Results 4,381-4,400 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (3 Feb 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The Department has put a range of measures in place to deal with the extra workload arising from the increase in the Live Register. These include, additional posts assigned, use of temporary staff to fill vacancies pending the appointment of permanent staff, extension of temporary staff contracts in certain offices, increased overtime, prioritisation of work. In addition the Department is...

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

Mary Hanafin: Rent supplement is administered on behalf of the department by the community welfare service of the Health Service Executive as part of the supplementary welfare allowance scheme. Rent supplement is normally calculated to ensure that a person, after the payment of rent, has an income equal to the rate of supplementary welfare allowance appropriate to their family circumstances less a minimum...

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

Mary Hanafin: A special Christmas Bonus payment was first introduced in December, 1980, for social welfare pensioners and people who depend solely on their social welfare payments for income support. There have been a number of developments in this scheme since its inception, including changes in the level of the bonus payment, the introduction of a minimum payment and the extension of the categories of...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (3 Feb 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The Department of Social and Family Affairs has supported the organisation in question over a period of many years. An application for funding under the "Grants for the Development and Promotion of Information and Welfare Rights" scheme in respect of 2009 has been received and is currently being considered, having regard to the current budgetary circumstances. A decision will be made...

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

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 321 and 322 together. In assessing means for social assistance purposes, account is taken of any cash income the person may have, together with the value of capital and property (except the family home). Capital may include the following: Stocks and shares of every description, which are assessed according to their current market value. Savings certificates...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (3 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. Mortgage interest supplement provides short-term income support to eligible people who are unable to meet their mortgage interest repayments in respect of a house which is their sole place of...

Written Answers — Departmental Schemes: Departmental Schemes (3 Feb 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The transfer of income support and maintenance schemes and the community welfare service from the HSE to the Department arises from a decision to remove non core functions from the health sector. In addition to alleviating pressure on the health sector the transfer of functions will allow for the supplementary welfare allowance and other schemes to be managed within one entity. This will...

Written Answers — Irish Language: Irish Language (3 Feb 2009)

Mary Hanafin: Providing a quality customer service in Irish has been a priority of the Department both prior and subsequent to the introduction of the Official Languages Act in mid-2003. It is not possible, therefore, to state precisely what amount of the total expenditure on the service in Irish arises from the implementation of the Act. Provision of services through Irish requires investment in a range...

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

Mary Hanafin: No changes to the Disability Allowance are being implemented as a result of Budget 2009. With effect from 3 January, 2007 people who had entered residential care without an entitlement to Disability Allowance became eligible for full Disability Allowance as a matter of right, subject only to the same conditions as apply to others. No changes have subsequently been introduced to these...

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

Mary Hanafin: The claim for jobseeker's allowance, by the person concerned, was refused by a Deciding Officer of the Department on 11 August 2008 as he did not satisfy the Habitual Residence conditions. An appeal was opened on 26 August 2008 and I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office, that in accordance with the statutory requirements, the Department was asked for the documentation in the case...

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

Mary Hanafin: The Department is committed to processing claims as expeditiously as possible having regard to the eligibility conditions which apply. At the end of December 2008 the numbers of claims being processed for the schemes mentioned were as follows: Scheme Claims being processed atend December 2008 State Pension (Contributory) 4,405 State Pension (Non Contributory) 1,415 State Pension...

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

Mary Hanafin: The supplementary welfare allowance scheme, which includes rent and mortgage interest supplement, is administered on behalf of the Department by the community welfare division of the Health Service Executive (HSE). The administration costs of the supplementary welfare allowance scheme, including rent supplement and mortgage interest supplement, are met by the Department while the operational...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (3 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 number of FIS recipients has increased by almost 5,000 in the last 12 months. In December...

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

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Question Nos. 333 and 334 together. The vast bulk of expenditure by the Department of Social and Family Affairs is incurred on social welfare payments to individual recipients based on predetermined qualifying conditions and rates of payment. The expenditure, which is demand-led, is driven by a range of economic, social and demographic factors. There can also be complex...

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

Mary Hanafin: The back to education allowance (BTEA) Scheme is designed to help those in receipt of a social welfare payment who have not worked for some time to improve their employability and job-readiness by acquiring educational qualifications. It is a recognition of the special difficulties which such persons can face when attempting to gain a foothold in the labour market. The allowance is paid at a...

Departmental Staff. (3 Feb 2009)

Mary Hanafin: With the increase in the number of people applying for unemployment payments in particular, staff in social welfare offices have been working extremely hard to process claims as quickly as possible. Productivity has increased significantly. Nearly 155,000 claims were processed in local offices in the last quarter of 2008. That includes the one family payment. This compares with less than...

Departmental Staff. (3 Feb 2009)

Mary Hanafin: As I indicated, a number of these staff are already in place. As all of these staff——

Departmental Staff. (3 Feb 2009)

Mary Hanafin: ——are coming from other Departments, processes have to be gone through to ensure they are placed because none of them is being recruited from outside the public sector. I appreciate the necessity of ensuring that people are put into position as quickly as possible and to have them trained. As I indicated, in the next two to three weeks there will be an additional 19 and we are hopeful...

Departmental Staff. (3 Feb 2009)

Mary Hanafin: In Finglas one can get the jobseeker's allowance in 1.2 weeks or just over two and a half weeks for jobseeker's benefit. We should acknowledge those.

Departmental Staff. (3 Feb 2009)

Mary Hanafin: We should acknowledge Coolock, which is also a very busy office, where in one and a half weeks one can get jobseeker's allowance and jobseeker's benefit in just over two weeks.