Results 16,601-16,620 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Staff Data (15 Jan 2014)

Joan Burton: The Department has used both the National Council for the Blind in Ireland (NCBI) and Eircom for switchboard staff in each of the last five years. The total number of telephone calls managed through the switchdesks operated by these switchboard staff in 2013 was 513,255. The Department is embarking on a major overhaul of its telephony systems which will extend, as far as is practical, the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Domiciliary Care Allowance Appeals (15 Jan 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 2nd January 2014. The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals Status (15 Jan 2014)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal from the person concerned was registered in that office on 19th August 2013. The person concerned was asked to furnish any further medical evidence that she wished to submit in support of her appeal to the Social Welfare Appeals Office. This information was received in the Social Welfare Appeals Office on 4th November 2013...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Places (15 Jan 2014)

Joan Burton: There has been no change to the contractual arrangement for Community Employment participants have always been issued for a maximum period of 12 months. Persons who may be eligible for 3 years participation will receive three consecutive annual contracts to cover the relevant period provided they remain eligible to remain on the programme at the end of each contract and their CE Sponsor...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme Payments (15 Jan 2014)

Joan Burton: Under social welfare legislation all recipients of rent supplements are required to make a minimum contribution towards their rent; additionally a person’s means are taken into account when assessing the amount of rent supplement payable. The person concerned is receiving her full entitlement to rent supplement of €381.30 per month towards the rent of €520.00 for her...

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

Joan Burton: Where a jobseeker’s allowance customer finds work for a period of time and makes a repeat claim within 52 weeks of the previous claim, the second claim is treated as a linked claim, i.e. as a continuation of the previous claim, rather than as a new claim. The new Budget 2014 provisions relating to jobseeker’s allowance, for those aged 18 to 24 years of age and for 25 year...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Disability Allowance Appeals (15 Jan 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 4th December 2013, 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: Domiciliary Care Allowance Appeals (15 Jan 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 2nd January 2014. The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Domiciliary Care Allowance Appeals (15 Jan 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 5th December 2013, who has decided to convene an oral hearing on 23rd January 2013 to consider the matter. The person concerned has been notified of the arrangements for the oral hearing. The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for...

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

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 4th December 2013. 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 have been received from the Department, the case in question will be referred...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Money Advice and Budgeting Service Issues (15 Jan 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. The following table provides details of the number of applications for...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rental Accommodation Scheme Administration (15 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 which the Government has provided over €344...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Domiciliary Care Allowance Review (15 Jan 2014)

Joan Burton: The review of the Domiciliary Care Allowance scheme (DCA), which was published in April 2013, makes a number of recommendations in relation to the operation of the scheme. An implementation group, comprising officials from the Department of Social Protection, other relevant departments/ relevant bodies and parent/representative groups was established to action the administrative...

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

Joan Burton: To qualify for jobseeker’s allowance a person must satisfy certain conditions which include being available for full-time work and looking for work. Under the Department’s back to education programme, the part-time education option provides that a jobseeker allowance customer may participate in a part-time course of education provided that such participation does not...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Mortgage Interest Relief Appeals (15 Jan 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 17th December 2013, 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: Employment Rights Issues (15 Jan 2014)

Joan Burton: As outlined in reply to Question No. 101 [25014/13] on the 23rd May 2013, there is no legal definition of a migrant worker in EU law relating to the coordination of social security schemes. However, any national of a Member State has, irrespective of their place of residence, the right to take up an activity as an employed person, and to pursue such activity, within the territory of another...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Live Register Numbers (15 Jan 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. The towns of Clane and Dunboyne are in the catchment area of the Maynooth Social Welfare Branch Office while Lusk is in the catchment area of the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Partial Capacity Benefit Scheme Eligibility (15 Jan 2014)

Joan Burton: The partial capacity benefit (PCB) scheme provides an opportunity for people with disabilities who are assessed as having an employment capacity which is restricted compared to the norm, to avail of employment opportunities while continuing to receive an income support payment. Participation in the scheme is voluntary and the scheme is designed in particular to respond to the needs of...

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

Joan Burton: The reduced Jobseeker Allowance payments for under 25s apply to new registrants – existing claimants on a higher rate will not see their rate change. Currently, approximately 22,000 recipients are on the reduced rate of €100 for 18-21 year-olds and a further 14,200 on the reduced rate of €144 for 22-25 year-olds. It is estimated that approximately 13,750 new recipients...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Data (15 Jan 2014)

Joan Burton: The number of person's participating in Community Employment (CE) schemes as at the end of 2013 is 23,943. The following table has the provisional year-end 2013 figures by county for CE. County Total Carlow 399 Cavan 284 Clare 605 Cork 2,198 Donegal 1,169 Dublin 5,997 Galway 1,538 Kerry 1,014 Kildare 817 Kilkenny 443 Laois 282 Leitrim 172 Limerick 1,196 Longford 305 Louth 845...