Results 2,561-2,580 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (5 Nov 2009)

Mary Hanafin: Disability Allowance is a weekly allowance paid to people with a specified disability who are aged over 16 and under 66. The disability must be expected to last for at least one year and the allowance is subject to a medical assessment, a means test and a habitual residency test. The person applied for Disability Allowance on 21 August 2009. Her claim was assessed by a Medical Assessor and...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (5 Nov 2009)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 191 and 192 together. I have presented a tabular statement showing the age by duration of both jobseekers allowance and jobseekers benefit claims at the end of October 2009. The expenditure on these schemes was as follows: 2008 2009 (end Aug) Jobseekers Allowance 1,158,851,171 1,195,628,373 Jobseekers Benefit 928,843,826 ...

Written Answers — Private Residential Tenancies: Private Residential Tenancies (4 Nov 2009)

Mary Hanafin: Under the Residential Tenancies Act 2004, landlords are legally obliged to register tenancies with the Private Residential Tenancies Board (PRTB). The Department is working closely with the PRTB to ensure that all tenancies where rent supplement is in payment are registered with the PRTB. To that end, the Department provides details of new rent supplement payments to the PRTB to enable them...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Payments: Social Welfare Payments (4 Nov 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The Government decided in February 2006 that the administration of the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme, together with staff and other associated resources, would transfer from the Health Service Executive to the Department. Rent and Mortgage Interest Supplements are components of the SWA Scheme. Provision has been made in the Social Welfare and Pensions Acts 2007 and 2008 for the...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (4 Nov 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The claim for disablement benefit, by the person concerned, was allowed by a Deciding Officer of the Department following an assessment by a Medical Assessor who was of the opinion that the loss of faculty in this case was 40%. The person concerned appealed this decision and I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an Appeals Officer, having fully considered all the evidence,...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (4 Nov 2009)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 222 and 224 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. The Social Welfare Appeals Office is an office of the Department that is independently...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Payments: Social Welfare Payments (4 Nov 2009)

Mary Hanafin: Carer's allowance is a social assistance payment which provides income support to people who are providing certain older people or people with a disability with full time care and attention and whose incomes fall below a certain limit. Persons who are in receipt of carer's allowance also receive the annual respite care grant, the household benefits package and the free travel pass. In the...

Written Answers — Tax and Social Welfare Codes: Tax and Social Welfare Codes (3 Nov 2009)

Mary Hanafin: Earlier this year, my Department estimated that the additional cost in social welfare payments of each 1,000 on the live register (LR) amounted to approximately €12.95 million in respect of jobseekers payments and secondary benefits. The Department of Finance estimated that lost tax revenue amounted to around €8 million in a full year for each 1,000 loosing employment. Combined these...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (3 Nov 2009)

Mary Hanafin: Since its introduction, the underlying objective of the back to education allowance (BTEA) scheme has been to equip people on social welfare payments with qualifications that will enable them to obtain employment in the labour market. It is a second chance educational opportunities scheme for people on welfare payments who wish to participate in full time education and who would not otherwise...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (3 Nov 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The Community Welfare Service (CWS) administers the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme (SWA), which includes rent supplement on behalf of the Department of Social and Family Affairs. In February 2006 the Government decided that the (CWS) would transfer to this Department. Provision has been made in the Social Welfare and Pensions Acts 2007 and 2008 for the transfer of the administration...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (3 Nov 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The number of people who applied for and were awarded rent and mortgage interest supplement in August and September 2009 is provided in the following tabular statements. Claim details are recorded electronically in cases where it is established that rent and mortgage interest supplement is payable. However, claim details are not always recorded electronically where no entitlement has been...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (3 Nov 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that, in accordance with statutory requirements, the relevant Departmental papers and comments of the Department have been sought in this case. On receipt of its response the case will be referred to an Appeals Officer for early consideration. The Social Welfare Appeals Office is an office of the Department that is independently responsible...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (3 Nov 2009)

Mary Hanafin: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that, in accordance with statutory requirements, the relevant Departmental papers and comments of the Department have been sought in this case. On receipt of its response the case will be referred to an Appeals Officer for early consideration. The Social Welfare Appeals Office is an office of the Department that is independently responsible...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (3 Nov 2009)

Mary Hanafin: In the Supplementary Budget in April, it was announced that the December Bonus payment would not be paid this year. There are no plans to alter this decision. The annual control target for my Department in 2009 is €616.5m of which nearly €355m was achieved by the end of last September. These target control savings for 2009 are incorporated in my Department's Revised Estimate for 2009.

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (3 Nov 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that, in accordance with statutory requirements, the relevant Departmental papers and comments of the Department have been sought in this case. On receipt of its response the case will be referred to an Appeals Officer for early consideration. The Social Welfare Appeals Office is an office of the Department that is independently responsible...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (3 Nov 2009)

Mary Hanafin: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that the case has been referred to an Appeals Officer for consideration as the relevant Departmental papers and comments of the Department have been received. As regards waiting times, I am advised that the average time taken in 2008 to process all appeals (i.e. those decided summarily and by way of oral hearing) was 22 weeks. However, if...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (3 Nov 2009)

Mary Hanafin: I understand the Deputy is referring to the assessment of means for the purposes of the jobseeker's allowance scheme. In assessing means for jobseeker's allowance purposes account is taken of any cash income the person may have, together with the value of capital and property (except a person's family home). Cash income may be derived from a wide variety of sources including earnings from...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (3 Nov 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The social security rights of people living and working in the EU are governed by EU Regulations 1408/71 and 574/72. The Regulations co-ordinate social security systems and are designed to ensure that people are not disadvantaged by moving within the EU to take up work. This is achieved primarily by setting out rules as to which State's social security system a person will pay contributions...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (3 Nov 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The person concerned appealed a decision by a Community Welfare Officer of the Health Services Executive to disallow her application for Supplementary Welfare Allowance (Rent Supplement). I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that her appeal against this decision was disallowed on the grounds that she failed to justify the family's move from social housing in Waterford to private...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (3 Nov 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The position remains, as advised in question number 253, which I answered for the Deputy on 14 October 2009. A community welfare officer issued a letter to the person concerned on 17 September 2009, seeking documentary evidence in relation to a number of matters, including details of the lease on her rented property and her financial position. The Executive has advised that it has not...