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<title>Mary Hanafin - Recent appearances (From KildareStreet.com)</title>
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<dc:date>2009-04-15T16:11:18+00:00</dc:date>

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<item rdf:about="http://www.kildarestreet.com/debates/?id=2009-04-08.165.0&amp;m=352#g313.0">
	<title>Financial Resolution No. 11: General (Resumed). | D&amp;aacute;il debates</title>
	<link>http://www.kildarestreet.com/debates/?id=2009-04-08.165.0&amp;m=352#g313.0</link>
	<description>Access to the general back to work enterprise allowance scheme is also being improved.  New work placement and graduate placement schemes, which we are devising with the Department of Enterprise,...</description>
	<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p pid="313.1">Access to the general back to work enterprise allowance scheme is also being improved.  New work placement and graduate placement schemes, which we are devising with the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, will ensure that graduates and young people will be able to maintain their social welfare entitlements while gaining work experience.  This will be an important element of our programme. </p><p pid="313.2">Almost €21.3 billion is being provided for social welfare.  This is a significant sum of money.  In making decisions in respect of savings the budget for social welfare has ensured that we have not had to cut the rates for social welfare.  I appreciate that the decisions made are very difficult, particularly the decision not to pay the December bonus but the alternative was to cut it from more people and to cut it for everybody which would have been particularly difficult.</p>]]></content:encoded>
	<dc:date>2009-04-08T13:00:00+00:00</dc:date>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://www.kildarestreet.com/debates/?id=2009-04-08.165.0&amp;m=352#g310.0">
	<title>Financial Resolution No. 11: General (Resumed). | D&amp;aacute;il debates</title>
	<link>http://www.kildarestreet.com/debates/?id=2009-04-08.165.0&amp;m=352#g310.0</link>
	<description>I urge all Members to support us in this and help us to send a clear message to landlords that the State will not be overcharged.  On a positive note, agreement has been reached with the...</description>
	<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p pid="310.1">I urge all Members to support us in this and help us to send a clear message to landlords that the State will not be overcharged.  On a positive note, agreement has been reached with the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government on 1,000 transfers from rent supplement to the longer term rental accommodation scheme in 2009, which will bring the total number of such transfers to 9,000 this year.</p><p pid="310.2">Changes are being made to the jobseeker’s allowance, JA, to incentivise 18 and 19 year old jobseekers to avail of education and training opportunities to avoid becoming welfare dependent from a young age.  The rate of JA that will be paid to new claimants under the age of 20 is being reduced from €204.30 per week to €100 per week, with effect from the first week of May 2009.  It will not impact on current 18 and 19 year olds.  When persons on the reduced rate of JA reaches the age of 20, if they still qualify for JA, they will be entitled to the full adult rate.</p><p pid="310.3">The full adult rate of the relevant scheme will be paid to 18 and 19 year olds who participate in a full-time youthreach course for young early school leavers; or a full-time course in a senior Traveller training centre; qualify for the back to education allowance, BTEA, for pursuing a full-time second level course or post-leaving certificate course; or participate in a full-time FÁS training course.  They can also participate in a post-leaving certificate course or third level course on the same basis as any other young person and may qualify for a third level grant.  This measure also applies to new claimants of supplementary welfare allowance who are under 20 years of age.</p><p pid="310.4">The numbers affected will be small at first as it will affect only new applicants from the first week in May but these will rise on a weekly basis.  Based on current figures, and an expected overall live register average for 2009 of 440,000, we expect this change to affect a weekly average of 5,000 18 and 19 year olds in 2009 and a weekly average of 9,000 in 2010.</p><p pid="310.5">These changes have the potential to generate savings of €12 million in 2009 and €26 million in 2010.  If take-up of the education and training opportunities is high, fewer savings will be achieved in the short term, but the long-term savings generated by helping young people to avoid welfare dependency would be very significant.  The qualified adult rate payable in these cases will also be reduced to €100 per week.  This will mean that a couple, where the primary payment is to the 18 and 19 year old will get a total of €200 per week, down from €339.90.