Results 17,501-17,520 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (30 Jun 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The Department is committed to providing a quality service to all its customers. This includes ensuring that applications are processed and that decisions on entitlement are made as expeditiously as possible. The Department has put a range of measures in place to deal with the extra workload arising from the increase in the Live Register. These include: additional posts assigned use of...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (30 Jun 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The amount of prompt payment interest paid by the Department in respect of payments for goods or services contracted by the Department from 2004 to June 2009 is set out in the following table. Year Amount of Interest paid € 2004 789.42 2005 1,202.37 2006 3,208.57 2007 6,104.68 2008 4,006.57 1 Jan-26 Jun 2009 2,041.44 The Department issues Office Notices to all staff detailing the...

Written Answers — Civil Registration: Civil Registration (30 Jun 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The particulars required to be registered in an entry contained in the register of deaths are set out in Part 5 of the First Schedule to the Civil Registration Act, 2004. Under the Schedule, the date of birth or the age on the last birthday of the deceased is a required particular, following the commencement of the Act in 2005, registrars were advised by the Registrar General that best...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (30 Jun 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The Department is committed to providing a quality service to all its customers. This includes ensuring that applications are processed and that decisions on entitlement are made as expeditiously as possible. The Department has put a range of measures in place to deal with the extra workload arising from the increase in the Live Register. These include: additional posts assigned; use of...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (30 Jun 2009)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 346 to 348, inclusive, together. As a result of an occupational accident, the person concerned was awarded disablement benefit by a Deciding Officer of the Department with effect from 18 April 2008. The degree of disablement benefit was set at 40% based on a medical assessment which took place on 2 September 2008. The level of the award was appealed on 4...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Fraud: Social Welfare Fraud (30 Jun 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The prevention of fraud and abuse of the social welfare system is an integral part of the day-to-day work of the Department. All Child Benefit claims require a minimum level of information and documentation to be provided and verified before being awarded. The amount of information and documentation required varies depending on the customer circumstances, for instance the child's place of...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Fraud: Social Welfare Fraud (30 Jun 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The school meals programme gives funding towards the provision of food services for disadvantaged school children through two schemes. The first is the statutory urban school meals scheme, operated by local authorities and part-financed by the Department of Social and Family Affairs. The second is the school meals local projects scheme through which funding is provided directly by the...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (30 Jun 2009)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 352 and 353 together. A Deciding Officer has awarded the person concerned a jobseekers allowance payment at the weekly rate of €109.30 from 20 December, 2008. His payment is based on a personal rate of €204.30, less weekly means of €95.00, derived from benefit of parental income. His first payment including arrears due, less any supplementary welfare...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (30 Jun 2009)

Mary Hanafin: Second level students cannot access jobseeker's allowance for three months after the completion of the leaving certificate or after leaving education, whichever is the later. Although the Department has no application for jobseeker's allowance from the person concerned, based on the information available he is not currently eligible for the allowance. His Social Welfare Local Office has been...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (30 Jun 2009)

Mary Hanafin: Under EU Regulation 1408/71 a national of an EU state who is working in Ireland maybe entitled to payment of Child Benefit even if his/her children are resident in the worker's home country. Expenditure on Child Benefit for 2008 in respect of the non resident children of EU workers paid under EU regulations was approximately €20.9m. The figures for previous years were as follows, €4.77m...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (30 Jun 2009)

Mary Hanafin: Under EU Regulation 1408/71 a national of an EU state who is working in Ireland may be entitled to payment of Child Benefit even if his/her children are resident in the worker's home country. For the purposes of the EU Regulation, Irish Child Benefit is classified as a Family Benefits and there are specific rules governing the payment of these benefits. Because entitlement to family...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (30 Jun 2009)

Mary Hanafin: Further to my response to Question No. 473 on 9 June 2009, I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that the appeal by the person concerned was disallowed on the grounds that she was not providing full-time care and attention to the person being cared for. The medical reports referred to by the Deputy were seen by the Appeals Officer who dealt with the case. However, the medical...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (1 Jul 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The National Employment Action Plan (NEAP), operated jointly by the Department of Social and Family Affairs and FÁS, is the main welfare to work measure for jobseekers. The NEAP process is fundamental to addressing the progression needs of those on the Live Register. It provides a stimulus to job search and affords an opportunity to explore, under professional guidance, the full range of...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (1 Jul 2009)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 226 and 227 together. The range of benefits and pensions to which different groups of workers may establish entitlement reflects the risks associated with the nature of their work. This in turn reflects the rate of contribution payable. Self-employed people are liable for PRSI at the Class S rate of 3% and are consequently eligible for a narrower range of...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (1 Jul 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The current range of payment options offered by the Department to customers include payment at a local post office or to a bank or building society account or certain credit unions that have been authorised by the banking and credit union regulators. Other than jobseekers, customers can opt for a payment method having regard to their own personal circumstances. The Department administers a...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (1 Jul 2009)

Mary Hanafin: Rent supplement is administered on behalf of the Department by the community welfare division of the Health Service Executive as part of the supplementary welfare allowance scheme. The purpose of the rent supplement scheme is to provide short-term income support to eligible people living in private rented accommodation, whose means are insufficient to meet their accommodation costs and who do...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (1 Jul 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The one-parent family payment (OFP) is a means tested payment for men and women who are bringing up a child without the support of a partner. The claimant must be widowed, separated or divorced, unmarried or a prisoner's spouse. The person must also have main care and charge of at least one child who is residing with them, not be cohabiting and have made efforts to seek maintenance from the...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (1 Jul 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 — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (1 Jul 2009)

Mary Hanafin: Disability Allowance is a weekly allowance paid to people with a specified disability who are aged over 16 and under 66. The disability must be expected to last for at least one year and the allowance is subject to both a medical assessment and a means test. The person concerned applied for Disability Allowance on 15 May 2009. His claim was decided on the 23 June 2009 and he was awarded...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (1 Jul 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The person concerned applied for jobseeker's benefit on 4 May, 2009 and her entitlement in this regard is currently being examined. Her claim is also being examined regarding a possible entitlement to jobseeker's allowance as this payment may be more beneficial. Her Social Welfare Local Office has been in contact with her in this regard. On completion of enquiries decisions will be made on...