Results 4,341-4,360 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (5 Feb 2009)

Mary Hanafin: It is taken that the Deputy is referring to CE (Community Employment). The person concerned is in receipt of One Parent Family Payment (OPFP) from 28 February 2008 and Rent Allowance from January 2008. Earnings from CE are assessable as means and, therefore, her entitlement to both OPFP and Rent Allowance would need to be re-examined on commencement of employment. In the absence of details of...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (5 Feb 2009)

Mary Hanafin: According to the records of the Department, neither the person concerned nor her son has made an application for the Free Travel scheme. An application form has now issued to both her and her son as a result of this representation. On receipt of the completed application forms, decisions will be made and they will be notified of the outcome.

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (5 Feb 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The Family Income Supplement (FIS) is designed to provide support for people with families who are on low earnings. This preserves the incentive for them to remain in employment in circumstances where they might only be marginally better off than if they were claiming other social welfare payments. The person concerned made a claim for FIS in December 2008. The claim was awarded from...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (5 Feb 2009)

Mary Hanafin: Rent supplement is administered on behalf of the department by the Health Service Executive as part of the supplementary welfare allowance scheme. The position remains as advised in question number 130 which I answered for the Deputy on 29 January 2009. The person concerned has been refused rent supplement as total household income is deemed to be sufficient to meet his accommodation costs....

Written Answers — Social Insurance: Social Insurance (4 Feb 2009)

Mary Hanafin: Current estimates indicate that the abolition of the PRSI ceiling would yield some €223 million additional contribution income in a full year.

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (4 Feb 2009)

Mary Hanafin: My Department has an on-going programme of disability awareness training for all key staff involved in service delivery in accordance with its Sectoral Plan under the Disability Act 2005. This programme was developed by the Staff Development Unit of my Department following consultations with service delivery areas and a number of external disability consultants and organisations. The...

Written Answers — Departmental Offices: Departmental Offices (4 Feb 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The Department provides a front line service through a network of 60 local offices and 65 branch offices. Local offices are staffed by departmental staff and branch offices are run by private individuals who are employed under contract for service by the Department. Social welfare services in County Laois are provided by three Branch Offices which are located in the towns of Portlaoise,...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (4 Feb 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The information requested by the Deputy is contained in the following tabular statement. Table: Details of Press Conferences and Policy Launches, 2007 and 2008. Date Event Cost € 23/01/2007 Briefing on National Development Plan Social Inclusion Strategy 562 21/02/2007 Government launches National Action Plan for Social Inclusion 2007-16: Building an Inclusive Society 2,865...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (4 Feb 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The supplementary welfare allowance scheme, which includes mortgage interest supplement, is administered on behalf of the department by the community welfare division of the Health Service Executive. The Health Service Executive has confirmed that the person concerned was awarded a mortgage interest supplement from 1 December 2008 as it considered that her final paycheck of €2,916 received...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (3 Feb 2009)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 110 and 162 together. As the House is aware, the Green Paper on pensions was published in October 2007 and this was followed by a lengthy consultation process which concluded at the end of May 2008. The consultation was very successful as it showed that there is a great demand for pensions reform. Unfortunately, there was little consensus on the type of...

Written Answers — Carers Strategy: Carers Strategy (3 Feb 2009)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 111 and 119 together. In January 2008 a working group, chaired by the Department of An Taoiseach, was established to develop the National Carers Strategy. My Department provides the secretariat to the working group which also includes representatives of the Departments of Finance, Health and Children and Enterprise, Trade and Employment as well as FÁS and the...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (3 Feb 2009)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 112, 116, 122, 140, 143, 144, 147, 152, 156, 158 and 161 together. The pension rights of scheme members are protected through trust law and by provision in the Pensions Act 1990 as amended. As supplementary pension schemes are usually established under irrevocable trust, the assets of the scheme are legally separate from the assets of the employer and are not...

Written Answers — Public Service Expenditure: Public Service Expenditure (3 Feb 2009)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 114, 126, 157 and 164 together. The Special Group on Public Service Numbers and Expenditure Programmes was established by the Minister for Finance to examine current expenditure programmes in each Department and to make recommendations for reducing public service numbers so as to ensure a return to sustainable public finances. The Group will make periodic...

Written Answers — Family Income Supplement: Family Income Supplement (3 Feb 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The family income supplement scheme (FIS), which provides income support for employees on low earnings with families, is designed to preserve the incentive to move from welfare to (or remain in) employment in circumstances where the employee might only be marginally better off than if he or she were claiming other social welfare payments. Since its introduction concern has been expressed from...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (3 Feb 2009)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 117 and 133 together. The Government discussion paper, "Proposals for Supporting Lone Parents," put forward proposals to tackle obstacles to employment for lone parents and other low income families. These included proposals for the extension of the National Employment Action Plan to focus on lone parents, focused provision of childcare and the introduction of...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (3 Feb 2009)

Mary Hanafin: There are 7,538 claimants on the farm assist scheme at present; of which 76 are new claims awarded since 1 January 2009. The average weekly payment is €219.60. There has been a steady decline in uptake of the farm assist scheme. This is due to the significant increase in off-farm employment in recent years and the take up of the Rural Social Scheme which is operated by the Department of...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (3 Feb 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The target for jobseeker's benefit is that 85% of claims will be processed within 2 weeks. For jobseeker's allowance the target is 70% in two weeks. During December, 69% of jobseeker's benefit claims were decided within 2 weeks and 40% of jobseeker's allowance claims were decided within 2 weeks. However, these figures must be viewed in the context that there has been a 71% increase in the...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Fraud: Social Welfare Fraud (3 Feb 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The prevention of fraud and abuse of the social welfare system is an integral part of the day-to-day work of the Department. The Department makes payments to over one million people every week and the vast majority of them are receiving the entitlement due to them. Where overpayments occur the Department seeks to recover the overpayments and in cases of serious fraud, the Department will use...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (3 Feb 2009)

Mary Hanafin: I understand the Deputy is mainly concerned with the assessment of income derived from payments (e.g. pensions) received from other EU Member States for the purposes of means-tested payments provided by my Department. There is no necessity to engage with the EU Commission on this issue, as the current EU rules would allow for different method of calculation in such cases. Article 107 of...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (3 Feb 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The family income supplement scheme (FIS), which provides income support for employees on low earnings with families, is designed to preserve the incentive to take up or remain in employment in circumstances where the employee might only be marginally better off than if he or she were claiming other social welfare payments. Under the current provisions, a separated or divorced parent can...