Results 13,541-13,560 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Child Benefit Data (15 Oct 2014)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 11 to 13, inclusive, together. Child benefit is a universal payment that assists parents with the cost of raising children and contributes towards alleviating child poverty. The estimated expenditure on child benefit in 2014 is around €1.9 billion and it is currently paid to around 613,000 families in respect of some 1.17 million children. The...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Invalidity Pension Appeals (15 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 01stOctober 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...

Financial Resolution No. 2: Refunds of Appropriate Tax to First Time Buyers (14 Oct 2014)

Joan Burton: I move:(1) THAT for the purposes of providing for the refund of appropriate tax paid on deposit interest earned by first-time purchasers Chapter 4 of Part 8 of the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 be amended by inserting the following section after section 266—“Repayments of appropriate tax to first-time purchasers266A. (1) In this section—‘first-time purchaser’...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme Eligibility (14 Oct 2014)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 9 and 30 together. The purpose of the rent supplement scheme is to provide short-term income support to assist with reasonable accommodation costs of eligible people living in private rented accommodation who are unable to provide for their accommodation costs from their own resources. The overall aim is to provide short term assistance, and not to act as...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Gender Recognition (14 Oct 2014)

Joan Burton: The Revised General Scheme of the Gender Recognition Bill 2014 was published on 17 June 2014. This is important legislation which will deliver on the commitment contained in the Programme for Government to provide transgender persons with legal recognition. Drafting of the detail of the legislation is now being pursued as a priority within the Department in conjunction with the Office of...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Invalidity Pension Applications (14 Oct 2014)

Joan Burton: I confirm that the Department is in receipt of an application for disability allowance from the above named person on 18 September 2014. The application will be processed as quickly as possible and the person in question will be notified directly of the outcome. The processing time for individual disability allowance claims may vary in accordance with their relative complexity, the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Exceptional Needs Payment Eligibility (14 Oct 2014)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 12 and 13 together. Under the supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) scheme, the Department of Social Protection may make a single exceptional needs payment (ENP) to help meet essential, once-off and unforeseen expenditure which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of their weekly income. The Government has provided €31.3 million for...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Supplementary Welfare Allowance Appeals (14 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 24th September 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...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Offices (14 Oct 2014)

Joan Burton: The roll-out of Intreo services in the town in question is targeted for Q1 2015 and will operate from two locations, with the Local Office remaining in its current location. The Office of Public Works has reached agreement with the HSE on a suitable property in the town for the second location required to accommodate the employment activation element and some other services. A planning...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Invalidity Pension Appeals (14 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 5thAugust 2014. 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: Invalidity Pension Appeals (14 Oct 2014)

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 Social...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Community Welfare Services (14 Oct 2014)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 20 and 22 together. The Department continues to examine ways to make the delivery of welfare services as efficient as possible having regard to the resources available. The consolidation of smaller offices with limited opening times into a central unit that has an expanded range of availability is a model that has been successful in other areas. In this...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Budget 2015 (14 Oct 2014)

Joan Burton: The allocation for the Department of Social Protection in 2015, including the allocations for the Widow/er's or Surviving Civil Partner's Pension (contributory and non-contributory), will be announced on Budget Day, October 14.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Family Income Supplement Application Numbers (14 Oct 2014)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 23 and 24 together. The family income supplement (FIS) is designed to provide support for employees, with families, who have low earnings. FIS recipients at end September 2014: Number in receipt Sept 2014 Number of Children being claimed for Sept 2014 Number of Public Servants end Sept 2014 % of FIS recipients who are Public Servants % of working...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: One-Parent Family Payment Appeals (14 Oct 2014)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned together with the relevant Departmental papers were received by that office on 08thAugust 2014 and that the case will be referred to an Appeals Officer 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...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Appointments to State Boards (14 Oct 2014)

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 Ombudsman (which does not have a Board) and the Social Welfare Tribunal. Details of appointments to the boards/committees/commissions/inquiries made since March 2011 are set out in the following table. Board Name of Person Citizens...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Exceptional Needs Payment Eligibility (14 Oct 2014)

Joan Burton: Under the supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) scheme, the Department of Social Protection may make a single exceptional needs payment (ENP) to help meet essential, once-off and unforeseen expenditure which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of their weekly income. The Government has provided €31.3 million for the ENP scheme in 2014. An application can be made...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Domiciliary Care Allowance Applications (14 Oct 2014)

Joan Burton: The person concerned was notified on the 10th October 2014 that her domiciliary care allowance application was successful and that the allowance has been awarded from 1st August 2014. Payment of the allowance, along with arrears due, will be available in the nominated bank account on the 21stOctober 2014 and on the third Tuesday of each month thereafter.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: National Internship Scheme Funding (14 Oct 2014)

Joan Burton: JobBridge interns receive a €50 weekly top-up in addition to their Social Welfare payment. This acknowledges additional expenses that may be incurred in pursing an internship over and above those normally incurred in the course of a jobseeker's job search. The JobBridge General Guidelines state: "There is nothing to prevent a Host Organisation reimbursing an Intern for expenses...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Appeals (14 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 01stAugust 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...