Results 16,101-16,120 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

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

Joan Burton: Credited contributions are a feature of the contributory social insurance schemes. A credit is pay related social insurance (PRSI) contribution awarded to an insured person under certain circumstances, such as proved unemployment. Credited contributions ensure that a person’s insurance record is maintained and can be helpful at a later stage to qualify for other social welfare...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Expenditure (18 Feb 2014)

Joan Burton: The information requested by the Deputy is detailed in the tabular statement. Jobseeker's allowance and benefit expenditure 2011 to 2014 - 2011 €000 2012 €000 2013 €000 (Estimate) 2014 €000 (Estimate) Jobseeker’s Allowance 2,974,987 3,054,741 3,098,210 2,820,000 Jobseeker’s Benefit 926,900 736,881 564,200 456,600

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

Joan Burton: The table below details the total expenditure allocation provided for the Department of Social Protection in the relevant Revised Estimates Volumes over the period from 2011 to 2014 inclusive, as well as the out-turn up to and including 2013. The outturn for 2013 is provisional and subject to reconciliation and audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General. - 2011 2012 2013 2014 ...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Code Reform (18 Feb 2014)

Joan Burton: The replacement rate for given income levels is a tool used to measure the degree to which out-of-work benefits when unemployed replace take home income from work. While there is no pre-determined level of replacement rate, which would influence every individual’s decision to work, higher replacement rates may indicate lower incentives to take up employment. In this regard a...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Labour Activation Measures (18 Feb 2014)

Joan Burton: The Department of Social Protection keeps a detailed breakdown of the skillsets of jobseekers. Data on each client’s past occupation, and his/her education, is collected at the point of registration for job-seekers’ payment; these and other relevant data are processed and the probability of leaving the live register is calculated (PEX). At a later stage the jobseeker is...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Fraud Investigations (18 Feb 2014)

Joan Burton: The Department of Social Protection is committed to ensuring that social welfare payments are available to those who are entitled to them and that abuse of the system is prevented and dealt with effectively when detected. It is the policy of the Department to examine all reports of possible fraud and abuse concerning the Department's schemes. However under the Data Protection Act,...

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

Joan Burton: My Department will spend over €380 million in 2014 on the electricity and gas elements of the household benefits package and the fuel allowance scheme to assist customers with their energy costs. Help will also continue to be available for people with special or additional heating needs through the heating supplement and exceptional needs payment scheme under the supplementary welfare...

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

Joan Burton: Tús, the community work placement initiative introduced during 2011, was initially set up to provide up to 5,000 short-term, quality work opportunities for those who are unemployed for more than a year. This initiative is being delivered through the network of local development companies and Údarás na Gaeltachta. The purpose of Tús is the provision of quality work for...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Death Certificates Issues (18 Feb 2014)

Joan Burton: The loss of a child in any circumstances is an extremely tragic event for a family and I would like to extend my deepest sympathies to those families who have lost children. The procedures governing the registration of deaths are provided for under Part 5 of the Civil Registration Act, 2004. When a death occurs it is registered on foot of a certificate of cause of death supplied by a...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Freedom of Information Requests (18 Feb 2014)

Joan Burton: The current Freedom of Information (FOI) procedure in the Department is that a FOI request by persons seeking a copy of their carer's allowance file is dealt with by two separate areas of the Department. Carer's allowance section deal with the general file for the carer. The medical review and assessment section, as owners of the data, deals with the medical records of the care recipient....

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

Joan Burton: The social impact of a range of potential welfare and tax measures were assessed by the Department of Social Protection as part of the deliberative process for Budget 2014. This included some measures suggested at the department’s Pre Budget Forum by community and voluntary groups. This pre-Budget analysis of options for 2014 has already been released under FOI (with one very limited...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Reviews (18 Feb 2014)

Joan Burton: Some 410,000 customers will receive the fuel allowance of €20 per week for 26 weeks from October to April, at an estimated cost of €208 million in 2014. The fuel allowance is paid to those in receipt of long-term jobseekers allowance, one-parent family payment, disability allowance, invalidity pension and the State pension. The allowance is subject to a means test and is paid...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Pensions Reform (18 Feb 2014)

Joan Burton: Employers who sponsor a pension scheme are required from February 2010 to arrange for the trustees of the scheme to receive appropriate training within six months of their appointment and at least every two years thereafter. Trustees must confirm in their scheme’s annual report which is distributed to scheme members that the training has taken place. The Board does not collect data...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Money Advice and Budgeting Service (18 Feb 2014)

Joan Burton: The Money Advice and Budgeting Service ( MABS), under the aegis of the Citizens Information Board, provides a high quality personal service to assist people who are over-indebted and need help and advice in coping with debt problems, in particular those on low incomes and people living on social welfare payments. Information and immediate support on all aspects of money management and...

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

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was referred to an Appeals Officer on 06th February 2014, who will make a summary decision on the appeal based on the documentary evidence presented or, if required, hold an oral hearing. The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Social Protection and of the...

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

Joan Burton: All increments awarded in my Department are on a single point per annum basis.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: State Bodies Issues (18 Feb 2014)

Joan Burton: The statutory bodies operating under the aegis of the Department of Social Protection are the Citizens Information Board, the Pensions Board, the Pensions Ombudsman (which does not have a board) and the Social Welfare Tribunal. These bodies do not subscribe to the daily inflation data for Ireland collected by the company specified by the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Pension Provisions (13 Feb 2014)

Joan Burton: I would like to refer the Deputy to my reply to Questions 99, 89 & 102 dated 1st December 2011 on this matter. The position remains unchanged.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Family Income Supplement Eligibility (13 Feb 2014)

Joan Burton: Family Income Supplement (FIS) is a social welfare payment which provides an income support for employees on low earnings with families. To qualify for FIS the applicant(s) must be employed in the Republic of Ireland and their weekly family income must be below the set income limit for their family size which is based on the number of qualified children in the family. As FIS is a family...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals Issues (13 Feb 2014)

Joan Burton: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that the file of the person concerned was received from the Office of the Ombudsman on 07th February 2014. The appeal in question has been referred to the Appeals Officer dealing with this case. The Appeals Officer will be in contact with the person concerned as soon as the review of her appeal has been finalised. The Social Welfare...