Results 19,801-19,820 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme Expenditure (30 Apr 2013)

Joan Burton: The purpose of the rent supplement scheme is to provide short-term support to eligible people living in private rented accommodation and not to act as an alternative to the other social housing schemes operated by the Exchequer. There are currently over 86,000 rent supplement recipients for which the Government has provided over €403 million for 2013. The total spend on rent supplement...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Money Advice and Budgeting Service Funding (30 Apr 2013)

Joan Burton: The Money Advice and Budgeting Service ( MABS), under the aegis of the Citizens Information Board, assists people who are over-indebted and need help and advice in coping with debt problems, in particular those on low incomes and people living on social welfare payments. In 2013, the Citizens Information Board has been allocated a budget of approximately €47.5 million of which some...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Tax Reliefs Cost (30 Apr 2013)

Joan Burton: The Employee's PRSI free allowance, to which I presume the Deputy is referring, amounted to €127 per week (for those paying PRSI Class A, E and H) and €26 per week (for those paying PRSI Class B, C, and D). The allowance was abolished as part of Budget 2014, with effect from 1 January 2013. The PRSI free allowance was available to those with weekly earnings over €352...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Death Certificates Issues (30 Apr 2013)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 281 and 282 together. Provision for the voluntary registration of stillbirths is contained in section 28 of the Civil Registration Act 2004. The definition of a "stillborn child" is contained in section 2(1) of that Act and provides that a stillborn child means a child who, at birth, weighs not less than 500 grammes or has a gestational age of not less than...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Code Issues (30 Apr 2013)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 283 and 323 together. As outlined in the previous reply referred to by the Deputy, in general a person that is detained in prison is disqualified for payment throughout the period of detention subject to a small number of limited exemptions. Included in the ‘other scheme’ category, there were two rent supplement overpayments recorded in 2011 as...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Funding (30 Apr 2013)

Joan Burton: This department provides grant aid to Community Employment Schemes for the employment of supervisors. There has been no reduction in the level of funding made available for these purposes in the past four years. Previous adjustments in this grant aid related to pay increases covering Phase III (2.5%, March 2008) and Phase IV (2.5%, September 2008) of Towards 2016 in late 2008/early 2009 and...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Family Income Supplement Eligibility (30 Apr 2013)

Joan Burton: The Family Income Supplement (FIS) payment is designed to provide cash income for employees with families who are on low earnings Once the level of FIS payment is determined, it continues to be payable at that rate for a period of 52 weeks, provided that the person remains in full-time employment. The rate of payment may be increased if an additional child is born in the course of the 52...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: One-Parent Family Payment Applications (30 Apr 2013)

Joan Burton: The application for one parent family payment from the person concerned was approved on 9 April 2013, backdated to 25 October 2012. While she awaited this claim to be processed, she received payments of maternity benefit totalling €1301.40 followed by supplementary welfare allowance payments totalling €1361.80. These monies were recovered from the arrears payment of...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: State Pension (Contributory) Eligibility (30 Apr 2013)

Joan Burton: The State pension (transition) applies for one year for persons age 65 who qualify for the scheme. It will cease from 1 January 2014 and State pension age will be standardised at age 66. Thereafter, pension age will increase to 67 in 2021 and 68 in 2028. These are part of the pension reform measures aimed at increasing the sustainability of the Irish pension system. In relation to...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Disability Allowance Appeals (30 Apr 2013)

Joan Burton: Payment of disability allowance, to the person concerned, was refused by a Deciding Officer following an assessment by a Medical Assessor of the Department who expressed the opinion that he was medically unsuitable for disability allowance. An appeal was opened and in the context of that appeal his case was reviewed by a second Medical Assessor who also expressed the opinion that he was...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Invalidity Pension Appeals (30 Apr 2013)

Joan Burton: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an Appeals Officer having fully considered all the available evidence has allowed the appeal of the person concerned by way of summary decision. The person concerned has 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: Domiciliary Care Allowance Appeals (30 Apr 2013)

Joan Burton: An application for domiciliary care allowance was received from the person concerned on 15 November 2012. This application was referred to one of the Department’s Medical Assessors who found that the child was not medically eligible for the allowance. A letter issued on 8 February 2013 advising of the decision. The person concerned subsequently lodged an appeal against this...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Disability Allowance Appeals (30 Apr 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 27 March 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...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Illness Benefit Appeals (30 Apr 2013)

Joan Burton: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an Appeals Officer having fully considered all the available evidence, including that adduced at oral hearing, disallowed the appeal of the person concerned who has been notified of the decision. The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Social Protection and of the Department and is responsible for...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Invalidity Pension Appeals (30 Apr 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 allowed the appeal of the person concerned by way of 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 Protection and of the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Invalidity Pension Appeals (30 Apr 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 March 2013. It is a statutory requirement of the appeals process that the relevant Departmental papers and comments by or on behalf of the Deciding Officer on the grounds of appeal be sought. These papers were received in the Social Welfare Appeals Office on 19 April...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (30 Apr 2013)

Joan Burton: I confirm that the department received an application for carer’s allowance from the person in question on the 1st December 2011. This application was referred to one of the Department’s medical assessors who was of the opinion that the caree in question was not medically eligible for carer’s allowance. A letter issued on the 1st of October 2012 refusing the allowance...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Appeals (30 Apr 2013)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal, by the person concerned, was registered in that office on 12th February 2013. It is a statutory requirement of the appeals process that the relevant Departmental papers and comments by or on behalf of the Deciding Officer on the grounds of appeal be sought. When received, the case will be referred to an Appeals Officer who...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Jobseeker's Allowance Eligibility (30 Apr 2013)

Joan Burton: According to the records of this department there is no current application from the person mentioned in Parliamentary Question No. 613 of 16 April 2013 for jobseeker’s allowance. It is open to the person concerned to make an application at their local office in order to establish if an entitlement under this scheme exists.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Domiciliary Care Allowance Appeals (30 Apr 2013)

Joan Burton: The person concerned submitted an appeal in relation to domiciliary care allowance on the 14th December 2012. As part of the appeal process, the case was forwarded to another of the Department’s Medical Assessors for further consideration. Further information in support of the appeal was received in the Department on the 24th April 2013 and this information has also been forwarded...