Results 5,221-5,240 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (21 Oct 2008)

Mary Hanafin: There has been a significant increase in the number of people claiming jobseeker payments since the beginning of the year. The level of inflows to the Live Register over the period January to September 2008 inclusive was 311,660 as compared with 220,652 over the corresponding period last year representing an increase of over 41%. The average monthly inflows over the first nine months was...

Written Answers — Departmental Programmes: Departmental Programmes (21 Oct 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The school meals programme gives funding towards provision of food services for disadvantaged school children through two schemes. The first is the long-standing statutory urban school meals scheme, which is operated by local authorities and part-financed by the Department. The second is the school meals local projects scheme through which funding is provided by the Department to...

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (21 Oct 2008)

Mary Hanafin: Since the commencement of the decentralisation programme in the Department, expenditure returns have been submitted to the Department of Finance detailing non-property costs associated with the programme for both this Department and the agencies under its aegis. The Department has not incurred any property costs as these are a matter for the Office of Public Works. The following tabular...

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (21 Oct 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 — Sligo, Carrick-on-Shannon, Donegal Town, Buncrana, Carrickmacross and Drogheda. To date, 211 posts have relocated from the Department's Dublin Offices to Sligo and...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (21 Oct 2008)

Mary Hanafin: Entitlement to jobseeker's benefit is determined by the particular circumstances and situation that the claimant and his or her dependants are in at the time of the claim. As these circumstances can change during the course of any year, it is not possible therefore, to provide the information requested in the question. In the light of the significant pressure on the public finances, and the...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (21 Oct 2008)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 438 and 439 together. Officers who retire from the Department before the minimum retirement age of 60 can only do so either on grounds of ill health, which is subject to the approval of the Chief Medical Officer, or under the terms of the Cost Neutral Early Retirement Scheme, which was introduced in 2004. This scheme allows officers to retire between the ages...

Written Answers — Data Protection: Data Protection (21 Oct 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The Department's policy is that sensitive data should not be stored on laptops or other portable devices. However, in the event that there is no alternative to local storage, all sensitive data must be appropriately secured. All new laptops are issued with encryption software. The Department is currently arranging a recall of its current stock of laptops to install encryption software. The...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (21 Oct 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The special half-rate Pre-1953 State Pension (Contributory) was introduced with effect from 5th May 2000. To qualify for this pension, a person must have at least 260 full-rate contributions paid. The 260 can be made up solely of pre-1953 contributions, or a mixture of pre and post-1953 contributions. At the end of September 2008, the numbers of people receiving this pension was 26,130. The...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (21 Oct 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The person concerned applied for jobseeker's allowance on 10 October 2008. His claim is currently being examined, a decision will be made as soon as possible and he will be notified of the outcome. Under Social Welfare legislation decisions in relation to claims must be made by Deciding Officers and Appeals Officers. These officers are statutorily appointed and I have no role in regard to...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (21 Oct 2008)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Question Nos. 445 and 446 together. Details of the number of people benefiting from the back to work allowance and the back to education allowance over the past 3 years are set out as follows in tabular format. The tables also show the breakdown for each scheme on a county basis. The back to education scheme is a second chance education opportunity designed to remove the...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (21 Oct 2008)

Mary Hanafin: Child Benefit is payable to children who are ordinarily resident in the state or who reside with a qualified person outside the state, while that person is a member of the defence forces, a civil servant posted abroad, a volunteer development worker or who remain insurable under Irish Social insurance while working abroad. EU Migrant workers may have an entitlement to Child Benefit and other...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (21 Oct 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The average level of absenteeism in my department for the years 2003 to 2007 is set out in the following table: Year Average No. of Absences *per Employee Average No. of working days lost to Sick Leave per Employee Average No. of working days lost to Sick Leave per Employee when absences in excess of 6 months are excluded 2003 2.36 13.58 10.73 2004 2.33 13.78 10.76 2005 2.35 14.79 11.77...

Written Answers — Departmental Agencies: Departmental Agencies (21 Oct 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The information requested is currently being compiled within the Department and will be made available to the Deputy as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (21 Oct 2008)

Mary Hanafin: Officers who retire from the Department of Social & Family Affairs before the minimum retirement age of 60 can only do so either on grounds of ill health, which is subject to the approval of the Chief Medical Officer, or under the terms of the Cost Neutral Early Retirement Scheme, which was introduced in 2004. This scheme allows officers to retire voluntarily between the ages of 50 and 60...

Written Answers — Departmental Agencies: Departmental Agencies (21 Oct 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The five statutory bodies operating under the aegis of the Department are the Pensions Board, the Combat Poverty Agency, the Citizens Information Board, the Family Support Agency and the Social Welfare Tribunal. In addition the Pensions Ombudsman comes under the remit of the Department. Two members of staff of the Citizens Information Board availed of early retirement in the past three years...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (21 Oct 2008)

Mary Hanafin: Self employed people do not have to wait 12 months to get a jobseeker's allowance payment. Jobseekers allowance is a means tested payment made to those who do not qualify for jobseekers benefit which is based on PRSI contributions. The means test involves an assessment of the person's savings and investments, any property s/he may own, apart from the family home and any other income such as...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (21 Oct 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The claim for Carer's Allowance by the person concerned was refused by a Deciding Officer of the Department on the 15th November 2007 on the grounds that the care recipient was not so invalided or disabled as to need full-time care and attention. An appeal was opened on 14 March 2008 and I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that, in accordance with the statutory requirements,...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (21 Oct 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The average processing time for applications for jobseeker's claims processed in September was 3 weeks for jobseekers benefit and 6 weeks for jobseekers allowance. There has been a significant increase in the number of people claiming since the beginning of the year. The level of inflows to the Live Register over the period January to September 2008 inclusive was 311,660 as compared with...

Social Welfare Benefits. (21 Oct 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The Department is committed to providing a high quality service to all its customers. 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. These conditions vary between the two jobseeker schemes and involve, among other things, the need to establish the...

Social Welfare Benefits. (21 Oct 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The people who were being assessed in September are not necessarily the people being assessed in October.