Results 16,141-16,160 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin
- Written Answers — Departmental Agencies: Departmental Agencies (18 Dec 2008)
Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 265 and 267 together. The Money Advice and Budgeting Service (MABS) is the main Government funded service which provides assistance to people who are over-indebted and need help and advice in coping with debt problems. There are 53 independent companies with voluntary boards of management operating the local services throughout the country. There are...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (18 Dec 2008)
Mary Hanafin: The supplementary welfare allowance scheme provides for a supplement to be paid in respect of mortgage interest to any person in the State whose means are insufficient to meet their needs. The scheme is administered by the community welfare service of the Health Service Executive on behalf of the Department. The purpose of mortgage interest supplement is to provide short term income support...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (18 Dec 2008)
Mary Hanafin: The earnings disregard of â¬200 per week applies to income from employment. It does not apply to income from any other source such as self-employment, farming or rents from leasing property. Income from sources other than employment is covered by the general means disregard of â¬30 per week. It should be noted that in contrast to persons in employment, expenses necessarily incurred in...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (18 Dec 2008)
Mary Hanafin: A decision has not yet been given on the recent jobseeker's allowance claim made by the person concerned. A Social Welfare Inspector has completed his investigation into his means and has submitted his report to a Deciding Officer. A decision will be given shortly and he will be notified of the outcome. Under Social Welfare legislation decisions in relation to claims must be made by...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (18 Dec 2008)
Mary Hanafin: The person concerned is in receipt of jobseeker's allowance from 29 October 2008 at the weekly rate of â¬11.80, based on a means assessment of â¬186.00 per week derived from self-employment in the fishing industry. It is open to him to appeal this decision and a form for this purpose was issued to him on 11 December 2008. Under Social Welfare legislation decisions in relation to claims...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (18 Dec 2008)
Mary Hanafin: The supplementary welfare allowance scheme, which includes rent supplement, is administered on behalf of the Department by the community welfare service of the Health Service Executive (HSE). The cost of the rent supplement scheme for 2008 is expected to be â¬436m. There are currently 72,840 people in receipt of rent supplement. The purpose of rent supplement is to provide short-term...
- Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (18 Dec 2008)
Mary Hanafin: The Government is continuing to finalise its response to the Pensions Green Paper and the views expressed through the consultation process, which closed at the end of May. This will take the form of a framework for future pension policy on all aspects of our pensions system including social welfare pensions and those provided through the occupational and private pensions sector. The...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (18 Dec 2008)
Mary Hanafin: The person concerned applied for One Parent Family Payment in August 2008 and having received all the necessary information and documentation a decision has been made on his claim. The claim has been awarded and payment in respect of a two week period will be available at his appointed Post Office on 18 December 2008. Any arrears due will be paid as soon as possible when all calculations...
- Written Answers — Live Register: Live Register (18 Dec 2008)
Mary Hanafin: The statistics requested by the Deputy are set out in the following table. All of the areas for which details have been requested are served by Branch Offices of the Department. These Branch Offices are operated under a contract for service by private individuals. Decisions on Branch Offices claims are made by Deciding Officers in the parent Local Office. Parent Local Office Branch...
- Leaders' Questions (27 Jan 2009)
Mary Hanafin: I did not say that.
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (27 Jan 2009)
Mary Hanafin: Support for farmers on low incomes is available through the farm assist scheme. While this means-tested payment is broadly similar to the jobseeker's allowance scheme, it has a more generous means test, which takes account of the specific nature of farming and, unlike jobseeker's allowance, farmers claiming this payment do not need to be available for work outside of the farm in order to...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (27 Jan 2009)
Mary Hanafin: The supplementary welfare allowance scheme is administered on behalf of the department by the Health Service Executive. The Executive has advised that it has no record of an application for rent supplement from the person concerned. If he wishes to make an application for rent supplement, the person concerned should contact the community welfare officer at his local health centre. The...
- Written Answers — Proposed Legislation: Proposed Legislation (27 Jan 2009)
Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 920 and 921 together. This issue was the subject of a High Court judgement concerning the rights of a person, who has undergone gender reassignment surgery, to recognition of her acquired gender. On foot of a High Court judgement, delivered on 19 October 2007, the judge made a declaration, pursuant to Section 5 of the European Convention on Human Rights Act...
- Written Answers — Social Insurance: Social Insurance (27 Jan 2009)
Mary Hanafin: Current estimates indicate that the abolition of the PRSI ceiling would yield some â¬223 million additional contribution income in a full year.
- Written Answers — Social Insurance: Social Insurance (27 Jan 2009)
Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 923, 930 and 972 together. Full information on the position of the Social Insurance Fund at the end of December 2008 is not yet available. However, current indications are that there was an excess of expenditure over income of the order of â¬200 million. At the beginning of 2008, there was an accumulated surplus of over â¬3.6 billion in the Fund. The...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (27 Jan 2009)
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. Applications for the allowance may be made between the beginning of June and the end of September each year. The Executive has advised that the person concerned was refused BSCFA in 2008 as the family income exceeded...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (27 Jan 2009)
Mary Hanafin: Rent supplement is administered on behalf of the department by the community welfare service of the Health Service Executive as part of the supplementary welfare allowance scheme. The Executive had advised that the person concerned was in receipt of rent supplement from 4 February 2008 to 12 November 2008. The Executive has further advised that payment of rent supplement ceased as the person...
- Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (27 Jan 2009)
Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 926 to 929, inclusive, and 951 together. The pension rights of scheme members are protected through trust law and by provision in the Pensions Act 1990 as amended. As supplementary pension schemes are usually established under irrevocable trust, the assets of the scheme are legally separate from the assets of the employer and are not available to any other...
- Written Answers — Departmental Properties: Departmental Properties (27 Jan 2009)
Mary Hanafin: The Department has not entered into any leasing or rental arrangements for properties as this responsibility is vested in the Office of Public Works. The office accommodation currently used by the Department includes: 12 Headquarter buildings in Dublin (3 of which are used by agencies of the Department). 6 Decentralised Offices (Sligo, Longford, Letterkenny, Waterford, Dundalk and...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (27 Jan 2009)
Mary Hanafin: The supplementary welfare allowance scheme, which includes rent and mortgage interest supplement, is administered on behalf of the department by the community welfare division of the Health Service Executive (HSE). Entitlement to rent and mortgage interest supplement is determined on the basis of the circumstances of each individual case including accommodation/mortgage costs and the income...