Results 15,401-15,420 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Jobseeker's Allowance Appeals (15 Apr 2014)

Joan Burton: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an Appeals Officer, having fully considered all of the available evidence, including that adduced at oral hearing, has decided to allow the appeal of the person concerned. The person concerned was notified of the Appeals Officer’s decision on 9thApril 2014. The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Child Benefit Reform (10 Apr 2014)

Joan Burton: Child benefit is a monthly universal payment made to families with children, which assists all parents with the cost associated with raising children. Child benefit is paid to around 616,000 families in respect of some 1.17 million children, with an estimated expenditure of around €1.9 billion. The Government is conscious that child benefit is an important source of income for all...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Pension Provisions (10 Apr 2014)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare and Pensions Act 2011 provides that State pension age will be increased gradually to 68 years. This began in January 2014 with the abolition of the State pension (transition) available at 65, thereby standardising State pension age for all at 66 years. State pension age will increase further to 67 in 2021 and 68 in 2028. I have no plans to reinstate the State pension...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Domiciliary Care Allowance Appeals (10 Apr 2014)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 11 March 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 question will be...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme Payments (10 Apr 2014)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 85 and 98 together. 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 and who do not have accommodation available to them from another source....

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Back to Education Allowance Eligibility (10 Apr 2014)

Joan Burton: The back to education allowance (BTEA) scheme is designed to support second chance education. It enables eligible persons to pursue approved education courses that leads to a higher qualification than that already held and to continue to receive income support for the duration of a course of study, subject to conditions. Post-graduate courses leading to qualifications at NFQ levels 9 and...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Pension Provisions (10 Apr 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 and the reform measures introduced to date go somewhat toward that goal. Currently a person’s date of entry into insurance is taken as the date...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Pension Provisions (10 Apr 2014)

Joan Burton: The homemaker’s scheme was introduced in 1994 to make qualification for State pension (contributory) easier for those who take time out of the workforce for caring duties. It does this by disregarding years spent outside the workforce on such duties when calculating the average contributions per year on the pensioner’s record. To be eligible for the homemaker’s scheme,...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Rates (10 Apr 2014)

Joan Burton: The appropriate rates of welfare payments in 2015, including the weekly rate of the living alone allowance, will be considered later this year in the context of the Government’s discussions on the next Budget. In this regard, each €1 per week increase in the living alone allowance costs €9.4 million in a full year.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Invalidity Pension Appeals (10 Apr 2014)

Joan Burton: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an Appeals Officer, having fully considered all of the available evidence, including that adduced at the oral hearing, has decided to partially allow the appeal of the person concerned. The person concerned was notified of the Appeals Officer’s decision on the 2ndApril 2014. The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Jobseeker's Allowance Payments (10 Apr 2014)

Joan Burton: I am unaware of undue delays in dealing with jobseeker allowance claims made by particular groups such as fishermen as every effort is made to ensure that all jobseeker applications are dealt with as expeditiously as possible. However, where there is an unavoidable delay in a particular case, such as when waiting for outstanding documentation, the claim can continue to be processed after the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Farm Assist Scheme Data (10 Apr 2014)

Joan Burton: The information requested by the Deputy is detailed in the tabular statement. Farmers in Receipt of Farm Assistance at 31 March 2014 - County Recipients Carlow 76 Cavan 543 Clare 539 Cork 806 Donegal 1,453 Dublin 27 Galway 1,012 Kerry 726 Kildare 40 Kilkenny 120 Laoighis 122 Leitrim 382 Limerick 224 Longford 225 Louth 73 Mayo 1,428 Meath 77 Monaghan 440 Offaly...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rural Social Scheme Data (10 Apr 2014)

Joan Burton: The rural social scheme (RSS) currently provides work opportunities for 2,600 participants and 130 supervisory staff. Overall responsibility for the RSS rests with the Department of Social Protection with day-to-day operations delivered by 35 local development companies and Údarás na Gaeltachta (implementing bodies). The sum of €45m has been allocated for 2014, which will...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Supplementary Welfare Allowance Appeals (10 Apr 2014)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that appeals for Supplementary Welfare Allowance and for Disability Allowance by the person concerned were registered in that office on 5 February 2014 and 13 March 2013 respectively. It is a statutory requirement of the appeals process that the relevant papers and comments by or on behalf of the Deciding Officers on the grounds of the appeals...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals Status (10 Apr 2014)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 27 September 2014. It is a statutory requirement of the appeals process that the relevant papers and comments by or on behalf of the Deciding Officer on the grounds of appeal be sought from the Department of Social Protection. These papers were received in the Social...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Disability Allowance Appeals (10 Apr 2014)

Joan Burton: Following a successful appeal of a decision to disallow the person’s disability allowance the person’s payment was reinstated on 18 December 2014. In order to establish the means and residency of the person for the period 30 March 2011 to 17 December 2013 his file was sent to a social welfare investigator for a report on the circumstances of the case. On receipt of the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Household Benefits Scheme (10 Apr 2014)

Joan Burton: My Department will spend an estimated €229.9 million in 2014 on the household benefits package for over 413,000 customers some of whom are in receipt of disability allowance. The package currently comprises the electricity or gas allowance of €35 per month and the free television licence. The telephone allowance was discontinued with effect from January, 2014. The table below...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Jobseeker's Allowance Eligibility (10 Apr 2014)

Joan Burton: The person concerned does not have a current pending application for jobseeker’s allowance registered with this Department. A previous application dated 18 December 2013 was disallowed on the basis that the person concerned did not show that her means were not in excess of the prescribed limit for a person of her circumstances. She did not appeal the decision. It is open to the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme Applications (10 Apr 2014)

Joan Burton: A rent supplement application has not been received by the appropriate Unit of the Department in respect of the client concerned. Should the client wish to apply for rent supplement in County Kildare she should complete an application form and return it to the Mid Leinster Rents Unit, PO Box 11758, Dublin 24.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme Payments (10 Apr 2014)

Joan Burton: The purpose of rent supplement is to provide short-term support to eligible people living in private rented accommodation, whose means are insufficient to meet their accommodation costs and who do not have accommodation available to them from any other source. Following an extensive review of the private rental market new revised rent limits were introduced and came into effect on 17 June...