Results 2,461-2,480 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — Social Insurance: Social Insurance (11 Nov 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The information requested by the Deputy is set out in the following table: 2009 PRSI INCOME * Total Employer Employee Self Employed €5,050 million €3,774 million €1,183 million €93 million * The income is for the period 1 January 2009 to 31 August 2009. The amounts presented are provisional and will be subject to audit by the C&AG. Revenue Estimates 2009 & 2010 In relation to...

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

Mary Hanafin: Table 1 sets out the number of recipients and overall cost for each scheme for which a Christmas Bonus was paid in 2008. The bonus was paid as 100% of the weekly personal payment. It is estimated that a 100% bonus in 2009 would cost around €223 million and benefit over 985,000 recipients. Table 1 COST OF CHRISTMAS BONUS FOR 2008 Schemes Numbers of Recipients Cost at 100%€m State...

Written Answers — Live Register: Live Register (11 Nov 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The Government recognises that there has been an increase in the numbers unemployed at national and local level. The National Employment Action Plan (NEAP) is the main welfare to work measure under which all persons between the ages of 18 and 65 years who are approaching 3 months on the live register are identified by the Department of Social and Family Affairs and referred to FÁS for...

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

Mary Hanafin: The respite care grant is an annual payment for carers who look after certain people in need of full-time care and attention. One respite care grant per year may be paid in respect of each person for whom the carer is providing full time care and attention. In June 2008 the grant was increased from €1,500 to €1,700 per year in respect of each care recipient. In order to qualify for the...

Written Answers — International Agreements: International Agreements (11 Nov 2009)

Mary Hanafin: Ireland has social security agreements with Austria, Australia, Canada, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the USA. Most of the agreements came into effect between 1989 and 1999. The Agreement with the Republic of Korea came into effect on 1 January 2009. Ireland also has a bilateral understanding with Quebec since 1 October 1994. In the cases of...

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

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 223 and 224 together. One of the goals of the social welfare system is to be responsive to the needs of people of working age and to facilitate them taking up relevant employment or self-employment opportunities. In order to respond effectively to the growing numbers on the Live Register and the current employment situation, it was decided in the context...

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

Mary Hanafin: Any proposal to amend entitlement to dental and optical benefit will be considered as part of the Estimates and Budget process for 2010. This will include consideration of the report of the Special Group on Public Service Numbers and Expenditure Programmes, and the decisions on all of the issues arising will be a matter for the Government. It would not be appropriate for me to comment further...

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

Mary Hanafin: The Department is committed to delivering a quality service to all its customers. A continuous programme of process improvement initiatives is underway aimed at streamlining the processing of claims, supported by modern technology. Operational processes and procedures and the organisation of work are continually reviewed to ensure that processing capability is maximised and that claims are...

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

Mary Hanafin: The person concerned is in receipt of jobseeker's allowance at the rate of €443.90 a week comprising of the personal rate of €204.30, an increase for a qualified adult of €135.60 and increases for four qualified children totalling €104. Jobseeker's allowance is a means tested payment consequently all earnings from employment are assessable as means and would affect entitlement with...

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...

Social Welfare Code. (11 Nov 2009)

Mary Hanafin: To return to the two year rule, the issue raised in Deputy Noonan's question, as soon as the community welfare officers transfer to the Department, we will provide more training and ensure greater consistency across their work. All five elements of habitual residency should be taken into account.

Social Welfare Code. (11 Nov 2009)

Mary Hanafin: We do not believe it does because the case determined by the appeals officer was based only on the legal arguments from both sides and did not look at or set out a particular set of circumstances by which people would or would not qualify. Since then, as I outlined earlier, decisions have been made to refuse applications and such decisions have been upheld by the appeals officer.

Social Welfare Code. (11 Nov 2009)

Mary Hanafin: Decisions were always taken on the basis of the Supreme Court judgment, which said that such people do not have a status until it has been determined by the court or the legal process.

Social Welfare Code. (11 Nov 2009)

Mary Hanafin: To date, we are satisfied. That is why we are currently examining this area very carefully. As I indicated earlier, if a change in legislation is needed, we will have to do that. To date, we believe it only applies to the particular case and does not have a knock-on effect or mass application.