Results 4,761-4,780 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin
- Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) (3 Dec 2008)
Mary Hanafin: No, given the particular year that was in it, people benefited from their SSIAs.
- Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) (3 Dec 2008)
Mary Hanafin: Older people, as a group, had not contributed to the same degree. Most groups have reported on the positives and negatives and this will help us in determining policy in this area.
- Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) (3 Dec 2008)
Mary Hanafin: On the issues raised by Deputy Shortall, the record will show that I addressed them. I believe Deputy Shortall was in discussion with Deputy Stagg at the time I answered those questions.
- Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (3 Dec 2008)
Mary Hanafin: I do not propose to accept the amendment because legislation is already in place that comprehensively provides for control activity, which is a feature of all social welfare schemes. I share the concern expressed by the Deputies in terms of ensuring we have in place proper control measures. Currently, we do so in four different ways, namely, prevention, detection, deterrent and debt...
- Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (3 Dec 2008)
Mary Hanafin: In recent years fraud and error surveys were undertaken for a number of the schemes, namely, child benefit and the family income supplement in 2004, the disability allowance in 2005, the PPSN allocation and the illness benefit in 2006, the State pension non-contributory scheme in 2007, the State pension contributory scheme in 2008 and review policies are now being finalised for the disability...
- Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (3 Dec 2008)
Mary Hanafin: I do not want to give the impression that everybody is on the make in regard to such payments. The electronic transfer system ensures the automatic transfer of payments and it is a smooth and efficient way of going about our business, but sometimes people may continue to claim or forget to claim and there can be a good reason for that, but we are clamping down on payments that should not be...
- Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Order for Report Stage (3 Dec 2008)
Mary Hanafin: I move: "That Report Stage be taken now."
- Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (3 Dec 2008)
Mary Hanafin: I do not propose to accept the amendments. I appreciate fully the views of Members in saying the Combat Poverty Agency has done valuable work over the past 20 years. Nobody is questioning the work done by the agency through research, project work and the voice it gave to people experiencing poverty, a particular skill of the body. It also highlighted issues to Government. Over those 20...
- Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (3 Dec 2008)
Mary Hanafin: Everybody in the country takes a serious interest in it.
- Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (3 Dec 2008)
Mary Hanafin: People are seriously concerned about the live register. They are interested in policies and how we will tackle the problem. They are also interested to know if we have the correct information to help us do it. By integrating the office of social inclusion and the Combat Poverty Agency we will get exactly what the steering group recommended â the strengthening and enhancement of both. We...
- Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (3 Dec 2008)
Mary Hanafin: The functions of the Combat Poverty Agency, as they exist, already lie with the Minister for Social and Family Affairs of the day. I have no doubt that the new division will carry out research, give policy advice and provide data analysis. It will ensure that the voice it gives to those experiencing poverty can be heard. The agency has worked well with people so that they can participate...
- Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (3 Dec 2008)
Mary Hanafin: Yes.
- Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (3 Dec 2008)
Mary Hanafin: If it decides that more research should be done on the matter of, for example, the health of people living in poverty, it should do so.
- Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (3 Dec 2008)
Mary Hanafin: It will need to come up withââ
- Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (3 Dec 2008)
Mary Hanafin: It will be part of its work programme. The agency does this work well. Of the agency's last 38 items of research, 28 were conducted by the ESRI or other bodies. The agency commissioned the research in the same way the Department does. This situation must continue.
- Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (3 Dec 2008)
Mary Hanafin: The Department's approach in publishing material and making it publicly available to people will also continue.
- Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (3 Dec 2008)
Mary Hanafin: A joint budget will enable more research to be conducted and recent material will be published shortly.
- Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (3 Dec 2008)
Mary Hanafin: Regarding the amendments to which Deputy Morgan referred, the functions in question exist within the Department and with the Minister.
- Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (3 Dec 2008)
Mary Hanafin: There is no need to duplicate their transferral. It will be a part of the enhanced unit's responsibilities. This is not a question of savings, although there will be savings on the lease of buildings, personnel and so on.
- Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (3 Dec 2008)
Mary Hanafin: I do not know what questions Opposition Members raised in June 2007 when the review began.