Results 13,801-13,820 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Leaders' Questions (25 Sep 2014)

Joan Burton: In regard to the attack on Jonny Cooper at the weekend, to which I presume the Deputy was referring, I offer Mr. Cooper and his family the sincere sympathies of the House. It seems to have been a particularly horrific attack. I was surprised, when the Deputy referenced Dublin city, that he was not aware of the complete overhaul taking place on both sides of the city centre over a...

Leaders' Questions (25 Sep 2014)

Joan Burton: Good.

Leaders' Questions (25 Sep 2014)

Joan Burton: The Deputy suggested that he has some experience of speaking to gardaí but his comments did not reflect the efforts the Garda is making-----

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Supplementary Welfare Allowance Appeals (25 Sep 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 29 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...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Disability Allowance Appeals (25 Sep 2014)

Joan Burton: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that the disability allowance appeal of the person concerned was received in that office on 15 April 2014. In accordance with legislative requirements the appeal contentions were forwarded to the Department with a request that the appeal file and submission by the Deciding Officer be provided. These were received in the appeals office on 30...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Payments (25 Sep 2014)

Joan Burton: The current position whereby Carers Allowance is retained for 6 weeks following the death of the care recipient is consistent with the approach taken by the Department in relation to payment after death across other schemes, such as the State Pension. The period gives a reasonable time for the carer to apply to the Department for other benefits to which they might be entitled or, where a...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Household Benefits Scheme (25 Sep 2014)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 32, 33 and 51 together. The household benefits package comprises the electricity/gas allowance (€35 per month) and the free television licence scheme (€160 per annum). At present, it is paid to some 411,000 customers, with expenditure estimated at €230 million for 2014. From 2015 the household benefits package will also include a...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Labour Activation Measures (25 Sep 2014)

Joan Burton: JobPath is the Government’s new labour market activation service aimed specifically at the long-term unemployed and those most at risk of becoming long-term unemployed. JobPath will be delivered by third party providers of employment services under contract to the Department. JobPath will augment and complement the Department’s existing employment service capacity as well as...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Domiciliary Care Allowance Applications (25 Sep 2014)

Joan Burton: An application for domiciliary care allowance (DCA) was received from the person concerned on the 20th February 2014. This application was referred to one of the Department’s Medical Assessors who did not consider that the child met the medical criteria for the allowance. A letter issued on the 10th April 2014 outlining the decision of the deciding officer to refuse the allowance. A...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance Scheme Payments (25 Sep 2014)

Joan Burton: The back to school clothing and footwear allowance scheme provides a one-off payment to eligible families to assist with the extra costs when children start school each autumn. The Government has provided €46.3 million for the scheme in 2014 and provided assistance to over 160,000 families this year. It is estimated that the cost to restore the 2011 rates for the back to school...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Household Benefits Scheme (25 Sep 2014)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 39 and 40 together. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Funding (25 Sep 2014)

Joan Burton: Community Employment (CE) schemes have achieved significant efficiencies over the past 2 years in their administration (circa €11m per annum). Where there have been individual cases that warranted further attention, these were reviewed at a local level and adjustments made where the circumstances permitted. The Department continues to monitor expenditure in line with the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Child Benefit Payments (25 Sep 2014)

Joan Burton: Since 2011, the monthly rates of child benefit have been standardised at €130 per month. The cost of increasing the rate of child benefit to the rates that applied in 2011 (including the re-introduction of certain grants payable in respect of multiple births) is estimated at €215 million in a full year. The cost of restoring the rate of child benefit to 50% of the 2011 rates is...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Water Charges Administration (25 Sep 2014)

Joan Burton: The Personal Public Service (PPS) number is a unique identifier for use in any transaction a person may have with specified public bodies or persons authorised by those bodies to act on their behalf. The legal basis of the PPS number is set out in the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005 (as amended) and this legislation sets out the circumstances in which the PPS number can be used. It...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme Expenditure (25 Sep 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: Respite Care Grant Expenditure (25 Sep 2014)

Joan Burton: It is estimated, based on the anticipated number of grants in 2015, that the cost of increasing the Respite Care Grant by €325, to €1,700 (the rate that existed prior to Budget 2013), would be approximately €29.6 million in a full year. The cost of restoring 50% of this would be approximately €14.8 million in a full year. Issues in relation to the rate of social...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: One-Parent Family Payment Expenditure (25 Sep 2014)

Joan Burton: The one-parent family payment (OFP) scheme supports 71,886 recipients at an estimated cost of €863 million in 2014. The Social Welfare and Pensions Act, 2012, provided for the reduction, on a phased basis, of the OFP scheme income disregard for new and existing recipients of the payment. In line with the legislation, the income disregard was reduced from €110 per week to...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: One-Parent Family Payment Applications (25 Sep 2014)

Joan Burton: The person concerned applied for a basic social welfare allowance payment on 10 July 2014, which was disallowed as she did not satisfy the habitual residence condition. To date no application for a one-parent family payment, to which the habitual residency condition also applies, has been received by the Department.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Jobseeker's Allowance Payments (25 Sep 2014)

Joan Burton: The person concerned is not in receipt of a social welfare payment in their own right, however, another person is being paid a qualified adult increase of €124.80 (maximum increase for qualified adult) in respect of the person concerned. The person concerned has agreed to refund €10.00 per week by standing order in respect of an overpayment.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme Payments (25 Sep 2014)

Joan Burton: The maximum rent limit at which Rent Supplement is assessable to a client of this family composition residing in Celbridge, is €500 per calendar month.