</p><p pid="310.6">The following people will not be affected - existing claimants; young people with dependent children; those who qualify for the jobseeker’s benefit because they have a track record of being committed to the workforce; and people transferring to jobseeker’s allowance immediately after exhausting their entitlement to the benefit or those transferring from the disability allowance directly to the jobseeker’s allowance thereby preventing them from experiencing a large income drop.</p><p pid="310.7">Where an existing jobseeker’s allowance claimant under age 20 gets a job and leaves the allowance but loses that job and comes back on the allowance within 12 months, he or she will get €204.30, rather than €100 a week.  If this was not done, there would be little incentive for those on jobseeker’s allowance to take up offers of work.</p><p pid="310.8">The rationale for this change is straightforward, receiving the full adult rate of a jobseeker’s payment at 18 years of age, without a strong financial incentive to engage in education or training, can lead to welfare dependency from an early age.  While many young people with low levels of education and training were able to get work in construction and other areas when the economy was doing well, they are likely to find it much harder to get work over the next few years.  If they do not improve their skills, they are at risk of becoming long-term unemployed from a young age.  They are considered to be at a greater risk of having difficulty securing a job than older jobseekers who might have low skills but at least have some work experience.  The incentive is for young people to participate in education and training.  We have found on a pilot exercise in Clondalkin and Letterkenny that because there was no incentive for these young people they were reluctant to turn up on a Monday.</p><p pid="310.9">We are also making important improvements in supports for education, training and work experience.  The back to education allowance scheme allows jobseekers who qualify for it to return to education and maintain their welfare payment and that is being improved.  Jobseekers who have been out of formal education for at least two years will now be able to access the second level back to education allowance once they have been in receipt of jobseeker’s allowance or benefit for at least three months, down from six months.  Earlier access is also being provided to the back to education allowance third level scheme which is coming down to nine months.</p><p pid="310.10">We are also trying to support people who want to be self-employed.  The employee strand of the back to work allowance will be closed to new applicants and the enterprise scheme will last two years rather than four.  This allows us to bring in good changes to the back to work enterprise allowance.  There will be two new strands, people who are entitled to jobseeker’s benefit and have been awarded statutory redundancy or been an employee paying full rate PRSI contributions for at least two years prior to claiming jobseeker’s benefit can now access a shorter back to work enterprise allowance scheme immediately.  This means that people who lose their jobs who have a good idea and want to set up a new enterprise will be able to get their jobseeker’s benefit while setting up their new enterprise.</p>]]></content:encoded>
	<dc:date>2009-04-08T13:00:00+00:00</dc:date>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://www.kildarestreet.com/debates/?id=2009-04-08.165.0&amp;m=352#g308.0">
	<title>Financial Resolution No. 11: General (Resumed). | D&amp;aacute;il debates</title>
	<link>http://www.kildarestreet.com/debates/?id=2009-04-08.165.0&amp;m=352#g308.0</link>
	<description>While tenants are contractually obliged to pay the rent agreed to in their lease, we expect landlords to decrease the rent in recognition of the fact that rents have fallen generally and that...</description>
	<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p pid="308.1">While tenants are contractually obliged to pay the rent agreed to in their lease, we expect landlords to decrease the rent in recognition of the fact that rents have fallen generally and that there is now a large number of vacant rental properties nationally.</p>]]></content:encoded>
	<dc:date>2009-04-08T13:00:00+00:00</dc:date>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://www.kildarestreet.com/debates/?id=2009-04-08.165.0&amp;m=352#g306.0">
	<title>Financial Resolution No. 11: General (Resumed). | D&amp;aacute;il debates</title>
	<link>http://www.kildarestreet.com/debates/?id=2009-04-08.165.0&amp;m=352#g306.0</link>
	<description>Exemptions will apply where a housing authority designates that a person is homeless, has been identified as having a housing need, is a tenant of a voluntary housing body, is aged over 65 or is...</description>
