Results 17,901-17,920 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: One-Parent Family Payment Appeals (16 Oct 2013)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 11 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 to...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Education and Training Provision (16 Oct 2013)

Joan Burton: The Department of Social Protection provides a wide range of second chance education opportunities for unemployed people, lone parents and people with disabilities. The Department's objective in this area is to raise educational and skills levels among such persons in order to help them to meet the requirements of the labour market. In order to establish if the person concerned has an...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Family Income Supplement Appeals (16 Oct 2013)

Joan Burton: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that in the case of an appeal for family income supplement, where it appears that the reason for the Deciding Officers decision may not have been fully understood, the letter of appeal is referred to family income supplement section requesting that the decision be clarified to the appellant. The appellant is advised that if s/he is still not...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals Status (16 Oct 2013)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 22 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 have been received in the Social...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Labour Activation Projects (16 Oct 2013)

Joan Burton: The department provides a wide range of income and work-related supports (previously operated by FAS) for people with disabilities. These include the EmployAbility service (formerly the Supported Employment Programme) which facilitates the integration of people with disabilities into paid employment in the open labour market; and a number of employment supports aimed at employers (the Wage...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Labour Activation Projects (16 Oct 2013)

Joan Burton: I have initiated six Bills since taking office, all of which have been enacted. Details of these Acts are set out in the attached table. Regulatory Impact Assessments (RIAs) are not ordinarily undertaken in relation to the package of measures announced in the annual Budget Day Statements or similar packages of measures. Accordingly, a RIA was not considered necessary in the case of the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Child Benefit Eligibility (16 Oct 2013)

Joan Burton: Child benefit is a monthly universal payment made to families with children, which assists all parents with the cost associated with raising children. Child benefit is paid to around 606,000 families in respect of some 1.15 million children, with an estimated expenditure of around €1.9 billion. Child benefit as a “universal” payment is paid in respect of all qualified...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Disability Allowance Appeals (16 Oct 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 3rd 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...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Exceptional Needs Payment Applications (16 Oct 2013)

Joan Burton: This Department has no record of having received an application for an exceptional needs payment from the person concerned. If she wishes to make an application, she should contact her local community welfare service office for details.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Mortgage Interest Supplement Eligibility (15 Oct 2013)

Joan Burton: The purpose of the mortgage interest supplement scheme is to provide short term support to eligible people who are unable to meet their mortgage interest repayments. There are currently some 11,000 people in receipt of mortgage interest supplement for which the Government has provided almost €42 million in 2013. To ensure that those who are in mortgage difficulty engage with their...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Back to Education Allowance Payments (15 Oct 2013)

Joan Burton: The objective of the Department’s working age employment supports, including the back to education allowance, is to remove barriers to employment in order to help people to enter or remain in employment. This is an integral part of the implementation of the Pathways to Work policy and the activation of jobseekers. The Deputy will be aware that the Department of Public Expenditure...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: European Court of Justice Rulings (15 Oct 2013)

Joan Burton: The ruling by the European Court of Justice was in response to a reference by the High Court seeking clarification of the interpretation of European law emanating from EU Directive 2008/94EC on the protection of employees in the event of the insolvency of their employer. Following the ECJ ruling, the matter will now revert to the High Court for consideration. It is anticipated that the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Legislative Programme (15 Oct 2013)

Joan Burton: On the 19 July, 2013, the Cabinet approved the drafting of the Civil Registration (Amendment) Bill 2013. One of the proposals I am seeking to introduce in this Bill is to amend the Civil Registration Act 2004 by making it an obligation in the birth registration process to include the father's particulars on a birth certificate so as to ensure that the child will have a record of the father....

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Household Benefits Scheme (15 Oct 2013)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 116 and 117 together. The Government finalised its consideration of the Budget having regard to all of its commitments, including the commitment in the Programme for Government to maintain welfare rates. The outcome of this process will be announced today. The household benefits package currently comprises the electricity or gas allowance, the telephone...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Appeals (15 Oct 2013)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 3September 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: Employment Support Services (15 Oct 2013)

Joan Burton: Given the scale of the unemployment crisis, the key objective of activation policy and labour market initiatives is to offer assistance to those in need of support in securing work and achieving financial self-sufficiency. This policy objective prioritises scarce resources to those in receipt of qualifying welfare payments. Accordingly the employment services and schemes provided by the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Youth Employment Initiative (15 Oct 2013)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 120, 156 and 157 together. In the first instance, the Government’s primary strategy to tackle all forms of unemployment, including youth unemployment, is to create the environment for a strong economic recovery by promoting competitiveness and productivity. In the first instance, the Government’s primary strategy to tackle youth unemployment...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals Status (15 Oct 2013)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 08th 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: State Pension (Non-Contributory) Applications (15 Oct 2013)

Joan Burton: State pension (non-contributory) is a means-tested scheme. In this specific instance, the person concerned had means exceeding the statutory limit and the person was informed of this decision. If the person is not satisfied with the decision, they appeal it to the Appeals Office.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Disability Allowance Appeals (15 Oct 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 3 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...