises. It is why we are...

Confidence in Taoiseach and Government: Motion (9 Dec 2014)

Joan Burton: I have mentioned trust a couple of times in this speech already and I wish to briefly return to the topic. Trust is an essential part of public life. The next general election will be about trust.