Results 18,421-18,440 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (8 Dec 2009)

Mary Hanafin: I am informed by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that they currently have 15,752 appeals on hands. This is an increase of 7,600 (93%) on the same period in 2008. This same period has seen the number of appeals received increase from 16,357 in November 2008 to 23,716 to November 2009, an increase of 7,359 (45%). I am concerned about these increases. In that connection, two additional...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (8 Dec 2009)

Mary Hanafin: Social Welfare payments are contingency-based, for example, unemployment, sickness, retirement etc. Any person who satisfies all the conditions for a particular scheme is entitled to that payment regardless of their nationality and the Department has no business requirement to maintain payment statistics based on the nationality of the recipient. The requirement to be habitually resident in...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (8 Dec 2009)

Mary Hanafin: Under Spanish legislation it is a condition for receipt of child benefit that the child is resident in Spain. The payments are also means tested. There are similar residency provisions in the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005 which, amongst other things, defines a qualified child for Irish child benefit purposes as one who is "ordinarily resident in the State". In general, child benefits...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (8 Dec 2009)

Mary Hanafin: Child Benefit receives in the region of two million items of post every year. While it is inevitable that errors will occur in the handling of such high volumes, I have been assured that adequate procedures are in place to ensure that any such errors are kept to an absolute minimum.

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (8 Dec 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The person concerned is currently serving in the Sligo office of the Department. At this time, the business requirements of the Sligo office are such that the Department is not in a position to facilitate the transfer of the person concerned until such time as a suitable replacement has been sourced.

Written Answers — Departmental Bodies: Departmental Bodies (8 Dec 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The Report of the Special Group on Public Service Numbers and Expenditure Programmes made a range of recommendations relating to the Department of Social and Family Affairs including recommendations relating to the Family Support Agency and its programmes. The Department will consider, as part of the Estimates and budgetary process for 2010, the Report's recommendations and decisions on all...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (8 Dec 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that, following receipt of the relevant Departmental papers including comments on the grounds of appeal, the appeal from the person concerned has been referred to an Appeals Officer for consideration. The Social Welfare Appeals Office is an office of the Department that is independently responsible for determining appeals against decisions on...

Seanad: Domestic Violence (8 Dec 2009)

Mary Hanafin: On behalf of the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, I thank Senator Keaveney for raising this important issue. Domestic violence is a problem throughout the country and it is important to talk about it at all times, but particularly during the international 16 days of action opposing violence against women. All of us, and particularly the Government, take the problem of domestic...

Seanad: Water and Sewerage Schemes (8 Dec 2009)

Mary Hanafin: I thank an Seanadóir Brian Ó Donmhnaill as ucht an ábhar seo a thabhairt ós comhair an Tí inniú. The Dungloe sewerage scheme and Glenties sewerage scheme are being advanced as a joint scheme under the Department's water services investment programme 2007 -2009. The proposed scheme involves construction of new waste water treatment plants and pumping stations. It is envisaged that...

Seanad: Dental Services (8 Dec 2009)

Mary Hanafin: I thank the Senator for raising this issue. As mentioned, the PRSI scheme goes towards dental benefits but also towards optical benefits. However, its main use is that people can qualify for unemployment assistance and other benefits, the most valuable of all being a pension. The DTBS is a PRSI-based scheme that provides assistance in the provision of dental treatment for those who satisfy...

Written Answers — Proposed Legislation: Proposed Legislation (9 Dec 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The current position in relation to births registrations is that no man can be named as the father of a child in an entry unless he consents to do so or unless he is found to be the father of the child by the Courts, in proceedings relating to guardianship or maintenance or by way of a declaration of parentage, made under section 35 of the Status of Children Act, 1987. Under the provisions of...

Written Answers — Departmental Bodies: Departmental Bodies (9 Dec 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The four statutory bodies operating under the aegis of the Department are the Pensions Board, the Citizens Information Board, the Family Support Agency and the Social Welfare Tribunal. In addition the Pensions Ombudsman comes under the remit of the Department. From 1 July 2009, the Combat Poverty Agency integrated with the former Office for Social Inclusion within the Department of Social...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (9 Dec 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The Medical Appliance Benefit Scheme provides assistance towards the cost of a hearing aid. The Department will pay up to half the cost of a hearing aid or repairs to a hearing aid, subject to a fixed maximum contribution of €760 per aid. To qualify for Medical Appliance Benefit you must satisfy certain PRSI conditions. A person aged 66 or over must have a total of 260 paid PRSI...

Written Answers — Departmental Schemes: Departmental Schemes (9 Dec 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The review of the Disability Allowance scheme is examining the objectives of the scheme and their compatibility with the overall strategy of the Department, in particular the policy objective of supporting people of working age into employment, and the extent to which the objectives have been achieved. It is envisaged that the review will be finalised early in 2010.

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (9 Dec 2009)

Mary Hanafin: Section 25 of the Pensions Act 1990 (as amended) provides for the payment of annual fees by occupational pension schemes and PRSAs to the Pensions Board. Fees generated fund the day-to-day operations of the Board. The level of fees is reviewed each year and, on average, they have been revised every five years with the last increase occurring in 2003. As the Pensions Board has a surplus for...

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

Mary Hanafin: In order to qualify for Domiciliary Care Allowance a child must have a disability so severe that the child needs care and attention and/or supervision substantially in excess of another child of the same age. This care and attention must be given by another person, effectively full time, so that the child can deal with the activities of daily living. The child must be likely to require this...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (9 Dec 2009)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 195 and 196 together. The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that, following receipt of the relevant Departmental papers including comments on the grounds of appeal, the appeal from the person concerned has been referred to an Appeals Officer for consideration. I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that during 2008 the average time taken...

Written Answers — Fuel Poverty: Fuel Poverty (9 Dec 2009)

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

Written Answers — Ministerial Staff: Ministerial Staff (9 Dec 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The details the Deputy has requested in respect of the staffing of my private and constituency offices are shown in the tabular statement. There has been no Minister of State formally assigned to my Department. However, Minister of State, Áine Brady, who is Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children, has special responsibility for older people, areas of which fall under the...

Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2009: Second Stage (10 Dec 2009)

Mary Hanafin: I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time."