	<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p pid="306.1">Exemptions will apply where a housing authority designates that a person is homeless, has been identified as having a housing need, is a tenant of a voluntary housing body, is aged over 65 or is in receipt of a disability type payment.  Rent supplement will continue to provide support where housing authorities are not in a position to respond within a reasonable timeframe and where the person is at risk of experiencing homelessness or hardship.</p><p pid="306.2">The second change being made to the rent supplement is an increase in the minimum contribution individuals and families make towards their rent.  This is being increased to €24, which will align the rent supplement more closely with the minimum rents local authority tenants must pay which, for example, in Dublin averages €24 a week.  One of the reported impediments to the fluid transfer of rent supplement claimants to the rental accommodation scheme, RAS, is the significant difference between the contribution required of the tenant under the rent supplement scheme and the contribution they are required to pay through the differential rent scheme.  The increase in the minimum contribution will also apply to recipients of mortgage interest supplement.</p><p pid="306.3">The third rent supplement change is a reduction in the maximum rent supplement payable by the State in respect of all new tenancies or on renewals of tenancies.  The limits will be reduced by 6% to 7% on average, ranging up to 10%, depending on the geographical area and household size and by reference to the Private Residential Tenancies Board and other sources.  Trends in the private rented sector indicate that rents have fallen considerably in the past 12 months.  This is evident from surveys and data available from the Private Residential Tenancies Board and the Daft property website.  It is vital that taxpayers’ money is not paying landlords inflated rental prices.  This change will help to ensure this is not the case in respect of new rent supplement tenancies.  However, with almost €500 million being spent by the State on the rent supplement, we need to make sure that landlords of existing tenants are also not charging too much.  To this end, rent supplements for all existing tenancies will be reduced by 8%.</p>]]></content:encoded>
	<dc:date>2009-04-08T13:00:00+00:00</dc:date>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://www.kildarestreet.com/debates/?id=2009-04-08.165.0&amp;m=352#g304.0">
	<title>Financial Resolution No. 11: General (Resumed). | D&amp;aacute;il debates</title>
	<link>http://www.kildarestreet.com/debates/?id=2009-04-08.165.0&amp;m=352#g304.0</link>
	<description>-----to ensure people are in need of housing.</description>
	<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p pid="304.1">-----to ensure people are in need of housing.</p>]]></content:encoded>
	<dc:date>2009-04-08T13:00:00+00:00</dc:date>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://www.kildarestreet.com/debates/?id=2009-04-08.165.0&amp;m=352#g302.0">
	<title>Financial Resolution No. 11: General (Resumed). | D&amp;aacute;il debates</title>
	<link>http://www.kildarestreet.com/debates/?id=2009-04-08.165.0&amp;m=352#g302.0</link>
	<description>It means local authorities must conduct a full housing assessment-----</description>
	<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p pid="302.1">It means local authorities must conduct a full housing assessment-----</p>]]></content:encoded>
	<dc:date>2009-04-08T13:00:00+00:00</dc:date>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://www.kildarestreet.com/debates/?id=2009-04-08.165.0&amp;m=352#g298.0">
	<title>Financial Resolution No. 11: General (Resumed). | D&amp;aacute;il debates</title>
	<link>http://www.kildarestreet.com/debates/?id=2009-04-08.165.0&amp;m=352#g298.0</link>
	<description>At the end of the day, the fairest thing was to give people almost nine months notice that the Christmas bonus will not be paid in December.  We are aware this will be difficult for people but...</description>
	<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p pid="298.1">At the end of the day, the fairest thing was to give people almost nine months notice that the Christmas bonus will not be paid in December.  We are aware this will be difficult for people but the alternative of cutting all weekly payments would be much worse.  It was not an easy decision and it was not a choice any of us made lightly, but we felt it was the fairest option.  The Government indicated in all of its discussions that were there to be a windfall, this would be the first payment we would return to people.  We cannot at this stage say this will happen at the end of the year and I do not wish to raise false expectations for people.  The usual provision in the Estimate has been removed for this year.  Usually, 70% of the payments is provided for in the Estimate and this will result in savings of €156 million in 2009.</p><p pid="298.2">The next area in which changes will be being made is in the rent supplement scheme.  The purpose of the rent supplement scheme is to deal with emergencies and short-term needs that arise when a person suffers a change in circumstances, for example, when a tenant becomes unemployed and can no longer afford his or her rent.  