Results 5,361-5,380 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Seanad: Money Advice and Budgeting Service: Statements (9 Oct 2008)

Mary Hanafin: Go raibh maith agat, a Chathaoirligh. Tá an-áthas orm bheith anseo sa tSeanad ar maidin chun labhairt ar an ábhar seo. In recent times we have all become conscious of the fact that many people are in need of guidance and assistance on financial matters. They include people who have been unfortunate enough to lose their jobs recently and who may have mortgages or rent to pay as well as...

Written Answers — Employment Support Services: Employment Support Services (8 Oct 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The back to education allowance (BTEA) is a second chance education opportunities scheme designed to encourage and facilitate people on certain social welfare payments to improve their skills and qualifications and, therefore, their prospects of returning to the active work force. To qualify for participation an applicant must, be in receipt of a relevant social welfare payment and must be at...

Written Answers — Social Insurance: Social Insurance (8 Oct 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The following table sets out the information requested by the Deputy. PRSI Receipts Year 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 Estimate Actual Actual Actual Actual â'¬ million â'¬ million â'¬ million â'¬ million â'¬ million Employers 6,144 5,762 5,167 4,512 4,000 Employees 1,655 1,539 1,380 1,218 1,258 Self-Employed 450 421 374 380 357 Total 8,249 7,722 6,921 6,110 5,615

Written Answers — Official Engagements: Official Engagements (8 Oct 2008)

Mary Hanafin: I very much welcome the commemoration of the UN day here in Ireland, the attention it draws to the challenges of eradicating poverty and the measures in place to meet these challenges. I wish to commend the organisers for all their work in organising such a fitting event and choosing the Famine memorial for its location. A significant feature of the programme is the time given to the voices...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (8 Oct 2008)

Mary Hanafin: Rent supplement is administered on behalf of the Department by the community welfare division of the Health Service Executive (HSE), as part of the supplementary welfare allowance scheme. Rent supplement is currently in payment in this case. The Executive has advised that following a review of the person's rent supplement entitlement, it was established that his rent had increased and is in...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (8 Oct 2008)

Mary Hanafin: Rent supplement is administered on behalf of the Department by the community welfare division of the Health Service Executive (HSE), as part of the supplementary welfare allowance scheme. The Executive has advised that a notification of a change of address, in relation to the Jobseeker Allowance claim of the person concerned, was issued in error to the Community Welfare Officer dealing with...

Unemployment: Motion (Resumed) (8 Oct 2008)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to share time.

Unemployment: Motion (Resumed) (8 Oct 2008)

Mary Hanafin: I share the concern expressed by Deputies about the social and economic impact of rising unemployment. We are all conscious that behind the latest live register figures lie real people with families who have mortgages and concerns about the future. I assure the House that the Government is determined to do all it can to help people get back to work as quickly as possible. The longer people...

Unemployment: Motion (Resumed) (8 Oct 2008)

Mary Hanafin: It is important to avoid poverty traps and to try to support people by ensuring they do not become too dependent on social welfare and helping them to return to work. When discrepancies arise, my Department will try to rectify them. The back to education allowance scheme is designed to help those who have not worked for some time to improve their employability and job readiness by acquiring...

Unemployment: Motion (Resumed) (8 Oct 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The allowance is paid at a standard weekly rate equivalent to the maximum rate of the relevant social welfare payment that qualifies the applicant for participation in the scheme. It essentially replaces the person's existing social welfare income and an annual €500 cost of education allowance is payable. To qualify for participation an applicant must be in receipt of a relevant social...

Unemployment: Motion (Resumed) (8 Oct 2008)

Mary Hanafin: I am just getting the list of people I will be sharing time with from the Leas-Cheann Comhairle.

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (7 Oct 2008)

Mary Hanafin: Rent supplement is administered on behalf of the Department by the community welfare division of the Health Service Executive (HSE), as part of the supplementary welfare allowance scheme. The Executive has advised that it has no record of an application for rent supplement from the person concerned. She should contact the community welfare services if she wishes to make an application for...

Written Answers — Security of the Elderly: Security of the Elderly (7 Oct 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The telephone allowance is a component of the household benefits package which is generally available to people living in the State, aged 66 years or over who are in receipt of a social welfare payment or who satisfy a means test. It is also available to people aged under 66 who are in receipt of certain social welfare payments. The primary objective of the telephone allowance scheme is to...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (7 Oct 2008)

Mary Hanafin: Supporting and recognising carers in our society is, and has been, a priority of the Government since 1997. Over that period, weekly payment rates to carers have been greatly increased, qualifying conditions for carer's allowance have been significantly eased, coverage of the scheme has been extended and new schemes such as carer's benefit and the respite care grant have been introduced and...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (7 Oct 2008)

Mary Hanafin: Supporting and recognising carers in our society is, and has been, a priority of the Government since 1997. Over that period, weekly payment rates to carers have greatly increased, qualifying conditions for carer's allowance have significantly eased, coverage of the scheme has been extended and new schemes such as carer's benefit and the respite care grant have been introduced and extended....

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (7 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 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 address...

Written Answers — Social Insurance: Social Insurance (7 Oct 2008)

Mary Hanafin: Spouses working for self-employed contributors are specifically excepted from social insurance contributions. However, spouses who are actively engaged in a commercial partnership, including the operation of a farm, as opposed to simply being the joint owners of a property, are treated as individual self-employed contributors and are thus liable to social insurance contributions. On foot of...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (7 Oct 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The person concerned is in receipt of a jobseeker's benefit payment since 16 June 2008 at the weekly rate of €197.80. Details of his partner's income are required in order to determine if an increase is payable in respect of a qualified child. He has been requested to provide this information, but has failed to do so. When the information is received, a decision will be made and he will...

Written Answers — Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Greenhouse Gas Emissions (7 Oct 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The website of the Government's climate change awareness campaign, www.change.ie, provides a carbon calculator which enables everyone to work out their own carbon footprint. The Department has estimated that the carbon emissions relating to air travel in the course of my ministerial functions amounted to 489.52 kg in the year to 30 September 2008. This will be fully offset under the...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (7 Oct 2008)

Mary Hanafin: Rent supplement is administered on behalf of the Department by the community welfare division of the Health Service Executive (HSE), as part of the supplementary welfare allowance scheme. The Executive has advised that payment of rent supplement has not been stopped and is being paid directly to the landlord at the request of the person concerned.