Results 18,141-18,160 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — Departmental Services: Departmental Services (10 Nov 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The Department receives approximately half-a-million telephone calls per month, across its network of Local Offices and Headquarter buildings. At certain times, due to peaks in the number of incoming calls, callers may encounter some difficulties in getting through to certain areas of the Department. A number of initiatives to minimise delays for callers have been introduced. These include...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (10 Nov 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The claim for illness benefit, by the person concerned, was disallowed by a Deciding Officer of the Department following an examination by a Medical Assessor who expressed the opinion that she was capable of work. Her application for invalidity pension was similarly disallowed. She appealed this decision and was examined by a second Medical Assessor who also expressed the opinion that she...

Written Answers — Money Advice and Budgeting Service: Money Advice and Budgeting Service (10 Nov 2009)

Mary Hanafin: There are currently two MABS offices in north Tipperary: Nenagh and Thurles. There are no plans to open a MABS office in Roscrea. Members of the public can get money advice, assistance and support from MABS through three channels: · The MABS National Telephone Helpline – LoCall 1890 283438, is available from 9am to 8pm Monday to Friday; · The MABS website www.mabs.ie provides online...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (10 Nov 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 a medical assessment, a means test and a habitual residency test. The person concerned applied for Disability Allowance on 6 March 2009. He was examined by a Medical Assessor who...

Written Answers — Family Support Services: Family Support Services (10 Nov 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The Family Support Agency funds the Family and Community Services Resource Centre Programme. Following the closure of a Kilkenny-based Family Resource Centre (FRC) in 2007, research was carried out to identify where core funding could be re-directed to another community in County Kilkenny. The research recommended that the town referred to by the Deputy was the area most in need of a Family...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Fraud: Social Welfare Fraud (10 Nov 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The amount of overpayments attributed to fraud and monies recovered for years 2004 to 2008 requested by the Deputy is set-down in the tabular statements hereunder. Overpayments are categorised and reported by fraud, customer/third party error, Departmental error and Estates. The most common method of recovering overpayments is through instalments rather than in a single lump sum. Generally...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (10 Nov 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The statistics requested by the Deputy are not available. However, statistics relating to household type and duration of entitlement for jobseeker's benefit and allowance are contained in the Social Welfare Services (SWS) Statistical Information Report published annually by the Department. I am making available relevant extracts of the 2008 report, which is available on the Department's...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (10 Nov 2009)

Mary Hanafin: Under the back to education scheme an applicant can pursue a full-time second or third level course up to and including a Higher Diploma in any discipline and a Post Graduate Diploma in Education. Full-time day undergraduate courses in another EU country which are recognised by the Department of Education and Science for Higher Education Grant purposes may be considered for the back to...

Written Answers — Social Insurance: Social Insurance (10 Nov 2009)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 346 and 347 together. The following table sets out the information requested by the Deputy. PRSI Contributions & Balance in the Social Insurance Fund Year Actual PRSI Receipts€000 Estimated PRSI Receipts€000 SIF Balance€000 2005 6,109,880 2,400,284 2006 6,921,222 3,049,141 2007 7,722,010 3,632,298 2008 7,984,182 3,376,969 2009 5,050,340*...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (10 Nov 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The following table shows the number of recipients of rent supplement by primary social welfare payment. A breakdown of recipients by work status is not available. TABLE Number of Recipients of Rent Supplement by Primary Payment at 29 October 2009. Payment Type Recipients As % of Total State Pensions 1,566 1.7% Pre-Retirement Allowance 112 0.1% Widows and Widower's Pensions 414 0.5%...

Social Welfare Benefits. (11 Nov 2009)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to answer Questions Nos. 60 and 61 together. Rent supplement is payable to people who are unable to meet the cost of renting private accommodation and is intended as a short-term support. There are currently more than 91,600 people in receipt of rent supplement, an increase of almost 24% since the end of December 2008. It is essential to ensure that State support for rent...

Social Welfare Benefits. (11 Nov 2009)

Mary Hanafin: There are two basic questions from Deputy Naughten, who I welcome to the portfolio. The savings outlined at the beginning of the year amounted to €48 million. Those savings have been achieved by virtue of the changes introduced. However, they do not show up on the bottom line of expenditure on rent supplement because demand has increased. The published Estimate for the year was €490...

Social Welfare Benefits. (11 Nov 2009)

Mary Hanafin: We have built savings of €48 million into that. The additional claims accounted for amount to €77 million. Unfortunately, it is one of those cases where there was an increase in demand. Deputy Naughten's second question is central to reducing expenditure on rent supplement, which is to get people to move to RAS. The responsibility of local authorities is critical in this matter. We...

Social Welfare Benefits. (11 Nov 2009)

Mary Hanafin: In the April budget, when we reduced by 8% the rent supplement payment to all existing tenants, I was excoriated and people suggested this was far too penal. Now, I am told that others can make savings of 16%.

Social Welfare Benefits. (11 Nov 2009)

Mary Hanafin: It shows that people have been able to negotiate with landlords and have been able to get a reduction in rents.

Social Welfare Benefits. (11 Nov 2009)

Mary Hanafin: Based on CSO and PRTB figures, rents have reduced by 13% since January and a full 20% in the past 12 months. Even since we introduced the reduction, rents have reduced by another 3%. There is scope on this issue. Some 23,000 properties are available for rent so there is plenty of scope for people to negotiate, as they have done successfully. I am well aware of the Dublin City Council case...

Social Welfare Benefits. (11 Nov 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The responsibility for RAS and housing rests with the local authorities. The questions put by the Deputies are valid but I suggest that they table them for the relevant Department.

Social Welfare Benefits. (11 Nov 2009)

Mary Hanafin: As far as I am concerned the more people who transfer the better as it saves on rent supplement. One cannot take two different attitudes in the same year to the same scheme. At the beginning of the year we were not doing enough to protect the vulnerable or giving enough to the poor unfortunate tenants. We were going to have them out on the street and homeless because of the changes we...

Social Welfare Benefits. (11 Nov 2009)

Mary Hanafin: This year, we have already decreased the amount of rent that was acceptable, therefore decreasing the amount of money paid to tenants to give to landlords and increasing the amount of money that tenants had to pay out of their own personal contribution.

Social Welfare Benefits. (11 Nov 2009)

Mary Hanafin: This helped to make savings this year. Earlier this year we accepted - Deputies were critical of the fact that we were putting such pressure on people - that-----