Approximately 83,000 people are in receipt of rent supplement, an increase of 39% since the end of December 2007.</p><p pid="298.3">The supplementary budget provides for a net increase of €27 million in rent supplement to €520 million.  This comprises an increase of €77 million for additional claims arising from the increase in the live register and a saving of €48 million in 2009 as a result of the following measures.  Rent supplement will be restricted to individuals who have been existing tenants for six months.   Individuals who have not been tenants for six months or who are forming new households must have been placed on a local authority housing list following a full housing assessment before they are eligible for a rent supplement payment.  These measures will apply to all new applicants for rent supplement.</p>]]></content:encoded>
	<dc:date>2009-04-08T13:00:00+00:00</dc:date>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://www.kildarestreet.com/debates/?id=2009-04-08.165.0&amp;m=352#g295.0">
	<title>Financial Resolution No. 11: General (Resumed). | D&amp;aacute;il debates</title>
	<link>http://www.kildarestreet.com/debates/?id=2009-04-08.165.0&amp;m=352#g295.0</link>
	<description>A total of &acirc;�&not;30 million is expected to be saved on child benefit as a result of the impact of net outward migration.  Special control measures were introduced last year but we would like to...</description>
	<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p pid="295.1">A total of €30 million is expected to be saved on child benefit as a result of the impact of net outward migration.  Special control measures were introduced last year but we would like to ensure child benefit does not continue to be paid to parents who are no longer in the State.  The certification process will be enhanced this year with non-EU recipients being required to certify their continued presence in the State every three months on the same basis as EU workers.  Non-EU recipients currently certify every six months.</p><p pid="295.2">We also expect to save an additional €52 million by intensifying anti-fraud activity on the jobseeker’s schemes.  Recent initiatives involving the intensive deployment of inspectors on home visits in the north east, Galway and Athlone achieved savings of between 11% and 23% in all cases investigated.  We will extend this activity to other areas.  The public has been particularly helpful in providing information, which has enabled us to crack down on fraud.</p><p pid="295.3">I refer to welfare rates.  The October budget provided for increases of between 3% and 3.8% in the basic payment rates, which equate to an increase of €7 per week in some cases.  At that point, the expected rate of inflation for 2009 was 2.5%.  This inflation forecast has, however, not been realised and, instead, deflation of almost 4% is anticipated.  With social welfare recipients collecting between 3% and 3.8% more in their weekly payments and prices having fallen in recent months, the value of their money is better in real terms than it was last year.  The Government and I appreciate that living on welfare payments is never easy and that it is particularly difficult for unemployed people who are used to having a much higher level of income and who have the outgoings to reflect that.</p><p pid="295.4">In deciding on how to achieve savings of €300 million in the welfare budget, there were no easy options.  Everything had to be considered, including a cut in the weekly rates of payments to all welfare recipients.  This would have meant people signing on who would have expected €204 a week would receive less than that and taking money off every social welfare recipient immediately.  Every recipient does not qualify for the Christmas bonus.  It would also have meant a great deal of distress for older people, particularly pensioners, because all welfare books would have had to be recalled, which would have caused them many problems, as the current rate would have to be changed.</p>]]></content:encoded>
	<dc:date>2009-04-08T13:00:00+00:00</dc:date>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://www.kildarestreet.com/debates/?id=2009-04-08.165.0&amp;m=352#g293.0">
	<title>Financial Resolution No. 11: General (Resumed). | D&amp;aacute;il debates</title>
	<link>http://www.kildarestreet.com/debates/?id=2009-04-08.165.0&amp;m=352#g293.0</link>
	<description>Those who generally do not have a passport tend to be older.  Older people are not obliged to provide photo identification when they collect their money at the post office.</description>
	<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p pid="293.1">Those who generally do not have a passport tend to be older.  Older people are not obliged to provide photo identification when they collect their money at the post office.</p>]]></content:encoded>
	<dc:date>2009-04-08T13:00:00+00:00</dc:date>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://www.kildarestreet.com/debates/?id=2009-04-08.165.0&amp;m=352#g291.0">
	<title>Financial Resolution No. 11: General (Resumed). | D&amp;aacute;il debates</title>
