Results 14,581-14,600 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: One-Parent Family Payments (18 Jun 2014)

Joan Burton: According to the records of the Department, the person concerned is not available at the address supplied. Her claim has now been closed as she failed to contact the department regarding a new address. If the client is homeless she will be referred to the Homeless Unit in Castle Street where her circumstances can be examined and reviewed.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Appointments to State Boards (18 Jun 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 over the last three years are set out in the table below: - 2011 Number of Appointments 2011 Number of appointments...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals Status (18 Jun 2014)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 90 and 93 together. The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was referred to an Appeals Officer on 28thApril 2014, who will make a summary decision on the appeal based on the documentary evidence presented or, if required, hold an oral hearing. It is not possible at this point to confirm when the appeal process...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Civil Registration Legislation (18 Jun 2014)

Joan Burton: The notification, solemnisation and registration of marriages are governed by Part 6 of the Civil Registration Act 2004. Section 51(2) (c) of the Act provides that a registered solemniser "...shall not solemnise a marriage unless the solemnisation takes place in a place that is open to the public". This is currently taken to mean that the place must be a building that is easily identifiable...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Appeals (18 Jun 2014)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that the appeal from the person concerned was referred to an Appeals Officer who has decided to convene an oral hearing in this case. Every effort will be made to hear the case as quickly as possible and the appellant will be informed when arrangements for the oral hearing have been made. The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Pensions Legislation (18 Jun 2014)

Joan Burton: You will appreciate that it would not be appropriate for me to comment on issues arising in a particular pension scheme or any individual complaint. The Pensions Act makes provision for the resolution of disputes arising from the operation of occupational pension schemes. Problems in relation to schemes can arise due to: A breach of enabling legislation, other than the Pensions Act, A...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (18 Jun 2014)

Joan Burton: I can confirm that the Department received an application for carer’s allowance from the person in question in 2012. The application was refused by a deciding officer on the grounds that the care recipient was not so disabled as to require full time care and attention as prescribed in regulations. He was notified of this decision on 11 March 2013, the reasons for it and of his right of...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Employment Support Services (18 Jun 2014)

Joan Burton: Community Employment (CE) is an active labour market programme. The aim of CE is to prepare disadvantaged and unemployed persons for employment by providing work experience and vocational training opportunities for participants within their communities. To support participation on a Community Employment (CE) Scheme, an applicant who needs childcare can apply to take up a childcare place on...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Domiciliary Care Allowance Appeals (18 Jun 2014)

Joan Burton: An application for domiciliary care allowance was received from the person concerned on 18 November 2013. The application was disallowed as the child was not considered to satisfy the qualifying conditions for the allowance. A letter issued on 4 February 2014 advising of the decision. The person concerned subsequently requested a review of that decision. An appeal was also lodged against...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Exceptional Needs Payments (17 Jun 2014)

Joan Burton: Under the supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) scheme, the Department 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. There is no automatic entitlement to a payment...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Domiciliary Care Allowance Applications (17 Jun 2014)

Joan Burton: An application for domiciliary care allowance (DCA) was received from the person concerned on the 24th April 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 12 weeks to process an application for DCA.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Family Income Supplement Eligibility (17 Jun 2014)

Joan Burton: The family income supplement (FIS) is an in-work support which provides an income top-up for employees on low earnings with children. FIS is designed to prevent child and family poverty and to offer a financial incentive to take-up employment as compared to social welfare payments. There are currently some 44,000 families with some 99,000 children in receipt of FIS. Expenditure on FIS is...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme Administration (17 Jun 2014)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 316 and 384 together. In July 2013 the Government approved the introduction of the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP). Under HAP, responsibility for recipients of rent supplement with a long-term housing need will transfer from the Department of Social Protection to housing authorities. Officials are working closely with those in the lead Department of...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme Applications (17 Jun 2014)

Joan Burton: The person concerned made an application for rent supplement on 21stMarch 2014. She was requested by the Rents Unit to provide further specified information and documentation in order that her claim could be processed. A letter reminding the person concerned that this information was still outstanding was issued in April 2014 but no response was received, and a further reminder was sent on...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Eligibility (17 Jun 2014)

Joan Burton: The person concerned is not eligible to participate on a community employment scheme at this time. Casual jobseekers can only have worked less than 90 days within the previous 36 months or 30 days within the last 12 months to be eligible for community employment. The person concerned has worked 93 days in the last 36 months and 31 days in the past 12 months. He is, therefore, ineligible...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Unemployment Data (17 Jun 2014)

Joan Burton: Information relating to a claimant's address is not currently coded to the geographical location of the address. As such it is not possible to accurately report persons on the live register living in a particular area at present. Location information in respect of people on the live register is however recorded on the basis of the local office/intreo centre which is used to serve their...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Payments (17 Jun 2014)

Joan Burton: At the outset, I should point out that the financial supports available to carers in Ireland, are among the highest rates of income support in Europe, and overall expenditure on carers has increased significantly in recent years. In 2014 it is estimated to be €806 million, compared to €773m in 2012. In relation to rates, the Government has protected core social welfare rates...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Pensions Reform (17 Jun 2014)

Joan Burton: At the outset, the Deputy may wish to note that the terms and conditions of employment of civil and public servants, including the age at which they may be required to retire, and the public service pension they may qualify for, are the responsibility of my colleague, Mr Brendan Howlin, T.D. Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. The Social Welfare and Pensions Act, 2011 provides that...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Child Benefit Reform (17 Jun 2014)

Joan Burton: Child benefit is currently being paid to over 600,000 families in respect of over 1.16 million children on a universal basis. The cost of administration of the scheme is in the order of €7.5 million per annum. The Department has not estimated the cost of administration of means testing the scheme as no decision has been taken to introduce means testing to the scheme. Any decision...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Data (17 Jun 2014)

Joan Burton: As part of the Budget 2012 measures, new entrants to the Community Employment (CE) scheme who commenced on or after 16 January 2012 were disqualified from simultaneously receiving their original social welfare payment and CE allowances under Section 12 of the Social Welfare Act 2011 (dual payments). This measure only affected those new CE entrants in receipt of One Parent Family Payment,...