Results 15,501-15,520 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (21 Oct 2008)

Mary Hanafin: 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 requirement to be in receipt of a relevant social welfare...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (21 Oct 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The supplementary welfare allowance scheme provides for a weekly or monthly supplement to be paid in respect of rent or mortgage interest to any person in the State whose means are insufficient to meet their needs. The purpose of the rent supplement scheme is to provide short-term income support, to eligible people living in private rented accommodation whose means are insufficient to meet...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (21 Oct 2008)

Mary Hanafin: Since April 2000, the needs of asylum seekers are catered for under the direct provision system operated by the Reception and Integration Agency of the Department of Justice Equality and Law Reform. People in direct provision are not regarded as being habitually resident in the state and are not entitled to any social welfare payment which is subject to the habitual residence condition. Under...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (21 Oct 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The capital expenditure incurred by my Department for the period 1997 to 2008 is set out below. Details of expenditure for individual counties are not recorded separately. Year Capital Expenditure â'¬ 1997 6,375,783 1998 5,777,987 1999 7,977,293 2000 3,167,617 2001 5,681,960 2002 4,932,578 2003 3,014,003 2004 3,359,190 2005 6,434,021 2006 11,173,736 2007 14,858,436 2008...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (21 Oct 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The back to school clothing and footwear allowance (BSCFA) scheme is administered on behalf of the Department by the community welfare division of the Health Service Executive (HSE). Applications for the allowance may be made between the beginning of June and the end of September each year. The south-eastern area of the HSE has advised that it has no record of a claim for a BSCFA claim from...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (21 Oct 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The state pension (non contributory) of the person concerned was revoked by a Deciding Officer of the Department on the grounds that his means exceeded the statutory limit and he was notified of this decision on 2nd July 2008. An appeal was opened on 14 August 2008 and I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that, in accordance with the statutory requirements, the Department was...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (21 Oct 2008)

Mary Hanafin: Based on his means, the person concerned was awarded jobseekers allowance at a reduced rate by a Deciding Officer of the Department on 12 June 2008. An appeal was opened on 22 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 and the Deciding Officer's comments on...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (21 Oct 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The person concerned found work on 17 September 2008. Prior to this he had been in receipt of jobseeker's benefit at a reduced weekly rate. During the course of his benefit claim he was invited to apply for jobseeker's allowance. This claim is currently with a Social Welfare Inspector for examination of his means. Despite being requested he has not yet provided full details of his...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (21 Oct 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The person concerned applied for one parent family payment on 6 March 2008. Following investigation her claim was disallowed by a Deciding Officer as she failed to furnish particulars of her means as requested by the Social Welfare Inspector. She completed a fresh application dated 15 July 2008 and her papers were returned to the Social Welfare Inspector on 17 July 2008 for investigation. ...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (21 Oct 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The person concerned does not appear to have submitted an application for participation in the back to education allowance (BTEA) scheme. However, the records in the Department show that this person was only in receipt of jobseeker's allowance from 14 July 2008 to 14 October 2008 and would therefore not appear to meet the requirement to be in receipt of a social welfare payment for a minimum...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (21 Oct 2008)

Mary Hanafin: There has been a significant increase in the number of people claiming jobseeker payments since the beginning of the year. The level of inflows to the Live Register over the period January to September 2008 inclusive was 311,660 as compared with 220,652 over the corresponding period last year representing an increase of over 41%. The average monthly inflows over the first nine months was...

Written Answers — Departmental Programmes: Departmental Programmes (21 Oct 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The school meals programme gives funding towards provision of food services for disadvantaged school children through two schemes. The first is the long-standing statutory urban school meals scheme, which is operated by local authorities and part-financed by the Department. The second is the school meals local projects scheme through which funding is provided by the Department to...

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (21 Oct 2008)

Mary Hanafin: Since the commencement of the decentralisation programme in the Department, expenditure returns have been submitted to the Department of Finance detailing non-property costs associated with the programme for both this Department and the agencies under its aegis. The Department has not incurred any property costs as these are a matter for the Office of Public Works. The following tabular...

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (21 Oct 2008)

Mary Hanafin: Under the Government's current decentralisation programme for the civil and public service, some 1,200 posts comprising the Department's headquarter sections and the Social Welfare Appeals Office are relocating to 6 locations — Sligo, Carrick-on-Shannon, Donegal Town, Buncrana, Carrickmacross and Drogheda. To date, 211 posts have relocated from the Department's Dublin Offices to Sligo and...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (21 Oct 2008)

Mary Hanafin: Entitlement to jobseeker's benefit is determined by the particular circumstances and situation that the claimant and his or her dependants are in at the time of the claim. As these circumstances can change during the course of any year, it is not possible therefore, to provide the information requested in the question. In the light of the significant pressure on the public finances, and the...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (21 Oct 2008)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 438 and 439 together. Officers who retire from the Department before the minimum retirement age of 60 can only do so either on grounds of ill health, which is subject to the approval of the Chief Medical Officer, or under the terms of the Cost Neutral Early Retirement Scheme, which was introduced in 2004. This scheme allows officers to retire between the ages...

Written Answers — Data Protection: Data Protection (21 Oct 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The Department's policy is that sensitive data should not be stored on laptops or other portable devices. However, in the event that there is no alternative to local storage, all sensitive data must be appropriately secured. All new laptops are issued with encryption software. The Department is currently arranging a recall of its current stock of laptops to install encryption software. The...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (21 Oct 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The special half-rate Pre-1953 State Pension (Contributory) was introduced with effect from 5th May 2000. To qualify for this pension, a person must have at least 260 full-rate contributions paid. The 260 can be made up solely of pre-1953 contributions, or a mixture of pre and post-1953 contributions. At the end of September 2008, the numbers of people receiving this pension was 26,130. The...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (21 Oct 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The person concerned applied for jobseeker's allowance on 10 October 2008. His claim is currently being examined, a decision will be made as soon as possible and he will be notified of the outcome. Under Social Welfare legislation decisions in relation to claims must be made by Deciding Officers and Appeals Officers. These officers are statutorily appointed and I have no role in regard to...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (21 Oct 2008)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Question Nos. 445 and 446 together. Details of the number of people benefiting from the back to work allowance and the back to education allowance over the past 3 years are set out as follows in tabular format. The tables also show the breakdown for each scheme on a county basis. The back to education scheme is a second chance education opportunity designed to remove the...