Results 4,641-4,660 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — Departmental Property: Departmental Property (10 Dec 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The provision of accommodation for the Department is the responsibility of the Office of Public Works. The following information relates to accommodation provided for agencies and other bodies who deliver services on behalf of the Department. The Citizens Information Board occupies two premises in Galway City. The premises at Dockgate, Merchants Road, Galway comprises 1,970 square feet and...

Leaders' Questions (10 Dec 2008)

Mary Hanafin: Absolutely not.

Leaders' Questions (10 Dec 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The Deputy is completely wrong.

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (9 Dec 2008)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 322 and 323 together. The Pensions Act provides for a minimum Funding Standard which defined benefit pension schemes must meet on an ongoing basis. Generally speaking, the Standard requires that schemes maintain sufficient assets to enable them to discharge accrued liabilities in the event of a scheme winding up. Where schemes do not satisfy the Funding...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (9 Dec 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The supplementary welfare allowance scheme is administered on behalf of the Department by the community welfare division of the Health Service Executive (HSE). The following tabular statement shows the number of recipients of supplementary welfare allowance in Waterford City and County from 2003 to date. The total number of exceptional needs payments issued under the supplementary welfare...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (9 Dec 2008)

Mary Hanafin: Further to my response to PQ 39354/08 on 11 November 2008, I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that the person concerned was notified on 1 December 2008 that his case has been referred to an Appeals Officer and that it is proposed to hold an oral appeal hearing. A time and date has not yet been arranged for the hearing, but every effort is being made to have the case dealt with...

Written Answers — Departmental Travel: Departmental Travel (9 Dec 2008)

Mary Hanafin: All foreign travel booked for delegates representing the Department are in compliance with the Department of Finance guidelines. A Departmental Travel Policy document, based upon the Department of Finance guidelines, exists to guide staff booking foreign travel. This document is updated on an ongoing basis, in order to ensure continued compliance. The five statutory bodies operating under...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (9 Dec 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The person concerned had received his maximum entitlement to 390 days jobseeker's benefit on 22 November 2008. He had been advised to apply for jobseeker's allowance in advance of this date. He informed his local office on 28 October 2008 that he did not wish to do so. He applied for jobseeker's allowance on 18 November 2008. Arrangements have been made to have an assessment of his means...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (9 Dec 2008)

Mary Hanafin: 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. These contributions provide entitlement to a range of contingency-based payments under various social insurance schemes — including pensions. Employments...

Written Answers — Money Advice and Budgeting Service: Money Advice and Budgeting Service (9 Dec 2008)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 329 to 333, inclusive, together. 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 and over 240 money advice staff operating the local...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (9 Dec 2008)

Mary Hanafin: Rent supplement is administered on behalf of the Department by the community welfare division of the Health Service Executive (HSE), as part of the supplementary welfare allowance scheme. The person concerned was refused rent supplement on the grounds that he had voluntarily surrendered local authority accommodation already available to him in Scotland. The HSE's Appeals Office has advised...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (9 Dec 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The purpose of the rent supplement scheme is to provide short-term income support, to eligible people living in private rented accommodation whose means are insufficient to meet their accommodation costs and who do not have accommodation available to them from any other source. Rent supplement is subject to a limit on the amount of rent that an applicant may incur. Rent limits are set at...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (9 Dec 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The requirement to be habitually resident in Ireland was introduced as a qualifying condition for certain social assistance schemes and child benefit with effect from 1 May 2004. All applicants — regardless of nationality — for the following payments are required to be habitually resident in the State: Jobseeker's Allowance; State Pension (Non-Contributory for persons aged over 66);...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (9 Dec 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The Department provides supports to assist and encourage the long term unemployed, lone parents, people with disabilities and other social welfare recipients to return to the active labour force. The back to work allowance is one of the main supports in this area. It provides a monetary incentive designed to make the return to work for people with long term dependency on social welfare...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (9 Dec 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The Department provides supports designed to assist and encourage the long term unemployed, lone parents, people with disabilities and other social welfare recipients to return to the active labour force. The back to work allowance is one of the main supports in this area. It provides a monetary incentive designed to make the return to work for people with long term dependency on social...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (9 Dec 2008)

Mary Hanafin: Further to my response to Question No. 50 on 15 October 2008, I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that they have now received the documentation in the case and the Deciding Officer's comments on the grounds of the appeal from the Department and the case has been referred to an Appeals Officer for consideration. The Social Welfare Appeals Office is an office of the Department...

Written Answers — Ministerial Staff: Ministerial Staff (9 Dec 2008)

Mary Hanafin: There has been no Minister of State formally assigned to the Department. However, Minister of State, Ms. Máire Hoctor, who is Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children, has special responsibility for older people, areas of which fall within the remit of the Department. There are no staff assigned to her office from the Department.

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (9 Dec 2008)

Mary Hanafin: Disability Allowance is a weekly allowance paid to people with a specified disability who are aged 16 or over and under age 66. This 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 made application for disability allowance on 22 October 2008. Her case was referred to a Social Welfare...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (9 Dec 2008)

Mary Hanafin: Disability Allowance is a weekly allowance paid to people with a specified disability who are aged 16 or over and under age 66. This 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 made application for Disability Allowance on 30 October 2008. He has been refused disability allowance on the...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (9 Dec 2008)

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