Results 3,581-3,600 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — Employment Support Services: Employment Support Services (30 Apr 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The Department produces a comprehensive range of information leaflets on its schemes and services. These are available in a wide range of outlets across the country, including all Social Welfare Local Offices and Branch Offices, Citizens Information Centres, Post Offices and in other organisations such as local community centres. Where appropriate the leaflets also contain information...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (30 Apr 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The person concerned applied for jobseeker's allowance with effect from 21 April 2009. This application is being examined and he will be notified of the outcome in due course. The person concerned has also claimed illness benefit but has insufficient contributions paid/credited to qualify for payment. The address quoted is the only one known to the Department for this person.

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (30 Apr 2009)

Mary Hanafin: Since its introduction, the underlying objective of the back to education allowance 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 be...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (30 Apr 2009)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 183 and 191 together. This Department is committed to providing a quality service to all its customers. This includes ensuring that applications are processed and that decisions on entitlement are made as expeditiously as possible. The staff and other resources available to the Department are regularly reviewed having regard to the workload arising and...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (30 Apr 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The average length of time taken to process applications for Disability Allowance, Illness Benefit and Invalidity Pension for the first three months of 2009 is as follows:

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (30 Apr 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The Department is committed to providing a quality service to all its customers. This includes ensuring that pension claims are processed and that decisions on entitlement are made as quickly as possible. Claims for State Pension (Contributory) are now fully processed within four weeks of receipt of application where all information is available. Average processing times for all State...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (30 Apr 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The increasing Live Register has meant that Local Offices, being a frontline service, have borne the brunt of the additional workload as a result of the downturn in the economy. During the past year an additional 190 staff have been assigned to local offices throughout the country. In addition, as many local offices are very close to capacity as regards accommodating further staff, the...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (30 Apr 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The supplementary welfare allowance scheme provides for a weekly or monthly supplement to be paid in respect of rent or mortgage interest to any person in the State whose means are insufficient to meet their needs. There are currently almost 85,000 recipients of rent supplement, a 42% increase since the end of 2007 and 11,300 recipients of mortgage interest supplement, a 175% increase since...

Written Answers — Live Register: Live Register (30 Apr 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The live register is published by the Central Statistics Office on a monthly basis. The figures show that the number of persons signing on the Live Register at the 24th April 2009 is 384,448. This represents an increase of 188,850 on the number for the last week in April 2008 and an increase of 230,129 on the number for the last week of April 2007. While the monthly rate of increase has been...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (30 Apr 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The supplementary welfare allowance scheme provides for a weekly or monthly supplement to be paid in respect of rent or mortgage interest to any person in the State whose means are insufficient to meet their needs. The scheme also provides for an exceptional needs payment which may be made to help meet an essential once-off cost, such as a payment of a rent deposit, which the applicant is...

Written Answers — Departmental Estimates: Departmental Estimates (30 Apr 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The Estimates for the Department of Social and Family Affairs which were published on 23 April last were based, in the main, on an analysis of trends as regards likely numbers of recipients and average value of payments in 2009. The estimates for Jobseeker's Benefit, Jobseeker's Allowance and Supplementary Welfare Allowance were significantly increased from the Estimates published at the time...

Departmental Staff. (30 Apr 2009)

Mary Hanafin: I would like to see both but I am not sure how many more facilitators we will be able to get in the immediate term given that we have so many other staff coming in for progressing, control, inspection etc. As I indicated, the facilitators mostly concentrate on people on the live register. We must remember that when the first facilitators were appointed, they dealt with people on the live...

Departmental Staff. (30 Apr 2009)

Mary Hanafin: I do not have figures for July and August 2008, when the officials in question were very active. They have dealt with 10,000 new cases since September 2008. That was the real focus. The fact there has been an increase in the number of people availing of the back to education scheme is evidence of that. That was a successful project. It is an example of the success that can be achieved...

Departmental Staff. (30 Apr 2009)

Mary Hanafin: As part of its reform of the health sector, the Government has decided to transfer responsibility for the General Register Office, for certain disability-related income support schemes and for the administration of the supplementary welfare allowance scheme and associated staff, including community welfare officers, from the Health Service Executive to the Department of Social and Family...

Departmental Staff. (30 Apr 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The Department of Social and Family Affairs has assumed responsibility for new applications under the domiciliary care allowance scheme. Responsibility for existing applications will transfer to the Department in September. That is separate from the supplementary welfare scheme.

Departmental Staff. (30 Apr 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The transfer of responsibility for the supplementary welfare scheme is conditional on the agreement of staff. Approximately 1,000 officials will transfer to the Department of Social and Family Affairs. It is a huge transfer for them. It is a huge logistical operation for the Department. Its total number of staff will increase to approximately 5,300. I do not doubt it will lead to greater...

Departmental Staff. (30 Apr 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The main difference is that community welfare officers make discretionary payments for one or two weeks, albeit to a person who qualifies-----

Departmental Staff. (30 Apr 2009)

Mary Hanafin: -----whereas my Department has to introduce people to its full payment system. When a person is in the system, it is difficult to take him or her out.

Departmental Staff. (30 Apr 2009)

Mary Hanafin: I accept what the Deputy is saying about the situation in Boyle. I will come back to that. The manner in which the HSE is governed by the public sector recruitment embargo has affected community welfare offices that are in need of staff increases. My Department, however, has been able to increase its numbers and has sought a further increase. When it assumes responsibility for the...

Social Welfare Benefits. (30 Apr 2009)

Mary Hanafin: I accept that becoming unemployed and having to claim jobseeker's payment is extremely difficult for people. I am trying to ensure the process of making a claim is as easy as possible. In 2008, we commenced a review of the processes and procedures for accepting and making decisions on claims. Certain initiatives have been introduced at all local and branch offices. A streamlined process...