	<link>http://www.kildarestreet.com/debates/?id=2009-04-08.165.0&amp;m=352#g291.0</link>
	<description>A total of 90% of the population has a passport.</description>
	<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p pid="291.1">A total of 90% of the population has a passport.</p>]]></content:encoded>
	<dc:date>2009-04-08T13:00:00+00:00</dc:date>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://www.kildarestreet.com/debates/?id=2009-04-08.165.0&amp;m=352#g289.0">
	<title>Financial Resolution No. 11: General (Resumed). | D&amp;aacute;il debates</title>
	<link>http://www.kildarestreet.com/debates/?id=2009-04-08.165.0&amp;m=352#g289.0</link>
	<description>In the context of tough decisions having to be made across the entire range of Government expenditure, social welfare has been prioritised in this supplementary budget.  Almost &acirc;�&not;21.3 billion is...</description>
	<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p pid="289.2">In the context of tough decisions having to be made across the entire range of Government expenditure, social welfare has been prioritised in this supplementary budget.  Almost €21.3 billion is being provided for welfare services in 2009, which represents an increase of €1.7 billion, or 8.7%, on the amount originally provided for in this year’s budget and it is €3.6 billion or approximately 20% higher than the amount spent last year.  Unfortunately, most of the additional expenditure will be required to provide income support to the increasing numbers of people who are losing their jobs and becoming unemployed.  In the October budget, provision was made for the additional expenditure that was expected to result from an average live register of 290,000 in 2009.  However, the scale of the increases in unemployment experienced in recent months means that an average figure of 440,000 is more likely and that is being provided for at an additional cost of €1.97 billion.  This cost is being partially offset by savings of €300 million, the details of which I will outline later.</p><p pid="289.3">Following this supplementary budget, total gross spending on social welfare is expected to account for 29% of gross total Government expenditure in 2009.  Putting aside borrowing, the social welfare expenditure provided for will account for 60% of Exchequer current revenue from tax and other sources.  In other words, 60% of all Exchequer revenue will be expended on social welfare.  At a time Government expenditure must be controlled as much as possible, this significant investment in welfare is a demonstration of our commitment to protecting the vulnerable and helping those who rely on the State for their basic income.</p><p pid="289.4">The Government faced difficult decisions in this supplementary budget.  With welfare expenditure increasing at a rapid rate, both taxes and borrowing have to be increased to pay for it.  We have done that and we have avoided welfare cuts as far as possible but it was simply not possible to avoid them altogether and the hard reality is that if some cuts were not made now to keep the welfare budget at a level the State can afford, much greater cuts would have to be made later.  In the end, it was agreed that €300 million would be saved through a number of measures.</p><p pid="289.5">Our first priority was to save as much as possible by reducing the incidence of social welfare fraud.  The target for control savings set at the beginning of this year was more than €500 million but we expect to make additional savings of €82 million this year as a result of improved controls.  The public have welcomed the initiatives I have taken to clamp down on abuse of our social welfare system.  Last July, recipients were asked to collect their money in person on a weekly basis at the post office.  In addition, the cross-Border multi-agency approach to make sure people were not crossing the Border to claim unjustifiably in this jurisdiction and the recent initiative to require people to produce photo identification when collecting their money will ensure we counteract people coming into the State and claiming money to which they are not entitled.</p>]]></content:encoded>
	<dc:date>2009-04-08T13:00:00+00:00</dc:date>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://www.kildarestreet.com/debates/?id=2009-03-31.433.0&amp;m=352#g475.0">
	<title>Social Welfare: Motion | D&amp;aacute;il debates</title>
	<link>http://www.kildarestreet.com/debates/?id=2009-03-31.433.0&amp;m=352#g475.0</link>
	<description>We all recognise the valuable work MABS does.  Consulting MABS can be a very positive step for people and helps them overcome the difficulties they have in meeting and repaying their debt.  MABS...</description>
