Results 17,561-17,580 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — Public Service Review: Public Service Review (9 Jul 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The Special Group on Public Service Numbers and Expenditure Programmes was established by the Minister for Finance to examine current expenditure programmes in each Department and to make recommendations for reducing public service numbers so as to ensure a return to sustainable public finances. At the Group's request, my Department submitted an evaluation report on the various schemes and...

Written Answers — Public Service Staff: Public Service Staff (9 Jul 2009)

Mary Hanafin: To date, 78 applications have been received for the Incentivised Scheme of Early Retirement from staff in the Department. There are no applications to date for the Scheme from staff in the Agencies under the aegis of the Department. The Scheme remains open for applications until 1 st September 2009. The Department received 62 applications for the Incentivised Career Break Scheme which closed...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (9 Jul 2009)

Mary Hanafin: Claims for jobseeker's benefit and jobseeker's allowance, which have not yet been processed, are included in the live register figures published monthly by the Central Statistics Office. At week ending 27 June 2009, there were total 78,585 claims awaiting a decision of which 29,180 were jobseeker's benefit claims and 49,405 jobseeker's allowance claims. Staff in the Department are working...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (9 Jul 2009)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 621, 647 to 649, inclusive, and 673 together. Details of expenditure under on all subheads in respect of Vote 38 Department of Social and Family Affairs and the Social Insurance Fund from 2004 to 2008 are set out in Tables 1 and 2 respectively. Expenditure figures for 2008 are provisional pending completion of audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General. The...

Written Answers — Irish Language: Irish Language (9 Jul 2009)

Mary Hanafin: Since 2006 all letters addressed to the person concerned have issued with Irish name and address in conformity with his request. All correspondence received from the person concerned has been in English and all responses from the Department have also been in English. However if he wishes to correspond with the Department through the medium of Irish we are happy to respond on that basis also....

Written Answers — Social Insurance: Social Insurance (9 Jul 2009)

Mary Hanafin: From 2003, the employer's PRSI exemption scheme was aligned directly with the back to work allowance scheme (employee strand). The scheme exempted employers from their share of the PRSI contribution in respect of recipients of the back to work allowance for the first two years of their employment. The employee's share of the PRSI contributions was payable in the normal way. In order to...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (9 Jul 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The primary objective of the Department's information policy is to ensure that all citizens are made aware of the wide range of schemes and services available and that they are kept informed of changes and improvements as they occur. There are 130 Social Welfare offices throughout the country where customers can obtain information and guidance and where implications of a person taking up...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (9 Jul 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The value of the electricity/gas allowance has been adjusted to reflect the reduction in the price of energy from May 2009 approved by the Commission for Energy Regulation. There is no change in the number of units of electricity (2,400) plus normal standing charges provided under the household benefits package. For the majority of customers the allowance is paid direct to the utility each...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (9 Jul 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The Department has no record of having received an application for back to work allowance in respect of the person concerned. To claim back to work enterprise allowance applicants must satisfy the qualifying conditions immediately prior to commencing self employment, and be setting up a self employment business which has been approved, in writing, in advance by a Partnership Company or one...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (9 Jul 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 recent Supplementary Budget provided that the weekly minimum contribution which a person is required to pay towards their rent, be increased from €18 to €24 a week, with effect from 1 June 2009 and that...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (9 Jul 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 recent Supplementary Budget provided that the weekly minimum contribution which a person is required to pay towards their rent, be increased from €18 to €24 a week, with effect from 1 June 2009 and that...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (9 Jul 2009)

Mary Hanafin: A claim for maternity benefit was received form the person concerned on 6th April 2009. She was advised by letter dated 26th June 2009 that she did not qualify for maternity benefit as she was not in insurable employment at the relevant time. The records of the department show that the person concerned has only 63 reckonable PRSI contributions which are insufficient to satisfy the qualifying...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (9 Jul 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 (HSE). Applications for the allowance may be made between the beginning of June and the end of September each year. A person may qualify for payment of an allowance ifhe or she is in receipt of a social welfare or...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (9 Jul 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The back to work programme currently consists of two schemes designed to support people on welfare into self-employment. The back to work enterprise allowance (BTWEA) is a two year scheme available to unemployed people, lone parents, and sickness related welfare recipients who are starting their own business. Under this scheme, participants retain 100% of their existing social welfare payment...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (9 Jul 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The supplementary welfare allowance scheme, which includes rent supplement, is administered on behalf of the department by the community welfare division of the Health Service Executive. One of the conditions for entitlement to rent supplement is that the Health Service Executive is satisfied that the applicant is in need of accommodation and is unable to provide it from his or her own...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (9 Jul 2009)

Mary Hanafin: A social welfare Appeals Officer has upheld the decision of a community welfare officer to refuse payment of rent supplement on the grounds that total household income is deemed to be sufficient to meet the accommodation costs of the persons concerned. The Appeals Officer is satisfied that the means assessment, as carried out by the community welfare officer, is in accordance with relevant...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (9 Jul 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 (HSE). Applications for the allowance may be made between the beginning of June and the end of September each year. A person may qualify for payment of an allowance if he or she is in receipt of a social welfare or...

Written Answers — Anti-Poverty Strategy: Anti-Poverty Strategy (9 Jul 2009)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Question Nos. 635, 637 and 638 together. Combating poverty and building an inclusive society are key priorities for the Government. The overall goal of the National Action Plan for Social Inclusion (NAPinclusion) introduced in February 2007 is to reduce the number of those experiencing consistent poverty to between 2 per cent and 4 per cent by 2012, with the aim of...

Written Answers — Child Support: Child Support (9 Jul 2009)

Mary Hanafin: Policy matters in relation to the Early Childcare Supplement are a matter for the Minister for the Health and Children in the first instance. The Department of Social and Family Affairs, through the social welfare system, provides significant support to families with children. Child Benefit is the main child income support payment. Results from the most recent survey of Income and Living...

Written Answers — Domiciliary Care Services: Domiciliary Care Services (9 Jul 2009)

Mary Hanafin: There has been no decision to remove the Domiciliary Care Allowance from children with autism. Of the first 249 applications for Domiciliary Care Allowance processed by the Department, 149 were refused and 100 awarded. Further examination of these cases shows that of those awarded, 12 children were specifically diagnosed with either, Autism, Autism Spectrum Disorder or Asperger's Syndrome...