Results 18,221-18,240 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (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 1st 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...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (11 Nov 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The objective of the back to education allowance scheme is to equip people on social welfare payments with qualifications that will enable them to obtain employment in the labour market. The scheme covers full-time courses of education from second level to Higher Diploma (H.Dip) level in any discipline or a Graduate Diploma in Education (Primary and Secondary Teaching). The focus of the back...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (11 Nov 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The Government is anxious to ensure that as many people as possible can be accommodated within the social welfare pensions system. A state pension (contributory) is available to those who have contributed to the social insurance system while a means-tested state pension (non-contributory) is available to those who have an income need. Over the last 10 years, means tests have been improved...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (11 Nov 2009)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 83 and 97 together. There are currently over 91,600 tenants benefiting from a rent supplement payment - an increase of 24% since the end of 2008. Over 33,000 of recipients have been receiving payment of rent supplement for 18 months or more. The Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS), which was introduced in 2004, gives local authorities specific responsibility...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (11 Nov 2009)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to answer Questions Nos. 84, 86, 101, 103, 108, 221 and 226 to 228, inclusive, together. In its consideration of the forthcoming Budget and Estimates, the Government will take account of a wide range of factors including the prevailing economic situation, the need to reduce public expenditure, the recommendations of the Special Group on Public Service Numbers and Expenditure...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (11 Nov 2009)

Mary Hanafin: As the Deputy will be aware, the rates of child benefit have increased significantly since 2001 having trebled for the first two children and increased by over 185% for the third an d subsequent children. Partly as a result of this and partly as a result of an increase in the number of eligible children, overall expenditure on child benefit grew from just under €965 million in 2001 to...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (11 Nov 2009)

Mary Hanafin: I am informed by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that during 2008 the average time taken to process all appeals (i.e. those decided summarily and by way of oral hearing) was 22 weeks. However, if allowance was made for the 25% most protracted cases, the average time fell to just over 14 weeks. These processing times replicate those for 2007 notwithstanding the fact that there was an...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (11 Nov 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The Government is acutely aware and appreciative of the contribution made by carers and has made considerable improvements in services and supports for them in recent years. 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 by €7 to €239 per week and for those...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (11 Nov 2009)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 91, 116, 211 and 213 together. 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...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (11 Nov 2009)

Mary Hanafin: In 2008, the Department had just over one million working days potentially available to it. A total of 68,102 days were lost because of sick leave, equivalent to 6.61% of the total. This was an improvement on 2007, when 7.15% of working days were lost due to sick leave. Almost one third of total working days lost because of sick leave in 2008 were due to one of four categories of illness,...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (11 Nov 2009)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos: 93 and 212 together. The Family Income Supplement is designed to provide support for people with families who are on low earnings. This preserves the incentive for them to remain in employment in circumstances where they might only be marginally better off than if they were claiming other social welfare payments. FIS is a central element of a programme of...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (11 Nov 2009)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 94 and 100 together. Rent supplement is intended as short-term support for eligible tenants whose means are insufficient to meet their accommodation costs. There are currently over 91,600 people in receipt of rent supplement, an increase of 24% since the end of December 2008. The number of rent supplement recipients, the number of rent supplement claims...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Fraud: Social Welfare Fraud (11 Nov 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The Department of Social and Family Affairs has an extensive legal structure to support the sharing of data with other Government Departments and specified bodies such as An Garda Síochana for the purpose of combating social welfare fraud. Data matching is used as a method of identifying high risk social welfare claims for review. The main example of on-going co-operation with the...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Fraud: Social Welfare Fraud (11 Nov 2009)

Mary Hanafin: Since the publication of the Green Paper on Pensions in October 2007, the Government has taken several initiatives to respond to the immediate difficulties facing members of pensions schemes, particularly members of defined benefit schemes. We have moved quickly to assist pension scheme members through measures announced last December, and the amendments passed in the Social Welfare and...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (11 Nov 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The current free travel scheme operated by the Department provides free travel on the main public and private transport services for those eligible under the scheme. These include road, rail and ferry services provided by companies such as Bus Átha Cliath, Bus Éireann and Iarnród Éireann, as well as Luas and services provided by over 80 private transport operators. While the scheme is...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (11 Nov 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The free television licence is a component of the household benefits package which also includes the electricity/gas allowance and telephone rental schemes. The package is generally available to people living in the State, aged 66 years or over who are in receipt of a social welfare payment or who satisfy a means test. It is also available to people aged under 66 who are in receipt of...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (11 Nov 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The Department administers a number of social assistance schemes to meet the income support needs of certain people. The associated means tests are designed to reflect the particular circumstances of these individuals and their families as well as the different life cycle stages. Over the years, various developments in means testing have led to the system becoming complex and difficult for...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (11 Nov 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The person concerned first applied for State Pension (contributory) in June 2007. The claim was rejected in September 2007 as she had no paid PRSI contributions and therefore did not fulfill the conditions for receipt of State Pension (contributory). In April 2008, she submitted an application to have a business partnership between her and her spouse recognised for the purpose of social...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (11 Nov 2009)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos.107, 114, 117 and 119 together. The average processing times for claims decided in October was 3.14 weeks for jobseekers benefit and 7.38 weeks for jobseekers allowance. This is the average nationally and there are fluctuations between offices. In October, 3 out of every 4 claims for Jobseekers Benefit were processed within 3 weeks and 2 out of every 3 claims...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (11 Nov 2009)

Mary Hanafin: Over the past year the Department has introduced a range of process improvement initiatives to deal with the increased volume of claims. One of the most significant initiatives introduced aimed at reducing queuing times and waiting times, involves the customer attending the office by appointment at which time the claim is taken and decided. Jobseekers at their first point of customer contact...