Results 15,921-15,940 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin
- Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) (3 Dec 2008)
Mary Hanafin: How long do I have?
- Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) (3 Dec 2008)
Mary Hanafin: As it is my second contribution, I believed that I only had two minutes, but I would be happy to take the time.
- Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) (3 Dec 2008)
Mary Hanafin: Yes.
- Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) (3 Dec 2008)
Mary Hanafin: Deputy Shortall raised a number of points that I wish to address briefly. There was a time when we had the luxury of a social insurance fund in surplus and there was more than sufficient income to cover the payments made from it each year. Given that expenditure is likely to exceed the fund by â¬200 million this year and â¬900 million next year, it is important that we try to take some...
- Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) (3 Dec 2008)
Mary Hanafin: It is not as if the person is disadvantaged with regard to receiving an income from the State in order to support the children.
- Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) (3 Dec 2008)
Mary Hanafin: The individual in question is receiving a good foster care allowance. In cases involving incarceration, deciding officers tend to consider the length of time for which the person will be imprisoned. The position can be examined.
- Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) (3 Dec 2008)
Mary Hanafin: Just because a person is incarcerated, he or she is not deemed to have abandoned his or her child. That is fair enough. On child benefit, figures from the central database of the Department of Education and Science show that 72% of young people who completed the leaving certificate last year were under the age of 18. Whereas the majority of schools offer a transition year, the majority of...
- Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) (3 Dec 2008)
Mary Hanafin: Deputy Shortall referred to those in receipt of early childhood supplement losing the payment for the final three months. When the scheme was introduced â I am not stating that this was the correct way to proceed â a person could effectively be paid the allowance in respect of a child that had not yet been born. If one's child was due to be born in March, one received payment from the...
- Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) (3 Dec 2008)
Mary Hanafin: The aim of the scheme has always been to help fund child care for children not yet attending school. The vast majority of children who have reached the age of five and a half are now in school.
- Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) (3 Dec 2008)
Mary Hanafin: Yes, the age profile relating to the scheme was extremely generous.
- Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) (3 Dec 2008)
Mary Hanafin: In the context of the need to make savings, the decision in this regard was difficult. All such decisions are difficult. However, the scheme will still cater for the needs of children in the age category â from birth to five and a half years of age â at which it is targeted. These children are of preschool age. Payment will no longer be made in respect of the couple of months before...
- Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) (3 Dec 2008)
Mary Hanafin: Deputy Shortall ignored the increases that were introduced in the budget. The Department's own budget for next year will be â¬19.6 billion, an increase of 15.5% on the figure for last year. We are aware of the pressures that will come to bear, particularly in the context of the live register and the unfortunate situation in which people are finding themselves. The rise in the numbers on...
- Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) (3 Dec 2008)
Mary Hanafin: On the risk of poverty rate for older people, the CSO accepted that as a result of the blip with SSIA incomes last year, older people had not benefited from SSIAs to the same degree as others and that this has impacted on the figures. The report is clear on that point.
- Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) (3 Dec 2008)
Mary Hanafin: The CSO accepted this in a briefing this morning, and also did so during a public briefing. The information is contained in the report which is available for the Deputy to read. We know that numbers in respect of older people living in consistent povertyââ
- Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) (3 Dec 2008)
Mary Hanafin: No, given the particular year that was in it, people benefited from their SSIAs.
- Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) (3 Dec 2008)
Mary Hanafin: Older people, as a group, had not contributed to the same degree. Most groups have reported on the positives and negatives and this will help us in determining policy in this area.
- Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) (3 Dec 2008)
Mary Hanafin: On the issues raised by Deputy Shortall, the record will show that I addressed them. I believe Deputy Shortall was in discussion with Deputy Stagg at the time I answered those questions.
- Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) (3 Dec 2008)
Mary Hanafin: Having seen today the number of people who have joined the live register, we realise this is an extremely difficult time. As Deputies stated, it is not just a question of losing one's job because many are in danger of losing their homes also. The State is in a position to support many of them with rent supplement and mortgage interest supplement. The increase in the unemployment rate over...
- Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) (3 Dec 2008)
Mary Hanafin: I will not accept the amendment because there are already powers in the Social Welfare and Pensions Act 2007 to provide a more streamlined appeal mechanism once the transfer takes place between the community welfare officers in the HSE and my own Department. I believe that will address the need. In the meantime I will try to ensure that times are not unduly long for people. In view of the...
- Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) (3 Dec 2008)
Mary Hanafin: I do not propose to accept the amendment because this research, which will help to guide future policy, will become available. The Government is aware that not everyone who is entitled to the family income supplement avails of it. However, it has not been possible to ascertain from administrative sources the exact numbers of people who do not apply. There are also a number of reasons...