Results 19,241-19,260 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Services for People with Disabilities (11 Jun 2013)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 374 and 406 together. My Department provides a range of income and employment supports for people with disabilities including those with autism. The disability allowance (DA) represents an important income support to people who are unfit for work. Also, domiciliary care allowance (DCA) represents a very important support to parents and guardians who live...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Divorce Process (11 Jun 2013)

Joan Burton: Part 7 of the Civil Registration Act 2004 makes provision for the establishment of a register of decrees of divorce and a register of decrees of nullity. However, the provisions of Part 7 have yet to be commenced. The system of civil registration in Ireland has been extensively modernised in the last decade or so and, as part of the modernisation programme, the majority of all records have...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Back to Education Allowance Eligibility (11 Jun 2013)

Joan Burton: The numbers availing of BTEA and the associated cost of the scheme has risen dramatically in recent years. Numbers for the current 2012/13 academic year at the end of December 2012 was 25,961 which represents a 220% increase on the 2006/07 numbers. The provisional outturn in 2012 is €199.56m. Expenditure on the scheme has followed an increasing trend rising from just over €64m...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Education and Training Provision (11 Jun 2013)

Joan Burton: The Momentum initiative provides free education and training opportunities for up to 6,500 long-term unemployed jobseekers. The initiative is administered by FÁS and funded by the Department of Education & Skills through the National Training Fund (NTF) and co-financed by the European Social Fund (ESF). In line with the commitments given in Pathways to Work, eligibility for the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Treatment Benefit Scheme Eligibility (11 Jun 2013)

Joan Burton: The contribution records of both the person concerned and her husband, indicate that neither satisfy the PRSI contribution conditions required to qualify under the treatment benefit scheme. In order to qualify as a dependant spouse, her husband would have had to have contributions either paid or credited in 1993/1994 or 1997/1998 or 1998/1999. As he has no paid reckonable contributions in...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Insurance Yield (11 Jun 2013)

Joan Burton: The following table sets out the details of the income and expenditure to or from the social insurance fund for each of the past five years as requested by the Deputy. The breakdown of income between the classes of PRSI contributions is not available. The Deputy should note that the figures provided for 2012 are provisional. SIF INCOME & EXPENDITURE - - - - PROVISIONAL -...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Insurance Fund Deficit (11 Jun 2013)

Joan Burton: The Social Insurance Fund “SIF” is a pay-as-you-go social insurance scheme that is financed by contributions from employees, employers, the self-employed and by a contribution or 'subvention' from the Exchequer when the cost of the benefits paid from the Fund exceeds the contribution income. The Exchequer is the residual financier of the Fund and such subventions were the norm...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: State Pension (Contributory) Eligibility (11 Jun 2013)

Joan Burton: The State pension is a very valuable asset and it is important, for sustainability reasons, that those who receive it have made a significant contribution towards it during a working life. In order to qualify for a State pension contributory, a person must satisfy a number of qualifying conditions which include: - commencing insurable employment at least 10 years before pension age; -...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Farm Assist Scheme Statistics (11 Jun 2013)

Joan Burton: The total number of farmers who were in receipt of a farm assist payment at the end of April 2013 was 10,867 which compares to 11,158 at the same date in 2012. With regard to the number of recipients whose farm assist payment has been decreased since 1 January 2013; the total value of farm assist payments paid to farmers in the months January-April 2013 and the corresponding figures for the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Public Services Card (11 Jun 2013)

Joan Burton: The Department of Social Protection has developed, in conjunction with a number of other Government Departments, a rules based standard for establishing and authenticating an individual's identity for the purposes of access to public services. This programme of work, which is known as Standard Authentication Framework Environment, or SAFE for short, also provided for the introduction of a...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Job Initiatives (11 Jun 2013)

Joan Burton: The Minister currently has no plans to consider any such measures.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme Payments (11 Jun 2013)

Joan Burton: The purpose of the rent supplement scheme 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. Currently, there are approximately 86,000 rent supplement recipients for which the Government has provided over €403...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Illness Benefit Appeals (11 Jun 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 13th May 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: Supplementary Welfare Allowance Appeals (11 Jun 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 responsible...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Appeals (11 Jun 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 27th May 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: Social Welfare Benefits Eligibility (11 Jun 2013)

Joan Burton: The person concerned is receiving jobseeker's benefit at the full rate of €188 per week. He should contact his Social Welfare Local Office or Citizens' Information Centre whereupon he can discuss any possible further payments that he may be entitled to.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Eligibility (11 Jun 2013)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare and Pensions Act, 2011 provides that state pension age will be increased gradually to 68 years. This will begin in 2014 with the abolition of the state pension (transition) thereby standardising state pension age for all at 66 years. The state pension age will be further increased to 67 years in 2021 and to 68 years in 2028. These changes apply to all fully insured...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: State Pension (Non-Contributory) Appeals (11 Jun 2013)

Joan Burton: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an Appeals Officer having fully considered all the available evidence disallowed the appeal of the persons concerned by way of summary decision. The persons concerned have been notified of the Appeals Officer decision. The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Social Protection and of the Department...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: National Internship Scheme Administration (11 Jun 2013)

Joan Burton: The Department’s policy position with regard to internships in the education sector is that applications for all internships in this sector must be made before certain dates in order that the internships are completed by the end of the academic year. Primarily, this is to protect interns, who should not undertake internships in circumstances where a high quality, real workplace...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Eligibility (11 Jun 2013)

Joan Burton: The eligibility criteria for the community employment scheme require that the applicant must have been receiving a jobseeker’s payment for 12 months at the time of making their application. As the person concerned finished receiving jobseeker’s payments on 26 March 2013 he does not meet the criteria, and is therefore ineligible for the community employment scheme.