Results 3,841-3,860 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Social Welfare Benefits: Motion (22 Apr 2009)

Mary Hanafin: It must be considered in the context of-----

Social Welfare Benefits: Motion (22 Apr 2009)

Mary Hanafin: Two hundred and twenty-three million euro.

Social Welfare Bill 2009: Second Stage (Resumed) (22 Apr 2009)

Mary Hanafin: Deputy Shortall should not be so patronising.

Social Welfare Bill 2009: Second Stage (Resumed) (22 Apr 2009)

Mary Hanafin: Is Deputy Shortall allowed be patronising and wag her fingers about cousins?

Social Welfare Benefits: Motion (22 Apr 2009)

Mary Hanafin: I wish to share time with the Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children, Deputy Moloney.

Social Welfare Benefits: Motion (22 Apr 2009)

Mary Hanafin: I move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following: "— acknowledges that in the context of very tough decisions having to be made across the whole range of Government expenditure, the provision of €21.3 billion for social welfare services in 2009 – 20% more than the amount spent in 2008 – is a clear demonstration of the Government's...

Social Welfare Benefits: Motion (22 Apr 2009)

Mary Hanafin: It is also a sign that we must make provision for those people who are becoming dependent on the State.

Social Welfare Benefits: Motion (22 Apr 2009)

Mary Hanafin: Out of a budget of €21.3 billion, we agreed to savings or cuts of €300 million, which is a very small proportion of the overall budget. Each decision relating to these savings or cuts was extremely difficult.

Social Welfare Benefits: Motion (22 Apr 2009)

Mary Hanafin: It is completely disingenuous to say we could have brought more in with regard to income.

Social Welfare Benefits: Motion (22 Apr 2009)

Mary Hanafin: To restore stability to the public finances, we were obliged to cut expenditure and increase income.

Social Welfare Benefits: Motion (22 Apr 2009)

Mary Hanafin: Leaving aside borrowing, some 60% of the income coming into the Exchequer is being paid out on social welfare. Unfortunately, it was necessary, therefore, to make savings within my Department's budget. A large part of this will come from controlled savings, a matter to which I will return later. Savings will be also made in respect of rent supplement and the reduction in payments to 19...

Social Welfare Benefits: Motion (22 Apr 2009)

Mary Hanafin: We are conscious of the fact that even though prices have begun to fall, this has happened in areas where, as yet, there has not been an impact in respect of social welfare recipients. There has been an impact in respect of mortgages and such an impact is now being felt in the areas of food and fuel. For the reason I have outlined, we chose not to reduce payments. The other reason not to...

Social Welfare Benefits: Motion (22 Apr 2009)

Mary Hanafin: That was one of the choices we faced in the context of achieving the kind of expenditure savings that were required. We chose not to introduce an across-the-board cut.

Social Welfare Benefits: Motion (22 Apr 2009)

Mary Hanafin: Another option - many arguments were put forward by people outside the House in respect of this - would have been to reduce child benefit, particularly because it is a universal payment-----

Social Welfare Benefits: Motion (22 Apr 2009)

Mary Hanafin: -----and because there are those who receive this benefit but who are not dependent on it.

Social Welfare Benefits: Motion (22 Apr 2009)

Mary Hanafin: We chose not to reduce child benefit-----

Social Welfare Benefits: Motion (22 Apr 2009)

Mary Hanafin: -----because the Commission on Taxation is examining how child benefit might be brought within the tax code or means tested.

Social Welfare Benefits: Motion (22 Apr 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The Government did not want to reduce child benefit before the commission makes its determination in this regard. Carers, who make a valuable contribution to society, engaged in heavy lobbying to ensure none of the benefits they receive - which amount to approximately €640 million per year - would be reduced. We chose not to cut these benefits.

Social Welfare Benefits: Motion (22 Apr 2009)

Mary Hanafin: It is disingenuous for people to say that savings should have been made from within other Departments. The savings had to be found within my Department's budget-----

Social Welfare Benefits: Motion (22 Apr 2009)

Mary Hanafin: -----but we chose not to make the cuts to which I refer because the impact would have been felt by far more people if we had done so.