Results 3,621-3,640 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Social Welfare Benefits. (30 Apr 2009)

Mary Hanafin: One new measure being introduced is that one must have been an existing tenant for six months, but if one is forming a new household, one has to go through the full housing assessment to qualify for housing, unless one is homeless, which is one of the criteria. I will of course raise all aspects of tax, particularly in this scheme. It is costing the State half a billion euro.

Social Welfare Benefits. (30 Apr 2009)

Mary Hanafin: We need to ensure wherever there is clawback it should be availed of.

Social Welfare Benefits. (30 Apr 2009)

Mary Hanafin: I am not willing to allow a situation where those on rent supplement are dictating the rents and guaranteeing landlords an income they would not get from a private tenant. If a tenant goes to their landlord and the rent is not reduce the tenant can do exactly what they would do in a private situation, namely, threaten to leave or leave. However, if they find themselves in a homeless...

Social Welfare Benefits. (30 Apr 2009)

Mary Hanafin: I do not have the figure on the number of landlords registered with the PRTB to hand, but if I have it I will send it to Deputy Enright.

Social Welfare Benefits. (30 Apr 2009)

Mary Hanafin: Standards are also linked to the PRTB.

Social Welfare Benefits. (30 Apr 2009)

Mary Hanafin: If they were in the PRTB, one could follow it through that way. I will get the information and follow up.

Social Welfare Benefits. (30 Apr 2009)

Mary Hanafin: I already indicated community welfare officers will deal with that.

Social Welfare Benefits. (30 Apr 2009)

Mary Hanafin: As Deputies 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 £760 million - the equivalent...

Social Welfare Benefits. (30 Apr 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The real case the Deputy outlined is a particularly difficult one for that family. Notwithstanding that the mother will get one year's free preschooling for each of her children, there is a considerable income loss for her and I appreciate that. We would be very conscious of that in whatever decisions we take in the next budget, bearing in mind what has happened in this one. The two...

Social Welfare Benefits. (30 Apr 2009)

Mary Hanafin: I certainly will. There are many issues relating to child benefit. It has been a universal payment for a very long time. There were some years during which the tax credit given for children was reduced on account of benefit and so at one stage there was a link between tax and child benefit but it was eased out. There are people who depend on child benefit and even those who do not depend...

Social Welfare Benefits. (30 Apr 2009)

Mary Hanafin: I know, but it makes life very difficult when one is trying to find a balance when people who are not dependent on social welfare are taking drops in their income. We must ensure we do not have a disincentive for them to go on social welfare and be better off there. That will be the overall principle but it is too early to say what will happen in its regard in the future. There are...

Pension Provisions. (30 Apr 2009)

Mary Hanafin: Since the Green Paper on pensions was published in October 2007, the economic landscape has changed significantly in Ireland and the rest of the world. This has resulted in significant difficulties for pension scheme members, trustees and employers, related to the collapse in equity values and significant losses in pension funds. Given these changed circumstances, the Government has moved to...

Pension Provisions. (30 Apr 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The measures taken in recent months were obviously to deal with the current difficulties that have arisen and were not designed for the long term. The framework document will deal with the long-term issues. Other countries that have introduced long-term frameworks have set out a timescale for their commencement. For example, the UK measure will not start before 2012. The measures we will...

Pension Provisions. (30 Apr 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The State pension is at the core of the Government's provision. The value of the State pension is €5.4 billion, and it is certainly at the core of what we do. The increases in the level of the State pension in recent years has certainly helped to support pensions. For the future, we must ensure individuals also take responsibility to supplement that and to ensure private personal...

Pension Provisions. (30 Apr 2009)

Mary Hanafin: It is interesting in reading the submissions to find that the unions are all saying-----

Pension Provisions. (30 Apr 2009)

Mary Hanafin: People have different perspectives on this and because there was no consensus it was not easy to come up with an approach. Nonetheless, we are trying to determine what the balance should be for the future, how we can support people and have a more balanced approach in terms of tax reliefs, the benefit to the individual of the State pension, and so on, while at the same time ensuring more...

Social Welfare Benefits. (30 Apr 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The recent supplementary budget provided that payments currently being made to existing rent supplement tenants be reduced by 8% with effect from 1 June 2009 in the expectation that landlords will reduce their rents, given the reductions in rent levels in the private rental market as a whole. While tenants may be contractually obliged to pay the rent agreed to in their lease, it is expected...

Social Welfare Benefits. (30 Apr 2009)

Mary Hanafin: There is no reason anybody should be homeless as a result of this. Landlords throughout the country are reducing rent where the tenant seeks a renegotiation because people have taken a drop in their income. I have yet to meet anybody whose rent has not been reduced because of a change in their personal circumstances. Landlords are the first to know that the market is such that they cannot...

Social Welfare Benefits. (30 Apr 2009)

Mary Hanafin: I did not answer the Deputy's first question on rent limits throughout the country. Accepting that rents in some areas have come down by a lot more, it is our intention when setting the new rent limits to ensure we take that into account. Some will come down further, in particular where there is much availability of accommodation. Where there is limited availability, we will probably...

Departmental Staff. (30 Apr 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The Department's facilitators work with social welfare recipients of working age, including people in receipt of jobseeker's payments, people parenting alone, people in receipt of disability welfare payments and people providing care, to promote participation and social inclusion. Facilitators work with customers to identify appropriate training or development programmes which will enhance...