Results 16,901-16,920 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Code Reform (4 Dec 2013)

Joan Burton: The Government is committed to supporting one-parent families to become economically independent. My Department is in the process of reforming the one-parent family payment (OFP) scheme. These reforms are predicated on activation and on getting people back into the workforce once their children have reached an appropriate age.A wide range of supports and services are presently available to...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: State Pension (Non-Contributory) Appeals (4 Dec 2013)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was referred to an Appeals Officer on 28 November 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 Department...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2013: Report and Final Stages (3 Dec 2013)

Joan Burton: As I said, many of these difficulties have their origin in the peculiarities of the bank guarantee, the state of the economy and the suspension of the funding standard. I think people expected it would be all over by Christmas. Not only was it not over by Christmas, the situation continued for an extended period. What we are trying to do in the legislation is to allow schemes to...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2013: Report and Final Stages (3 Dec 2013)

Joan Burton: The majority of people have less that €12,000.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2013: Report and Final Stages (3 Dec 2013)

Joan Burton: The origin of many of the difficulties lie in the financial collapse. I appreciate Fianna Fáil's very fine sentiments now but it is what happened in 2008 and the way in which funding in the country was structured-----

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2013: Report and Final Stages (3 Dec 2013)

Joan Burton: -----in relation to a large number of claims.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2013: Report and Final Stages (3 Dec 2013)

Joan Burton: Sorry,

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2013: Report and Final Stages (3 Dec 2013)

Joan Burton: The situation is that the country is in a slow recovery, with a slow recovery of employment.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2013: Report and Final Stages (3 Dec 2013)

Joan Burton: Among those institutions which are in difficulty as the Senator described at great length, are pension funds. The suspension of the funding standard in 2008, shortly after the bank guarantee, did not actually help the long-term sustainability of pension funds. The Government, of which the Senator was a member, decided to do that. I think it felt, like the bank guarantee and the First World...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2013: Report and Final Stages (3 Dec 2013)

Joan Burton: I will not even need five minutes.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2013: Report and Final Stages (3 Dec 2013)

Joan Burton: Five minutes.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2013: Report and Final Stages (3 Dec 2013)

Joan Burton: Briefly, the role of the Minister for Finance is to pony up the money that has been extracted from taxpayers to meet this shortfall. Otherwise, the pensioners could be left completely bereft in a case of a double insolvency, the E double.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2013: Report and Final Stages (3 Dec 2013)

Joan Burton: The others are provided for in terms of scheme restructuring. This refers to a specific case, which has been a relatively rare event, but if it happens and people are left with nothing, the EU directive, which I believe was issued in 2008, comes into effect. This legislation gives effect to that.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2013: Report and Final Stages (3 Dec 2013)

Joan Burton: Senator Darragh O’Brien recalled the time when the late Minister for Finance, Brian Lenihan, took a whole series of pension schemes along with their assets and liabilities, onto the State’s balance sheets. I think it was the first time I heard of the practice of giving people extended years, which seemed to be fairly common in universities, not in institutes of technology or...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2013: Report and Final Stages (3 Dec 2013)

Joan Burton: This debate is not about my scarf, but I am happy to take compliments for Irish workmanship.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2013: Report and Final Stages (3 Dec 2013)

Joan Burton: It is compliments to the Irish craftspeople.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2013: Report and Final Stages (3 Dec 2013)

Joan Burton: It was this time last year at the National Crafts and Design Fair.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2013: Report and Final Stages (3 Dec 2013)

Joan Burton: I thank Senator Norris for his very nice comments and his taste. ARFs are approved retirement funds. All retirement products have taxation implications which can change the nature of the return. In a defined benefit contribution scheme, there is, as the Senator said, a requirement to invest in an annuity-type product. The reason for that is very simple if one thinks about it. In respect...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2013: Report and Final Stages (3 Dec 2013)

Joan Burton: The question of what one does with somebody's lump sum on retirement is a very delicate and tricky investment strategy. In terms of regulation, a company director and experienced businessperson may be in a rather different place when it comes to managing their retirement fund than somebody whose practice has been in the medical or legal field and who is not used to managing investments. It...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2013: Report and Final Stages (3 Dec 2013)

Joan Burton: I will comment briefly by stating I understand the Senator's intentions. However, for a company in which a debt is placed on an employer, from a particular legal perspective this may have consequences for the employer in the sense there now is an enhanced obligation. This may well have consequences on the employer's overall balance sheet position, fund-raising capacity and debt capacity....