Results 16,961-16,980 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme Applications (3 Dec 2013)

Joan Burton: In light of the late availability of some information and given the complex and sensitive issues involved in this case, further enquiries are being made to establish the accurate information which will enable this Department to provide a full and comprehensive response. We will contact the Deputy’s office as soon as this is available.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: One-Parent Family Payment Eligibility (3 Dec 2013)

Joan Burton: The issue of maintenance payments is first and foremost a private matter for the persons concerned, and if they cannot resolve the issue, for the Courts through Family Law provisions. However, in every case where a one parent family payment (OFP) is awarded, the Department seeks to trace the other parent, referred to as the Liable Relative, in order to ascertain whether he or she is in a...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (28 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: I do not propose to accept the amendment. All statutory guidance issued by the Pensions Board is updated as required, and there is very extensive and timely updating. Updates to existing guidance are actively being considered currently in the context of the changes I am introducing in the Bill. With regard to Senator Barrett's point about trustee training, there is a significant amount of...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (28 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: I thank the Senator. Significant efforts have been made to identify an approach that strikes a reasonable balance between the interests of pensioners and the active and deferred members of scheme portfolios and scheme structures. To ensure that the broadest range of views and expertise was considered, the consultation process during the review of these provisions included a stakeholder...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (28 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: The pension levy now has two parts. The original pension levy of 0.6%, the proceedings from which have been applied to the job creation fund of 2011, is due to end in 2014. In providing for the budget for 2014 the Minister for Finance proposed and introduced an additional levy of 0.15% and indicated this would will meet the obligations which would fall on the State. In this instance, the...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (28 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: One can find fault with a number of aspects with regard to the Government but not in this case. The Minister for Finance and the programme for Government set out very clearly that the proceeds from the pension levy would be adopted as a jobs fund. I have listened to Members on both sides of the House commend the 9% VAT rate for the hospitality sector which is funded from the same levy. The...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (28 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: The issue of pension charges is, as Senator Sean D. Barrett suggests, extremely important. The amendment will give clarity to the procedures involved. It has been argued that 50% is not adequate and people have asked why, for example, the State cannot cover 90% or 100%. After a period of serious economic difficulty, we are finally getting back on our feet. Employment figures are moving in...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (28 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: This is a tricky issue as it involves having to balance the relative certainty provided by an annuity product, which, while very expensive in the current market, will provide a fixed level of income, as opposed to taking the risk of the investment market. The standard advice is that as people get older, the value of certainty and lower risk increases. The median pension amount is...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (28 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: Amendment No. 14 is a technical amendment introduced as a consequence of the introduction of a new section 48A in the Pensions Act, as provided for in amendment No. 17. The amendment arises from the provisions in subsection (1D) of section 5 of the Bill, as published, which provides that in the event of the wind-up of a pension scheme, where the employer is insolvent and there are not...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (28 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: As stated, since I became Minister the National Treasury Management Agency, NTMA, has created a sovereign annuity on the basis of which a number of insurance companies have developed products. It is quite interesting that the NTMA has indicated a continuous demand, with a financial value amount to €1.377 billion, for the amortising bonds used to underwrite sovereign annuities. The...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (28 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: The Senator anticipated this amendment in his previous contribution and I have already provided a reply on how sovereign annuities have developed in Ireland. To date, the amount spent on them since they were launched in 2012 is €1.377 billion.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (28 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: It is inaccurate, I think. The Senator might let us have a copy of the note later.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (28 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: There may be some slight misunderstanding.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (28 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: There are just a couple of points I want to make. Senator Mooney referred to Waterford Glass. I understand the thinking behind the two amendments but one should bear in mind the position of Waterford Glass and what ultimately triggered the problems aside from the difficult trading results and trading conditions. The point at issue for the Government in the late 2000s was its guarantee and...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (28 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: As the legislation stands, if a deciding officer or an appeals officer revises an earlier decision, he or she has considerable flexibility regarding the date from which the revised decision takes effect. Apart from a small number of situations, such as cases in which a person knowingly makes a false statement or withholds relevant information or cases in which a payment is reduced due to a...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (28 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: I do not propose to accept these amendments. Both amendments broadly entail placing a debt upon employers. It should be noted that while defined benefit pension schemes in Ireland are set up and maintained by employers on a voluntary basis, there has never been a statutory obligation on employers under Irish law to contribute to their pension scheme, although pension scheme rules can place...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (28 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: These amendments are of a technical nature. Amendment No. 1 inserts a definition of the principal Act into part 2 of the Bill to mean the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005. This definition arises as a consequence of the other amendments that I am proposing in part 2 of the Bill, in respect of the revision of decisions for social welfare payment purposes. As a consequence of amendment...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (28 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: Yes. When we move to the next series of amendments, I will go through the reasoning behind this set of amendments, to which I referred in my Second Stage speech earlier in the week. They arise as a consequence of a very recent court case, but I will go through them in greater detail when we move to the next section.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (28 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: The purpose of this amendment is to amend section 301 of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005 regarding a revised decision by deciding officers. Amendments Nos. 2 to 4, inclusive, address issues that have been raised in a very recent High Court judgment concerning the legal powers of deciding officers and appeal officers to revise decision in certain cases. This is a very complex area....

Other Questions: Jobseeker's Allowance Eligibility (28 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Question Nos. 9, 16 and 27together. In 2013, my Department will spend approximately €3.66 billion on jobseeker’s benefit and allowance. It is one of the highest spends by the Department. At the end of October 2013, there were 67,990 persons aged 26 or under in receipt of jobseeker’s allowance. Data included in the most recent Quarterly National...