Results 16,401-16,420 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (17 Feb 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The supplementary welfare allowance scheme provides for a weekly or monthly supplement to be paid in respect of mortgage interest. The purpose of the mortgage interest supplement is to provide short term support to eligible people who are unable to meet their mortgage interest repayments in respect of a house which is their sole place of residence. The supplement assists with the interest...

Written Answers — Family Support Services: Family Support Services (17 Feb 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The Family Support Agency provides funding through a Scheme of Grants to voluntary and community organisations providing marriage and relationship counselling, marriage preparation courses, child counselling in relation to parental separation and bereavement counselling and support on the death of a family member. The focus of the scheme is on the development of support services in the...

Written Answers — Smarter Travel Policy: Smarter Travel Policy (17 Feb 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The Department operates a travel pass scheme encouraging staff members to use public transport in lieu of car transport thus helping to reduce the level of carbon emissions. Official travel by staff members is continually monitored to ensure that such travel is kept to the minimum commensurate with the need for them to effectively perform their functions. Where feasible, staff members use...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (17 Feb 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The Supplementary Welfare Allowance (SWA) and Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance (BSCFA) schemes are administered by the Community Welfare division of the Health Service Executive (HSE) on behalf of the Department Social and Family Affairs. The operational arrangements for the processing of applications and the payment to qualifying individuals, is a matter for the respective...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (17 Feb 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The Department of Social and Family Affairs does not operate a wage subsidy scheme for employers but it provides a range of employment supports available to persons in receipt of welfare payments. These are designed to assist and facilitate people on social welfare payments to return to the active labour force. The BTWA scheme is designed to assist the long-term unemployed, lone parents,...

Written Answers — Child Support: Child Support (17 Feb 2009)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 352 and 356 together. The Early Childcare Supplement [ECS] is administered by the Department of Social and Family Affairs on behalf of the Office of the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs. The total expenditure on the ECS in 2008 was €477.2m. The expenditure on ECS in 2008 for non-resident children was approximately €4.5m. Up to the end of 2008, ECS...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (17 Feb 2009)

Mary Hanafin: In order to qualify for a state pension contributory a person must satisfy a number of qualifying conditions which include commencing insurable employment at least 10 years before pension age, payment of a minimum of 260 qualifying contributions and achieving a yearly average of at least 10 qualifying contributions, paid or credited, over their working life. To determine the yearly average a...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (17 Feb 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The person concerned applied for a jobseeker's benefit payment on 22 December 2008. His social insurance contribution records for years 2006 and 2007 are incomplete and are currently being investigated. On completion of enquiries a decision will be made as soon as possible and he will be notified of the outcome. In the meantime, his Local Office has contacted him regarding a possible...

Written Answers — Social Insurance: Social Insurance (17 Feb 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The PPS Number is a unique identifier for access to services provided by Government Departments and other public bodies. PPS Numbers are issued following a controlled allocation procedure to ensure that a person receives only one number and that the number is allocated on foot of information that is accurate and verified. Proof and evidence of identity is a vital element of the registration...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Offices: Social Welfare Offices (17 Feb 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The Department recently undertook a review of the staffing levels in Local Offices due to the continued increased number of claims for jobseeker's payments. One additional post, at Clerical Officer level, is to be assigned to Ballina Local Office. Arrangements are in train to assign one Clerical Officer to the Ballina office.

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (17 Feb 2009)

Mary Hanafin: Non-EU nationals living in Ireland are entitled to work here provided they have the appropriate visa. Where a person employed on a work permit loses his/her job they may qualify for a jobseeker's payment for the unexpired period of the work permit. In all cases, non-EU nationals who qualify for a jobseeker's payment must satisfy all the conditions of the schemes. In this respect, they are...

Written Answers — Ministerial Travel: Ministerial Travel (17 Feb 2009)

Mary Hanafin: Much careful consideration is given to determining the Ministerial programmes for St. Patrick's Day to ensure that Ireland's economic, trade, social and cultural interests are effectively represented and promoted. In 2008, the then Minister for Social and Family Affairs, Martin Cullen attended the St. Patrick's Day celebrations in Atlanta, United States of America. The total cost of the...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (18 Feb 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The Department has a major programme of business, organisational and technological change underway to enable it to modernise the services that it provides to its customers. Maximising the potential of information technology is a significant aspect of this change programme and external firms are used to assist the Department in undertaking this work. The information requested by the Deputy...

Written Answers — Official Travel: Official Travel (18 Feb 2009)

Mary Hanafin: Information on foreign travel expenditure for the bodies under the Department's remit has now been compiled and is set out in the following table. Name of Statutory Body Total spent on foreign travel in 2008 (including subsistence) â'¬ Combat Poverty Agency *9,268 The Pensions Board *9,000 Office of the Pensions Ombudsman 2,200 Citizens Information Board 185 Family Support Agency...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (18 Feb 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The social security rights of people living and working in the EU are governed by EU Regulations 1408/71 and 574/72. The Regulations co-ordinate social security systems and are designed to ensure that people are not disadvantaged by moving within the EU to take up work. The regulations set out the rules as to which State's social security system a person will pay contributions to when s/he...

Written Answers — Departmental Bodies: Departmental Bodies (18 Feb 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The Pensions Board is the only regulatory body operating under the aegis of the Department of Social and Family Affairs. The statutory role of the Board is to monitor and supervise the operation of the Pensions Act 1990. This involves the regulation of occupational pension schemes and Personal Retirement Savings Accounts and the provision of advice to the Minister for Social and Family...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (18 Feb 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The person concerned applied for a jobseeker's benefit payment on 15 January, 2009. Despite requests he has not yet provided his P45 or a letter from his employer stating the date of termination of his employment. When all of the required information is received a decision will be made on his claim and he will be notified of the outcome. Under Social Welfare legislation decisions in...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (18 Feb 2009)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 195 and 196 together. 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 (including the...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (18 Feb 2009)

Mary Hanafin: As advised in my reply to Parliamentary Question No. 977 of 27 January 2009, the person concerned has indicated to the community welfare officer that she is no longer in receipt of maintenance payments. The Health Service Executive has advised the person concerned that it requires a statement from the solicitor of the father of her child, which indicates what maintenance payments, if any, are...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (19 Feb 2009)

Mary Hanafin: At Executive Officer level, there were 2 vacancies in the Department's offices in Athlone, and 1 vacancy in the Tullamore office as on 31st January 2009. Arrangements are in train to fill these posts, either by lateral transfer or from the Department's Internal Executive Officer competition panel. It is not proposed to fill any of the posts from the Public Appointments Service panel.