Results 13,641-13,660 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Public Services Card (8 Oct 2014)

Joan Burton: The Public Services Card (PSC) has been introduced to enable individuals to gain access to public services more efficiently and with a minimum of duplication of effort, while at the same time preserving their privacy to the maximum extent possible. The PSC is designed to replace other cards within the public sector such as the free travel pass and the social services card and to make it easy...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Appeals (8 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 8 September 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 appeal in question will be...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Respite Care Grant Expenditure (8 Oct 2014)

Joan Burton: I am very aware that the reduction in the respite care grant in Budget 2013 proved difficult for carers. However, in order to protect the core weekly payments which people receive, including disability payments, pensions and carer’s allowance, the Government had to look very carefully at other additional payments, including the respite care grant. This approach to protecting core...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Household Benefits Scheme (8 Oct 2014)

Joan Burton: The overall concern of Government in Budget 2014 and previous Budgets has been to protect the primary social welfare rates. Expenditure on pensions at approx. €6.5 billion is the largest block of expenditure in the Department in the Estimate for 2014, representing approx. 33% of overall expenditure. Because of demographic changes the Department’s spending on older people is...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Domiciliary Care Allowance Payments (8 Oct 2014)

Joan Burton: The person concerned was notified on the 30th September 2014 that her domiciliary care allowance (DCA) appeal was successful. DCA is paid monthly. Payment of the allowance, along with arrears due, will be available in the customer’s nominated bank account on 21 October 2014 and on the third Tuesday of each month thereafter. Following the award of DCA payment of Respite Care grant...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme Eligibility (8 Oct 2014)

Joan Burton: Following a recent review, the clients Rent Supplement of €750 per month was found to be in excess of the maximum limit of €600 applicable to her circumstance and family composition in Wicklow. The client has been requested to secure a rent reduction or source alternate accommodation within the maximum limits. The client's Rent Supplement will remain in payment until 31...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: JobsPlus Scheme (7 Oct 2014)

Joan Burton: The JobsPlus Scheme was introduced from 1 July, 2013. Monthly payments are made to employers who employ persons who have been at least twelve months on the Live Register. At the end of September 2014, payments were been made to 2,272 employers in respect of 2,999 new jobs. Table 1 below shows the number of businesses, by county, who are receiving a JobsPlus payment for one or more...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Disability Allowance Payments (7 Oct 2014)

Joan Burton: The person concerned requested a review of his rate of disability allowance (DA) which was already in payment at a reduced rate. Following a revised decision he has now been awarded an increase in his DA payment, with effect from 28 May 2014, to €188.00 per week which is the maximum weekly rate for a single person. Arrears of payment due will issue in the next few days to his...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Investigations (7 Oct 2014)

Joan Burton: There is no report in relation to this issue. These cases are being dealt with on an individual basis and are the subject of ongoing investigation in my Department. It would not be appropriate for me to comment on the likely outcome of these investigations at this stage.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Insurance Rates (7 Oct 2014)

Joan Burton: An increase in the employers’ PRSI contribution rate payable on the portion of salaries above €100,000 could only be considered in a Budgetary context and would have to take account of the Programme for Government commitment to maintain the standard 10.75% rate of employer PRSI.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Legal Cases (7 Oct 2014)

Joan Burton: The information in relation to this parliamentary question is currently being compiled in my Department and will be provided to the Deputy as soon as it becomes available.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Back to Education Allowance Eligibility (7 Oct 2014)

Joan Burton: A person wishing to pursue a course of study under the back to education allowance ( BTEA) scheme will have to satisfy a number of conditions such as being a certain age, in receipt of a prescribed social welfare payment for a specified time period, pursuing a full-time course of study leading to a recognised qualification in a recognised college and progressing in the level of education held...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (7 Oct 2014)

Joan Burton: Given the scale of unemployment levels, the key objective of activation policy and labour market initiatives is to offer assistance to those most in need of support in securing work and achieving financial self-sufficiency. This policy objective prioritises scarce resources to those in receipt of qualifying welfare payments, and in particular those who have been receiving such payments for...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme Payments (7 Oct 2014)

Joan Burton: The person concerned was in receipt of rent supplement from this Department from September 2012 until August 2014 on the basis of an assessable rent of €875 per month and income from her jobseeker’s allowance payments. In August 2014 the person concerned applied for an increase in rent supplement as the rent on her accommodation had increased to €975 per month. However,...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Expenditure (7 Oct 2014)

Joan Burton: The allocations for the Department in 2015, including the allocations for Departmental agencies, are currently being considered as part of the budgetary and estimates process. The outcome of this process will be contained in the Budget Day estimates which will be published on Budget Day (14 October next).

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Disability Allowance Applications (7 Oct 2014)

Joan Burton: I confirm that the Department received an application for disability allowance (DA) from the above named person on 8 September 2014. On completion of the necessary investigations on all aspects of the claim a decision will be made and the person concerned will be notified directly of the outcome. The processing time for individual DA claims may vary in accordance with their relative...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Community Services Programme (7 Oct 2014)

Joan Burton: The community services programme (CSP) is designed to address gaps in service delivery and disadvantage and to ensure that community facilities are utilised. The programme is funded by the Department with day-to-day management of contracts undertaken by Pobal. Contract holders must deliver tangible services that are capable of generating non-public revenues from their operations by way of...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Jobseeker's Benefit Applications (7 Oct 2014)

Joan Burton: Due to an administrative error when processing the jobseeker’s benefit claim of the person concerned an overpayment occurred. Clondalkin Local Office will arrange to meet with the person concerned in order to discuss this matter. I can confirm that all contributions paid by the person concerned are linked to her new PPS number and were considered when processing this case.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme Administration (7 Oct 2014)

Joan Burton: 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 an alternative to the other social housing schemes...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (7 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 19 August 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 and...