Results 4,841-4,860 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (20 Nov 2008)

Mary Hanafin: An application for State Pension (Non-Contributory) was received from the person concerned on 21 st August 2008 and was referred to the local Social Welfare Inspector for investigation. On receipt of the inspector's report a decision will be made on his claim and he will be notified of the outcome.

Written Answers — Departmental Agencies: Departmental Agencies (20 Nov 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The Government's decision to integrate the Combat Poverty Agency and the Office for Social Inclusion within the Department of Social and Family Affairs was informed by the findings of a review of the Combat Poverty Agency which was undertaken on foot of a Government Decision on the 6th of June 2007. The Department is working with the Board of the Agency in finalising a plan for the smooth...

Written Answers — Departmental Agencies: Departmental Agencies (20 Nov 2008)

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 and over 240 money advice staff operating the local services throughout the country. Almost €18 million has been provided...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (19 Nov 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The claim for disability allowance by the person concerned was disallowed by a Deciding Officer of the Department on 20 October 2008 following an examination by a Medical Assessor who expressed the opinion that he was medically unsuitable for the allowance. An appeal was opened on 13 November 2008 and I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that, in accordance with statutory...

Written Answers — Social Insurance: Social Insurance (19 Nov 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The Department's Inspectorate, appointed under Section 250 of the Social Welfare (Consolidation) Act 2005 is responsible, inter alia, for ensuring that employers and self employed people comply with the Act in relation to Pay Related Social Insurance contributions. Employer compliance, in this regard, is monitored through inspections which include; detailed examinations of employers' records...

Written Answers — Unemployment Levels: Unemployment Levels (19 Nov 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The number of persons on the Live Register at 31 October 2008 was 251,951. The CSO publishes a breakdown by nationality grouping in the monthly live register release. The department collates nationality data on this basis also. The numbers on the live register from the main nationality groupings at 31 October 2008 were as follows: Number Ireland 207,351 UK 11,584 12 New EU Member...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (18 Nov 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) scheme, which is administered on behalf of the department by the Community Welfare Division of the Health Service Executive, provides for the payment of rent supplement to eligible people whose means are insufficient to meet their accommodation costs. Rent supplement is normally calculated to ensure that a person, after the payment of rent, has...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (18 Nov 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The Pensions Act provides for a Funding Standard which must be met on an ongoing basis by all defined benefit pension schemes. The Funding 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 Standard the sponsors/trustees must submit a funding proposal to the...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (18 Nov 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) scheme, which is administered 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 schemes. Under the legislation governing the scheme, the HSE may make a single payment to meet an exceptional need to people...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (18 Nov 2008)

Mary Hanafin: Under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme, which is administered on behalf of the Department by the community welfare division of the Health Service Executive, an exceptional needs payment (ENP) may be made to help meet an essential, once-off cost which the applicant is unable to meet out of his/her own resources. There is no automatic entitlement to this payment. Each application is...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (18 Nov 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The person concerned claimed jobseeker's allowance from 23 June 2008. To qualify for this payment, a person must satisfy the conditions as to means and in this case the claim was disallowed by a Deciding Officer on the grounds that his means exceeded the weekly rate payable. He was assessed with weekly means of €1,492 derived from self-employment. He appealed this decision and following a...

Written Answers — Human Rights Issues: Human Rights Issues (18 Nov 2008)

Mary Hanafin: This issue was the subject of a High Court judgement concerning the rights of a person, who has undergone gender reassignment surgery, to recognition of her acquired gender. On foot of a High Court judgement, delivered on 19 October 2007, the judge made a declaration, pursuant to Section 5 of the European Convention on Human Rights Act 2003, that Sections 25, 63 and 64 of the Civil...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (18 Nov 2008)

Mary Hanafin: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that during 2007 the average time taken to process all appeals (i.e. those decided summarily and by way of oral hearing) was 22 weeks. However, if allowance was made for the 25% most protracted cases, the average time fell to just over 14 weeks. Processing times for 2008 are not yet available but are expected to be at least of the same order...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (18 Nov 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 13 November 2007. She was refused disability allowance on the...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (18 Nov 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The claim for jobseeker's allowance by the person concerned was refused by a Deciding Officer of the Department on 24 August 2008 on the grounds that his means exceeded the statutory limit. An appeal was opened on 17 September 2008 and I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that, in accordance with statutory requirements, the Department was asked for the documentation in the case...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (18 Nov 2008)

Mary Hanafin: Special arrangements have been in place to protect the social welfare rights of Volunteer Development Workers (VDWs) since 1983. VDWs can qualify for credited contributions in respect of a period spent working in a developing country and any preparatory period before hand. These credited contributions enable the workers to qualify for short-term benefits on their return from their overseas...

Written Answers — Community Development: Community Development (18 Nov 2008)

Mary Hanafin: I am committed to supporting families and value the role that the Family Resource Centres play in communities all over the country. Funding from the Family Support Agency helps with staffing and equipping these centres. By the end of 2007, the number of Family Resource Centres had expanded from an original 10 to 106 nationwide. The funding for the Programme increased from €317,000 in 1994...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (18 Nov 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The claim for carer's allowance by the person concerned was refused by a Deciding Officer of the Department on 16 July 2008 on the grounds that she was not providing full-time care to the caree. An appeal was opened on 28 July 2008 and I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that, in accordance with the statutory requirements, the Department was asked for the documentation in the...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (18 Nov 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The supplementary welfare allowance scheme (SWA) is administered on behalf of the Department by the community welfare division of the Health Service Executive (HSE). The Executive has advised that it has no record of an application for supplementary welfare allowance from the person concerned. He should contact his local community welfare officer directly in order to make an application for...

Written Answers — Benchmarking Awards: Benchmarking Awards (18 Nov 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The terms of reference of the Public Service Benchmarking Body requires it to have regard, in reaching its recommendations, to the need to support ongoing modernisation of the public service. In this context, under successive public service pay agreements, most recently under Towards 2016 , there is a requirement on public bodies to develop modernisation action plans and to report in advance...