Results 13,921-13,940 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Pension Provisions (18 Sep 2014)

Joan Burton: Credited contributions (credits) are social insurance contributions designed to protect the social insurance entitlement record of insured workers who are not in a position to make PRSI contributions. Credits are awarded in circumstances such as unemployment or illness, and their purpose is to help protect the social insurance entitlements of insured persons during periods when they may not...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Customer Charters (18 Sep 2014)

Joan Burton: My Department’s Customer Charter and Action Plan 2013-2015 sets out the level of service customers can expect to receive. The Department monitors its performance through the use of its management information systems and through consultation with customers using a variety of methods including receiving feedback through the Comments and Complaints system. If a customer is dissatisfied...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Disability Allowance Eligibility (18 Sep 2014)

Joan Burton: The application, based upon the evidence submitted, was refused on medical grounds and the person concerned was notified in writing of this decision on 23 October 2013. In our letter mentioned above to the person concerned, he was given the option of seeking a review or appealing our decision directly to the Social Welfare Appeals Office, within 21 days. To date, neither option has been...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Disability Allowance Applications (18 Sep 2014)

Joan Burton: The application, based upon the evidence submitted, was refused on medical grounds and the person concerned was notified in writing of this decision on 23 October 2013. In our letter mentioned above to the person concerned, he was given the option of seeking a review or appealing our decision directly to the Social Welfare Appeals Office, within 21 days. To date, neither option has been...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme Eligibility (18 Sep 2014)

Joan Burton: The Department has not, to date, received an application for Rent Supplement from this client for his current rental accommodation. The client should forward an application to be assessed for entitlement to Rent Supplement to the Mid-Leinster Rent Unit, PO Box 11758, Dublin 24.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme Payments (18 Sep 2014)

Joan Burton: The Department has not, to date, received an application for Rent Supplement from this client for their current rental accommodation. The client should forward an application to the Mid-Leinster Rent Unit, PO Box 11758, Dublin 24 for assessment.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Guardian's Payment Applications (18 Sep 2014)

Joan Burton: Guardian’s payment is payable between the ages of 18 and 22, where the child is attending full time education by day. Certification from the school or college is required to confirm attendance. The Department has not yet received the relevant documentation from the person concerned confirming that their grandchild has returned to full time education. As soon as this documentation is...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Community Welfare Services (18 Sep 2014)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 60 to 63, inclusive, together. 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. The Department has since re-engineered its business model to support the provision of integrated services across...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Staff Data (18 Sep 2014)

Joan Burton: The number of staff employed in each Division of the Department will be forwarded to the Deputy shortly, as the data is not readily available and will take some time to collate. The information requested regarding staff that have left the Divisions over the past three years is not maintained in the manner requested. Figures are held on overall retirements, resignations and transfers out of...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Customer Charters (18 Sep 2014)

Joan Burton: The Department is committed to delivering a high quality customer service to all its customers. Each week the Department delivers social welfare payments to in excess of 1.5 million customers. In 2013, it answered 8.3 million telephone calls, processed 2.1 million applications and carried out 1.1 million control reviews. The Department’s Customer Charter and Action Plan 2013-2015...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Records (18 Sep 2014)

Joan Burton: Under the National Archives Act 1986, the Department is obliged to retain and preserve all records, which are created and held in the Department, unless disposal of any such records is authorised by the Office of the National Archives. Accordingly, there are a number of Certifying Officers appointed across the business areas of the Department who liaise with the Office of the National...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Records (18 Sep 2014)

Joan Burton: Records which have archival value are ultimately transferred to the National Archives. It is a matter for the National Archives Office to appraise records and to decide if records have, or do not have, archival value. It is the responsibility of the National Archives Office to sanction disposal of records which do not have archival value. As the archival value or otherwise of records is...

Issue of Writs: Dublin South-West By-election and Roscommon-South Leitrim By-election (17 Sep 2014)

Joan Burton: The two by-elections in Roscommon-South Leitrim and Dublin South West are taking place as a result of the departure of two Members of the Dáil to the European Parliament following the elections of 23 May. This Government reformed the Electoral Act 2011 to provide that a by-election must take place within six months of a vacancy arising. Therefore, it is appropriate that, on our first...

Order of Business (17 Sep 2014)

Joan Burton: That is the interdepartmental report.

Death of Former Member: Expressions of Sympathy (17 Sep 2014)

Joan Burton: On behalf of the Labour Party, I want to express my sincere sympathies to the family of the late Albert Reynolds. I was privileged to serve in the coalition Government that Albert Reynolds and Dick Spring led together, a Fianna Fáil-Labour Government that achieved a tremendous amount in a short period. I was a new Deputy. Deputy Howlin, Deputy Stagg - no, perhaps not that one - and I...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Review of Vote 37: Minister for Social Protection (17 Sep 2014)

Joan Burton: I am not in a position to answer that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Review of Vote 37: Minister for Social Protection (17 Sep 2014)

Joan Burton: My lips are sealed as regards the budget, with the exception of the agreement that the Taoiseach and I reached in public.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Review of Vote 37: Minister for Social Protection (17 Sep 2014)

Joan Burton: As regards the number of appeals on disability, at the beginning of 2013 there were over 4,000 appeals on hand. By the beginning of 2014, a year later, that figure had gone down to just over 3,000. That was a fall of 1,000. I am happy to say that as of 1 September, the number has dropped to 1,700. We operate an open-ended repeat review system. We have been looking at the letter that is...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Review of Vote 37: Minister for Social Protection (17 Sep 2014)

Joan Burton: Yes. That is because we have improved the platforms and have really invested in technology at the Appeals Office. In the context of the recession, there was a vast increase in the number of applications and appeals. If one meets an application at an early stage and it is not successful, I would advise members to seek to obtain more appropriate and stronger evidence to support the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Review of Vote 37: Minister for Social Protection (17 Sep 2014)

Joan Burton: Staff are aware - and the legend is - that if one withholds some of the stronger medical information until the appeal it will help the case. I think that goes back to a period when the times were a lot longer. My personal recommendation is that if one has the evidence and one is still in the application process or review - we allow multiple reviews which very few social welfare systems do -...