	<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p pid="475.1">We all recognise the valuable work MABS does.  Consulting MABS can be a very positive step for people and helps them overcome the difficulties they have in meeting and repaying their debt.  MABS is also represented on the Legal Aid Board’s consultative panel and the two organisations work well together.  The Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform will deal with those issues tomorrow.  </p><p pid="475.2">Tonight’s debate has demonstrated there is a genuine concern among all Members for those people who are losing their jobs and that we are willing to see how we can meet their needs.  We are doing that through additional staff, more stream-lined processing and through ensuring that we meet their needs through social welfare, community welfare officers or MABS as far as possible.</p>]]></content:encoded>
	<dc:date>2009-03-31T19:00:00+00:00</dc:date>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://www.kildarestreet.com/debates/?id=2009-03-31.433.0&amp;m=352#g473.0">
	<title>Social Welfare: Motion | D&amp;aacute;il debates</title>
	<link>http://www.kildarestreet.com/debates/?id=2009-03-31.433.0&amp;m=352#g473.0</link>
	<description>The Government is working very hard to meet all of our needs, but that is not easy.  </description>
	<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p pid="473.1">The Government is working very hard to meet all of our needs, but that is not easy.  </p>]]></content:encoded>
	<dc:date>2009-03-31T19:00:00+00:00</dc:date>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://www.kildarestreet.com/debates/?id=2009-03-31.433.0&amp;m=352#g471.0">
	<title>Social Welfare: Motion | D&amp;aacute;il debates</title>
	<link>http://www.kildarestreet.com/debates/?id=2009-03-31.433.0&amp;m=352#g471.0</link>
	<description>Yes.  The statutory code has it written into it that mortgage providers must recommend that people go to MABS.  This is written in formally and will, hopefully, improve the situation.  We put in...</description>
	<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p pid="471.1">Yes.  The statutory code has it written into it that mortgage providers must recommend that people go to MABS.  This is written in formally and will, hopefully, improve the situation.  We put in that provision to ensure that those, almost sub-prime, lenders most likely to evict people would be obliged to negotiate with borrowers and MABS.  As we know, people approaching MABS may have debt owed to a range of creditors, including banks and financial institutions, credit unions, electricity and gas companies, and moneylenders.  MABS NDL, the national support company, works closely with the Financial Regulator and the Irish Bankers Federation to ensure that the best advice is available to people.</p><p pid="471.2">I already mentioned the statutory code and the advice MABS offers.  It provides budgeting advice on setting up accounts with local credit unions.  It does tremendous work for people with particular financial difficulties.  The telephone helpline is particularly significant for people who need immediate advice.  Over 90% of callers to the helpline find that their money management and budgeting issues can be resolved with the assistance of the helpline advisor.  It is a great support to people to have somebody at the other end of the telephone line who is able to provide good advice.  Some 10% of callers or more difficult cases are referred to the local MABS for appointment.</p>]]></content:encoded>
	<dc:date>2009-03-31T19:00:00+00:00</dc:date>
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<item rdf:about="http://www.kildarestreet.com/debates/?id=2009-03-31.433.0&amp;m=352#g469.0">
	<title>Social Welfare: Motion | D&amp;aacute;il debates</title>
	<link>http://www.kildarestreet.com/debates/?id=2009-03-31.433.0&amp;m=352#g469.0</link>
	<description>The Deputy was talking about employing people with particular skills to work with MABS.  However, MABS people have particular expertise.  They have worked and continue to work with the financial...</description>
	<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p pid="469.1">The Deputy was talking about employing people with particular skills to work with MABS.  However, MABS people have particular expertise.  They have worked and continue to work with the financial institutions.  They have said that, unfortunately, some lenders — the ones most likely to take people to court — will not deal with MABS or anybody else.  However, the more mainstream financial institutions are willing to talk to them and discuss the issue.</p>]]></content:encoded>
	<dc:date>2009-03-31T19:00:00+00:00</dc:date>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://www.kildarestreet.com/debates/?id=2009-03-31.433.0&amp;m=352#g467.0">
	<title>Social Welfare: Motion | D&amp;aacute;il debates</title>
	<link>http://www.kildarestreet.com/debates/?id=2009-03-31.433.0&amp;m=352#g467.0</link>
	<description>This is in the context of looking for the mortgage interest supplement.  If their mortgage repayments can be put on hold or renegotiated, that would also be a help.  The mortgage interest...</description>
