Results 401-420 of 16,057 for speaker:Mary Coughlan
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (18 May 2004)
Mary Coughlan: The objective of the supplementary welfare allowance scheme, under which crèche supplements are paid, is to meet immediate, short-term income maintenance needs. The scheme is not intended to be a long-term solution in any individual case. The crèche supplement was introduced with the intention of providing assistance to a parent who is in need of a short-term emergency support. This could...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (18 May 2004)
Mary Coughlan: The South Western Area Health Board was contacted regarding this case and has advised that it is aware of the correspondence referred to by the Deputy. However, the information available to the board is that the person concerned has not actually been assessed by the local housing authority in respect of her housing needs. It is not sufficient for the local authority to deem an applicant to be...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (18 May 2004)
Mary Coughlan: It is a statutory condition for receipt of a rent allowance under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme that a person has not vacated accommodation provided by a housing authority or if he or she has vacated such accommodation the health board is satisfied that he or she had good cause for doing so. The person concerned applied for a rent allowance in respect of her current accommodation...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (18 May 2004)
Mary Coughlan: The South Western Area Health Board was contacted regarding this case and has advised that payment of a basic supplementary welfare allowance and a mortgage interest supplement were temporarily suspended pending full disclosure of means from the person concerned. The board has further advised that payment of the basic supplementary welfare allowance at a reduced rate, which takes account of...
- Written Answers — Employment Support Services: Employment Support Services (18 May 2004)
Mary Coughlan: Employment protection legislation including the Protection of Employee (Part-Time Work) Act 2001 falls within the policy responsibility of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. The legislation seeks to implement the provisions of the EU Directive, 97/81/EC which, in effect, established a right for part-time workers to be treated comparably with full-time workers and to enjoy the...
- Written Answers — Fógraíocht Ranna: Fógraíocht Ranna (25 May 2004)
Mary Coughlan: Tá sé beartaithe Ceisteanna Uimh. 396, 397 agus 398 a thógáil le chéile. Tá freagracht ar mo Roinn a chinntiú go bhfuil ár gcustaiméirà agus an pobal i gcoitinne coinnithe ar an eolas maidir lena dteidlÃochtaà ar an réimse leathan scéimeanna agus tacaÃochtaà leasa shóisialaigh atá ar fáil. Déantar é sin ar roinnt bealaà lena n-áirÃtear fógraà sa phreas agus i meáin...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (25 May 2004)
Mary Coughlan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 399 and 403 together. One of the couple in question was getting an old age non-contributory pension at a reduced personal rate of â¬144 per week. This pension rate was â¬10 less than the maximum weekly rate of â¬154, based on her weekly means of â¬17.38 from her British retirement pension. Her husband was getting a pre-retirement allowance at a reduced...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (25 May 2004)
Mary Coughlan: The person concerned claimed disability benefit from 22 March 2004. In the absence of 39 reckonable contributions in the governing contribution year 2002, he did not qualify for payment. According to the records of my Department, 38 credited contributions are recorded in respect of his record for the year 2002. The person concerned was notified of the above decision and was requested to...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (25 May 2004)
Mary Coughlan: An application from the person concerned for one-parent family payment was received by my Department last week. In accordance with procedure, her application is being forwarded to a local officer of the Department for investigation. On completion of all the necessary inquiries an early decision will be made and she will be notified of the outcome. Under social welfare legislation decisions on...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (25 May 2004)
Mary Coughlan: The person concerned was recently awarded one-parent family payment in respect of herself and her child. Her claim for fuel allowance was refused. She does not qualify for this allowance as she lives with her parent who is in employment.
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (25 May 2004)
Mary Coughlan: The South Western Area Health Board was contacted regarding this case and has advised that an application for rent supplement was refused on the grounds that the person concerned has not been in rented accommodation for six months in the previous 12 month period. In such cases, rent supplement may be payable if he or she is on the local authority's housing list, that is, if he or she has been...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (25 May 2004)
Mary Coughlan: The South Western Area Health Board was contacted regarding this case and has advised that at the time of application for a diet supplement the person concerned was an adult dependent on her husband's invalidity pension. During the course of a recent review it came to light that she is now in receipt of disability allowance in her own right. As the diet supplement is a means tested payment,...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (25 May 2004)
Mary Coughlan: In general, persons engaged in self employment, including taxi-drivers, may not claim unemployment assistance specifically in respect of the days of the week on which it is unprofitable for them to ply their trade. However, they may claim unemployment assistance provided they satisfy a means test under which their income is assessed on an annual basis. In assessing means, account is taken of...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (25 May 2004)
Mary Coughlan: The primary objective of the free travel scheme is to encourage older people and people with disabilities to remain independent and active within the community, thereby reducing the need for institutional care. In addition, one of the qualifying criteria for free travel is that the applicant must be permanently resident in the State. Extending the scheme to Irish citizens living abroad,...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (25 May 2004)
Mary Coughlan: Diet supplements are provided for under the terms of the supplementary welfare allowance scheme which is administered on behalf of my Department by the health boards. The objective of the supplementary welfare allowance scheme is to provide assistance to eligible people in the State whose means are insufficient to meet their basic needs and those of any adult or child dependant. Supplementary...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (25 May 2004)
Mary Coughlan: The back to school clothing and footwear allowance scheme provides assistance towards the cost of school clothing and footwear for children attending mainly primary or post-primary schools. As part of its expenditure review programme, my Department established a working group to undertake a fundamental examination of all aspects of the scheme, including the rates of payment, the income...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (25 May 2004)
Mary Coughlan: The person concerned applied for carer's allowance on 11 May 2004. The case has been referred to an investigative officer of my Department for a means assessment and to establish if the conditions necessary for receipt for carer's allowance are satisfied. In the meantime, the medical evidence in support of her application has been forwarded to the chief medical adviser of my Department for...
- Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (1 Jun 2004)
Mary Coughlan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 376 and 387 together. My Department participated in previous decentralisation programmes to Sligo in 1989 and to Letterkenny in 1990-1991. A total of 319 posts were relocated to Sligo and 176 posts to Letterkenny. There were 127 posts in Sligo filled by promotion, while 192 posts were filled by the lateral transfer of staff in their own grade. In Letterkenny,...
- Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (1 Jun 2004)
Mary Coughlan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 377 and 388 together. The initial decision to relocate some 260 posts of my Department to Sligo was taken by the Government in April 1987. In November 1987, the Government decided to increase the number of posts to be decentralised to Sligo to 300. This decision also expanded the proposed programme of decentralisation to include the transfer of some 190 posts...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Fraud: Social Welfare Fraud (1 Jun 2004)
Mary Coughlan: Where fraud and abuse of the social welfare system occurs, it is the Department's policy to consider the more serious of these cases for prosecution. Factors considered in deciding whether to prosecute include the duration of the fraud, the earnings of the offender during a period of concurrent working and claiming, any mitigating or aggravating circumstances involved and the deterrent effect...