Results 4,241-4,260 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (24 Feb 2009)

Mary Hanafin: Rent supplements are subject to a limit on the amount of rent that an applicant for rent supplement may incur. Rent limits are set at levels that enable the different types of eligible households to secure and retain basic suitable rented accommodation, having regard to the different rental market conditions that prevail in various parts of the State. The objective is to ensure that rent...

Written Answers — School Meals Programme: School Meals Programme (24 Feb 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The school meals programme gives funding towards the provision of food services for disadvantaged school children through two schemes. The first is the long-standing statutory urban school meals scheme, operated by local authorities and part-financed by the Department of Social & Family Affairs. The second is the school meals local projects scheme through which funding is provided directly by...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (24 Feb 2009)

Mary Hanafin: FÁS is the National Training and Employment Authority and the main agency to provide jobseeking support to all individuals on the live register who are seeking employment or education opportunities. The Department of Social and Family Affairs facilitators work closely with FÁS and other agencies at national and local level to identify and target appropriate education, training and...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (24 Feb 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The cash income (excluding all social welfare payments) of a claimant and his or her spouse or partner is assessable as means for the purposes of jobseeker's allowance. A range of disregards apply depending on the source of the cash income. Where the spouse or partner of a claimant has earnings from employment, social insurance contributions, the health contribution, superannuation/PRSA...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (24 Feb 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The social welfare pension rights of those who take time out of the workforce for caring duties are protected by the homemaker's scheme which was introduced in and took effect from 1994. The scheme allows up to 20 years spent caring for children under 12 years of age or incapacitated adults to be disregarded when a person's social insurance record is being averaged for pension purposes....

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (24 Feb 2009)

Mary Hanafin: From 5 January 2009, in order to be entitled to receive Irish jobseekers benefit, a customer will require a minimum of 104 social insurance contributions paid since entry into insurance. In addition, they must have at least 39 contributions paid or credited in the relevant tax year, and at least 13 of these contributions must be paid contributions. For a person applying for Jobseekers Benefit...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (24 Feb 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The person concerned applied for a jobseeker's allowance payment on 27 November 2008. He was requested by a Social Welfare Inspector to provide details of his parents' income. However, he failed to provide the necessary information and consequently his claim was closed. He was informed of this on 29 January, 2009. He made a fresh application on 11 February 2009 and a Social Welfare...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (24 Feb 2009)

Mary Hanafin: An application for disability allowance, by the person concerned, was disallowed by a Deciding Officer of the Department on 25 November 2008 on the grounds that he did not satisfy the statutory means assessment for eligibility to this allowance. He appealed this decision and, I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that this case has been referred to an Appeals Officer who proposes...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (24 Feb 2009)

Mary Hanafin: According to the records of the Department, the person concerned has not made an application for the household benefits package. An application form has now issued to her as a result of this representation. On receipt of the completed application form, a decision will be made and she will be notified of the outcome.

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (24 Feb 2009)

Mary Hanafin: Rent Supplement is administered on behalf of the department by the Health Service Executive (HSE) as part of the supplementary welfare allowance scheme. The Executive has advised that the person concerned has applied for rent supplement. He was requested to provide further information in relation to land which he owns. A decision will made on the application of the person concerned for rent...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (24 Feb 2009)

Mary Hanafin: An application for carer's allowance by the person concerned was disallowed by a Deciding Officer of the Department on 8 January 2009 on the grounds that she was not providing full-time care. She appealed this decision on 21 January 2009 and I am informed by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that there is no outcome as yet in this case. The Chief Appeals Officer will write to the Deputy...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (24 Feb 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The Department recently undertook a review of the staffing levels in Local Offices due to the continued increased number of claims for jobseeker's payments. Four additional posts are to be assigned to Clondalkin Local Office. Two officers have already been assigned to the office and arrangements are in train to fill the remaining two posts.

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (24 Feb 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The Department has been advised by An Post that Finglas Post Office had sufficient funds to meet expected demand in the run-up to Christmas 2008, and on 7 February 2009. From time to time some slight delays may occur at an individual Post Office due to the use of time-locked safes.

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (24 Feb 2009)

Mary Hanafin: Social welfare rates of payment for 2010 will be considered later this year in a Budgetary context and having regard to available resources.

Written Answers — School Meals Programme: School Meals Programme (24 Feb 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The school meals programme gives funding towards the provision of food services for disadvantaged school children through two schemes. The first is the statutory urban school meals scheme, operated by local authorities and part-financed by the Department of Social and Family Affairs. The second is the school meals local projects scheme through which funding is provided directly by the...

Written Answers — Departmental Agencies: Departmental Agencies (24 Feb 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The Money Advice and Budgeting Service (MABS) is the main Government funded service which provides assistance to people who are over-indebted and need help and advice in coping with debt problems. There are 53 independent companies with voluntary boards of management operating the local services throughout the country. In 2009 almost €18 million has been provided to fund the service. There...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (24 Feb 2009)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 335 and 336 together. Workers are insured under the Social Welfare Acts as either employed or self-employed contributors. All workers, both employed and self-employed, are obliged to pay PRSI contributions as a percentage of their personal reckonable income. The range of benefits and pensions to which different groups of workers may establish entitlement...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (19 Feb 2009)

Mary Hanafin: At Executive Officer level, there were 2 vacancies in the Department's offices in Athlone, and 1 vacancy in the Tullamore office as on 31st January 2009. Arrangements are in train to fill these posts, either by lateral transfer or from the Department's Internal Executive Officer competition panel. It is not proposed to fill any of the posts from the Public Appointments Service panel.

Written Answers — Departmental Schemes: Departmental Schemes (19 Feb 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The Department is currently analysing the options for the implementation of the scheme referred to by the Deputy.

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (19 Feb 2009)

Mary Hanafin: The Department delivers a frontline service through a network of 62 local offices and 62 branch offices. Staff in local offices are employees of the Department while branch offices are operated by private individuals on a contract basis. Under the terms of their contract, branch managers are required to review their staffing levels to ensure that the meeting service requirements and that...