Results 4,161-4,180 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin
- Social Welfare Benefits. (5 Mar 2009)
Mary Hanafin: More and more people have been referred to the national employment action plan. I understand the current figure is some 60,000. The institutes of technology in particular are trying to organise their courses in such a way that applicants will not have to wait until the beginning of the traditional academic year to commence a course.
- Social Welfare Benefits. (5 Mar 2009)
Mary Hanafin: The Deputy made a valid point about people sitting at home because they have missed the beginning of the academic year. She made the case that a person laid off in October would have to wait an entire year. These changes by the institutes of technology will address those types of timing difficulties.
- Social Welfare Benefits. (5 Mar 2009)
Mary Hanafin: The institutes are actively looking to see whether certain courses could begin mid-year in order to facilitate more people.
- Social Welfare Benefits. (5 Mar 2009)
Mary Hanafin: That is not the issue. It is a question of the availability of courses.
- Pension Provisions. (5 Mar 2009)
Mary Hanafin: An annuity is a contract sold by an insurance company that provides guaranteed payments at specified intervals for the duration of the purchaser's lifetime in exchange for an upfront cash lump sum. Annuity contracts are a well-established feature of the pensions landscape and are likely to remain so. They provide a secure means of converting pension savings into pension income and avoid the...
- Pension Provisions. (5 Mar 2009)
Mary Hanafin: Regarding annuities, this is not just another report. It was carried out on behalf of the Department of the Taoiseach and its findings on the cost of annuities were upheld by other professional bodies. The report by Indecon, entitled Life Strategies, helped to guide our thinking on this matter. It highlights that some savings could be made, particularly on commission. It refers to the...
- Pension Provisions. (5 Mar 2009)
Mary Hanafin: A number of actions have been taken on pension schemes, one of which allows people extra time to show proposals on how the funding standard will be metââ
- Pension Provisions. (5 Mar 2009)
Mary Hanafin: ââand allows them two years before they need to purchase their annuity, by which time hopefully the markets will have picked up. A number of issues were outlined in my answer to the first question.
- Pension Provisions. (5 Mar 2009)
Mary Hanafin: The judgment in the Robbins case is being considered by the European Commission to determine what, if any, additional obligations this places on member states. We will co-operate with the EU when it starts this investigation.
- Pension Provisions. (5 Mar 2009)
Mary Hanafin: Regarding the national pensions framework, a Green Paper was published, followed by consultation and a conference on international best practice and we are now in the process of finalising the recommendations on this. It is currently being considered by Government.
- Pension Provisions. (5 Mar 2009)
Mary Hanafin: This includes a number of short-term measures.
- Pension Provisions. (5 Mar 2009)
Mary Hanafin: I appreciate that people, particularly those close to retirement, find it difficult to watch the state of the pension funds. We have allowed additional measures for funds, giving extra time to formulate funding proposals, greater flexibility for recovery plans and a replacement recovery plan to extend the end date of the original plan.
- Pension Provisions. (5 Mar 2009)
Mary Hanafin: The pensions board can take into account voluntary employer guarantees. We also allow people two years before purchasing annuities. These immediate actions were taken in respect of the current situation. The figure of â¬30 billion is an estimate of what might be the deficit if those funds were to close in the morning. There is no indication this will happen but because these are private...
- Pension Provisions. (5 Mar 2009)
Mary Hanafin: The Green Paper was published in a different environment but it was always the intention that the national pensions framework would be a long-term framework because it will affect the next generation.
- Social Welfare Code. (5 Mar 2009)
Mary Hanafin: The back to work allowance scheme is designed to assist the long-term unemployed, lone parents, people with disabilities and other social welfare recipients to return to work. The scheme is designed to support people who would not otherwise be able to return to the workforce for financial reasons. There are two strands to the scheme, the back to work allowance for people who take up...
- Social Welfare Code. (5 Mar 2009)
Mary Hanafin: I share with the Deputy the idea that the back to work enterprise allowance, in particular, is useful. A distinction should be made between the back to work allowance and the back to work enterprise allowance, although both come in under the same scheme. Approximately â¬80 million is set aside for the scheme for this year. I mentioned earlier the Cabinet sub-committee on economic...
- Social Welfare Code. (5 Mar 2009)
Mary Hanafin: Yes.
- Social Welfare Code. (5 Mar 2009)
Mary Hanafin: As I stated at the outset, I am certainly open to changing this particular aspect of the back to work scheme. It is being examined in the context of that interdepartmental committee and we hope that in the next few weeks we will be able to come forward with proposals.
- Social Welfare Code. (5 Mar 2009)
Mary Hanafin: We are working on the issue. People going into enterprise might have options under other schemes to be able to get grants to set up businesses etc. from other Departments.
- Social Welfare Code. (5 Mar 2009)
Mary Hanafin: This is a social welfare payment which allows somebody going to work through setting up a business to be able to hold on to some of the social welfare payment.