Results 16,241-16,260 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (29 Jan 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The number of people in receipt of State Pension whose payment is reduced due to the fact that they also receive a Pension payment from the UK is as follows: Pension Number State Pension (Non Contributory) 10,473 Widow/ers Non Contributory Pension 162 Blind Pension 12 Widowed One Parent Family 34

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (29 Jan 2009)

Mary Hanafin: Rent supplement is administered on behalf of the Department by the Health Service Executive as part of the supplementary welfare allowance scheme. The Executive has advised that it has no record of an application for rent supplement from the person concerned. If the person concerned wishes to make an application for rent supplement he should contact the community welfare officer at his...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (29 Jan 2009)

Mary Hanafin: Rent supplement is administered on behalf of the department by the Health Service Executive as part of the supplementary welfare allowance scheme. The position remains as advised in question number 1002 which I answered for the Deputy on 27 January 2009. The Executive has advised that the person concerned has been refused rent supplement as the total household income is sufficient to meet...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (29 Jan 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The claim by the person concerned for job seekers benefit was disallowed by a Deciding Officer of the Department on 19 May 2008 on the grounds that he was not available for or genuinely seeking full-time work. He appealed this decision on 10/7/08 and I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that the appeal was referred to an Appeals Officer who held an oral hearing of the case on 23...

Departmental Staff. (3 Feb 2009)

Mary Hanafin: With the increase in the number of people applying for unemployment payments in particular, staff in social welfare offices have been working extremely hard to process claims as quickly as possible. Productivity has increased significantly. Nearly 155,000 claims were processed in local offices in the last quarter of 2008. That includes the one family payment. This compares with less than...

Departmental Staff. (3 Feb 2009)

Mary Hanafin: As I indicated, a number of these staff are already in place. As all of these staff——

Departmental Staff. (3 Feb 2009)

Mary Hanafin: ——are coming from other Departments, processes have to be gone through to ensure they are placed because none of them is being recruited from outside the public sector. I appreciate the necessity of ensuring that people are put into position as quickly as possible and to have them trained. As I indicated, in the next two to three weeks there will be an additional 19 and we are hopeful...

Departmental Staff. (3 Feb 2009)

Mary Hanafin: In Finglas one can get the jobseeker's allowance in 1.2 weeks or just over two and a half weeks for jobseeker's benefit. We should acknowledge those.

Departmental Staff. (3 Feb 2009)

Mary Hanafin: We should acknowledge Coolock, which is also a very busy office, where in one and a half weeks one can get jobseeker's allowance and jobseeker's benefit in just over two weeks.

Departmental Staff. (3 Feb 2009)

Mary Hanafin: It is not true to say, therefore, that throughout the country——

Departmental Staff. (3 Feb 2009)

Mary Hanafin: Certainly.

Departmental Staff. (3 Feb 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The Deputy obviously did not listen to the answer where I indicated that from the summer onwards additional staff were put in.

Departmental Staff. (3 Feb 2009)

Mary Hanafin: An additional 31, followed by 115, many of whom have been put in place or are currently being put in place in the areas where there is greatest demand.

Departmental Staff. (3 Feb 2009)

Mary Hanafin: I appreciate that nobody wants to be left waiting but nobody is left waiting for their money——

Departmental Staff. (3 Feb 2009)

Mary Hanafin: ——because the community welfare officer pays within the week.

Departmental Staff. (3 Feb 2009)

Mary Hanafin: It is wrong to give the impression to people losing their jobs or those who are applying that no matter where they go in the country, they will be waiting for weeks. There are thousands of workers in social welfare offices who are genuinely working flat out and our aim is to ensure average waiting times in all the offices are brought down.

Departmental Staff. (3 Feb 2009)

Mary Hanafin: We are doing that——

Departmental Staff. (3 Feb 2009)

Mary Hanafin: ——by ensuring we put in the staff as quickly as possible to meet the current demand from people who genuinely need that money.

Social Welfare Code. (3 Feb 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The combined employee and employer social insurance contribution for general employees, paying class A PRSI, is 14.05%, excluding levies. Self-employed people, on the other hand, are only liable for PRSI at the class S rate of 3%. These much lower contributions give coverage towards long-term benefits such as State and widow's pension but do not enable a person to qualify for short-term...

Social Welfare Code. (3 Feb 2009)

Mary Hanafin: A large number of self-employed people are finding things very difficult. It is true that many self-employed people will not necessarily earn the same level of income this year as they did last year. This is particularly true in the case of those may have secured employment in a large contractor in the construction industry. For this reason, a degree of flexibility is provided. The...