Results 18,041-18,060 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Benefit Payments (3 Oct 2013)

Joan Burton: The information requested by the Deputy is detailed in the following table. Carer's Benefit Recipients and Expenditure 2011 to 31 August 2013 - Recipients Expenditure 31 December 2011 1,637 €24,474,000 31 December 2012 1,638 €24,453,000* 31 August 2013 1,663 €16,994,000* * Provisional

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Respite Care Grant Payments (3 Oct 2013)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 139 and 140 together. The costs of increasing the respite care grant to €1,500 and €1,700 are estimated at €10.95 million and €28.46 million, respectively, in a full year.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: One-Parent Family Payment Expenditure (3 Oct 2013)

Joan Burton: The reforms to the one-parent family payment (OFP) scheme that were introduced in Budgets 2011, 2012, and 2013, are predicated on activation and on getting people back into the workforce once their children have reached an appropriate age. There are no plans to change these arrangements. The cost of the OFP scheme was €1.06 billion in 2012 and is currently estimated to be...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: One-Parent Family Payment Application Numbers (3 Oct 2013)

Joan Burton: I enclose for the Deputy’s convenience a tabular statement detailing the number of persons in receipt of one-parent family payment by age of recipient, the percentage of the total recipients by age and the provisional cost of the scheme at the 31st of August 2013. Statistics on expenditure at age level are not compiled by my Department, However I am informed that the average weekly...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Invalidity Pension Appeals (3 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 18 September 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: Job Initiatives (3 Oct 2013)

Joan Burton: The Government’s primary strategy to tackle unemployment is to create the environment for a strong economic recovery by promoting competitiveness and productivity through the Action Plan for Jobs. In addition to promoting economic recovery, the Government recognises the need for measures to support the long-term unemployed and keep jobseekers close to the labour market. In this...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Eligibility (3 Oct 2013)

Joan Burton: The jobseeker's benefit and jobseeker’s allowance schemes provide income support for people who have lost work and are unable to find alternative full-time employment. To qualify for payment, a person must satisfy certain conditions, including the requirement to be available for and genuinely seeking full-time work. The relevant legislation specifically excludes students who are...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Domiciliary Care Allowance Appeals (3 Oct 2013)

Joan Burton: The person concerned was notified on 19 September 2013 that domiciliary care allowance payments would resume on 15th October 2013. Arrears of payment due to him has issued by cheque.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme Eligibility (3 Oct 2013)

Joan Burton: The person concerned and her children are currently being housed in in accommodation, funded by Dublin City Council, following the ending of her previous tenancy. She is currently also in receipt of a supplementary allowance payment from my Department. In relation to accessing rent allowance the person in question is entitled to apply for this payment. To access the payment she should secure...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals Delays (3 Oct 2013)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that the supplementary welfare allowance and disability allowance appeals by the person concerned have been referred to an Appeals Officer, who will make a summary decision on the appeals based on the documentary evidence presented or, if required, hold an oral hearing. The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Child Benefit Applications (3 Oct 2013)

Joan Burton: In this case, the children's mother previously applied for child benefit. Her claim was disallowed in September 2012, as she did not satisfy the habitual residence condition. The children’s grandmother then applied for child benefit on behalf of her grandchildren. This claim was also disallowed on the 17th of January 2013, as she was not deemed to be the qualified person in the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Disability Allowance Appeals (3 Oct 2013)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that the disability allowance appeal by the person concerned was referred to an Appeals Officer on 3 September 2013, who will make a summary decision on the appeal based on the documentary evidence presented or, if required, hold an oral hearing. I understand that the person concerned is in receipt of basic supplementary welfare allowance at a...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Data (3 Oct 2013)

Joan Burton: According to the records of this Department, the level of weekly and total payments in respect of the person concerned under the relevant schemes are set out in the following tables and include payments for fuel allowance, where appropriate. One Parent Family Payment Year Dates Weekly Rate Total Paid 2009 01/01/09-13/05/09 €228.70 €4345.30 14/05/09-23/09/09 €204.80...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Treatment Benefit Scheme Eligibility (3 Oct 2013)

Joan Burton: Entitlement to benefit under the treatment benefit scheme is based on PRSI contributions paid. The qualifying criteria vary depending on age, but for someone aged between 21 and 66 the current rules are that they must have: (1) At least 260 reckonable (Class A, E, H, or P) contributions paid since first starting work, and (2) At least 39 such contributions paid or credited in the 2011 year....

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Guardian's Payment Appeals (3 Oct 2013)

Joan Burton: The person concerned applied for Guardian’s Payment (Contributory) on 21 November 2011 in respect of her granddaughter. The Deciding Officer refused the claim on 30 May 2012. The decision was appealed and subsequently upheld by the Social Welfare Appeals Officer on 15 May 2013. The decision of the Social Welfare Appeals Officer is final and can only be revised on the presentation of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Revised Eligibility Criteria for State Pension (Contributory): Discussion with Minister for Social Protection (2 Oct 2013)

Joan Burton: It is with the pensions board. Unlike what I read in the newspapers, the matter does not have anything to do with the Department of Social Protection. There is an issue with the ESB management about the description of the designation of the pension fund as either defined benefit or defined contribution. That is a matter for the workers and the ESB, so I do not want to comment on that. ...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Revised Eligibility Criteria for State Pension (Contributory): Discussion with Minister for Social Protection (2 Oct 2013)

Joan Burton: No, we asked the OECD to carry out a study of the pensions landscape in Ireland. We are on the fifth anniversary of the infamous bank guarantee that cost us all so much. Shortly after that the pension funding standard was suspended, partly because of the chaos on the equity markets and partly because bond prices for buying annuities became difficult from an Irish point of view. As I have...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Revised Eligibility Criteria for State Pension (Contributory): Discussion with Minister for Social Protection (2 Oct 2013)

Joan Burton: I will not comment because the matter, which is being discussed between the scheme members and the company's management, does not fall within my brief. I suspect that both the members and the company are in receipt of senior legal advice. The company has another issue to consider. As members will know, the ESB is one of the largest state enterprises and employs a significant number of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Revised Eligibility Criteria for State Pension (Contributory): Discussion with Minister for Social Protection (2 Oct 2013)

Joan Burton: The averaging system is a winner for some people and a loser for others. Were we to move to a total contributions system, which is much clearer in the context of current participation in the labour force, that would also benefit some people while others would lose out. Our main requirement is to have sustainable pensions. The yearly average test has existed since 1961, when contributory...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Revised Eligibility Criteria for State Pension (Contributory): Discussion with Minister for Social Protection (2 Oct 2013)

Joan Burton: It is critical with pensions, as we said, to have commitment to 34% of average earnings. I shall answer the Senator's question as follows. Let us look into the distance because the following measure would have to be Government policy for a long period. If there is a general social commitment to the retirement pension being at 34% of average earnings, and similar for the non-contributory...