Results 14,241-14,260 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Offices (15 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: As the Deputy will be aware the Pathways to Work document states that the introduction of the new Intreo service is a multi-annual project. The first 44 Intreo offices are now open and the remaining offices will be rolled out to all of the Department’s existing local offices by the end of 2014. The Department of Social Protection provides income support services to unemployed...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Reports (15 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: The 2013 Annual Report of the Department of Social Protection was laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas on 9 April 2014, and was published the following day. The 2013 Annual Report is available for download on the Department of Social Protection website at .

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Springboard Programme (15 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: The person concerned is undertaking an education course under the Springboard Initiative. Springboard is a programme under the remit of the Department of Education and Skills. It offers a choice of 171 free, part-time and intensive conversion courses in higher education from certificate, to degree, to post-graduate level. Springboard participants receive the rate of payment they were in...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Invalidity Pension Appeals (15 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an invalidity pension appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 09thJuly 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...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Domiciliary Care Allowance Applications (15 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: An application for domiciliary care allowance (DCA) was received from the person concerned on the 26th May 2014. This application has been forwarded to one of the Department’s Medical Assessors for their medical opinion. Upon receipt of this opinion, a decision will be made and notified to the person concerned. It can currently take up to 12 weeks to process an application for DCA.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: One-Parent Family Payment Eligibility (15 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: The number of one-parent family payment (OFP) recipients stood at 74,426 in June, 2014, and an estimated €863 million is expected to be spent on the scheme during 2014. As a result of the reforms to the one-parent family payment (OFP) scheme, once a lone parent’s youngest child reaches the relevant maximum age limit threshold, they will no longer be entitled to the OFP payment....

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Insurance (15 Jul 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). Ordinary employees who have access to the full range of social insurance benefits pay class A PRSI at the rate of 4%. In addition, their employers make a PRSI...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: State Pension (Contributory) Eligibility (15 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: The State pension is a very valuable benefit and is the bedrock of the Irish pension system. Therefore, it is important to ensure that those qualifying have made a sustained contribution to the Social Insurance Fund over their working lives. This is particularly important given the challenges in relation to the future sustainability of the State pension, with increased numbers of older...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (15 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: In its 2015 pre-budget submission to the Department, the Carers Association welcomed the recent review of domiciliary care allowance (DCA), acknowledged the very significant improvements that the revised application process for DCA will offer parents caring for children with Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDD) and requested that the application process for carers payments be similarly...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Live Register Data (15 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: The information requested by the Deputy in respect of the number of persons who are short term and long term unemployed since March 2011 is not routinely collated by my Department. The Central Statistics Office publishes a monthly breakdown of the number of persons who are on the live register in each county. I have for the Deputy’s convenience detailed the live register in County...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: One-Parent Family Payments (15 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 399 and 408 together. The one-parent family payment (OFP) has played an important role in providing income support to lone parents since its introduction in 1997. The number of OFP recipients stood at 74,426 in June, 2014, and an estimated €863 million will be spent on the scheme during 2014. The OFP scheme is in the process of being reformed....

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Disability Allowance Eligibility (15 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: Disability allowance is a means tested scheme and the way means are assessed is laid down in social welfare legislation. In summary, any income, with some exceptions, belonging to the person and his or her spouse/partner or co-habitant is assessable as means for disability allowance purposes. When the means of the person concerned were assessed, which were derived from an occupational...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Public Relations Contracts Expenditure (15 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: There were no costs incurred by my Department in respect of public relations/communications in 2013 and to date in 2014. In line with Department of Social Protection policy, the press office deals with all media queries and public relations matters. It is the Department’s policy to use in-house resources as much as possible and to restrict the use of external firms to a minimum. ...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: After-School Support Services (15 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: In recognition of the childcare requirements of jobseekers and lone parents as part of a package of measures in Budget 2013, the then Minister for Children and Youth Affairs and I announced the after-school child care (ASCC) scheme between our two Departments. The purpose of the ASCC scheme is to help offset some of the after-school child care costs that are associated with availing of a...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Child Care Services Provision (15 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: The Department of Social Protection is committed to the on-going improvement of CE to ensure the progression of the jobseeker and the support of services to communities. The newly named CE Childcare (CEC) Programme was introduced in January of this year and provided 1,800 subsidised childcare places for CE participants with children up to 5 years of age. On 8th July, it was announced that...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Youth Unemployment Measures (15 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 406 and 416 together. The Youth Guarantee Implementation Plan was published in January. It provides for the introduction of earlier and more intensive engagement by INTREO with the young unemployed. It also provides for over 28,000 programme opportunities for unemployed young people in 2014, as set out in the appendix table, as follows. This figure excludes...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (15 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: The Department received an application for carer’s allowance from the person in question and that a decision has issued to the person concerned on 14 July 2014.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Data (15 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 409 and 410 together. The information requested by the Deputy is detailed in the tabular statement. Family Income Supplement Recipients Year 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 30th June 2014 Number of Recipients 25,963 28,223 28,876 32,307 44,159 46,267Jobseeker's Allowance Recipients Year 2009 2010 2011 2012* 2013 30th June 2014 Number of Recipients...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Staff Data (15 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: The Department has to operate within an employment control framework (ECF) target, as determined by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. As part of the Department’s Workforce Plan, the staffing needs for all areas within the Department are continuously reviewed, which includes identifying areas where there are downward pressures because of the localisation or cessation of a...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Budgets (15 Jul 2014)

Joan Burton: The Department’s total expenditure allocation for 2014 is €19.6 billion. There was an under-spend of €23.6 million, or 0.2%, on the Department’s overall expenditure on schemes, services and administration at the end of June 2014. This performance is very close to target. Given the demand-led nature of the vast majority of the schemes operated by the Department,...