Results 17,821-17,840 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Social Welfare Fraud. (7 Oct 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The amount of money recorded as control savings by the Department by the end of August 2009 was €312 million, which represented an increase of €5.5 million on the same period last year. It should be noted the Department only records as control savings moneys which are saved as a result of reviews of existing claims. However, particular focus is currently being placed on prevention of...

Social Welfare Fraud. (7 Oct 2009)

Mary Hanafin: It was worth mentioning in my reply that people are making reports of possible fraud to the Department because it shows the value people are placing on money. Even if many of those who are the subjects of such reports are not fraudulently claiming, the State saves money from the ones who are, so it is still valuable. What people generally do not realise is that there can be quite a high...

Social Welfare Fraud. (7 Oct 2009)

Mary Hanafin: All of that to which the Deputy refers comes in under the heading of control. We have an amount we expect to achieve in respect of each of the different schemes.

Social Welfare Fraud. (7 Oct 2009)

Mary Hanafin: It is only when one identifies a case that one can determine what is fraud and what is error.

Social Welfare Fraud. (7 Oct 2009)

Mary Hanafin: We have identified how many reviews we will make within each scheme and how much we hope to gain from those reviews. We have over-achieved in respect of the number of reviews in some areas and have under-achieved in terms of the amount of money saved. As I stated earlier, we recouped more than we expected in respect of carers and less than we thought under other schemes. The number of...

Departmental Staff. (7 Oct 2009)

Mary Hanafin: Since May 2008, 357 extra staff have been assigned to local offices, new central support units and the Department's inspectorate. Of these, some 200 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...

Departmental Staff. (7 Oct 2009)

Mary Hanafin: If the current appointment system is not working local managers need only increase the time for appointments from 30 to 40 minutes. It is a local matter. It is far more preferable to tell a person who attends in respect of a claim to call back on a specific date at a specific time to a particular hatch rather than simply tell him or her to join the queue. As I understand it, the system is...

Departmental Staff. (7 Oct 2009)

Mary Hanafin: I will revert to the Deputy with a reply on the matter. I am aware that the Office of Public Works was informed of the priority of providing a social welfare office in Balbriggan.

Departmental Staff. (7 Oct 2009)

Mary Hanafin: I will obtain an update on the matter for the Deputy and have it forwarded to him.

Departmental Staff. (7 Oct 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The Deputy will be aware that the Minister does not determine who covers for whom and in what area. Issues continue to arise in particular in regard to term time and annual leave, especially in the Department of Social and Family Affairs which in the main comprises female staff.

Departmental Staff. (7 Oct 2009)

Mary Hanafin: I acknowledge that we should ensure people do not incur additional delays. However, it should also be noted that big inroads were made in July and August on the number of outstanding claims, which were reduced by more than 20,000.

Departmental Staff. (7 Oct 2009)

Mary Hanafin: In only one or two offices.

Departmental Staff. (7 Oct 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The main reason is to ensure the management and staff of the particular office are in a position to be able to take it and that the accommodation in that office can facilitate the number of hatches for appointments. It is a straightforward process and will be rolled out. Some claims, such as benefit claims, are very straightforward which is why they can be done in a week in some places. The...

Public Service Numbers and Expenditure. (7 Oct 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 to facilitate a return to sustainable public finances. At the special group's request, my Department submitted an evaluation report on the various schemes...

Public Service Numbers and Expenditure. (7 Oct 2009)

Mary Hanafin: Decisions have not been made on several of these issues and will not be made until the budget so it is important we be allowed to take time in the deliberative process. The Freedom of Information Act facilitates that, specifically allowing for exclusion of information where a decision has not yet been made. Every decision related to social welfare is linked to the budget so those decisions...

Public Service Numbers and Expenditure. (7 Oct 2009)

Mary Hanafin: It would be possible for me to ask but not to answer regarding all of the proposals in the McCarthy report because decisions have not been taken on any of them. In all of our considerations I have made it clear that we examine how a scheme or payment impacts on other schemes and not just in my Department. I want to ensure any decision made in social welfare that relates to children is...

Public Service Numbers and Expenditure. (7 Oct 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The only instruction that we have at the moment is to reduce the social welfare budget. It has not been predetermined as to how that is going to be done. When I say that it leads to a debate, I mean that it allows discussion at Government level and in here to take place, in the knowledge of what people are getting, how many of them are getting it, and so on. The fact that a 5% or 3% cut is...

Public Service Numbers and Expenditure. (7 Oct 2009)

Mary Hanafin: It does not help people if they feel that they are being threatened from all sides. In our deliberations, we will not take a red pen to different things.

Public Service Numbers and Expenditure. (7 Oct 2009)

Mary Hanafin: We will be looking to see how we interact with other agencies and Departments, and how the cuts are being examined overall. The most sensitive and most difficult area in which to make change is the social welfare budget. It is still a priority and a policy of this Government, no matter what changes we make, that we protect the most vulnerable.

Social Insurance. (7 Oct 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The mortgage interest supplement scheme provides support for people who have difficulty meeting their mortgage repayments and whose means are insufficient to meet their needs. The scheme provides a short-term income safety net within the overall social welfare system, to ensure that people do not suffer hardship due to loss of employment. A supplement in respect of mortgage interest only...