Results 5,081-5,100 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (6 Nov 2008)
Mary Hanafin: The supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) scheme, which is administered on my behalf 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. The Health Service Executive has advised that the person concerned is not eligible for rent supplement. She has been...
- Written Answers — Social Insurance: Social Insurance (6 Nov 2008)
Mary Hanafin: It is currently estimated that the balance of the social insurance fund will be approximately â¬3.4 billion, based on an expected annual deficit of â¬223 million, at end 2008. For end 2009, the balance is estimated to be â¬2.5 billion, based on an expected annual deficit of â¬900 million. A projected outturn for 2010 has not yet been finalised. These estimates are similar to those of the...
- Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (6 Nov 2008)
Mary Hanafin: The primary purpose of credited contributions is to preserve the continuity of a person's insurance record during periods when they are unable to work and pay PRSI in the normal way. In order to qualify for credited contributions, absences from work would generally have to be for reasons outside of the person's control, such as periods of proven illness or registered unemployment, or periods...
- Written Answers — Unemployment Levels: Unemployment Levels (6 Nov 2008)
Mary Hanafin: The number on the live register at 31st October 2008 was 251,951. Of these, a total of 195,561 have been signing continuously for less than one year. A total of 56,390 have been signing continuously for a year or more. A breakdown of the live register at 31/10/08 by occupational category is given in the following table: Category Number Agriculture, Fishing and Related Industries 4,170...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (6 Nov 2008)
Mary Hanafin: Payment of illness benefit to the person concerned was disallowed from 2 May 2008 by a Deciding Officer of the Department following an examination by a Medical Assessor who expressed the opinion that the person concerned was not incapable of work. An appeal was opened on 16 May 2008 and I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that, in accordance with the statutory requirements, the...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (6 Nov 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, child benefit and certain social welfare assistance payments. The Dublin Mid-Leinster Area of the Health Service Executive has advised that the person concerned was refused supplementary welfare allowance and rent supplement on...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (6 Nov 2008)
Mary Hanafin: In the Budget, I announced that the age of eligibility for entitlement to Disability Allowance (DA) would be increased from 16 to 18 years for new claimants with effect from 1 January 2009. As an alleviating measure, the age for entitlement to the Domiciliary Care Allowance (DCA) would be increased from 16 to 18 years from the same date. These measures were estimated to save â¬5.6...
- Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (6 Nov 2008)
Mary Hanafin: The Department has an Attendance Management policy in place since 2005. As part of the process of preparing this policy, the Department researched examples of best practice available in Irish and UK organisations. The inclusion in the Policy of practices such as return to work interviews, a Health Promotion Policy and supports for staff who are returning to work after a long term illness...
- Written Answers — Human Rights Issues: Human Rights Issues (5 Nov 2008)
Mary Hanafin: This issue was the subject of a High Court judgment 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 Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (5 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 (HSE), a diet supplement may be paid to a person who is receiving a Social Welfare or Health Service Executive payment where a special diet is prescribed as a result of a specified medical condition. The Dublin/Mid-Leinster Area...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (5 Nov 2008)
Mary Hanafin: An increase for a Qualified Adult (IQA) is payable in respect of a spouse/partner of a recipient of State Pension (Transition) or State Pension (Contributory), where the spouse/partner is being wholly or mainly maintained by the pensioner. Payment of IQA is subject to the qualified adult satisfying a means test based solely on their means. Where the pensioner and his/her spouse/partner...
- Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (5 Nov 2008)
Mary Hanafin: The Department of Social and Family Affairs has one Press Office which is staffed by three established civil servants: Press Officer (Assistant Principal on secondment from another Government Department), Press Officer (Higher Executive Officer) and Deputy Press Officer (Executive Officer). The role of the Press Office is to deal centrally with all queries from the media in relation to the...
- Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (5 Nov 2008)
Mary Hanafin: The Minister for Finance announced as part of Budget 2009 that a number of decentralisation projects are to be deferred pending a review in 2011. The projects relevant to this Department are: Carrickmacross; Carrick-on-Shannon (Phase II); Donegal; Drogheda (Citizens Information Board); Monaghan (Combat Poverty Agency). Since the commencement of the decentralisation programme in the...
- Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (5 Nov 2008)
Mary Hanafin: Under the Government's current decentralisation programme for the civil and public service, some 1,200 posts comprising the Department's headquarter sections and the Social Welfare Appeals Office are relocating to 6 locations â Sligo, Carrick-on-Shannon, Donegal Town, Buncrana, Carrickmacross and Drogheda. To date, 212 posts have relocated from the Department's Dublin Offices to...
- Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (5 Nov 2008)
Mary Hanafin: Under the Government's current decentralisation programme for the civil and public service, some 1,200 posts comprising the Department's headquarter sections and the Social Welfare Appeals Office are relocating to 6 locations â Sligo, Carrick-on-Shannon, Donegal Town, Buncrana, Carrickmacross and Drogheda. To date, 212 posts have relocated from the Department's Dublin Offices to...
- Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (5 Nov 2008)
Mary Hanafin: Under the Decentralisation programme, it is planned to relocate some 114 posts from the Department to Buncrana. The first phase of this proposed move will commence in early 2010 and will include 70 staff relocating from one Dublin based headquarter office (Gandon House). The estimated floor space vacated as a result of the relocation will be of the order of 750 square metres. It is also...
- Written Answers — National Disability Strategy: National Disability Strategy (5 Nov 2008)
Mary Hanafin: My Department's Disability Sectoral Plan, published in 2006 in accordance with the provisions of the Disability Act 2005 and in line with the National Disability Strategy and Towards 2016, aims to develop services that not only give people with disabilities financial security but also encourage their maximum participation in society. The Department of Social and Family Affairs has a pivotal...
- Training Programmes: Motion (Resumed) (5 Nov 2008)
Mary Hanafin: I wish to share my time with Deputies Nolan, White, O'Connor, Byrne and O'Rourke. As Minister for Social and Family Affairs, I am naturally very concerned about the number of people who are unemployed, those 250,000 individuals who are on the live register today and the impact this experience has on them and on their families. On the one hand, my role is to ensure that we have sufficient...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (4 Nov 2008)
Mary Hanafin: As the Deputy will be aware, in the context of the current economic circumstances it has been necessary for the Government to take a number of steps to reduce overall public expenditure in order to restore order and stability in the public finances. Increases ranging between 185% and 200% have been provided in Child Benefit between 2001 and 2008. Total expenditure on the scheme has increased...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (4 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. The Health Service Executive has advised that it has no record of a claim for rent...