Results 18,161-18,180 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin
- Social Welfare Benefits. (11 Nov 2009)
Mary Hanafin: -----for very many people it is only really possible to negotiate when their leases are up for renewal, which is on an annual basis. We anticipate more savings there. We are also actively examining the way in which rents are decreasing all the time. We will set new rent levels which will incur savings, bearing in mind differentials throughout the country and-----
- Social Welfare Benefits. (11 Nov 2009)
Mary Hanafin: -----for various groups, such as a single person having more difficulty than a family which is able to find a semi-detached house somewhere. I accept the principle that moving people out of rent supplement and into RAS is the best way to make savings.
- Social Welfare Benefits. (11 Nov 2009)
Mary Hanafin: That is why I expect local authorities will increase their work in this regard-----
- Social Welfare Benefits. (11 Nov 2009)
Mary Hanafin: -----where it is their responsibility.
- Social Welfare Appeals. (11 Nov 2009)
Mary Hanafin: The requirement to be habitually resident in Ireland was introduced as a qualifying condition for certain social assistance schemes and child benefit with effect from 1 May 2004, in the context of the Government's decision to open the Irish labour market to workers from the new EU member states. The purpose of the habitual residence condition is to safeguard the social welfare system from...
- Social Welfare Appeals. (11 Nov 2009)
Mary Hanafin: I accept what the Deputy stated in regard to the implications of this. However, it is important to note that the appeals officer in making his decision dealt only with the legal arguments presented by both sides and did not set out a set of circumstances that should apply. Since his decisions on those cases, other decisions and refusals by appeals officers have been upheld. It does not...
- Social Welfare Appeals. (11 Nov 2009)
Mary Hanafin: Officials in both Departments have been discussing this because of its import. There have been many cases on leave to remain and citizenship but a previous Supreme Court judgment on the rights of people making applications for asylum found they do not have a particular status and that it has been deemed that provision made for them in direct provision meets all of our obligations as a...
- Social Welfare Code. (11 Nov 2009)
Mary Hanafin: Budget 2007 provided for new arrangements whereby people in receipt of a social welfare payment other than carers allowance or benefit who are also providing someone with full-time care and attention can retain their main welfare payments and receive a half-rate carers allowance. Similarly, people currently in receipt of a carers allowance who may have an underlying eligibility for another...
- Social Welfare Code. (11 Nov 2009)
Mary Hanafin: I fully appreciate the valuable role played by carers. All of us visited people who are being cared for as well as their carers, including both those who receive no support from the State and those in receipt of the carers allowance. I have met groups representing carers, including in particular the Carers Association, on several occasions at local, county and national levels. We are...
- Social Welfare Code. (11 Nov 2009)
Mary Hanafin: The Deputy referred to the extra demands that arise in regard to care recipients. I appreciate that somebody with a severe disability has additional heating and dietary requirements but it does not necessarily follow that carers need additional money.
- Social Welfare Code. (11 Nov 2009)
Mary Hanafin: In many cases carers do not live with the care recipients.
- Social Welfare Code. (11 Nov 2009)
Mary Hanafin: The data on the half-rate carers allowance reveal the commitment of older people. Of the 19,000 people in receipt of the allowance, 7,500 are in receipt of the State or invalidity pension, 2,000 are in receipt of disability benefits and 3,500 receive lone parent benefits.
- Social Welfare Code. (11 Nov 2009)
Mary Hanafin: It is interesting to look at the profile of carers.
- Social Welfare Code. (11 Nov 2009)
Mary Hanafin: I have outlined the significant improvements that have been made not only to rates of pay but also in terms of free travel and household benefits for carers. They also have generous income disregards. Every single group would like my commitment to leave them alone in the budget but the next group will then ask for the same treatment. I am aware people are anxious and want reassurance but it...
- Social Welfare Code. (11 Nov 2009)
Mary Hanafin: Jobseekers allowance and farm assist are both means tested payments. In such cases, a social welfare inspector interviews the claimant and makes such inquiries as are necessary to ascertain the means of the applicant. Historically self-employed persons were assessed on the basis of their income in the 12 months prior to claiming and a decision was given on that basis. In the context of...
- Social Welfare Code. (11 Nov 2009)
Mary Hanafin: A clear circular was issued to social welfare inspectors in May 2008 reminding them that they should have due regard to the likelihood that individuals' income was likely to fall and they should assess current rather than last year's income. The system appears to be working reasonably well in other areas because the number of self-employed people on jobseeker's allowance stands at more than...
- Social Welfare Code. (11 Nov 2009)
Mary Hanafin: I appreciate the issue the Deputy has raised. It is important that decision making is consistent across the country, particularly in the area of means tested assessments. The Department issues circulars to ensure inspectors at local level know precisely what they should take into account. I will ensure that the next meeting of inspectors is reminded of the need to apply the provisions of...
- Social Welfare Code. (11 Nov 2009)
Mary Hanafin: As I have already given an extensive answer to Deputy Naughten's priority question regarding habitual residence, I will confine this reply to the Department's guidelines on this provision in social welfare legislation. An internal review of the operational aspects of the habitual residence condition was completed by the Department of Social and Family Affairs in 2006 and copies of the report...
- Social Welfare Code. (11 Nov 2009)
Mary Hanafin: The procedure makes sense, even if that may not appear to be the case in the example cited by the Deputy. Different criteria apply in the various schemes under which applications were made by the family in question. A genuine jobseeker from another European Union country would qualify for jobseeker's allowance, as would someone who had worked previously in this country. Different...
- Social Welfare Code. (11 Nov 2009)
Mary Hanafin: The criteria for the two schemes are different. I will check the details of the case on behalf of the Deputy. The example to which he refers raises another interesting issue, namely, the fact that four members of one family expect to live off the State by means of various allowances. If two members of a family received jobseeker's allowance, one member received disability benefit and one...