Results 17,281-17,300 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Invalidity Pension Appeals (14 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 17th 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: Social Welfare Benefits Eligibility (14 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: Where individuals exit the workforce prior to pension age they often seek the support of either the jobseeker’s benefit or jobseeker’s allowance schemes. Jobseeker's benefit is a weekly payment to people out of work and covered by social insurance. If a person does not qualify for jobseeker’s benefit they may qualify for means tested jobseeker's allowance. The Revised...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: FÁS Local Training Initiatives Places (14 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: The person concerned has not been in contact with the Department’s Employment Services. He will be contacted by a member of staff to offer him an appointment to explore the training options currently available to him.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Supplementary Welfare Allowance Appeals (14 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that the appeal from the person concerned was referred to an Appeals Officer who has decided to hold an oral hearing in this case on 17 December 2013. The person concerned will be notified of the arrangements for the hearing when finalised. The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Social Protection and of...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Disability Allowance Appeals (14 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 19 August 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...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme Applications (14 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: The rent supplement claim for the person concerned has now been reviewed. The amount of means assessed for her from her employment has been revised downwards to give her a new entitlement to rent supplement of €577.20 per week, an increase of €22.80 per week from her previous entitlement. This revised entitlement will be backdated to 1 October 2013.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals Data (14 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: The information requested by the Deputy is contained in the table. There has been a rapid and sustained increase in the number of appeals received in the Social Welfare Appeals Office since 2009 which has placed extraordinary pressure on the office. Up to 2009, the average number of appeals received was 15,000 per annum whereas in 2012, the office received 35,484 appeals. In order to...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Invalidity Pension Appeals (14 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 30 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 to...

Topical Issue Debate: Social Welfare Benefits Eligibility (13 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: I thank Deputy Butler for raising the issue of providing social protection for the self-employed, which he has raised on many occasions in this House because it is a very important issue for the hundreds of thousands of self-employed people in the country. Self-employed persons are liable for PRSI at the class S rate of 4%, which entitles them to access long-term benefits such as State...

Topical Issue Debate: Social Welfare Benefits Eligibility (13 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: I thank Deputy Butler because his is a very sensible suggestion. The 2010 actuarial review of the social insurance fund, which I published last year, determined that the self-employed are obtaining better value for the level of their current social insurance companies than are those in employment, where they and their employer pay a combined contribution of 14.75%. The actuarial review went...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Fraud Investigations (13 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: A key priority for Government is to ensure that social welfare payments are available to those who are entitled to them and that fraudulent activity is vigorously prevented and combatted. A range of measures are employed by the Department to ensure that social welfare fraud and abuse is minimised and that it’s control activity is appropriately focused. The approach taken by the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals Issues (13 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an oral hearing of the appeal of the person concerned took place on 7 October 2013 and that the Appeals Officer is now considering the appeal in the light of all of the correspondence/evidence submitted, including that adduced at the oral hearing. The person concerned will be notified of the Appeals Officer’s decision when the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Jobseeker's Allowance Eligibility (13 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: Jobseeker's benefit is a weekly payment to people out of work and covered by social insurance. If a person does not qualify for JB they may qualify for means tested jobseeker's allowance. The Revised Estimates for the Department provide for expenditure on the jobseeker’s schemes of €3.66 billion in 2013. Budget 2013 provided that the duration for which jobseeker’s...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (13 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: Any person of working age who does not qualify for jobseeker’s benefit may claim means tested jobseeker’s allowance. Subject to means and other qualifying conditions, self-employed persons may claim jobseeker’s allowance if their business ceases or there is reduced demand for their services. Typically over 80% of jobseeker’s allowance claims from self-employed...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Illness Benefit Applications (13 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: Illness benefit is a payment made to insured people who are unable to work due to illness and who satisfy certain PRSI contribution conditions. Under the Social Protection Regulations, the rate payable on illness benefit claims depends on a person's earnings in the governing contribution year. The governing contribution year is the second last complete tax year before the year in which a...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Back to Education Allowance Eligibility (13 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: A person wishing to pursue a course of study under the back to education allowance scheme will have to satisfy a number of conditions such as being a certain age, in receipt of a prescribed social welfare payment for a specified time period, pursuing a full time course of study. Currently the period for which a person is required to be on a qualifying social welfare payment, such as...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Exchequer Savings (13 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: The 2014 Budget Day Estimates for jobseeker’s allowance and jobseeker’s benefit provide for expenditure of €3.27 billion in 2014. This provision is nearly €0.4 billion less than the provision of €3.66 billion for these schemes in the Revised Estimates Volume for 2013.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: JobBridge Scheme Evaluation (13 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: The Indecon Evaluation Report published by the Taoiseach and myself on 1stMay 2013 provided a number of key recommendations to enhance the effectiveness of the scheme. The Department has already taken a number of key actions in response to these recommendations including increasing the number of internships that a jobseeker may undertake, improving the Department’s quality and...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Code (13 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: The over 80 allowance of €10 per week is automatically paid to recipients of State pension on attaining 80 years of age. The enabling legislation provides for this automatic payment. There is no scope to opt in or out of the increase in question. All social welfare means-tested payments are provided to those with specific support needs. It would not be appropriate for those with...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Eligibility (13 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: I can confirm that the carer’s allowance payments to the person concerned were suspended in May 2013 pending a report from a social welfare investigative officer. There is evidence that all the conditions for receipt of carer’s allowance are not satisfied. It is expected that the investigative officer will shortly complete and submit the report and a deciding officer will...