Results 4,321-4,340 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (10 Feb 2009)
Mary Hanafin: The person concerned applied for a jobseeker's allowance payment on 15 October 2008. A Deciding Officer disallowed his claim from that date on the grounds that he failed to show that his means did not exceed the maximum rate payable to a person in his circumstances. Following an appeal his claim was forwarded to a Social Welfare Inspector for re-examination. The inspector will examine his...
- Written Answers — Money Advice and Budgeting Service: Money Advice and Budgeting Service (10 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 â¬18 million has been provided to fund the service....
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (10 Feb 2009)
Mary Hanafin: The person concerned claimed Jobseeker's Allowance on 14 November 2008 at North Cumberland St. Local Office. Jobseeker's Allowance (JA) is a means-tested scheme, which means that the person must satisfy qualifying conditions and pass a means test to see if he/she qualifies for payment. The person concerned is self-employed as a taxi driver since 2004. He advised the Social Welfare Inspector...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (10 Feb 2009)
Mary Hanafin: The person concerned applied for carer's allowance on 22 February 2008. When the care recipient is under 16 years of age it is a condition that domiciliary care allowance be in payment in order to qualify for carer's allowance. On 23 December 2008 the person's claim was refused on the grounds that domiciliary care allowance was not in payment. She was notified of this decision, the reasons...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (10 Feb 2009)
Mary Hanafin: Disability Allowance is a weekly allowance paid to people with a specified disability who are aged over 16 and under 66. The disability must be expected to last for at least one year and the allowance is subject to both medical assessment and a means test. The person concerned applied for disability allowance on 21 November 2008. Following a medical examination on 26 January 2009 by this...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (10 Feb 2009)
Mary Hanafin: The Department has no record of receiving an application for Jobseekers Allowance from the person concerned. If she wishes to submit an application, she should contact her local Social Welfare Office.
- Written Answers — Consultancy Contracts: Consultancy Contracts (10 Feb 2009)
Mary Hanafin: The Department has a major programme of business, organisational and technological change underway to enable it to modernise the services which it provides to its customers. Ensuring that we maximise the potential of Information Technology is a significant aspect of this and external consultancy firms are used to assist the Department with this work. Consultancy is defined in the Department...
- Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (10 Feb 2009)
Mary Hanafin: Civil service posts at the levels of Assistant Secretary and Deputy Secretary are covered by a scheme of performance related awards. Recommendations in relation to awards are made by the Secretary General of each department and the operation of the scheme is overseen by the Committee for Performance Awards. The funding for awards is based on 10% of the payroll for the posts covered by the...
- Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (10 Feb 2009)
Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 430 and 431 together. With the increase in the number of people applying for unemployment payments in particular, staff in social welfare offices have been working extremely hard to process claims as quickly as possible. I know that processing times in some areas are still too long and I assure the Deputy that we are doing our best to reduce them. I...
- Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (10 Feb 2009)
Mary Hanafin: In addition to its own network of Social Welfare Local Offices my Department delivers a front-line service to the public through 62 Branch Offices. Each Branch Office is operated, under a contract for services, by a Branch Manager who acts as an agent for the Department in the district served by the Branch Office. The method of remuneration for Branch Managers is agreed at the Branch...
- Written Answers — Employment Support Services: Employment Support Services (10 Feb 2009)
Mary Hanafin: The Department of Social and Family Affairs offers a range of education and employment supports designed to assist and facilitate people on social welfare payments to return to the active labour force. The back to education allowance (BTEA) is the main education support scheme of the Department. It is designed to encourage people on certain social welfare payments to improve their skills and...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (5 Feb 2009)
Mary Hanafin: Because of the increased number of claims for jobseeker payments, the Department undertook a review of staffing levels in Local Offices in May and June of last year. This resulted in the assignment of an additional 31 staff to some 15 Local Offices. Following the most recent review of the staffing levels in Local Offices late last year, an additional 115 staff are being assigned. In...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (5 Feb 2009)
Mary Hanafin: The supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) scheme provides for the payment of rent supplement to eligible people whose means are insufficient to meet their accommodation costs. Rent supplement is administered on behalf of the department by the community welfare service of the Health Service Executive. The Executive has advised that it was not aware that the person concerned had commenced...
- Written Answers — Departmental Property: Departmental Property (5 Feb 2009)
Mary Hanafin: The information requested is currently being compiled within the Department and will be made available to the Deputy as soon as possible.
- Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (5 Feb 2009)
Mary Hanafin: Taxi services are availed of by the Department only where it is considered to be absolutely necessary and the use of such services is monitored closely within the Department. The Department has a contract for taxi services, with National Radio Cabs.Expenditure incurred in 2007 and 2008 amounted to â¬47,372 and â¬46,468, respectively
- Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (5 Feb 2009)
Mary Hanafin: The information requested is currently being compiled within the Department and will be made available to the Deputy as soon as possible.
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (5 Feb 2009)
Mary Hanafin: The Department of Social and Family Affairs has supported the organisation in question over a period of many years. An application for funding under the "Grants for the Development and Promotion of Information and Welfare Rights" scheme in respect of 2009 has been received and is currently being considered having regard to the current budgetary circumstances. A decision will be made shortly...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (5 Feb 2009)
Mary Hanafin: The person concerned is in receipt of jobseeker's allowance, in respect of himself, his spouse and 2 dependent children, plus a fuel allowance at this time. There is a weekly deduction of â¬10.00 being made to recover an overpayment. The overpayment being recovered accrued in the period 9 November 2006 to 28 December 2006 when the person concerned was concurrently working and claiming...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (5 Feb 2009)
Mary Hanafin: The person concerned is in receipt of a partial State Pension (Contributory), payable at 50% of the maximum rate, having first paid social insurance contributions prior to 1953, and having at least 260 full-rate contributions paid. There are no self-employed contributions recorded in respect of the person concerned. I have today arranged for a copy of this individual's full contribution...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (5 Feb 2009)
Mary Hanafin: The person concerned is a part-time fireman. He made an application for Jobseeker's Benefit on 8 December 2008. Following a full investigation, the application was disallowed by a Deciding Officer on the grounds that he failed to establish that he was genuinely seeking employment. Notification of the disallowance and of his right to appeal issued on 17 December 08. No appeal has been...