Results 4,661-4,680 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — Live Register: Live Register (9 Dec 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The Department is committed to providing a quality customer service. This includes ensuring that applications are processed and that decisions on entitlement are issued as expeditiously as possible having regard to the eligibility conditions which apply. Every effort is being made to process claims in local offices as quickly as possible. This includes the prioritisation of work, assignment...

Written Answers — National Carers Strategy: National Carers Strategy (9 Dec 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The development of a National Carers' Strategy is a key Government commitment in both the national partnership agreement Towards 2016 and the Programme for Government. A working group, chaired by the Department of An Taoiseach, is working on developing the strategy. My Department provides the secretariat to the working group which also includes representatives of the Departments of Finance,...

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

Mary Hanafin: All applicants regardless of nationality, from 1 May 2004, are required to be habitually resident in the State in order to qualify for supplementary welfare allowance. The person concerned was refused supplementary welfare allowance and rent supplement on the grounds that he is not habitually resident in the State. The designated Appeals Office of the Health Service Executive has advised that...

Seanad: Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Second Stage (9 Dec 2008)

Mary Hanafin: Ba mhaith liom mo bhuíochas a ghabháil leis na Seanadóirí. At the outset, I apologise for the complete illegibility of the circulated speech which contains some good news which I would have liked Members to read. However, I appreciate that was impossible to do given the manner in which it was distributed. Judging by the contributions made, Members appear to have got the sense of...

Seanad: Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Second Stage (9 Dec 2008)

Mary Hanafin: I am pleased to introduce this Bill, which will implement the €515 million package of social welfare improvements announced in the 2009 budget. In very difficult economic circumstances, this package will bring total expenditure on social welfare in 2009 to €19.6 billion, which represents an increase of €2.6 billion, or 15.5%, over the Estimates allocation for 2008. At a time when...

Seanad: Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Second Stage (9 Dec 2008)

Mary Hanafin: I accept that.

Seanad: Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Second Stage (9 Dec 2008)

Mary Hanafin: If it is helpful, I am happy to give the Senator my own copy, which uses a much larger font. I accept that his copy is written in very small type.

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (4 Dec 2008)

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 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...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (4 Dec 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The supplementary welfare allowance scheme (SWA) which is administered on behalf of the Department by the community welfare division of the Health Service Executive (HSE), is designed to provide immediate and flexible assistance for those in need who do not qualify for payment under other State scheme. A number of categories are specifically excluded from receiving SWA i.e. people in...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (4 Dec 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The Green Paper on Pensions sets out and discusses a range of issues that have been raised from time to time in relation to state pensions and their coverage. Following the completion of the Green Paper consultation process, a framework for future policy on all aspects of pensions is being developed. The qualifying conditions for state pensions are an important element in this process but...

Written Answers — National Carers Strategy: National Carers Strategy (4 Dec 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The development of a National Carers' Strategy is a key Government commitment in both the national partnership agreement Towards 2016 and the Programme for Government. A working group, chaired by the Department of An Taoiseach, is working on developing the strategy. My Department provides the secretariat to the working group which also includes representatives of the Departments of...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (4 Dec 2008)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Question Nos. 133 to 138, inclusive, together. The overall number of active defined benefit schemes registered with the Pensions Board at the end of 2007 was 1,319. The number of active defined contribution schemes was 98,483. The active membership of these schemes at that time was 530,933 and 269,465 respectively. The Pensions Act provides for a minimum Funding Standard...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (4 Dec 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The supplementary welfare allowance scheme, which includes mortgage interest supplement, is administered on behalf of the Department by the community welfare division of the Health Service Executive. A mortgage interest supplement provides short-term income support to eligible people who are unable to meet their mortgage interest repayments in respect of a house which is their sole place of...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (4 Dec 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The person concerned was in receipt of Jobseeker's Allowance from January 2008 to 28 October 2008. Payment ceased when he failed to sign the Live Register on the appointed day (23 October 2008) and thereby failed to prove he was unemployed from that date. He made a repeat claim on 10 November 2008 and the claim was disallowed on the grounds that he had failed to submit any evidence of his...

Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stages (4 Dec 2008)

Mary Hanafin: It has been policy for a number of years in my Department not to increase the living alone allowance but to put all the increases into primary payments so that all pensioners benefit. I fully accept that a person who suddenly finds himself or herself in the position of living alone has all the expenses as were outlined. The house does not become any smaller and must be heated etc. The...

Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stages (4 Dec 2008)

Mary Hanafin: ——it was not done at that stage. It is still reasonable to expect that people should pay that minimum amount of money towards the very substantial supplement they receive.

Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stages (4 Dec 2008)

Mary Hanafin: As Deputies know, I am usually committed to the back to education concept for everybody, particularly those who are most vulnerable and those on social welfare. One of the few positive features of the live register published yesterday was the 24% increase in the number of people availing of back to education provisions. The fact there may be more at second level rather than third level is...

Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stages (4 Dec 2008)

Mary Hanafin: Deputies should be aware that if these people start at second level, they will be able to continue on to third level. The provisions allow them greater opportunities because they are the group most likely to remain unemployed, particularly if they do not even have a leaving certificate.

Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stages (4 Dec 2008)

Mary Hanafin: I do not accept the criteria should be reduced to three months. I have said this before, but it is significant. This is a scheme that is in place to support people who are on social welfare. If we changed the provisions, we could get young people finishing their leaving certificate in June and signing on for three months and getting €200 a week despite the fact they fully intended to go...

Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stages (4 Dec 2008)

Mary Hanafin: This must be a scheme that is designed to support people on social welfare. We must obviously consider people in the context of those getting statutory redundancy. Few enough have got statutory redundancy, but, unfortunately, as numbers increase, we will draw their attention to the fact that they are the people who can qualify immediately.