Results 3,441-3,460 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (21 May 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 and a means test. The person concerned is currently receiving Disability Allowance at the reduced weekly rate of â¬194.30 plus â¬7.70 Living Alone Allowance...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (21 May 2009)
Mary Hanafin: The person concerned made an application for jobseeker's allowance on 20 January 2009 at Maynooth branch office indicating a different address from that outlined by the Deputy. His application has not been finalised as details of his means and his residency have not yet been established. The person concerned has not notified the Department of a change of address. If he has changed address...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (21 May 2009)
Mary Hanafin: The person concerned applied for jobseeker's allowance on 13 May 2009. A Deciding Officer has disallowed his claim on the grounds that his means, derived from benefit of spouse's earnings, exceed the maximum jobseeker's allowance payable to a person in his circumstances. It is open to him to appeal this decision and he can contact his Social Welfare Local Office in this regard. Under Social...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (21 May 2009)
Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 185 and 186 together. There is no record of a recent jobseeker's allowance application from the person concerned. Until 12 January 2009, he was in receipt of jobseeker's benefit while in part-time employment. His benefit exhausted on that date. He re-applied for benefit on 21 January, 2009. His average income per day from his employment and whether his...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (21 May 2009)
Mary Hanafin: The person concerned applied for Carer's Benefit on 22 November, 2006 in respect of one care recipient. She was awarded Carer's Benefit in respect of him from 1 June, 2006 to 28 May, 2008. Her first payment of Carer's Benefit was credited to her bank account on 14 December, 2006, and an arrears payment was also credited to her bank account on this date which paid her Carer's Benefit for the...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (21 May 2009)
Mary Hanafin: The application for one-parent family payment from the person concerned is currently with a Social Welfare Inspector, whose investigations are ongoing. On completion of enquiries a decision will be made and she will be notified of the outcome. Under Social Welfare legislation decisions in relation to claims must be made by Deciding Officers and Appeals Officers. These officers are...
- Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (21 May 2009)
Mary Hanafin: The average time for payments to issue to outside businesses in respect of goods and services received by the Department during the period 1 January 2009 to 30 April 2009 was 22 calendar days. The average times for payments to issue by agencies under the aegis of the Department to outside businesses in respect of goods and services received for the period 1 January 2009 to 30 April 2009 are...
- Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (21 May 2009)
Mary Hanafin: The Citizens Information Board provides advocacy through the Citizens Information Services focusing on access to services, welfare entitlements and employment rights. This type of mainstream advocacy is also open to people with disabilities. The advocacy capacity is strengthened through the provision of Advocacy Resource Officers (ARO) who work to build the capacity of information providers...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (21 May 2009)
Mary Hanafin: The person concerned is in receipt of one parent family payment since July 2008. Her rate of payment is based on a means assessment carried out at that time. When payment was awarded she was advised that she should notify the Department of any change in her circumstances. To date she has not notified the Department that her circumstances have changed. If there has been a change in her...
- Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (20 May 2009)
Mary Hanafin: I understand that the Deputy is questioning what obstacles there may be in place for Personal Retirement Savings Account (PRSA) holders wishing to switch providers. Legislation covering the operation of PRSAs is detailed in Part X of the Pensions Act 1990. Specifically, Section 108 of that Act deals with transfers between PRSA providers. This section prevents obstacles to transfers by...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (20 May 2009)
Mary Hanafin: Rent supplement is administered on behalf of the department by the community welfare division of the Health Service Executive as part of the supplementary welfare allowance scheme. The purpose of the rent supplement scheme is to provide short-term income support to eligible people living in private rented accommodation, whose means are insufficient to meet their accommodation costs and who do...
- Written Answers — Departmental Offices: Departmental Offices (20 May 2009)
Mary Hanafin: The Department has one departmentally staffed local office in Ennis, Co. Clare. In addition there are three branch offices located in Ennistymon, Kilrush and Tulla. Branch offices are not staffed by civil servants but operate under a contract for service on behalf of the Department. Claims from the branch offices in Co Clare are decided in Ennis Local Office as are claims from Gort Branch...
- Written Answers — Departmental Offices: Departmental Offices (20 May 2009)
Mary Hanafin: At present, social welfare customers in the Lucan area attend the Clondalkin Social Welfare Office to access social welfare services. However, the Department operates a special signing centre in Main Street, Lucan for local people signing the Live Register. The Department's Inspectors also operate from an office in Lucan town. The Dublin South Council has indicated its intention to provide...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (20 May 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. It was introduced in the context of the Government's decision to open the Irish labour market to workers from the 10 new EU Member States, without the transitional limitations which were imposed at that time by most...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (20 May 2009)
Mary Hanafin: As Deputies will be aware, in the context of the current economic circumstances, it has been necessary for the Government to take steps to reduce overall public expenditure in order to restore order and stability in the public finances. This has involved reviewing all public expenditure programmes, including social welfare programmes, which at some â¬21.3 billion in 2009 form a substantial...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (20 May 2009)
Mary Hanafin: A claim for Jobseeker's Allowance was received from the person concerned by the Department on 12th of May 2009. Payment of Jobseeker's Allowance is subject to a means test. In this regard his application was referred for investigation to a Social Welfare Investigator who will accordingly be in touch with him. A person may apply for Supplementary Welfare Allowance from their local Community...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (20 May 2009)
Mary Hanafin: The statement to which the Deputy refers is a press release issued by the then Minister for Social and Family Affairs on 14 February 2005 which announced details of changes introduced in the Social Welfare and Pensions Act, 2005. These changes included an improvement in the means test arrangements for all social welfare schemes (except supplementary welfare allowance) under which the amount...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (20 May 2009)
Mary Hanafin: Eligibility for the State (Contributory) Pension is determined by an individual's PRSI contribution history. The standard qualifying conditions for contributory pensions require a person to enter insurance 10 years prior to pension age, pay a minimum of 260 contributions at the correct rate, and achieve a yearly average of at least 10 contributions on their record from the time that they...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (20 May 2009)
Mary Hanafin: The Deputy will be aware of the huge increase in the number of people applying for jobseekers' payments in recent months. This has placed increased pressure on all of the Department's offices and on branch offices. Staff in these offices are working extremely hard to process claims as quickly as possible. In order to deal with the unprecedented number of claims, during the past year an...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (19 May 2009)
Mary Hanafin: The supplementary welfare allowance scheme, which is administered by the community welfare division of the Health Service Executive (HSE) on behalf of the Department, provides a basic weekly allowance for eligible people who have little or no income. The scheme also provides for a weekly or monthly supplement to be paid in respect of mortgage interest. Under existing arrangements, an appeal...