Results 17,921-17,940 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Domiciliary Care Allowance Appeals (15 Oct 2013)

Joan Burton: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that the current average time taken to process domiciliary care allowance appeals decided by summary decision is 29.1 weeks and 36.1 weeks for those requiring an oral hearing. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Domiciliary Care 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 17 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 referred...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Community Welfare Services (15 Oct 2013)

Joan Burton: The Department is currently examining the operation of all services across its remit, including the Community Welfare Service. It is doing this in the context of the Pathways to Work commitments and the development of Intreo services nationally. The Pathways to Work Programme includes the provision of opportunities, support and assistance to unemployed people by intensifying the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Eligibility (15 Oct 2013)

Joan Burton: To meet the eligibility criteria for the community employment (CE) scheme, participants are required to have been unemployed and in receipt of a social welfare payment for a 12 month consecutive period from this Department. The person concerned was in receipt of jobseeker’s benefit from October 2012 until July 2013 when her entitlement expired as she had reached the maximum number of...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: General Register Office (15 Oct 2013)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 129, 141 and 148 together. The research rooms of the General Register Office (GRO) relocated from Irish Life Mall, Abbey Street, Dublin 1 to Werburgh Street, Dublin 2 on Monday 30 September 2013. The Office of Public Works (OPW) has responsibility for the acquisition and maintenance of office accommodation for the Department of Social Protection. Matters...

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 registered in that office on 14 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...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: National Internship Scheme Administration (15 Oct 2013)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 131 and 132 together. The Department takes the view that there is an overriding public interest in having the identity of host organisations who have been excluded from participation in JobBridge kept confidential on the following basis: Pursuant to s. 20 (1) of the Freedom of Information Acts (1997-2003), the documents disclosing the identity of the host...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Fraud Data (15 Oct 2013)

Joan Burton: The exclusive function of the Department's Special Investigation Unit (SIU) is to investigate and report on fraud and abuse of social welfare schemes.The SIU was reconfigured as a national unit in February 2010 and the current structure ensures a national and strategic response to high risk sectors and social welfare schemes where fraud and abuse is prevalent. The Unit ensures that an...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: One-Parent Family Payment 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 10 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: Community Services Programme (15 Oct 2013)

Joan Burton: The community services programme (CSP) co-funds the services delivered by around 425 community based not-for-profit enterprises across the State. Some €45.4 million has been allocated to the programme for 2013, which will support 2,800 people in full and part time employment. CSP funding is primarily intended to contribute to the wages costs of the service provider expressed as a...

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 registered in that office on 4 September 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: National Internship Scheme Numbers (15 Oct 2013)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 138, 163 and 171 together. At 10 October, 2013, there were 5,918 individuals on JobBridge internships, a total of 21,842 internship placements since the scheme commenced, and there were 2,948 internship opportunities advertised on the JobBridge website. The total cost to the Exchequer of the top-up allowances paid to-date is €23 million. Those...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Invalidity Pension 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...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Back to Education Allowance Payments (15 Oct 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 leading to a recognised qualification in a recognised college and progressing in the level of education held by the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Disability Allowance Appeals (15 Oct 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: Invalidity Pension 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 4 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: Community Work Initiatives (15 Oct 2013)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 144, 154 and 164 together. The purpose of Tús is to maintain the work readiness of those on the live register for a period of at least 12 months by providing quality placement opportunities and other supports to help people back to the labour market and work. The primary programme for unemployed people and those seeking to return to work from other...

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

Joan Burton: An implementation plan for national delivery of a Youth Guarantee commencing from 2014 onwards will be drawn up by the end of this year. This will be done on a balanced basis, taking into account youth unemployment levels in the various rural and urban regions across the country. A pilot scheme is being rolled out in Ballymun which will inform the national roll-out of the youth guarantee in...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Partial Capacity Benefit Scheme Appeals (15 Oct 2013)

Joan Burton: Partial capacity benefit was awarded to the person concerned following an assessment by a Medical Assessor of the Department who expressed the opinion that the restriction on his capacity for work should be assessed as moderate. An appeal was registered in this case on 20 June 2013 and the Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that, in accordance with statutory requirements, the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: State Pension (Non-Contributory) Appeals (15 Oct 2013)

Joan Burton: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an Appeals Officer, having fully considered all of the available evidence, has decided to disallow the appeal of the person concerned by way of a summary decision. The person concerned has been notified of the Appeals Officer’s decision. The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Social...