Results 15,521-15,540 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

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

Mary Hanafin: Child Benefit is payable to children who are ordinarily resident in the state or who reside with a qualified person outside the state, while that person is a member of the defence forces, a civil servant posted abroad, a volunteer development worker or who remain insurable under Irish Social insurance while working abroad. EU Migrant workers may have an entitlement to Child Benefit and other...

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

Mary Hanafin: The average level of absenteeism in my department for the years 2003 to 2007 is set out in the following table: Year Average No. of Absences *per Employee Average No. of working days lost to Sick Leave per Employee Average No. of working days lost to Sick Leave per Employee when absences in excess of 6 months are excluded 2003 2.36 13.58 10.73 2004 2.33 13.78 10.76 2005 2.35 14.79 11.77...

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

Mary Hanafin: The information requested is currently being compiled within the Department and will be made available to the Deputy as soon as possible.

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

Mary Hanafin: Officers who retire from the Department of Social & Family Affairs 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 voluntarily between the ages of 50 and 60...

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

Mary Hanafin: The five statutory bodies operating under the aegis of the Department are the Pensions Board, the Combat Poverty Agency, the Citizens Information Board, the Family Support Agency and the Social Welfare Tribunal. In addition the Pensions Ombudsman comes under the remit of the Department. Two members of staff of the Citizens Information Board availed of early retirement in the past three years...

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

Mary Hanafin: Self employed people do not have to wait 12 months to get a jobseeker's allowance payment. Jobseekers allowance is a means tested payment made to those who do not qualify for jobseekers benefit which is based on PRSI contributions. The means test involves an assessment of the person's savings and investments, any property s/he may own, apart from the family home and any other income such as...

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

Mary Hanafin: The claim for Carer's Allowance by the person concerned was refused by a Deciding Officer of the Department on the 15th November 2007 on the grounds that the care recipient was not so invalided or disabled as to need full-time care and attention. An appeal was opened on 14 March 2008 and I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that, in accordance with the statutory requirements,...

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

Mary Hanafin: The average processing time for applications for jobseeker's claims processed in September was 3 weeks for jobseekers benefit and 6 weeks for jobseekers allowance. There has been a significant increase in the number of people claiming 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...

Social Welfare Payments. (22 Oct 2008)

Mary Hanafin: I thank Deputy Lynch for the opportunity to set out the background and context for the changes being introduced to the disability allowance, DA, and domiciliary care allowance, DCA, schemes. The current arrangements provide that DA, a weekly payment made to persons with a disability whose employment capacity is substantially restricted by reason of his or her disability and whose means are...

Written Answers — EU Directives: EU Directives (22 Oct 2008)

Mary Hanafin: Directive 2006/54/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on the implementation of the principle of equal opportunities and equal treatment of men and women in matters of employment and occupation was adopted on 5 July, 2006. This Directive simplifies, modernises and improves Community legislation in the area of equal treatment for men and women in employment and occupation by...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (22 Oct 2008)

Mary Hanafin: Disability Allowance is a weekly allowance which is currently paid to people with a specified disability who are aged 16 or over and under age 66. With effect from January 2009, as part of the Budget 2009 measures, the minimum age for receipt of Disability Allowance has been raised to 18 years for new claimants. The disability must be expected to last for at least one year and the allowance...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (22 Oct 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The claim for jobseeker's allowance by the person concerned was disallowed by a deciding officer of the Department on 24 August 2008 on the grounds that his means exceeded the statutory limit. An appeal was opened on 17 September 2008 and I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that, in accordance with statutory requirements, the Department was asked for the documentation in the...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (22 Oct 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The claim for Carer's Allowance, by the person concerned, was refused by a Deciding Officer of the Department on the 10th April 2008 on the grounds that he was not providing full-time care and attention in respect of the care recipient and that he was employed outside the home for more than 15 hours per week. An appeal was opened on 17 April 2008 and I am advised by the Social Welfare...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (23 Oct 2008)

Mary Hanafin: Mortgage interest supplement is administered on behalf of the Department by the community welfare division of the Health Service Executive, as part of the supplementary welfare allowance scheme. In determining entitlement to mortgage interest supplement, a community welfare officer must fully establish the means of the person concerned. The original loan application, supporting...

Written Answers — Ministerial Staff: Ministerial Staff (23 Oct 2008)

Mary Hanafin: Since my appointment as Minister for Social and Family Affairs on 7th May 2008, I have appointed, on a contract basis for my term of office, one Special Adviser, Ms. Averil Power, whose salary is €97,109 per annum.

Written Answers — Departmental Offices: Departmental Offices (23 Oct 2008)

Mary Hanafin: There is no Social Welfare Local Office in Lucan. The Office of Public Works (OPW) has responsibility for the acquisition and maintenance of office accommodation for the Department. The Department together with the OPW and South Dublin County Council is exploring the possibility of having a Local Office in Adamstown as part of the planned new Civic Centre. Jobseeker claims for people living...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (23 Oct 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The claim for Jobseekers Allowance by the person concerned was refused by a Deciding Officer of the Department on 25 February 2008 as his means, derived from self-employment, exceeded the statutory limit. An appeal was opened on 28 March 2008 and I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office, that in accordance with the statutory requirements, the Department was asked for the...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (23 Oct 2008)

Mary Hanafin: In order to qualify for a range of Social Welfare payments, including Child Benefit, applicants are required to satisfy the Habitual Residence condition (HRC), which was introduced on 1st May 2004. The HRC requires the applicant to satisfy the deciding officer that they meet certain conditions, including that their centre of interest is in Ireland and that their future intentions, as...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (23 Oct 2008)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 178 and 179 together. The details being sought by the Deputy are set out in the following tabular statement. All costs, which are based on existing staffing levels, are estimates and as such are liable to fluctuate due to factors such as staff movement. Organisation Annual cost of increments in 2008 Annual cost of increments in 2009 Annual cost of September...

Written Answers — Departmental Programmes: Departmental Programmes (29 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...