Results 17,601-17,620 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

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

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 676 and 677 together. The back to work enterprise scheme is designed to assist people on a social welfare payment return to work by setting up a self employment business. Participants on the back to work enterprise allowance (BTWEA) scheme transfer from another social welfare payment and retain a tapered percentage of their payment over a two year period....

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

Mary Hanafin: The short term enterprise allowance (STEA) was introduced by the Government to respond to the demand to provide support to someone who becomes unemployed and who wants to start their own business. The short term enterprise allowance (STEA) is payable at the same rate and for the same duration as jobseeker's benefit. It has been available since 1st May 2009 to claimants who qualify for...

Written Answers — Tax and Social Welfare Codes: Tax and Social Welfare Codes (9 Jul 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The Department has taken a lead role over the years in developing and implementing identity management policies and procedures based on the use of the Personal Public Services (PPS) number. This number was previously known as the Revenue and Social Insurance (RSI) number. The name was changed to indicate the broadening of its role to one which supports delivery of a broader range of public...

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

Mary Hanafin: The Department is conscious of the need to facilitate persons in receipt of social welfare payments when taking up employment opportunities. To ensure that supports are structured to support this objective, a number of measures have been introduced in recent years to remove disincentives to taking up employment and to assist in the transition from welfare to work. These measures include the...

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

Mary Hanafin: The social welfare system has been improved over recent decades to make it easier for people, and women in particular, to qualify for contributory pensions. Social insurance coverage has been extended to include new categories of employment such as part-time workers and qualifying conditions for pensions have been eased. The homemaker's scheme was introduced to limit the impact that periods...

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

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 682 and 697 together. Spouses working for self-employed contributors are specifically excepted from social insurance contributions. However, spouses who are actively engaged in a commercial partnership, including the operation of a farm, as opposed to simply being the joint owners of a property, are treated as individual self-employed contributors and are thus...

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

Mary Hanafin: The commitment in the Programme for Government is to maintain the value of the lowest social welfare payment at least at €185.80 per week in 2007 terms over the course of the National Action Plan for Social Inclusion. The Consumer Price Index increased by 4.1% since 2007. The lowest rate of social welfare payment was increased by €12 per week in the 2008 Budget and €6.50 in the 2009...

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

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 684 and 687 together. The Government is acutely aware of the sacrifices made by carers and has made many improvements in services and supports for carers. The carer's allowance scheme has been significantly improved in recent years and in Budget 2009, I continued this process. The rate of carer's allowance for those aged 66 or over increased by €7 to €239...

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

Mary Hanafin: Supporting and recognising carers in our society is, and has been, a priority of the Government since 1997. Over that period, weekly payment rates to carers have been greatly increased, qualifying conditions for carer's allowance have been significantly eased, coverage of the scheme has been extended and new schemes such as carer's benefit and the respite care grant have been introduced and...

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

Mary Hanafin: The Department's social welfare recipients are assisted with heating costs through their basic payments, the fuel allowance scheme and the household benefits package of electricity and gas allowance. These schemes have been improved significantly in recent years. The national fuel allowance scheme assists householders on long-term social welfare or health service executive (HSE) payments with...

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

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 688 and 689 together. The Government discussion paper, "Proposals for Supporting Lone Parents," put forward proposals to tackle obstacles to employment for lone parents and other low income families. These included proposals for the extension of the National Employment Action Plan to focus on lone parents, focused provision of childcare and the introduction of...

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

Mary Hanafin: The back to school clothing and footwear allowance scheme provides a one-off payment to eligible families to assist with the extra costs when children start school each autumn. While the allowance is not intended to meet the full cost of school clothing and footwear but it provides important assistance towards these costs. A person may qualify for payment of an allowance if s/he is in receipt...

Written Answers — Departmental Programmes: Departmental Programmes (9 Jul 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. The second is the school meals local projects scheme through which funding is provided directly by the Department to participating schools...

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

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Question Nos. 694 and 695 together. Rent supplement is payable to people who are unable to meet the cost of renting private accommodation. The supplement is intended as a short-term income support to eligible tenants whose means are insufficient to meet their accommodation costs. There are currently almost 90,000 people in receipt of rent supplement, an increase of 51% since...

Written Answers — Services for People with Disabilities: Services for People with Disabilities (9 Jul 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The provision of an advocacy service remains a priority for this Government. Significant resources have been provided since 2007, and will continue to be made available to the Citizens Information Board (CIB) for the development and provision of advocacy services for people including those with disabilities. Funding of €6.1 million was provided to CIB in the period 2005 to 2008 for the...

Written Answers — Money Advice and Budgeting Service: Money Advice and Budgeting Service (9 Jul 2009)

Mary Hanafin: 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 companies nationwide with over 250 money advice staff operating the service. Almost €18 million has been provided in 2009 to assist the MABS in dealing with its workload. The MABS provides a high quality personal...

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

Mary Hanafin: With effect from 1st July 2009 (in line with the Government Decision announced in Budget 2009), the Combat Poverty Agency and the Office for Social Inclusion have been integrated to form a new division within the Department of Social and Family Affairs. The new division will combine the experience and expertise of the staff of both bodies. It will enable a strengthened and unified approach to...

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

Mary Hanafin: The Family Support Agency was established on 6 May 2003 and its mission is to promote family and community well being through the provision of appropriate supports and services to families. Funding for the Agency has increased from €17.28 million in 2003 to almost €36 million for 2009. The main functions of the Agency include: The Family and Community Services Resource Centre (FRC)...

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

Mary Hanafin: The Government decided in February 2006 to transfer certain functions from the Health Service Executive and from the Department of Health and Children to the Department of Social and Family Affairs, as part of its reform of the Health Sector. The functions concerned included the administration of the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme by Community Welfare Officers and related staff....

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

Mary Hanafin: The preparation by the Office for Social Inclusion of an annual report is a key element in the social inclusion monitoring and evaluation processes set out in Towards 2016 – the social partnership agreement 2006-2015 and the National Action Plan for Social Inclusion (NAPinclusion) 2007 to 2016. The first annual Social Inclusion Report 2006-2007 prepared by the Office for Social Inclusion...