Results 17,441-17,460 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Family Support Services (6 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: In addition to child benefit, there are a number of social insurance and social assistance payments for which a single separated parent may qualify, depending on their circumstances. One-parent family payment may be payable, subject to a means assessment, to a parent with a qualified child or children where the person is parenting alone. Family income supplement may be payable to a person...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Domiciliary Care Allowance Appeals (6 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 15th 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: Family Support Services (6 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: The Government is committed to supporting one-parent families to become economically independent. The Department is in the process of introducing a series of reforms to 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...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Jobseeker's Allowance Appeals (6 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 convene an oral hearing in this case. I am advised that the oral hearing is likely to take place during week commencing 18th November 2013. The person concerned will be informed when arrangements for the oral hearing have been made. The Social...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Free Travel Scheme Applications (6 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: The application for a Companion Travel Pass for the person named above was medically assessed by a Medical Assessor on 4 November 2013. The medical opinion has been conveyed to Household Benefits Section, Sligo and the applicant will be contacted shortly regarding the decision on her application.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Invalidity Pension Appeals (6 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 09th 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: Community Employment Schemes Places (6 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: The current rules regarding maximum durations on Community Employment (CE) are as follows: With effect from 3rd April 2000, lifetime cumulative participation on CE by an individual will be limited to: - 3 years (156 weeks) for persons under 55 years of age. - 6 years (312 weeks) for persons of 55 years of age up to and including 65 years of age. - Eligible persons in receipt of a qualifying...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (6 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: When applying for a means tested social assistance payment a claimant must satisfy the eligibility conditions for the relevant scheme. The fact that the person may have been in care prior to reaching 16 years of age is not relevant for the purposes of a means test. However, in the case of jobseeker’s allowance, the Deputy may wish to note that the reduced rates of jobseeker’s...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Eligibility (6 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: Social welfare legislation provides for the disregard of certain compensation awards when assessing the means of a person for social assistance purposes. These compensation awards are those made: i. by the Hepatitis C and HIV Compensation Tribunals; ii. by the Residential Institutions Redress Board; iii. to persons who have disabilities caused by Thalidomide; and iv. under the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Domiciliary Care Allowance Review (6 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: The review of the Domiciliary Care Allowance scheme (DCA), which was published in April 2013, makes a number of recommendations in relation to operation of the scheme. An implementation group, comprising officials from the Department of Social Protection, other relevant departments/ relevant bodies and parent/representative groups has been established to action the administrative...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Invalidity Pension Appeals (6 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: The information requested by the Deputy in respect of invalidity pension appeals from 2011 to 2012 and to date in 2013 is contained in the table below. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Disability Allowance Eligibility (6 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: Applications for disability allowance are normally medically assessed at desk by one of the Department’s Medical Assessors who assesses the available medical evidence with reference to evidence based protocols and guidelines. The Medical Assessor then presents his/her medical opinion to a Deciding Officer, who makes a decision on the basis of the overall scheme rules, taking account...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: National Internship Scheme Data (6 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 93 and 102 together. 68% of all JobBridge placements to-date have been in the private sector with 21% of placements in the public sector and 11% in the community/voluntary sectors. This equates to 4,847 internships to-date in the public sector. Of the 4,847 placements in the public sector, 1,341 jobseekers are currently on the scheme and 3,506 jobseekers...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Report on Pension Charges (6 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 94 to 96, inclusive, together. The Report on Pension Charges 2012 was undertaken by my Department, working with the Central Bank and the Pensions Board, and with support from PWC. The primary objective of the report was to gather information on the level of pension charges levied, to assess whether these charges are reasonable and transparent, to report on...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Pensions Reform (6 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: The overall objective of the pension system in Ireland is to provide an adequate and sustainable basic standard of living through direct State supports and to encourage people (through tax reliefs) to make supplementary pension provision so that they may have an adequate replacement income when they retire from work. Ireland’s State pension has been successful in lifting older...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Invalidity Pension Appeals (6 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 15October 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: Social Welfare Benefits Eligibility (6 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: Self-employed persons are liable for pay related social insurance (PRSI) at a rate of 4%, which entitles them to access long-term benefits such as State pension (contributory) and widow's, widower's or surviving civil partner's pension (contributory). However, they are not entitled to jobseeker’s benefit. This compares to employees in respect of whom a combined 14.75% rate, under...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Code Reform (6 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: In 2011 I established the Advisory Group on Tax and Social Welfare to meet the commitment made in the Programme for Government. The Advisory Group is charged with, inter alia, examining and reporting on issues involved in providing social insurance cover for self-employed persons in order to establish whether or not such cover is technically feasible and financially sustainable. Any...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2013: Second Stage (Resumed) (5 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: -----for people who are bereaved. The key support is that if somebody's spouse dies, particularly a pensioner's spouse, we continue the payment of the person who has died to the person who has been bereaved for a period of six weeks. That support is worth approximately €1,300 to the bereaved spouse. It is far more significant than the bereavement grant. Second, if people become...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2013: Second Stage (Resumed) (5 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: That was the proposal-----