Results 16,561-16,580 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals Data (16 Jan 2014)

Joan Burton: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that as appeal statistics are not maintained on the basis of age, it is not in a position to supply the information sought by the Deputy in relation to persons under 25 years. Outcomes of all jobseeker's benefit and jobseeker's allowance appeals from 2009 to 2013 are contained in the following tables. A total of 1,353 jobseeker's benefit...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Budget 2014 (16 Jan 2014)

Joan Burton: My Department is currently preparing an analysis of the Budget 2014 tax and welfare packages. This Social Impact Assessment will include an analysis of the distributive and poverty impacts of these changes on different family types as well as the impact on at risk of poverty levels. Social impact assessment is an evidence-based methodology which uses a tax/welfare simulation model developed...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Poverty Data (16 Jan 2014)

Joan Burton: The Department developed the Social Inclusion Monitor, in consultation with the technical advisory group on poverty data and indicators, to report on progress towards the national social target and the Irish contribution to the Europe 2020 poverty target. It also reports on supporting indicators which capture key dimensions of poverty and on contextual indicators relating to lifecycle and...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Bodies Data (16 Jan 2014)

Joan Burton: The Technical Advisory Group is one of the structures set up to support the implementation of the National Action Plan for Social Inclusion. The Group supports the remit of the Department in developing indicators and data for the measurement of poverty and in monitoring and interpreting poverty trends. It is composed of experts in social research, social statistics and social policy from...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Invalidity Pension Appeals (16 Jan 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 hold an oral hearing in this case on 20 January 2014. The person concerned has been notified of the arrangements for the hearing. The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Social Protection and of the Department...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Employment Support Services (16 Jan 2014)

Joan Burton: Community Employment (CE) has as an explicit primary objective, the provision of development opportunities to participants to help them gain qualifications and to secure job placement after Community Employment. In all Community Employment projects the Sponsor (employer) is required to produce structured development and training opportunities for each participant on the project. This...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Domiciliary Care Allowance Applications (16 Jan 2014)

Joan Burton: An application for domiciliary care allowance was received on the 22nd August 2013. The application was not allowed as the child was not considered to satisfy the medical qualifying criteria for the allowance. A letter issued on the 23rd September 2013 advising of the decision. A review of this decision has been requested, additional information on this child’s condition/care needs...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Pensions Reform (16 Jan 2014)

Joan Burton: It is normal practice for officials in my department to engage with representatives of stakeholders in consideration of any substantial change to the Pensions Act. The consultation process which preceded the publication of the Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Act, 2013 included engagement with representatives of pensioners, the pensions industry, employers and trade unions. Written...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Bodies (16 Jan 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 and the Social Welfare Tribunal. None of the bodies under the aegis of the Department have been merged, reformed or abolished since 2011. The Public Service Reform Programme provided for a critical review of the integration of...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rural Social Scheme Administration (16 Jan 2014)

Joan Burton: As the Deputy is aware, work undertaken by participants on the rural social scheme supports the provision of services of benefit to rural communities. Day-to-day operational responsibility rests with Implementing Bodies comprising of local development companies and Údarás na Gaeltachta. In general, participants on both schemes are required to work on a range of service provisions...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Free Travel Scheme Review (16 Jan 2014)

Joan Burton: My Department has no plans to abolish free travel for senior citizens. The current free travel scheme provides free travel on the main public and private transport services for those eligible under the scheme. These include road, rail and ferry services provided by companies such as Bus Átha Cliath, Bus Éireann and Iarnród Éireann, as well as Luas and services provided...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Job Initiatives (16 Jan 2014)

Joan Burton: As at 9 January, 2014, 24,845 internships had commenced since JobBridge came into operation, 6,451 individuals were actually on internships and 1,726 internship opportunities were advertised on the JobBridge website (). JobBridge is targeting scarce exchequer resources in a balanced and effective way to meet the needs of individual citizens while, through carefully considered control...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Employment Support Services (16 Jan 2014)

Joan Burton: In the first instance, the Government’s primary strategy to tackle unemployment is to create the environment for a strong economic recovery by promoting competitiveness and productivity. Economic recovery will underpin jobs growth. In addition to promoting economic recovery, the Government recognises the need for interim measures to support the unemployed and keep jobseekers close to...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Employment Support Services (16 Jan 2014)

Joan Burton: Gateway was introduced by the Department of Social Protection to deliver on the policy objectives set out in Pathways to Work and is designed to bridge the gap between unemployment and re-entering the workforce. Responsibility for delivery of this initiative rests with individual county and city councils. Gateway has a target to provide for 3,000 placements focusing on those who have been...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Expenditure (16 Jan 2014)

Joan Burton: The information requested is not immediately available in the Department. My Department will write to the Deputy when the information is compiled.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Appeals (16 Jan 2014)

Joan Burton: Carer’s allowance was stopped on the 20th of November 2013 in respect of the person in question as, following a review, it was decided that the medical criteria were no longer satisfied. In order for a child under 16 years to be deemed eligible for carer's allowance, domiciliary care allowance must be in payment for that child. In those circumstances, the child is deemed to be...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Domiciliary Care Allowance Applications (16 Jan 2014)

Joan Burton: The age limit for receipt of domiciliary care allowance (DCA) is 16 years. As the child concerned reached the age of 16 years in July 2013, DCA is no longer payable after that date. A letter issued in March 2013 advising that payment of the allowance was due to end in July 2013 and that the child could apply for disability allowance in his own right.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Supplementary Welfare Allowance Applications (16 Jan 2014)

Joan Burton: The person concerned made a claim for supplementary welfare allowance at my Department's Homeless Person's Unit on 4th October 2013. His claim was disallowed on the basis that he did not satisfy the habitual residence condition as he failed to supply adequate documentary evidence of his income as requested.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme Applications (16 Jan 2014)

Joan Burton: The person concerned submitted an application for a rent supplement on 04 November 2013. As the person concerned has not submitted all the documentation requested in order to process the application, it is not possible to determine an entitlement. The person concerned can contact the office processing her application and submit the outstanding documentation in order to progress the application.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme Payments (16 Jan 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 80,000 rent supplement recipients for whom the Government has provided over €403...