Results 5,381-5,400 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (7 Oct 2008)
Mary Hanafin: The supplementary welfare allowance scheme (SWA) provides for a supplement to be paid in respect of mortgage interest to any person in the State whose means are insufficient to meet their needs. The purpose of the mortgage interest supplement is to provide short-term income support to eligible people who are unable to meet their mortgage interest repayments in respect of a house which is...
- 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 the person concerned had been in receipt of rent supplement until 13 September 2008. Payment of the supplement ceased as the person concerned is in full-time education and is...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (7 Oct 2008)
Mary Hanafin: The claim for Carer's Allowance by the person concerned was refused by a Deciding Officer on the 13 November 2007, as in the opinion of the Chief Medical Adviser, the care recipient was not so invalided or disabled as to need full-time care and attention. Following the submission of further medical evidence, the Chief Medical Adviser confirmed his original opinion. An appeal was opened in the...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (7 Oct 2008)
Mary Hanafin: The person concerned is in receipt of an EU Pro-Rata Widow's Contributory Pension since 26th July 1991. She is currently being paid â¬23.20 per week, plus a living alone of â¬7.70 and fuel allowance of â¬18. There is no record of an application for non-contributory pension having been received in respect of the person concerned. I have arranged for an application form to issue to the...
- Written Answers — Social Insurance: Social Insurance (7 Oct 2008)
Mary Hanafin: Current estimates indicate that the abolition of the PRSI ceiling for ordinary employees would yield some â¬334 million in additional contribution income in a full year.
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (7 Oct 2008)
Mary Hanafin: Payment of Illness Benefit to the person concerned was discontinued from 14th March 2008 following an examination by a Medical Assessor of the Department who expressed the opinion that she was capable of work. She appealed this decision on 19th March 2008 and, in the context of this appeal, her case was reviewed by a second Medical Assessor on 19th May 2008 who also expressed the opinion...
- Written Answers — Departmental Records: Departmental Records (7 Oct 2008)
Mary Hanafin: It is the Department's policy to work closely with the Data Protection Commissioner in relation to its response to any incident where laptops are stolen which contain confidential client information. In the most recent incident involving the contents of a missing laptop from the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General, the Department wrote to all those whose personal details were...
- Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (7 Oct 2008)
Mary Hanafin: In 2006, a wide range of important reforms were announced for non-contributory pensioners, including self employed pensioners, in conjunction with the introduction of the State pension (non- contributory). The new pension replaced a range of non-contributory payments for persons aged 66 and over including the old age pension. All these schemes currently featured a common means disregard of...
- Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (7 Oct 2008)
Mary Hanafin: The Department delivers a frontline service through a network of 59 Local Offices and 65 Branch Offices countrywide. Local Offices are staffed by civil servants whereas the Branch Offices operate under a contract for service. The staffing levels at Branch Offices are a matter for individual Branch Managers. All decisions on claims are made in Local Offices. The total number of staff...
- Written Answers — Money Advice and Budgeting Service: Money Advice and Budgeting Service (2 Oct 2008)
Mary Hanafin: The Money Advice and Budgeting Service (MABS) provided services to 10,838 new clients in the period to end August 2008. In addition, 1,641 people sought information about budgeting and money management. The MABS National Helpline received 6,457 calls to date in 2008. The majority of clients were on social welfare payments (59%), the highest numbers being 1,917 (18%) who were in receipt of the...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (2 Oct 2008)
Mary Hanafin: The Department is committed to ensuring that claims are processed and that decisions on entitlement are issued as expeditiously as possible having regard to the eligibility conditions that apply. These conditions vary from scheme to scheme and may involve, among other things, the need to establish the customer's social insurance record, verify medical incapacity for work, establish a...
- Written Answers — Social Insurance: Social Insurance (2 Oct 2008)
Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 228, 230 and 231 together. Current estimates, agreed between this Department and the Department of Finance, indicate that: A decrease in the employee PRSI rate from 4% to 2% would reduce Social Insurance Fund income by some â¬793 million in a full year; A decrease in the self-employed PRSI rate (Class S) from 3% to 2% would cost approximately â¬279 million...
- Written Answers — Social Insurance: Social Insurance (2 Oct 2008)
Mary Hanafin: The following table sets out the information requested by the Deputy. Year 2007 2007 2008 â'¬ million â'¬ million â'¬ million Employers 5,730 5,762 6,144 Employees 1,465 1,539 1,655 Self-Employed 405 421 450 Total 7,600 7,722 8,249 Estimates for 2009 have not yet been finalised.
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (2 Oct 2008)
Mary Hanafin: A total of â¬1,634.3 million was provided in the 2008 Revised Estimates Volume for jobseeker's allowance and jobseeker's benefit this year. Expenditure to end July was â¬1,081 million. A revised estimate was not published in July 2008.
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (2 Oct 2008)
Mary Hanafin: The one-parent family payment is a means tested scheme, therefore all income including personal and child maintenance payments and community employment earnings are assessable as means. In determining means from maintenance: Vouched housing costs such as rent or mortgage payments up to a maximum of â¬95.23 per week are disregarded. Thereafter, â¬1 is assessed as means for every â¬2...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (2 Oct 2008)
Mary Hanafin: The supplementary welfare allowance scheme (SWA) provides for a supplement to be paid in respect of mortgage interest to any person in the State whose means are insufficient to meet their needs. The purpose of mortgage interest supplement is to provide short term income support to eligible people who are unable to meet their mortgage interest repayments in respect of a house which is their...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (2 Oct 2008)
Mary Hanafin: One of the fundamental qualifying conditions for carer's allowance, carer's benefit and the respite care grant is that the person be providing full-time care and attention to a person who needs such care. Since the introduction of the carer's allowance scheme this full time care and attention requirement has been eased in order to facilitate carers in engaging in employment, education or...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (2 Oct 2008)
Mary Hanafin: The person concerned applied for Jobseekers Allowance on 2 July 2008 and on receipt of all the necessary information and documentation a decision has been made on her claim. Her claim has been disallowed on the grounds that she failed to satisfy the Deciding Officer that she has made genuine efforts in seeking work. In particular, she failed to submit any evidence of having made an...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (2 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. One of the conditions for receipt of rent supplement is that the Executive must be satisfied that "the claimant is in need of accommodation and is unable to provide for it from his or her own resources"....
- Energy Poverty: Motion (1 Oct 2008)
Mary Hanafin: One could be arrested for less.