Results 2,881-2,900 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin
- Social Welfare Benefits. (7 Oct 2009)
Mary Hanafin: It is now. The Deputy is correct in stating it was 16 weeks at the beginning of the summer. It then increased to 22 weeks. That is entirely unacceptable.
- Social Welfare Benefits. (7 Oct 2009)
Mary Hanafin: We stated at the time that additional staff would be put in there. For managerial reasons etc., those staff were only put in at the later end of the summer because staff had to be redeployed from other offices.
- Social Welfare Benefits. (7 Oct 2009)
Mary Hanafin: Okay.
- Social Welfare Benefits. (7 Oct 2009)
Mary Hanafin: Since we were last here there were three issues outstanding that were going to affect the processing of claims and they were three issues that were outstanding with the union at the time. One of them related to setting up an appointments system. The second related to making decisions speedily, particularly on jobseeker's benefit, and to being able to give people an indication immediately on...
- Social Welfare Benefits. (7 Oct 2009)
Mary Hanafin: That is the issue that will affect the processing times in the towns of which Deputy Enright spoke. When one looks at the list, delays are occurring where branch offices are taking the claims but do not have the right to make the decisions.
- Social Welfare Benefits. (7 Oct 2009)
Mary Hanafin: Unfortunately, it has gone into the labour relations process.
- Social Welfare Fraud. (7 Oct 2009)
Mary Hanafin: The prevention of fraud and errors in payments is an integral part of the day-to-day work of the Department of Social and Family Affairs. Through initial means testing of applicants, reviews of existing claims and targeted control activity in high risk schemes, we aim to ensure that the right person is paid the right amount of money at the right time. Where people have been paid more than...
- Written Answers — National Carers Strategy: National Carers Strategy (6 Oct 2009)
Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 831and 852 together. The Government is acutely aware and appreciative of the contribution made by carers to people needing ongoing care and support. In recognition of this, considerable improvements have been made in recent years in services and supports for carers. Over the past decade, weekly payment rates to carers have greatly increased, qualifying...
- Written Answers — Equal Opportunities Employment: Equal Opportunities Employment (6 Oct 2009)
Mary Hanafin: The disability criteria will apply to the new decentralised public office in County Donegal as one of many locations in the Department, to which the employment criteria on staff with disabilities applies. The target of 3% for the employment of people with a disability under Part 5 of the Disability Act 2005 is an overall target for the Department. It is not a requirement for individual...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (6 Oct 2009)
Mary Hanafin: Under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme, which is administered on behalf of the department by the community welfare division of the Health Service Executive, an exceptional needs payment may be made to help meet an essential, once-off cost which the applicant is unable to meet out of his/her own resources. There is no automatic entitlement to this payment. Each application is...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (6 Oct 2009)
Mary Hanafin: In order to qualify for Domiciliary Care Allowance a child must have a disability so severe that they require care and attention and/or supervision substantially in excess of that normally required by a child of the same age. This care and attention must be provided by another person, effectively full time, so as to allow the child deal with the activities of daily living. The child must be...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (6 Oct 2009)
Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 835 and 842 together. The proposal to discontinue the Dental Treatment Benefit Scheme 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...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (6 Oct 2009)
Mary Hanafin: The Christmas Bonus payment was introduced in December, 1980, for social welfare pensioners and people in receipt of long term social welfare payments. There have been a number of developments in this scheme since its inception, including upward and downward adjustments in the level of the bonus payment. Each year the Government makes a decision on the payment of the Christmas Bonus having...
- Written Answers — Tax and Social Welfare Codes: Tax and Social Welfare Codes (6 Oct 2009)
Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 837 and 843 together. Current estimates indicate that the abolition of the PRSI ceiling would yield some â¬119.5 million additional contribution income in a full year. Under the PRSI system, social insurance contributions are compulsorily payable by employers and employed and self-employed workers. In relation to employee's contributions, the amount payable...
- Written Answers — Tax and Social Welfare Codes: Tax and Social Welfare Codes (6 Oct 2009)
Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 838 and 839 together. Pay related social insurance is not a tax. Therefore additional revenue raised from any change to the PRSI system goes directly to the social insurance fund rather than the Exchequer. The payment of PRSI primarily relates to income derived from reckonable earnings from employment or self-employment. The Commission on Taxation has...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (6 Oct 2009)
Mary Hanafin: The supplementary welfare allowance scheme, which includes rent supplement, is administered on behalf of the Department by the community welfare division of the Health Service Executive. The Executive has advised that the persons concerned made an application for rent supplement but no decision has been made on the application to date. An industrial dispute involving some of the Community...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (6 Oct 2009)
Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 841 and 859 together. The supplementary welfare allowance scheme, which includes rent supplement, is administered on behalf of the Department by the community welfare division of the Health Service Executive. The Executive has advised that the person concerned was in receipt of rent supplement until 1 August 2009. She has made a new application for rent...
- Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (6 Oct 2009)
Mary Hanafin: Monthly gross expenditure under the Department's Vote 38 and the Social Insurance Fund from January 2008 to July 2009 is set out in the table at Appendix 1. Expenditure figures for August and September 2009 have not yet been finalised.
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (6 Oct 2009)
Mary Hanafin: The person concerned has been awarded jobseeker's benefit from 1 September, 2009. She is a short-time worker and qualifies for a weekly rate of â¬81.70. Her first payment issued to her on 18 September, 2009. Under Social Welfare legislation decisions in relation to claims must be made by Deciding Officers and Appeals Officers. These officers are statutorily appointed and I have no role in...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (6 Oct 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 1 May 2004. All applicants â regardless of nationality â for the following payments are required to be habitually resident in the State: Jobseeker's Allowance State Pension (Non-Contributory for persons aged over 66) Blind...