	<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p pid="467.1">This is in the context of looking for the mortgage interest supplement.  If their mortgage repayments can be put on hold or renegotiated, that would also be a help.  The mortgage interest supplement is something on which people can fall back.  The scheme is being reviewed in order to ensure that it continues to meet the needs of the maximum number of people possible.</p><p pid="467.2">We put forward suggestions as to what people should do with regard to their debt and that is the reason we have the Money Advice and Budgeting Service, MABS.  It is a wonderful operation and provides advice to people on how to cope with their debts.  The number of visits to MABS has increased significantly.  The budget for MABS this year is €18 million.  The service operates from 65 locations throughout the country and also offers a national telephone helpline.  I urge Deputies to recommend this helpline to people they know in need of help because it is very efficient and is  available from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. from Monday to Friday.  The service also has a website that can be accessed 24 hours a day.</p><p pid="467.3">In 2008, over 16,000 new clients approached MABS for assistance with debt difficulties and the telephone helpline dealt with almost 11,000 callers.  Up to the end of February this year, 3,400 new clients approached the service and over 4,200 calls were received on the telephone helpline.  Some 252 staff have been allocated to the MABS service, so that it can provide vital money advice and assistance services all over the country.  Deputy Noonan made a valuable suggestion earlier about renegotiating mortgages and people with particular skills.  I will see if I can accommodate that.</p>]]></content:encoded>
	<dc:date>2009-03-31T19:00:00+00:00</dc:date>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://www.kildarestreet.com/debates/?id=2009-03-31.433.0&amp;m=352#g465.0">
	<title>Social Welfare: Motion | D&amp;aacute;il debates</title>
	<link>http://www.kildarestreet.com/debates/?id=2009-03-31.433.0&amp;m=352#g465.0</link>
	<description>The payments are extensive.  They include the basic weekly payments, rent and mortgage interest supplements, diet supplements, miscellaneous other supplements, exceptional needs payments, and...</description>
	<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p pid="465.1">The payments are extensive.  They include the basic weekly payments, rent and mortgage interest supplements, diet supplements, miscellaneous other supplements, exceptional needs payments, and urgent needs payments.  Total expenditure on the supplementary welfare allowance scheme in 2008 was €882 million, which is a substantial amount of money.  The Department funds the HSE on the basis of the proportion of the community welfare officer’s time that is spent administering SWA, as opposed to activities carried out for other organisations such as medical card assessments for the HSE or homeless services on behalf of local authorities.</p><p pid="465.2">The issue of increased demand on existing resources is a matter for the HSE in the first instance to prioritise workloads and redeploy resources where necessary so that front line services are maintained.  My Department is working closely with the HSE to ensure effective delivery of services and any request by the HSE for an additional staffing allocation will be given due consideration.  The question of any increase in expenditure for staffing within the community welfare service, above that currently provided, would have to be considered in the context of overall Government policy on public service manpower levels.  In 2008, the Department paid the HSE €58.3 million in administration costs, which was used to fund 636 community welfare officer posts, 58 superintendent community welfare officer posts and 172 additional support staff.</p><p pid="465.3">As I mentioned earlier, recourse to the supplementary welfare allowance, SWA, is an important resource for people waiting for their jobseeker’s claim to be decided upon.  A long processing time in some areas can lead to increased demand for the SWA.  Extra staff have been assigned to the Department’s social welfare local offices and, hopefully, this will speed up the processing and relieve some of the pressure on the community welfare officers.</p><p pid="465.4">The motion before the House tonight also refers to the mortgage interest supplement scheme, which is designed to help those who run into difficulties with meeting their mortgage repayment schedule when their income drops significantly.  There has been much mention of the loss of a job being the worst thing that could happen to somebody, but losing one’s home must come very close to that.  The most recent figures indicate that approximately 11,000 people are in receipt of mortgage interest supplement, an increase of almost 7,000 over the number receiving payment at end 2007.  This is a significant number.  If Members feel we have not advertised this relief adequately, I will be happy to do that.  Whenever I mention the relief in the media, I notice an increase in the uptake.  People like to know it is there.</p><p pid="465.5">The provision for this demand-led scheme has increased from €12 million to almost €30 million and will continue to be monitored on an ongoing basis in light of the current economic circumstances.  