Results 5,321-5,340 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin
- Financial Resolution No. 15: (General) Resumed (15 Oct 2008)
Mary Hanafin: A further anomaly that exists at present is that some people, who were previously working part-time, can receive a higher rate of payment from these schemes than what they were actually earning while at work. Again, this is considered to be inappropriate and a disincentive to employment. Therefore, from next January, this situation will be addressed by increasing the earnings thresholds...
- Financial Resolution No. 15: (General) Resumed (15 Oct 2008)
Mary Hanafin: At present, it is necessary to have made 13 paid contributions in the relevant tax year to qualify for illness benefit. However, this condition does not exist for jobseeker's benefit, with the result that people who may not have paid PRSI contributions in the past number of years can qualify. Again, it is considered that this position does not adequately reflect the contribution-based...
- Financial Resolution No. 15: (General) Resumed (15 Oct 2008)
Mary Hanafin: Where the claimant has less than 260 paid contributions, the maximum duration of jobseeker's benefit will be nine months, instead of 12 months, if the claimant currently has been in receipt of benefit for less than three months and in respect of all new claimants. New claimants for jobseeker's benefit will in future have to have paid a total of at least 104 contributions to the social...
- Financial Resolution No. 15: (General) Resumed (15 Oct 2008)
Mary Hanafin: The maximum rate of these two schemes is paid at the same rate as jobseeker's benefit. The final social insurance change involves a new limit on the duration of illness benefit payments. Illness benefit was intended to provide income replacement for insured persons during short spells of incapacity or illness, while other payments are available to people who cannot work long term because of...
- Financial Resolution No. 15: (General) Resumed (15 Oct 2008)
Mary Hanafin: As an alleviating measure, the age for entitlement to the domiciliary care allowance is being increased from 16 years to 18 years. It is estimated that a weekly average of 539 persons will be affected by this measure in 2009 and 2,115 in a full year. These changes are expected to save â¬5.6 million in 2009 and â¬16.6 million a year from 2010. The changes being made this year to illness...
- Financial Resolution No. 15: (General) Resumed (15 Oct 2008)
Mary Hanafin: Yesterday, the Minister for Finance announced the Government decided that from now on child benefit will no longer be paid in respect of those who are 18 years old. At that age they are effectively treated as adults in most respects. This change will be phased in gradually. A half payment will be made in respect of existing and future qualifying children from January 2009. From January...
- Financial Resolution No. 15: (General) Resumed (15 Oct 2008)
Mary Hanafin: The 2008 social welfare increases far exceeded the increase in the consumer price index in the current year. As the Minister for Finance announced yesterday, the projected rate of inflation for 2009 is 2.5%.
- Financial Resolution No. 15: (General) Resumed (15 Oct 2008)
Mary Hanafin: The budget provides for increases of between 3% and 3.8% in the basic payment rates next year. These increases are also in line with the wage rises agreed by the social partners in the second phase of the national pay agreement. The maximum personal rates of payment for the State contributory and non-contributory pensions and State pension transition are being increased by â¬7 per week from...
- Financial Resolution No. 15: (General) Resumed (15 Oct 2008)
Mary Hanafin: These improvements to the fuel scheme will cost almost â¬30 million extra in 2009 and will benefit nearly 300,000 households.
- Financial Resolution No. 15: (General) Resumed (15 Oct 2008)
Mary Hanafin: The maximum personal rate of payment for all working age schemes is being increased by â¬6.50 per week with effect from the first week of January 2009, with proportionate increases applying to people on reduced rates. The rates of qualified adult payments are also being increased on all schemes by â¬4.30 except for the invalidity pension scheme where a â¬4.60 increase will apply. Social...
- Financial Resolution No. 15: (General) Resumed (15 Oct 2008)
Mary Hanafin: Improvements are also being made to the family income supplement, which is paid to low income working families. Income limits for the FIS are being increased by â¬10 per week in respect of each child, giving an average extra payment of â¬6 per child per week. The income thresholds for entitlement to back-to-school clothing and footwear allowance are also being increased to enable 18,000...
- Leaders' Questions (15 Oct 2008)
Mary Hanafin: That is not true.
- Written Answers — Departmental Agencies: Departmental Agencies (14 Oct 2008)
Mary Hanafin: The National Social Services Board (NSSB) transferred to the Department of Social and Family Affairs from the Department of Health and Children in June 2000 under the Comhairle Act, 2000. Comhairle (established in June 2000) replaced the NSSB and the information service provided by the National Rehabilitation Board with a new mainstream information and support service. The Citizens...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (14 Oct 2008)
Mary Hanafin: The legislative provisions for Disability Allowance are contained in Parts 1 and 2 of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005 and Articles 141 to 158 of the Social Welfare (Consolidated Claims, Payments and Control) Regulations 2007 as amended. Means are assessed on the claimants own means and that of their spouse/partner subject to certain exceptions. The person concerned applied for...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (14 Oct 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 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 Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (14 Oct 2008)
Mary Hanafin: Under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme (SWA), 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. The principal consideration in making a single payment of SWA to...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (14 Oct 2008)
Mary Hanafin: The person concerned was in receipt of jobseeker's allowance at the weekly rate of â¬207.10. This payment was based on an assessment of weekly means of â¬194.00, derived from the capital value of a dwelling. He appealed this means assessment and following a review, a Deciding Officer assessed his means at nil from 1 May 2008. This decision is based on an Inspector's report to the effect...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (14 Oct 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 — Information Obligations: Information Obligations (14 Oct 2008)
Mary Hanafin: Lists of information obligations have been compiled in the Department in relation to a variety of obligations imposed on employers by 14 Sections of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005. The obligations cover, for example, cooperation with Social Welfare Inspectors in relation to PRSI inspections, notifying the Department of the commencement of employment and furnishing the Department...
- Written Answers — EU Directives: EU Directives (14 Oct 2008)
Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 228 and 229 together. No EU Directives have been transposed into Irish legislation by the Department of Social and Family Affairs within the past 12 months. In addition, there are no outstanding EU directives within the competency of the Department that have not been transposed into law.