Results 18,781-18,800 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (16 Dec 2009)

Mary Hanafin: It would do a greater disservice-----

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (16 Dec 2009)

Mary Hanafin: -----to carers and people with a disability to take money from services. In fact, additional moneys are going into items such as home care packages-----

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (16 Dec 2009)

Mary Hanafin: We made very deliberate choices to protect pensioners, older people who have made their contribution to the State. We made a very deliberate choice to ensure children in families dependent on social welfare or those families in receipt of family income supplement would not suffer the loss of child benefit. We have supported and protected pensioners and such children. We have also...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (16 Dec 2009)

Mary Hanafin: It stated it would cut payments to widows and lone parents, the farm assist payment, unemployment payments with a view to incentivising young people-----

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (16 Dec 2009)

Mary Hanafin: We should recognise there were proposals to cut social welfare from various sides of the House. We made our decisions to protect older people, the children of vulnerable families on social welfare, those in receipt of farm assist payments and to incentivise young people-----

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (16 Dec 2009)

Mary Hanafin: I accept that when a cut is made in one area and money is taken back, this will be difficult for those affected. It is not a situation we like to be in, but if we do not get the finances of the country right now, unfortunately, others will pay for it for a very long time. We do not want to find we are in that situation in a few years' time. In making the tough decisions now we are putting...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (16 Dec 2009)

Mary Hanafin: As I indicated, we have protected pensioners; there has been no change in respect of them. We have protected children in families dependent on social welfare who are in receipt of family income supplement. Those families will not experience any drop in income as a result of the cut in child benefit. We have also tried to ensure, despite the difficult decisions that were made, that we kept...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (16 Dec 2009)

Mary Hanafin: -----have also benefited from the decline in prices. Real purchasing power has also been protected for those people. Nobody is saying this is easy but it is interesting that the very people who recommended cutting jobseeker's allowance, widow's pension and lone parents allowance, which is the Fine Gael Party, are now the ones who are objecting to that policy being introduced.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (16 Dec 2009)

Mary Hanafin: To get the same savings, it would have meant putting an increased burden on some of those other sectors.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (16 Dec 2009)

Mary Hanafin: If we were to take the groups that the Fine Gael Party identified as the ones who should be cut-----

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (16 Dec 2009)

Mary Hanafin: -----to get €730 million, we would have had to take far more from those. It was very much an effort in trying to prioritise within a social welfare budget where savings had to be made. It was not enough to try to bring in extra revenue from other areas. As anyone knows, we had to bring about structural changes in our expenditure that would last through next year and that can show we have...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (16 Dec 2009)

Mary Hanafin: -----but it should be seen in the context of the increases that were given, the decreases in prices and the fact that when it comes to the most vulnerable, the very young and the very old, we have protected those as well.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (16 Dec 2009)

Mary Hanafin: Not particularly, because I always seem to have to repeat everything I say to the Senator and then repeat it again. What the Government was faced with was taking money out of expenditure and the three areas of expenditure are social welfare, public pay and services. It was not enough just to try to increase revenue. That is part of it, and that is what we did in the previous budget. The...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (17 Dec 2009)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Question Nos. 237 and 238 together. Statistics on welfare recipient numbers are published at county level in the Department's Statistical Information on Social Welfare Services publication. The information requested by the deputy in respect of the end December 2008 are contained in the attached tabular statement.

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (17 Dec 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The rate of Domiciliary Care Allowance remains unchanged for 2010 at €309.50 per month.

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (17 Dec 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that the appeal from the person concerned has been referred to an Appeals Officer who proposes to hold an oral hearing in the case. The person concerned will be notified when the necessary arrangements have been made. The Social Welfare Appeals Office is an office of the Department that is independently responsible for determining appeals...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (17 Dec 2009)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 241 and 243 together. The information requested by the Deputy is currently being compiled and will be forwarded as soon as it becomes available.

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (17 Dec 2009)

Mary Hanafin: Since early 2008, the Department has experienced significant pressure on customer services due mainly to the increase in the Live Register. In recognition of this pressure, the Government has approved an increase in the number of staff working in the Department. The following table details the number of staff employed in the Department on 1 January 2009 and 10 December 2009. Number of...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (17 Dec 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The back to school clothing and footwear allowance scheme is administered on behalf of the Department by the Community Welfare division of the Health Service Executive (HSE). A person may qualify for payment of the allowance if s/he is in receipt of a social welfare or HSE payment, is participating in an approved employment scheme or attending a recognised education or training course and has...

Written Answers — Social Insurance: Social Insurance (17 Dec 2009)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Question Nos. 245 to 250, inclusive,together. The information requested by the Deputy regarding changes to PRSI rates and thresholds are set out in the attached table. Changes to PRSI Rates & Thresholds Yield 1% increase in Employers higher PRSI rate €423m 1% increase in Employers lower PRSI rate €59m 1% increase in the Self-Employed PRSI rate €108m 1% increase...