The supplement assists with the interest portion of the mortgage repayments only, in respect of a house which is the person’s sole place of residence.  The capital element of the repayment is not taken into account in calculating the amount of supplement payable as it is not considered appropriate that the Exchequer should repay part of the initial loan and thereby provide assistance towards the accumulation of a capital asset on the part of the individual concerned.  The HSE must be satisfied that the loan agreement was entered into at a time when the person was in a position to meet the repayments.</p><p pid="465.6">The amount of the mortgage interest payable by the claimant must also not exceed such amount as the HSE considers reasonable to meet the claimant’s residential and other needs.  In exceptional circumstances, the HSE may award a supplement where the amount of mortgage interest payable by a person exceeds such amount as the HSE considers reasonable to meet his or her residential and other needs.  Such a supplement is payable for a maximum of 12 months from the date of the claim.</p><p pid="465.7">Mortgage interest supplements are normally calculated to ensure that a person, after the payment of mortgage interest, has an income equal to the rate of supplementary welfare allowance appropriate to their family circumstances less a minimum contribution, of €18, which recipients are required to pay from their own resources.  Many recipients pay more than €18 because they are also required, subject to income disregards, to contribute any additional assessable means that they have over and above the appropriate basic social welfare allowance rate towards their accommodation costs.  The existing mortgage interest supplement assessment provides for a gradual withdrawal of payment as hours of employment or earnings increase.  In recent years, improvements have been made to the means test to encourage eligible people to engage in employment without losing their entire mortgage interest supplement.  Those availing of part-time employment — less than 30 hours a week — and-or training opportunities can continue to receive mortgage interest supplement subject to their satisfying the standard means assessment rules.</p><p pid="465.8">Since June 2007, where a person has additional income in excess of the standard weekly rate of supplementary welfare allowance, the first €75 of such additional income together with 25% of any additional income above €75 is disregarded for means assessment purposes.  This ensures that those returning to work or participating in training schemes are better off as a result of taking up such an opportunity.</p><p pid="465.9">We appreciate that becoming unable to meet one’s mortgage payments is a hugely stressful situation.  By helping with the interest part of the mortgage, this scheme significantly reduces the burden on people who would otherwise be likely to default on their mortgage.  However, the advice is that in the first instance, people should negotiate with their lender or financial institution.  Many of the mainstream banks are taking a reasonable approach in this regard.</p>]]></content:encoded>
	<dc:date>2009-03-31T19:00:00+00:00</dc:date>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://www.kildarestreet.com/debates/?id=2009-03-31.433.0&amp;m=352#g463.0">
	<title>Social Welfare: Motion | D&amp;aacute;il debates</title>
	<link>http://www.kildarestreet.com/debates/?id=2009-03-31.433.0&amp;m=352#g463.0</link>
	<description>The social welfare payments they make will all be kept at local bases also.</description>
	<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p pid="463.1">The social welfare payments they make will all be kept at local bases also.</p>]]></content:encoded>
	<dc:date>2009-03-31T19:00:00+00:00</dc:date>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://www.kildarestreet.com/debates/?id=2009-03-31.433.0&amp;m=352#g461.0">
	<title>Social Welfare: Motion | D&amp;aacute;il debates</title>
	<link>http://www.kildarestreet.com/debates/?id=2009-03-31.433.0&amp;m=352#g461.0</link>
	<description>I am sorry.  I thought the Deputy was talking about bringing community welfare officers to Dublin.</description>
	<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p pid="461.1">I am sorry.  I thought the Deputy was talking about bringing community welfare officers to Dublin.</p>]]></content:encoded>
	<dc:date>2009-03-31T19:00:00+00:00</dc:date>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://www.kildarestreet.com/debates/?id=2009-03-31.433.0&amp;m=352#g459.0">
	<title>Social Welfare: Motion | D&amp;aacute;il debates</title>
	<link>http://www.kildarestreet.com/debates/?id=2009-03-31.433.0&amp;m=352#g459.0</link>
	<description>There is no question of that.</description>
	<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p pid="459.1">There is no question of that.</p>]]></content:encoded>
	<dc:date>2009-03-31T19:00:00+00:00</dc:date>
</item>


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