Results 18,721-18,740 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Topical Issue Debate (9 Jul 2013)

Joan Burton: Because of its size and scope, the Department of Social Protection is subject to one of the largest volumes of requests for topical issues. When topical issues tabled to my Department are selected for answer by the Ceann Comhairle, I make every effort to take these debates and will continue to do so. To date I have taken 22 such debates in the Dail, which I understand compares favourably...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme Expenditure (9 Jul 2013)

Joan Burton: The purpose of rent supplement is to provide short-term support to eligible people living in private rented accommodation, whose means are insufficient to meet their accommodation costs and who do not have accommodation available to them from any other source. The overall aim is to provide short term assistance, and not to act as an alternative to the other social housing schemes operated by...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Youth Guarantee (9 Jul 2013)

Joan Burton: I am aware of the National Youth Council of Ireland (NYCI) report concerning the role of youth work in supporting long-term unemployed young people with limited qualifications and I am grateful to them for their input. The Youth Guarantee is a major priority of the Department. Securing EU Council agreement for an EU Recommendation on a Youth Guarantee was one of the priorities of the Irish...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Offices (9 Jul 2013)

Joan Burton: The first 12 Intreo offices are now live and it is intended to convert a further 31 offices to full Intreo working by the end of this year and to complete the full roll-out to all 63 offices of the Department in 2014. It is to be noted that key elements of the Intreo model are being rolled-out in advance of the physical modification of offices. Personal profiling is already in place in all...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Unemployment Levels (9 Jul 2013)

Joan Burton: In Q4, 2012, OECD data show that Ireland had a youth unemployment rate of 29.2% and an unemployment rate of 14.3% for all persons in the labour force. This compares to an overall OECD youth unemployment rate of 16.4%, with 8% unemployment in the OECD labour force. In both instances, the rate of youth unemployment is slightly double the rate of unemployment in the overall economy. Young...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Jobseeker's Allowance Applications (9 Jul 2013)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 278 and 289 together. The person concerned will be contacted by an official of this Department to facilitate an application for a jobseeker's payment as required.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Schemes (9 Jul 2013)

Joan Burton: In order to protect the Intern and to ensure the integrity of the JobBridge Scheme a variety of control measures and criteria have been introduced. These are designed to try to ensure that the internship does not displace an existing position; that it provides appropriate training and development experience; and that appropriate mentoring and support is provided to the Intern. Under the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Invalidity Pension Appeals (9 Jul 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...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (9 Jul 2013)

Joan Burton: I confirm that the department received an application for carer’s allowance from the person in question on the 4th February 2013. The person concerned was refused carer’s allowance on the grounds that the care recipient is not so disabled as to require full time care and attention as prescribed in regulations and that she was not providing full time care and attention as...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Jobseeker's Benefit Applications (9 Jul 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 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 and is...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Farm Assist Scheme Applications (9 Jul 2013)

Joan Burton: Farm assist is a weekly means tested payment that is paid to low income farmers. To qualify for a payment a farmer must be aged between 18 and 66 years, be engaged in farming, and satisfy a means test. The objective of the means assessment is to arrive at a figure which represents the normal net profit or loss from farming and includes an assessment of income from any other self-employment....

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Employment Rights Issues (9 Jul 2013)

Joan Burton: The purpose of the insolvency payments scheme, which operates under the Protection of Employees (Employers’ Insolvency) Act, 1984, which, in turn, derives from EU Council Directive 987/80, is to protect certain outstanding pay-related entitlements due to employees in the event of the insolvency of their employer. These entitlements include wages, holiday pay, sick pay, payment in...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Youth Unemployment Measures (9 Jul 2013)

Joan Burton: Youth unemployment continues to present a major challenge for Ireland as it does for most Member States. Recognising the urgency required in tackling the challenge of youth joblessness, the EPSCO Council quickly agreed on the EU Council Recommendation on a Youth Guarantee in February. The Irish Presidency was at the forefront of securing agreement on the adoption of the Recommendation. The...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Appeals (9 Jul 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 26 June 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 and is...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme Payments (9 Jul 2013)

Joan Burton: The person concerned currently has a lease agreement which expires on 31 July 2013. Therefore following the expiration of this agreement, she has an entitlement to the revised rent limit for a parent and two children in North Kildare which is €800.00 per month.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Eligibility (9 Jul 2013)

Joan Burton: Community Employment (CE) is an active labour market programme designed to provide eligible long term unemployed people and other disadvantaged persons with an opportunity to engage in useful work within their communities on a temporary, fixed term basis. CE helps unemployed people to re-enter the active workforce by breaking their experience of unemployment through a return to a work routine...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Job Initiatives (9 Jul 2013)

Joan Burton: The Pathways to Work document states that the introduction of the new Intreo service is a multi-annual project with all Department local offices upgraded to full Intreo offices by the end of 2014. The delivery of the Intreo service comprises a number of elements. The main elements being: i. The integration of the various welfare decision making processes to speed up decision making and...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Websites (9 Jul 2013)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 292 and 293 together. The Department’s website www.welfare.ie has been redesigned to more properly reflect the full range of services the Department now delivers. The new website represents the first phase of a multiple programme of planned activity in the website and online services area of the Department. It incorporates the major expansion of the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Exceptional Needs Payments (9 Jul 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 and unforeseen expenditure which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of their weekly income. The Government has provided €47.6m for the scheme in 2013. There is no automatic entitlement to a payment. ENPs are...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Free Travel Scheme Administration (9 Jul 2013)

Joan Burton: There are currently in excess of 770,000 people in receipt of free travel from my Department and when spousal and companion passes are taken into account, there are over 1.1 million customers with some free travel eligibility. Expenditure on this scheme was frozen at 2010 levels by the previous Government. Expenditure for the free travel scheme in 2013 is set at €77 million. Given...