Results 17,441-17,460 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — Departmental Offices: Departmental Offices (25 Jun 2009)

Mary Hanafin: As many local offices are very close to capacity as regards accommodating further staff, earlier this year the Department commenced the process of establishing a number of central decision units around the country. These units are being staffed primarily by the redeployment of existing civil servants from other Government Departments. The current remit of the units is to support local offices...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (25 Jun 2009)

Mary Hanafin: Since May 2008, some 300 extra staff have been assigned to local offices, new Central Support Units and the Departments Inspectorate. Of these 150 have been assigned since January 2009 as follows: · 16 Social Welfare Inspectors were assigned in March 2009 to various locations around the country to undertake means testing and other work associated with processing claims for the jobseekers...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (25 Jun 2009)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 12, 26 and 35 together. I am informed by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that during 2008 the average time taken to process all appeals (i.e. those decided summarily and by way of oral hearing) was 22 weeks. However, if allowance was made for the 25% most protracted cases, the average time fell to just over 14 weeks. These processing times replicate those...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (25 Jun 2009)

Mary Hanafin: There are currently almost 88,800 tenants benefiting from a rent supplement payment - an increase of 49% since the end of 2007. Over half of these recipients have been in payment for more than one year, while over 32,000 have been in payment for 18 months or more. The Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS), which was introduced in 2004, gives local authorities specific responsibility for meeting...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (25 Jun 2009)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 15 and 28 together. In the context of very tough decisions having to be made across the whole range of Government expenditure, the provision of €21.3 billion for social welfare services in 2009 – 20% more than the amount spent in 2008 – is a clear demonstration of the Government's commitment to protecting the vulnerable and providing income support to...

Written Answers — Money Advice and Budgeting Service: Money Advice and Budgeting Service (25 Jun 2009)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 17, 19 and 55 together. The Money Advice and Budgeting Service (MABS) provides assistance to people who are over-indebted and need help and advice in coping with debt problems. There are 53 independent MABS companies with voluntary boards of management operating the local services throughout the country. In addition, the MABS National Telephone Helpline is...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (25 Jun 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The Programme for Government includes a commitment to expand the current free telephone rental scheme by providing for free broadband for older people. The Department is examining how best to implement this commitment. As a first step it has been agreed that where people access the internet using a landline, the telephone allowance can be used to cover the cost of calls or internet usage up...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (25 Jun 2009)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 20, 24 and 53 together. There are currently almost 88,800 people in receipt of rent supplement, an increase of 49% since the end of December 2007. The recent Supplementary Budget provided that the weekly minimum contribution towards rent be increased from €18 to €24 a week, with effect from 1 June 2009. It also provided that payments currently being made...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (25 Jun 2009)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 21 and 159 together. Facilitators work closely with FÁS and other agencies at national and local level, to identify appropriate training and developmental programmes for social welfare recipients of working age to enhance the skills those individuals have and ultimately improve their employments chances as well as help them to develop personally. The...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (25 Jun 2009)

Mary Hanafin: There are currently almost 88,800 people in receipt of rent supplement, an increase of 49% since the end of December 2007. The recent Supplementary Budget provided that the weekly minimum contribution payable towards rent be increased from €18 to €24 a week, with effect from 1 June 2009. It also provided that payments currently being made to existing rent supplement tenants be reduced by...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (25 Jun 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The mortgage interest supplement scheme is designed to help those who have difficulty meeting their mortgage repayment schedule where their means are insufficient to meet their needs. The scheme provides a short-term "safety net" within the overall social welfare scheme to ensure that people do not suffer hardship due to loss of employment. A supplement may be paid in respect of mortgage...

Written Answers — Employment Support Services: Employment Support Services (25 Jun 2009)

Mary Hanafin: Under the National Employment Action Plan (NEAP) all persons between the ages of 18 and 65 years who are approaching 3 months on the Live Register are identified by the Department of Social and Family Affairs and referred to FÁS for interview with a view to availing of a range of employment, training and educational options. The NEAP is not confined to particular geographical areas. The...

Written Answers — Departmental Schemes: Departmental Schemes (25 Jun 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The mortgage interest supplement scheme is designed to help people whose means are insufficient to meet their needs and who have difficulty meeting their mortgage repayment schedule. The scheme provides a short-term "safety net" within the overall social welfare scheme to ensure that people do not suffer hardship due to loss of employment. A supplement may be paid in respect of mortgage...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (25 Jun 2009)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 30, 45 and 52 together. At the end of 2008, there were 1,351 defined benefit schemes subject to the funding standard. Current estimates suggest that approximately 90% of defined benefit pension schemes are in deficit. However, the full extent of the level of under-funding will not be fully apparent until all schemes carry out their next actuarial assessment...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (25 Jun 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The live register has increased to unprecedented levels as a result of the economic downturn that the country is currently experiencing. Staff and management of the Department of Social and Family Affairs are working flat out to deal with this increased claim load and to minimise the time taken to decide claims. The length of time it takes to process claims varies depending on the complexity...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (25 Jun 2009)

Mary Hanafin: One of the goals of the social welfare system is to be responsive to the needs of employees in low-paid, casual or vulnerable employment. For example, persons who are employed for up to three days in a week may claim a jobseekers payment in respect of the remainder of the week, subject to being available for full-time work. In addition, Family Income Supplement (FIS) provides cash support...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (25 Jun 2009)

Mary Hanafin: Since its introduction, the underlying objective of the back to education allowance (BTEA) scheme has been to equip people on social welfare payments with qualifications that will enable them to obtain employment in the labour market. It is a second chance educational opportunities scheme for people on welfare payments who wish to participate in full time education and who would not...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (25 Jun 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The welfare system makes provision for the needs of people, including people employed as miners, under the Occupational Injuries Benefit scheme. Miners who are unable to work due to an accident arising from their employment may be entitled to occupational injury benefit for the first 26 weeks of their claim. This scheme, operated by the Department, provides entitlement to benefit for people...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (25 Jun 2009)

Mary Hanafin: To date, 70 applications have been received for the incentivised scheme of early retirement from staff in the Department. The scheme remains open for applications until 1 September 2009, and while the situation is under constant review, it is not possible to conduct a full assessment on the impact of the scheme on the Department until then. Staff of the Department have been advised that,...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (25 Jun 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The Government is anxious to ensure that as many people as possible can be accommodated within the social welfare pensions system, with due regard being paid to the contributory principle underlying entitlement to contributory payments and, in the case of non-contributory payments, the need to ensure that resources are directed to those who are most in need. Over the past ten years, means...