Results 16,061-16,080 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Humanitarian Assistance Scheme (18 Feb 2014)

Joan Burton: The humanitarian assistance scheme was approved by Government in November 2009. The scheme, which is means tested, is available to assist people whose homes are damaged by flooding and who are not in a position to meet costs for essential needs, household items and in some instances structural repair. Levels of payment depend on the relative severity of damage experienced and the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Programmes (18 Feb 2014)

Joan Burton: The community services programme (CSP) is designed to address gaps in service delivery and disadvantage and to ensure that community facilities are utilised. The programme is funded by the Department of Social Protection with day-to-day management of contracts undertaken by Pobal. Some 425 not-for-profit companies and co-operatives shared annual funding of €46m from the programme in...

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

Joan Burton: The purpose of the rent supplement scheme 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. There are currently approximately 79,000 rent supplement recipients for which the Government has provided over €344...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Household Benefits Scheme (18 Feb 2014)

Joan Burton: The overall concern of the Government in recent budgets has been to protect the primary weekly social welfare rates. Maintaining the rate of the State pension and other core payments is critical in relation to protecting people from poverty. To allow us to protect these core payments, we have had to look very carefully at other additional payments including the household benefits package. ...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Disability Allowance Appeals (18 Feb 2014)

Joan Burton: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an Appeals Officer, having fully considered all of the available evidence, has decided to disallow the disability allowance appeal of the person concerned by way of a summary decision. The person concerned has been notified of the Appeals Officer’s decision. With regard to the Mortgage Interest Supplement application of the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals Issues (18 Feb 2014)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that appeals by the persons concerned were registered in that office on the 10th December 2013. 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 appeals be sought from the Department of Social Protection. These papers were received in the...

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

Joan Burton: An application for domiciliary care allowance was received from the person concerned on the 18th September 2013. This application was referred to one of the Department’s Medical Assessors, who provided an opinion that the child was not medically eligible for the allowance. A letter issued on the 7th October 2013 advising of the decision to disallow the application. The person...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Back to Education Allowance Eligibility (18 Feb 2014)

Joan Burton: A reply issued to the Deputy to his correspondence dated 18 January, 2014 detailing the position. As a result of budget changes introduced in 2013, the practice of uprating those on means reduced payments to the maximum personal rate on back to education allowance (BTEA) was discontinued from 1st January, 2013. From that date, new entrants to the BTEA scheme aged over 25 years will get...

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

Joan Burton: An application for domiciliary care allowance was received from the person concerned on the 10th October 2013. This application was referred to one of the Department’s Medical Assessors whose opinion was that the child was not medically eligible for the allowance. A letter issued on the 8th January 2014 advising of the decision to disallow the application. The person concerned...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Supplementary Welfare Allowance Applications (18 Feb 2014)

Joan Burton: The person concerned presented to Leixlip Health Centre on 14 February 2014. She was issued an application form for supplementary welfare allowance which she was requested to complete and return to this Department. Upon receipt of the completed application from the person concerned, her entitlement to a payment will be examined and a decision will be made on her claim.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Local Employment Service Issues (18 Feb 2014)

Joan Burton: The Department has sought advice from the Chief State Solicitor’s Office and the Attorney General’s Office regarding the procurement and contractual arrangements of Local Employment and Job Clubs services. The matter requires further exploration and consideration before it can be determined whether or not any obligation exists to procure such services by public tender....

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Staff Career Breaks (18 Feb 2014)

Joan Burton: Details of the number of staff from my Department currently on career breaks are provided as follows. The duration for which a career break is sanctioned is not recorded as staff can extend the duration during the course of the career break. All career breaks are sanctioned for a minimum period of six months. The details provided indicate the duration since the career break commenced. ...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Staff Sick Leave (18 Feb 2014)

Joan Burton: Details of the number of sick days taken by staff in my Department in 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012 are provided as follows. The table provides details of the total numbers of staff and number of staff who took sick leave in each of the specified areas as follows: the total number of uncertified sick days taken by employees and the average uncertified sick days per employee; the total...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Food Poverty Issues (18 Feb 2014)

Joan Burton: Food poverty can be defined as 'the inability to have an adequate and nutritious diet due to issues of affordability and accessibility.' Food poverty is a complex multidimensional issue and impacts on a range of policy areas. There are many factors which can impact on food poverty: level of income, the cost of food, the availability of healthy food, access to food outlets and education and...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Food Poverty Issues (18 Feb 2014)

Joan Burton: The European Council has advised that the regulation to create and underpin the operations of this new EU Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived will be adopted by the Council in early March and will come into effect shortly thereafter. The Fund will support national schemes whereby food products and basic consumer goods are distributed to those identified as being the most deprived....

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Back to Education Allowance Eligibility (18 Feb 2014)

Joan Burton: Officials from my Department have re-examined this case and considered if alternative options might be considered. The Department has stated that the reason the person detailed is not eligible for back to education allowance (BTEA) is that a single semester is not considered to be full-time education under the scheme. The BTEA is designed to support the person for study for the full academic...

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

Joan Burton: I confirm that the Department received an application for carer’s allowance from the person in question on the 1st November 2013. The person concerned was refused carer’s allowance on the grounds that the care recipient is not so disabled as to require full time care and attention as prescribed in regulations. She was notified of this decision on the 15th of January 2014. The...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Live Register Data (18 Feb 2014)

Joan Burton: The information requested by the Deputy is detailed in the following tabular statement. - Construction related workers on the Live Register at the end of January 2014 Architects, Town Planners and Surveyors 764 Construction Trades 46,138 Draughtspersons, Quantity and Other Surveyors 336 Electrical/Electronic Trades 3,673 Engineers and Technologists 3,831 Metal Forming, Welding...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Invalidity Pension Appeals (18 Feb 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: Carer's Allowance Eligibility (18 Feb 2014)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 377 and 396 together. The person in question has been in receipt of carer’s allowance from 23rd October 1997. Following a recent review of continuing eligibility, a deciding officer has decided that the person in question is no longer eligible for carer’s allowance on the grounds that, based upon this medical evidence submitted by the person...