Results 16,041-16,060 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Leaders' Questions (10 Dec 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The Deputy is completely wrong.

Written Answers — Child Poverty: Child Poverty (10 Dec 2008)

Mary Hanafin: Combating poverty and building an inclusive society are key priorities for the Government. The overall goal of the National Action Plan for Social Inclusion (NAPinclusion), is to reduce the number of those experiencing consistent poverty, including children, to between 2% and 4 % by 2012, with the aim of eliminating consistent poverty by 2016. The latest poverty statistics released last week...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (10 Dec 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The Christmas Bonus is paid to all recipients of long-term social welfare payments. The payment was made during the first week of December, at an estimated cost of €201million and some 1.3 million persons comprising 940,000 recipients and 400,000 dependents benefited from the payment. The estimated cost of extending the payment to recipients of jobseeker's benefit is an additional...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (10 Dec 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The review of the one-parent family payment claim of the person concerned is ongoing. The Social Welfare Inspector has been in contact with her and has made arrangements to meet with her shortly to clarify certain aspects of her circumstances. When the inspector's inquiries are complete, a decision will be made as soon as possible and the person concerned will be notified of the outcome. A...

Written Answers — Departmental Statistics: Departmental Statistics (10 Dec 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The number of persons on the Live Register at 28 November 2008 was 268,586. The CSO publishes a breakdown by nationality grouping in the monthly live register release. The department collates nationality data on this basis also. The main nationality groupings on the live register are as follows: Ireland, United Kingdom (UK) including Northern Ireland, England Scotland and Wales; the 12...

Written Answers — Departmental Property: Departmental Property (10 Dec 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The provision of accommodation for the Department is the responsibility of the Office of Public Works. The following information relates to accommodation provided for agencies and other bodies who deliver services on behalf of the Department. The Citizens Information Board occupies two premises in Galway City. The premises at Dockgate, Merchants Road, Galway comprises 1,970 square feet and...

Written Answers — Departmenal Expenditure: Departmenal Expenditure (11 Dec 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The Department of Social and Family Affairs did not have a representative on the High Level Group on Business Regulation. The Department contributes to the reduction of the administrative burden on business by the participation of a Principal Officer on the relevant Inter-Departmental Group chaired by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. A process has commenced, in the...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (11 Dec 2008)

Mary Hanafin: Under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme, which is administered on behalf of the Department by the community welfare division of the Health Service Executive, an exceptional needs payment (ENP) may be made to help meet an essential, once-off cost which the applicant is unable to meet out of his/her own resources. There is no automatic entitlement to this payment. Each application is...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (11 Dec 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The review of the one-parent family payment claim of the person concerned is ongoing. The Social Welfare Inspector has been in contact with her and has made arrangements to meet with her shortly to clarify certain aspects of her circumstances. When the inspector's enquiries are complete, a decision will be made as soon as possible and the person concerned will be notified of the outcome....

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (11 Dec 2008)

Mary Hanafin: A Social Welfare Inspector's investigation of the circumstances of the person concerned has been completed. A decision will be given in her case as soon as possible and she 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...

Written Answers — Money Advice and Budgeting Service: Money Advice and Budgeting Service (11 Dec 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The Money Advice and Budgeting Service (MABS) provided services to 15,647 new clients in the period to end November 2008. In addition, 2,303 people sought information about budgeting and money management. The MABS National Helpline, received 9,990 calls to date in 2008 and some 11,500 calls since its launch in October 2007. The detailed statistical breakdown of clients per centre requested...

Written Answers — Consultancy Contracts: Consultancy Contracts (11 Dec 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The Department has engaged consultancy expertise in 2007 and 2008 to support it in undertaking strategic reviews (e.g. review of the Social Insurance Fund and the equality review of the Social Welfare Code) and to provide specialist technical expertise in the application of information technology. Details of the consultants engaged to undertake strategic reviews and reports in each of these...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (11 Dec 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The supplementary welfare allowance scheme is administered on behalf of the Department by the community welfare division of the Health Service Executive (HSE). The Executive has advised that the person concerned is in receipt of basic Supplementary Welfare Allowance but has been asked to provide documentation to the Community Welfare Officer. This documentation has not been provided to...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (11 Dec 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The person concerned made an application for Jobseeker's Allowance on 21 April 2008. Following a full investigation, the application was disallowed by a Deciding Officer on the grounds that the person concerned failed to establish that he was genuinely seeking employment. The person concerned appealed the decision of the Deciding Officer and an appeal was forwarded to the Social Welfare...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (11 Dec 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The claim for carer's allowance, by the person concerned, was refused by a Deciding Officer of the Department on 21 October 2008 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 25 November 2008 and I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that, in accordance with statutory requirements, the...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (16 Dec 2008)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to answer Questions Nos. 347 and 348 together. Below is a tabular statement showing the number of recipients and expenditure on mortgage interest supplement at quarterly intervals from 2006 to date. Recipients and Expenditure on Mortgage Interest Supplement at Quarterly Intervals, 2006 to Date Quarter Recipients Expenditure â'¬000 Quarter 1 2006 3,311 1,748 Quarter 2 2006...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (16 Dec 2008)

Mary Hanafin: Rent supplement is administered on behalf of the Department by the Health Service Executive (HSE), as part of the supplementary welfare allowance scheme. As advised in my reply of 4th December 2008 to the Deputy's question on the same subject, the person concerned has been refused rent supplement as she is regarded as not being lawfully in the State. The person concerned has appealed against...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (16 Dec 2008)

Mary Hanafin: Disability Allowance is a weekly allowance paid to people with a specified disability who are aged over 16 and under 66. The disability must be expected to last for at least one year and the allowance is subject to both medical assessment and a means test. The person concerned made an application for Disability Allowance on 28th October 2008. The application was referred to a Social Welfare...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (16 Dec 2008)

Mary Hanafin: Disability Allowance is a weekly payment paid to people with a specified disability who are aged over 16 and under 66. The disability must be expected to last for at least one year and the allowance is subject to both medical assessment and a means test. The person concerned made an application for Disability Allowance on 22nd October 2008. His application was reviewed initially by a Medical...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (16 Dec 2008)

Mary Hanafin: State Pension (Non-Contributory) is a means tested payment and all income is assessable as means. This includes cash income, private pensions, foreign pensions, the value of any property (excluding the person's own home) and the value of any investments and capital. A pensioner is obliged to declare all means, and to inform the department of any change in his/her circumstances. Where a...