Results 17,241-17,260 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Invalidity Pension Appeals (19 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 12th September 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...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Appeals (19 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 5th 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: Defined Benefit Pension Schemes (19 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 323 and 324 together. The number of defined benefit schemes that were due to submit funding proposals to the Pensions Board by June 2013 was 217, of which 82 are currently outstanding. The 135 schemes that have responded fall into one of the following categories: 1. Submitted a funding proposal 2. Submitted a positive Actuarial Funding Certificate 3....

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Domiciliary Care Allowance Appeals (19 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: The person concerned was informed by the Social Welfare Appeals Office on the 20th May 2013 that her appeals in respect of applications for domiciliary care allowance (DCA) for both children had been disallowed. The person concerned submitted new applications for DCA for both children on the 25th September 2013. These applications have been forwarded to the Department’s Medical...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Fuel Allowance Eligibility (19 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: A Fuel Allowance is a payment under the National Fuel Scheme to help with the cost of heating a person’s home. It is paid to people who are dependent on long-term social welfare and who are unable to provide for their own heating needs. Only one Fuel Allowance is paid to a household at a standard rate of €20 per week. There are various qualifying conditions to be eligible to...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Pension Provisions (19 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 328, 337 and 340 together. Over the past number of years, pension provision in all its forms in Ireland has experienced considerable challenges and change. The sustainability of the wider system is a particular concern because of the demographic issues Ireland faces and the associated increases in pension (and other age related) costs, and due to investment...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: FÁS Training Programmes Provision (19 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: The person concerned has been interviewed and is awaiting a place on the next available course which is scheduled for May 2014. Priority on such courses is afforded to people under 35 years of age who have no leaving certificate The person concerned has already achieved a leaving certificate (level 5), therefore there is no guarantee of placement depending on the demands for this course. ...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Household Benefits Scheme (19 Nov 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. The cost of the telephone...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Invalidity Pension Appeals (19 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 24th May 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: Domiciliary Care Allowance Appeals (19 Nov 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 Department...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Invalidity Pension Appeals (19 Nov 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 Department...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Appeals (19 Nov 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 August 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: Social Insurance Issues (19 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: Social Insurance spending has traditionally been funded on a tripartite basis – with contributions coming from the Exchequer, employers and employees. Legally, the Exchequer is the residual financier of the SIF and Exchequer contributions were the norm from 1952 up to 1997. No Exchequer funding was required over the period 1997 to 2009 inclusive, as the Fund was in surplus. Since...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Defined Benefit Pension Schemes (19 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: I am very aware of the difficulties facing many defined benefit pension schemes at this time. A range of both legislative and administrative measures have been put in place in recent years to help employers and the trustees of pension scheme respond to the funding challenge. The issue of how the assets of a scheme are distributed on the wind up of a scheme is a sensitive and complex issue....

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme Data (19 Nov 2013)

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 approximately 81,000 rent supplement recipients for which the Government has provided over €403 million for...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Domiciliary Care Allowance Applications (19 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: An application for domiciliary care allowance was received from the person concerned on the 11th June 2013. The application was disallowed as the child was not considered to satisfy the qualifying conditions for the allowance. A letter issued on the 13th August 2013 advising of the decision. A review of this decision has been requested and additional information on this child’s...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme Applications (19 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: The client was awarded rent supplement on the 12th November to his full entitlement based on his household composition. All arrears will issue accordingly at the end of the month.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Community Work Initiatives (19 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: Tús, the community work placement initiative introduced during 2011, was set up to provide short-term, quality work opportunities for those who are unemployed for more than a year. This initiative is being delivered through the network of local development companies and Údarás na Gaeltachta. Tús is designed to break the cycle of unemployment, and maintain work readiness...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme Administration (19 Nov 2013)

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. The overall aim is to provide short term assistance, and not to act as an alternative to the other social housing schemes...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Youth Guarantee (19 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 348, 349 and 357 together. The Department of Social Protection has set up an interdepartmental group with officials and programme managers from the Department of Education and Skills, Department of Jobs Enterprise and Innovation, and the Department of Children and Youth Affairs, to review the current range of youth employment policies in Ireland to assess...