Results 13,421-13,440 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Community Welfare Services (21 Oct 2014)

Joan Burton: A key objective of the transfer of the Community Welfare Service (CWS) from the Health Service Executive to the Department on 1st October 2011 was to provide a streamlined and consistent service to the customer. As part of this process and to support the Department’s activation commitments under the Pathways to Work Programme and the development of Intreo services nationally, it has...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Staff Retirements (21 Oct 2014)

Joan Burton: All retirement benefits for staff retiring from the Department are awarded strictly in accordance with the rules of the Superannuation Schemes. No enhanced retirement packages are provided. In the case of retirement on grounds of ill health, added years may be awarded in accordance with the rules of the Superannuation Schemes as set out in centralised circulars, on receipt of a...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Illness Benefit Applications (21 Oct 2014)

Joan Burton: The person concerned made a claim for Illness Benefit on 1 July 2008. On 20 January 2012, he attended at the medical review and assessment centre for a medical assessment and the medical assessor provided the opinion that this he was not medically eligible for Illness Benefit. The case was then referred to a Deciding Officer in the Department, who made the decision to disallow the payment...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (21 Oct 2014)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 08thOctober 2014. 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 were received in the Social...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Supplementary Welfare Allowance Eligibility (21 Oct 2014)

Joan Burton: The person concerned, who was self-employed at the time of his application, was refused supplementary welfare allowance because his means were in excess of the payment limits. Should he now re-apply for supplementary welfare allowance on the basis that his self-employment has ceased due to illness his circumstances will be re-examined.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Eligibility (21 Oct 2014)

Joan Burton: I announced in Budget 2015 that a 25% Christmas bonus will be paid this year to recipients of certain social welfare payments. Where payable, the minimum bonus to be paid will be €20 and the measure as a whole is expected to benefit over 1.16m people. The Christmas bonus was introduced in 1980 and was last paid in 2008. In that year (and in previous years), the Bonus was not paid to...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Eligibility (21 Oct 2014)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 156 and 167 together. I announced in Budget 2015 that a 25% Christmas bonus will be paid this year to recipients of certain social welfare payments. Where payable, the minimum bonus will be €20 and the measure as a whole is expected to benefit over 1.16m people. The Christmas bonus was introduced in 1980 and was last paid in 2008. In that year, the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Code (21 Oct 2014)

Joan Burton: The Department of Social Protection will spend €230 million this year on the household benefits package for almost 415,000 customers. The fuel allowance is paid for 26 weeks from October to April to almost 415,000 households at an estimated cost of €208 million in 2014. The Government has already announced that from 2015 both the household benefits package and the fuel...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Invalidity Pension Appeals (21 Oct 2014)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that the appeal from the person concerned was referred to an Appeals Officer who has decided to hold an oral hearing in this case on 23 October 2014. The person concerned has been notified of the arrangements for the hearing. The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Social Protection and of the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Redundancy Payments (21 Oct 2014)

Joan Burton: The redundancy lump sum application in respect of the person detailed has been awarded and payment was lodged to the person’s nominated bank account.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Appeals (21 Oct 2014)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was referred to an Appeals Officer on 07 October 2014, 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: Social Insurance Rates (21 Oct 2014)

Joan Burton: There were no changes to employer’s PRSI in Budget 2015.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Insurance (21 Oct 2014)

Joan Burton: Self-employed persons are liable for PRSI at the class S rate of 4% which entitles them to access long-term benefits such as State pension (contributory) and widow's, widower's or surviving civil partner's pension (contributory). Self-employed workers may access social welfare supports by establishing eligibility to assistance-based payments such as jobseeker’s allowance and...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme Administration (21 Oct 2014)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions 170 and 183 together. The purpose of rent supplement is to provide short-term income support to eligible people living in private rented accommodation. There are approximately 73,500 rent supplement recipients for which the Government has provided over €344 million for 2014. I am acutely aware of the difficulties people are experiencing in maintaining...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Unemployment Levels (21 Oct 2014)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 171, 186, 187, 189 and 192 together. In the first instance, the Government’s primary strategy to reduce long term unemployment and 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. This strategy is working....

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Free Travel Scheme Review (21 Oct 2014)

Joan Burton: The free travel scheme provides free travel on the main public and private transport services for approximately 800,000 people, elderly, disabled and carers. Funding for the free travel scheme was capped by the previous Government in the National Recovery Plan 2011-2014. Given the increasing number of recipients and the funding pressures, the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport and I...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Pension Provisions (21 Oct 2014)

Joan Burton: The homemaker’s scheme was introduced in 1994 to make qualification for SPC easier for those who take time out of the workforce for caring duties. The scheme allows up to 20 years spent caring for children under 12 years of age, or incapacitated people, to be disregarded when a person’s social insurance record is being calculated for pension purposes. The effect of this is to...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Fraud Data (21 Oct 2014)

Joan Burton: The Department’s policy is to ensure that every effort is made to prevent overpayments, but if they occur, they are regarded as a debt to the Exchequer and every effort must be made to recover the amounts due. It is the Department’s policy to investigate and pursue all overpayments so as to protect public monies to the greatest extent possible. The Department has a...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Employment Support Services (21 Oct 2014)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 175 and 191 together. I refer the Deputy to the recent CSO Live Register Statistical Release giving data up to the end of August 2014 on the number of people availing of a range of programmes targeted primarily at the long-term unemployed (over 12 months) and other welfare recipients (including Lone Parents). There were 62,937 people availing of these...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Jobseeker's Allowance Eligibility (21 Oct 2014)

Joan Burton: Social welfare legislation provides that a person must satisfy the conditions of being available for and genuinely seeking work in order to be entitled to jobseeker’s benefit or jobseeker’s allowance. Any person who fails to satisfy these conditions is not entitled to a jobseeker’s payment. A student undergoing a full-time course of study, instruction or training is...