Results 5,461-5,480 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (24 Sep 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 has been awarded rent supplement from 1 September 2008 and that payment will issue as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (24 Sep 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The supplementary welfare allowance scheme (SWA), which includes rent supplement, is administered on behalf of the Department by the Community Welfare division of the Health Service Executive (HSE). The scheme is delivered locally by Community Welfare Officers (CWOs). The CWO interviews the claimant when they first present to enquire about their possible entitlement for rent supplement....

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (24 Sep 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 (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. There is no automatic entitlement to this payment. Each application is...

Written Answers — Departmental Transport: Departmental Transport (24 Sep 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The Department does not purchase or lease any vehicles. The acquisition of the Ministerial fleet is a function of the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform.

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (24 Sep 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The Department delivers a front-line service through a network of 61 Local Offices and 64 Branch Offices countrywide. The main services provided from these offices include jobseekers payment, one-parent family payment and an information service. The staffing levels in Local Offices are reviewed from time to time. Following on the most recent reviews as a consequence of the increasing Live...

Written Answers — Social Insurance: Social Insurance (24 Sep 2008)

Mary Hanafin: This question relates to whether or not the National Social Security Systems of the EU have been unified and/or harmonised. The social security rights of people living and working in the EU are co-ordinated by EU Regulations 1408/71 and 574/72. The Regulations co-ordinate social security systems and are designed to ensure that people are not disadvantaged by moving within the EU to take up...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (24 Sep 2008)

Mary Hanafin: In order to qualify for a state pension contributory a person must satisfy a number of qualifying conditions which include commencing insurable employment at least 10 years before pension age, payment of a minimum of 260 qualifying contributions and achieving a yearly average of at least 10 qualifying contributions, paid or credited, over their working life. To determine the yearly average a...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (24 Sep 2008)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1282, 1294, 1299 and 1338 together. The Department's role is to assist social welfare recipients with heating costs, both through their basic payments and through the household benefits package with fuel, electricity and gas allowances. These schemes have been improved significantly in recent years. The national fuel allowance scheme assists householders on...

Written Answers — Data Protection: Data Protection (24 Sep 2008)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1283 and 1355 together. This Department provides an office in Oisín House, Pearse Street, Dublin 2 for exclusive use by officials of the Comptroller and Auditor General. On 12 April 2007, an officer of the Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG) reported, to the Department's Facilities Management Unit, that a laptop computer had gone missing from the room....

Written Answers — Consultancy Contracts: Consultancy Contracts (24 Sep 2008)

Mary Hanafin: No contracts have been awarded to the company concerned by the Department or by any of its agencies since 2000.

Written Answers — Departmental Agencies: Departmental Agencies (24 Sep 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The Government decided, in June 2007, that a review of the Combat Poverty Agency should be undertaken by the Department, in association with other relevant government departments. The terms of reference for the review required: the examination of the role of the Combat Poverty Agency in light of the emergence, since its establishment, of comprehensive strategies and institutional...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (24 Sep 2008)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1286 and 1343 together. I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that appeals from the persons concerned were received on 17th September 2008 and will shortly be referred to an Appeals Officer for consideration. The Social Welfare Appeals Office is an office of the Department that is independently responsible for determining appeals against...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (24 Sep 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The conference in question was not attended by any members of staff of the Department or the agencies under the aegis of the Department.

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (24 Sep 2008)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1288 and 1289 together. Set out below are two tables showing the number of recipients of rent supplement and basic weekly supplementary welfare allowance broken down by nationality. Some 8,000 people receive both payments. These cases are included in both tables. Recipients' nationality is not known in 4% of basic weekly supplementary welfare allowance...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (24 Sep 2008)

Mary Hanafin: I set out below a table showing the number of recipients of One-parent Family Payment broken down by nationality. One-parent Family Payment Recipients by Nationality/EEA Status Country / EEA Recipients Ireland 67,177 UK 4,014 Other EEA States 2,908 Non-EEA States 3,276 Coded as 'Other' 8,688 Total 86,063 Note: Ireland and UK totals are not included within the Other EEA State totals.

Written Answers — Data Protection: Data Protection (24 Sep 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The Department of Social & Family Affairs administers some fifty schemes and makes payments to one million people each week. There is also a considerable level of interaction between its staff and the public and with their representatives. In any given year, these interactions include: 1.9 million applications processed; 6.5 million telephone calls; 68 million payments; 360,000 assignments...

Written Answers — Data Protection: Data Protection (24 Sep 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The following data devices, issued by the Department, were reported stolen or lost in the years in question: 2007 — One laptop (house break-in); 2008 — Two Laptops (1 house break-in, 1 office break-in). In addition, a laptop belonging to the office of the Comptroller and Auditor General was reported missing from the Department's office in Oisín House in April 2007. Laptops can be used...

Written Answers — Social Insurance: Social Insurance (24 Sep 2008)

Mary Hanafin: Refunds of Pay Related Social Insurance (PRSI) are made to employers and employees where contributions have been paid in error. Most refunds arise as a result of people paying at the incorrect rate and relate mainly to the following: persons whose class of insurance changes, following an insurability decision; persons earning either over or under the statutory earnings threshold or ceiling;...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (24 Sep 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The Government is anxious to ensure that as many people as possible can be accommodated within the social welfare pensions system, with due regard being paid to the contributory principle underlying entitlement to contributory payments and, in the case of non-contributory payments, the need to ensure that resources are directed to those who are most in need. Over the last 10 years, means...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (24 Sep 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The free travel scheme is available to all people living in the State aged 66 years or over. All carers in receipt of carer's allowance and carers of people in receipt of constant attendance or prescribed relative's allowance, regardless of their age, receive a free travel pass. It is also available to people under age 66 who are in receipt of certain disability type welfare payments, such...