Results 17,521-17,540 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Domiciliary Care Allowance Appeals (5 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 2nd 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: Tax Code (5 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: It was announced in Budget 2014 that, from 1 January, 2014, the one-parent family tax credit will be replaced with a new single person child carer tax credit. The one-parent family tax credit and the change to the single person child carer tax credit are the responsibility of my colleague the Minister for Finance, Michael Noonan T.D. and will be provided for in the Finance Bill (No. 2),...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Civil Registration Legislation (5 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: The notification, solemnisation and registration of marriages are governed by Part 6 of the Civil Registration Act 2004. Section 51(2) (c) of the Act provides that a registered solemniser “...shall not solemnise a marriage unless the solemnisation takes place in a place that is open to the public”. This is currently taken to mean that the place must be a building that is...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (5 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: My Department makes available a variety of supports to employers in support of the Government’s objectives of providing opportunities for unemployed people to get back into work. Community companies are eligible for supports under the Department's range of schemes. These include JobsPlus where a cash subsidy is paid over two years to an employer to recruit a person unemployed for...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Appeals (5 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned has been referred to an Appeals Officer, who will make a summary decision based on the documentary evidence presented or, if required, hold an oral hearing. I have been advised that if the appeal is to be decided summarily, a decision should issue to the person concerned within the next two to three...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Appointments to State Boards (5 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: The statutory bodies operating under the aegis of the Department of Social Protection are the Citizens Information Board, the Pensions Board, the Pensions Ombudsman (which does not have a board) and the Social Welfare Tribunal. Citizens Information Board I have made three appointments to the Citizens Information Board (CIB) since March 2011. Mr. Eugene McErlean was appointed with effect...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Defined Benefit Pension Schemes (5 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: The Funding Standard as set out in Part IV of the Pensions Act requires the trustees of defined benefit pension schemes to maintain sufficient assets to meet the scheme liabilities in the event of the wind up of a pension scheme. Where a scheme fails to meet the Funding Standard, the trustees of the scheme are required to submit a funding proposal to the Pensions Board setting out it plan to...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Code (5 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: Receiving the full adult rate of a jobseekers or Supplementary Welfare Allowance payment at a young age, without a strong financial incentive to engage in education or training, can lead to welfare dependency from an early age. If they do not improve their skills, they are at risk of becoming long term unemployed from a young age. Therefore, it is considered necessary to provide young...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Ministerial Staff (5 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: I understand from the Department of the Taoiseach that the part of the question in relation to qualifications has been ruled out of order, on the grounds that in compliance with the Ethics/Standards in Public Office Acts, the Statements of Qualification in respect of Special Advisors have already been laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas as required and are available for the Deputy's...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Appeals (5 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 the 30th April 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: Domiciliary Care Allowance Appeals (5 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: An application for domiciliary care allowance (DCA) was received in respect of the person concerned on the 10th December 2012. This application was referred to one of the Department’s Medical Assessors for their opinion; they considered that the child was not medically eligible for the allowance. A letter issued on the 20th February 2013 advising of the decision to refuse the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Code (5 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: The Medical Review and Assessment system is the principal control mechanism for all illness and disability schemes administered by the Department of Social Protection. Medical Assessors carry out desk assessments of medical evidence/reports supplies by customers and where required, conduct in-person assessments in order to provide a second medical opinion for the guidance of Deciding and...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Invalidity Pension Appeals (5 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an Appeals Officer, having fully considered all the evidence has allowed the appeal of the person concerned. The person concerned has been notified of the decision. The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Social Protection and of the Department and is responsible for determining appeals against...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Exceptional Needs Payment Eligibility (5 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: Under the supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) scheme, the Department may make a single exceptional needs payment (ENP) to help meet essential, once-off, exceptional and unforeseen expenditure which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of their weekly income. It is expected that the expenditure on the ENP scheme in 2013 will be in excess of €35 million. There is...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Jobseeker's Allowance Appeals (5 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. Every effort will be made to hear the case as quickly as possible and the appellant will be informed when arrangements for the oral hearing have been made. The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Review (5 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 510 to 512, inclusive, together. The Department of Social Protection (DSP) is consolidating and improving the provision of training and work experience for CE participants who wish to pursue a career in childcare. For CE participants who work directly with children, a dedicated programme comprising formal learning and supervised work experience will...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Jobseeker's Benefit Payments (5 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: Jobseeker's benefit (JB) is a weekly payment to people out of work and covered by social insurance (PRSI). In 2012 my Department spent some €737m on the scheme and at the end of 2012 there were some 85,000 persons in receipt of a JB payment. Budget 2013 provided that the duration for which JB is paid was, with effect from April 2013, reduced from 12 months to 9 months for recipients...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals Delays (5 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: 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 manage this increasing workload, significant resources and efforts have...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Eligibility (5 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: One parent family payment is made to a parent who is bringing up a child(ren) without the support of spouse or partner. The onus is on the claimant to provide proof that the relationship has ended and that the couple are living separately. The Department has to fully satisfy itself that this is the case before approving payment and is entitled to request any information that it considers...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: FÁS Training Programmes Provision (5 Nov 2013)

Joan Burton: My Department’s Divisional Office in Galway has made direct contact with the persons concerned and has arranged to meet them to discuss the issues raised and how they might be resolved. That meeting is scheduled to take place next week - on 13th November 2013.