Results 16,081-16,100 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

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

Mary Hanafin: Carer's allowance, in line with other social assistance schemes, is means tested. This ensures scarce resources are directed at those in greatest need. The primary objective of the carer's allowance is to provide income support to low income carers. The carer's allowance means test is one of the more flexible tests in terms of the assessment of household incomes. It has been significantly...

Written Answers — Departmental Surveys: Departmental Surveys (16 Dec 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The Disability Sectoral plan for the Department of Social & Family Affairs provides that the Department will complete a national customer satisfaction survey in 2007 for Disability Allowance customers, in 2008 for Invalidity Pension customers and in 2009 for Carer's Allowance & Benefit Customers. The purpose of the survey is to assess customer satisfaction with the services that the...

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

Mary Hanafin: In its Disability Sectoral Plan, the Department of Social and Family Affairs has undertaken to facilitate participation in education by social welfare customers of working age with disabilities who are most distant from the labour market in order to enhance their employability and assist them in accessing sustainable employment. The department also committed to enhancing the National...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (16 Dec 2008)

Mary Hanafin: In accordance with the commitments outlined in the Sectoral Plan under the Disability Act 2005, the Department liaises regularly with the Public Appointments Service with regard to the appointment of people with a disability from competitions. The required supports are identified and put in place prior to the person's appointment. In addition, the Department conducts workplace assessments for...

Seanad: Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Dec 2008)

Mary Hanafin: I do not propose to accept the amendment as it is not necessary. Comprehensive legislation is in place which covers all aspects of control activity. Senators will have noted recent figures which show the Department's success in combating welfare fraud and error through prevention, detection, deterrence and debt recovery. This is done at various stages from the point at which a claim is...

Seanad: Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Dec 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The Senator is correct that there have been some delays in processing child benefit claims. These largely occur in the case of claims made by non-nationals living in Ireland for children who are non-resident. Processing such applications requires a large number of checks to be made in the home country of the families in question to ensure the child exists and the family is not in receipt of...

Seanad: Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Dec 2008)

Mary Hanafin: Two separate issues have been raised. The length of time required to process claims is due to the pressure caused by the number of applications being received. Unfortunately, all offices have experienced a large increase in the number of people applying for jobseeker's allowance and jobseeker's benefit. To ensure we can expedite the processing of claims, approximately 30 additional staff...

Seanad: Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Dec 2008)

Mary Hanafin: On Senator Brady's point on rent supplement, it is an area where, because we are spending €410 million, we must keep under control who is receiving it for whom. It can be difficult because we give it to the individual tenant rather than to a landlord. Records would not be kept under the name of a landlord but under the name of each individual tenant. I will check if we can have further...

Seanad: Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Dec 2008)

Mary Hanafin: I do not propose to accept the amendment. The reason is the preparation of the Civil Partnership Bill which, as the Senator knows, is due to be published early next year. It will give civil partnership registration for same sex couples and will also confer a range of rights and obligations. I intend, following the passing of that Bill, to ensure equivalent social welfare treatment will be...

Seanad: Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Dec 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The difference between now and previous occasions is that the scheme for the Civil Partnership Bill was approved by Government last year. Preparation is well under way, unlike previous occasions when generalities were being discussed. That Bill will have a significant impact on same sex couples and on their rights. Therefore, it is appropriate to wait until that Bill has dealt with those...

Seanad: Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Dec 2008)

Mary Hanafin: I fully appreciate what Senators are saying about the value of carers in our community and that they support looking after the young and old in their own homes. At present approximately 44,000 people are in receipt of a carer's payment. Of those 14,200 are getting the half-rate carer's allowance. Of course each of these will get the increase set out in the section of €7 or €3.50 for...

Seanad: Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Dec 2008)

Mary Hanafin: It is just not possible to pay the Christmas bonus to everybody who is claiming, although I appreciate the difficulties some families have. People who are running into difficulties with mortgage interest repayments and so on should certainly investigate the mortgage interest supplement. So far we are providing mortgage interest support to more than 7,000 people. It is a particularly...

Seanad: Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Dec 2008)

Mary Hanafin: Senator McFadden is right in thinking that the family income supplement is a valuable payment in cash to low-income families. Given the evidence we have seen of the difficulties faced by some low-income families, it is important that they can benefit from it. It is true there has been a lower than anticipated take-up of FIS, but this has improved as a direct result of advertising campaigns....

Seanad: Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Dec 2008)

Mary Hanafin: No, I am not accepting the amendment, because I am awaiting the results of the research.

Seanad: Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Dec 2008)

Mary Hanafin: As soon as I get it, I will lay before the Houses the research on why there is not sufficient take-up of FIS.

Seanad: Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Dec 2008)

Mary Hanafin: I fail to see how this fits in with stallion fees, stud greyhound fees and profit from woodlands, but I am always happy to take the Senator's questions. This has been an issue for a long number of years but the spouse, or both partners, has to be able to prove that a partnership existed. During the year my Department and the Revenue Commissioners agreed on what were the issues indicating...

Seanad: Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Dec 2008)

Mary Hanafin: I will certainly check that for the Senator.

Seanad: Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Dec 2008)

Mary Hanafin: I agree it is complicated.

Seanad: Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Dec 2008)

Mary Hanafin: I do not propose to accept this amendment but I share Senator McFadden's views on the need to ensure we support lone parents. Senators will be aware that the Government published a discussion document on supporting lone parents and we have been working very actively on it in the past few months to try to bring new proposals to a conclusion. These proposals not only deal with return to work...

Seanad: Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Dec 2008)

Mary Hanafin: There is a number of myths about lone parents. There is the myth that there are hundreds of teenage mothers, which is not so; the number of teenage mothers is substantially reduced. There is the myth that lone parents have a number of children, but the majority of lone parents have only one child. I launched some very good research which was published recently byOne Parent and which has...