Results 15,481-15,500 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin
- Written Answers — Social Insurance: Social Insurance (21 Oct 2008)
Mary Hanafin: The Pay-Related Social Insurance (PRSI) system is based on both the "contributory" and "solidarity" principles. The former principle provides that there is a direct link between the amount of contributions that a person pays into the system and their subsequent entitlement to a varying range of benefits that are payable if and when particular contingencies arise. The 'governing contribution...
- Written Answers — Employment Action Plan: Employment Action Plan (21 Oct 2008)
Mary Hanafin: Since the beginning of this year, there has been a significant increase in the number of people on the Live Register. In response to this, the Department has taken a number of measures to minimise delays in the processing of claims for jobseeker payments. These measures include the allocation of additional posts to local offices, extending the contracts of some temporary staff and providing...
- Written Answers — Data Protection: Data Protection (21 Oct 2008)
Mary Hanafin: The Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (ODPC) undertook an audit of the Department in late January 2008. The audit focused on the measures in place to protect the security of personal data of customers and the extent of data-sharing in the broader public service using the Personal Public Service Number (PPSN) as an identifier. The Report, which was received in the Department in June...
- Written Answers — Child Support: Child Support (21 Oct 2008)
Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 168 and 181 together. Among the main objectives of the Department's policies on child income support is the alleviation of poverty in families with children and the facilitation and encouragement of employment by parents, as it is recognised that employment by a parent is the best route out of poverty. The main policy instruments for child income support are...
- Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (21 Oct 2008)
Mary Hanafin: The average contributions test has been a key qualifying condition for contributory pensions since the scheme was introduced in 1961. With a few exceptions, a person's contribution record is generally averaged from the first day they enter social insurance until they reach retirement age. A contributory pension is a very valuable benefit and the objective of the average contributions test is...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (21 Oct 2008)
Mary Hanafin: The household benefits package is generally available to people living in the State, aged 66 years or over who are in receipt of a social welfare type payment or who satisfy a means test. It is also available to people aged under 66 who are in receipt of certain disability social welfare payments or carer's allowance. The package includes the electricity and gas allowance, telephone allowance...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (21 Oct 2008)
Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 178, 415, 417 and 418 together. Supporting and recognising carers in our society is, and has been, a priority of the Government since 1997. Over that period, weekly payment rates to carers have greatly increased, qualifying conditions for carer's allowance have significantly eased, coverage of the scheme has been extended and new schemes such as carer's...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (21 Oct 2008)
Mary Hanafin: The free travel scheme is available to all people living in the State aged 66 years or over. All carers in receipt of carer's allowance and carers of people in receipt of constant attendance or prescribed relative's allowance, regardless of their age, receive a free travel pass. It is also available to people under age 66 who are in receipt of certain disability type welfare payments, such...
- Written Answers — Household Surveys: Household Surveys (21 Oct 2008)
Mary Hanafin: The EU Survey on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC) is carried out annually by the Central Statistics Office (CSO). It is a survey of private households provided for under EU legislation (Council Regulation No 1177/2003) which commenced in Ireland in June 2003. The primary focus of the survey is the collection of information on the income and living conditions of different types of...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (21 Oct 2008)
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 — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (21 Oct 2008)
Mary Hanafin: Under the current programme of decentralisation, 258 posts in the Department are to be relocated to Donegal Town. As outlined in Budget 2009, the Government, following a review of the decentralisation programme, in light of the changed economic circumstances and the deterioration in public finances, agreed a revised schedule for the programme. In prioritising projects a number of factors...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (21 Oct 2008)
Mary Hanafin: I intend to take Questions Nos. 410 and 431 together. The back to education allowance (BTEA) scheme is designed to help those 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...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (21 Oct 2008)
Mary Hanafin: The School Meals Programme gives funding towards the provision of food services for disadvantaged school children through two schemes. The first is the long-standing statutory urban school meals scheme, operated by local authorities and part-financed by the Department of Social & Family Affairs. The second is the School Meals Local Projects scheme through which funding is provided directly...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (21 Oct 2008)
Mary Hanafin: 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 expanded availability and range of education and training opportunities for lone parents; the extension of the National Employment Action Plan to focus on lone parents; focused...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (21 Oct 2008)
Mary Hanafin: The claim of the person concerned for disability allowance was disallowed by a Deciding Officer of the Department on 4 February 2008 following an examination by a Medical Assessor who expressed the opinion that he was medically unsuitable for the allowance. He appealed this decision on 19 February 2008 and, in the context of this appeal, he was examined by a second Medical Assessor on 18...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (21 Oct 2008)
Mary Hanafin: The Department currently has bilateral social security agreements with 7 countries:- Austria, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, United States, Quebec and Switzerland. Liaison procedures to ensure the secure transfer of personal data have been established with each country, and are kept under constant review. Regular contact is maintained by the Department with each agency to ensure the timely...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (21 Oct 2008)
Mary Hanafin: Pneumoconiosis is a prescribed disease for the purpose of the Occupational Injuries scheme administered by the Department. The legislation governing the Occupational Injuries Scheme provides entitlement to benefit for persons suffering from certain prescribed diseases which are listed in the legislation and where that person has contracted that disease in the course of their employment....
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (21 Oct 2008)
Mary Hanafin: Social welfare has been prioritised in this Budget. Next year, total funding for the Department of Social and Family Affairs will be â¬19.6 billion. This represents an increase of â¬2.6 billion or 15.5% over the Estimates allocation for 2008. Over 1.7 million people and their dependants will benefit from this expenditure â including 440,000 pensioners, 345,000 ill and disabled people,...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (21 Oct 2008)
Mary Hanafin: In order to qualify for the maximum rate of the state pension (contributory) a person must, amongst other qualifying conditions, achieve a yearly average of at least 48 contributions paid or credited on his/her social insurance record over their working life. Reduced pensions are paid to those with yearly averages as low as 10 contributions. The contributory pension entitlements of those...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (21 Oct 2008)
Mary Hanafin: Last week's budget provided for improvements to the family income supplement scheme (FIS) which is paid to low income working families. The income limits for FIS are being increased from January 2009 by â¬10 a week in respect of each child, giving increases ranging from â¬6 to â¬48 a week, depending on the family size. It is expected that an additional 2,000 families will benefit from FIS...