Results 16,921-16,940 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

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

Joan Burton: The amendment broadly entails placing a debt on employers and we discussed this on Committee Stage. Defined benefit pension schemes are set up and maintained by employers on a voluntary basis. There has never been a statutory obligation on them under Irish law to contribute to their pension scheme, although scheme rules can place some level of obligation. However, a robust regulatory...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (3 Dec 2013)

Joan Burton: The Department operates two schemes to assist people on social welfare who wish to commence self-employment; namely the Short Term Enterprise Allowance (STEA) and the Back to Work Enterprise Allowance (BTWEA). The STEA provides immediate access to support where people who have lost their jobs and qualify for jobseekers’ benefit wish to set up a business. Payment under the scheme is...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Defined Benefit Pension Schemes (3 Dec 2013)

Joan Burton: The issue of how the assets of a defined benefits pension scheme are distributed in the event of the wind up of a pension scheme has been the subject of considerable deliberation and consultation over the last few years. As you are aware this is a complex and sensitive issue and required careful consideration before any change is made to the current wind up priority order. The...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Community Welfare Services (3 Dec 2013)

Joan Burton: A key objective of the transfer of the Community Welfare Service from the Health Service Executive to the Department on 1st October 2011 was to provide a streamlined and consistent service to the customer. As part of this process and to support the Department’s activation commitments under the Pathways to Work Programme and the development of Intreo services nationally, it has been...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Invalidity Pension Appeals (3 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 25th 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...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: National Internship Scheme Placements (3 Dec 2013)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 150, 152, 163 and 187 together. As at 28th November, 2013, there had been 23,845 internships since JobBridge came into operation, of which 6,543 individuals are currently on internships. The Table below contains a breakdown by County of internships completed and internships currently undertaken. The independent evaluation of JobBridge conducted by Indecon...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Labour Activation Measures (3 Dec 2013)

Joan Burton: Legislation provides that penalty rate payments may be imposed by a Deciding Officer where jobseekers fail, without good cause, to comply with activation measures. Activation measures include the requirement to attend group or individual meetings, and/or avail of suitable education, training or development opportunities, or specified employment programmes, which are considered appropriate...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Work Placement Programme (3 Dec 2013)

Joan Burton: Tús and Gateway were introduced by the Department of Social Protection to deliver on the policy objectives set out in Pathways to Work. Both initiatives are designed to bridge the gap between unemployment and re-entering the workforce. Participants on both schemes are required to work in their placement for an average of 19.5 hours per week which allows for participation in part-time...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Personal Public Service Numbers (3 Dec 2013)

Joan Burton: A Personal Public Service Number (PPS Number) may be allocated to a person who can show that he or she has a requirement for one in order to carry out a transaction with a specified body, and provides proof of identity, and evidence of address. The allocation of a PPS Number to a person does not, in itself, provide any entitlement to residency, employment or welfare rights. Details of...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Domiciliary Care Allowance Eligibility (3 Dec 2013)

Joan Burton: Statistics for the number of unsuccessful disability allowance applications since January 2013 who were previously in receipt of domiciliary care allowance are not maintained. It is estimated from data available that the number of persons who were in receipt of domiciliary care allowance and found to be ineligible for disability allowance to date in 2013 is approximately 370.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Expenditure (3 Dec 2013)

Joan Burton: As part of their contract of employment, the Department pays the cost of professional bodies’ fees for persons employed in the Department as medical and accounting professionals. The payment of these fees is based on the contractual requirement to maintain full registration with the relevant professional accredited body, e.g., the Irish Medical Council and Chartered Accountants of...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Expenditure (3 Dec 2013)

Joan Burton: In line with its Learning and Development Strategy 2013-2015, the Department promotes a learning culture where it provides staff and management with learning and development opportunities both internally and externally, including supports to attain third level qualifications. Participation in third level programmes is supported through refunding fees paid by staff undertaking these courses....

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Invalidity Pension Appeals (3 Dec 2013)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 22nd July 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 appeal be sought from the Department of Social Protection. These papers were received in the Social Welfare...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Appeals (3 Dec 2013)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 14th October 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: Disability Allowance Appeals (3 Dec 2013)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 14th October 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: Redundancy Payments (3 Dec 2013)

Joan Burton: As previously advised, on the 7th December 2011, and on 27th November 2012 the issue of statutory redundancy was heard before the Employment Appeals Tribunal (EAT) with 22 appellants seeking a redundancy payment. The EAT upheld that 20 of the 22 appellants were entitled to a statutory redundancy payment from their former employer, the organisation to which the Deputy refers. The appeals of...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Appeals (3 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 30th October 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: Disability Allowance Appeals (3 Dec 2013)

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 allow the appeal of the person concerned by way of a summary decision. The person concerned has been notified of the Appeals Officer’s decision. The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Social...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments Administration (3 Dec 2013)

Joan Burton: The Government has approved a Payments Strategy for this Department which has the aim of modernising its payment processes and approaches over the coming years. It includes the objective of progressively migrating the bulk of the Department’s customers to electronic methods of payment, subject to satisfactory arrangements for all of the Department’s business and anti-fraud...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (3 Dec 2013)

Joan Burton: The overall concern of the Government in this and previous 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. While we are ending the...