Results 5,561-5,580 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — Official Travel: Official Travel (9 Jul 2008)

Mary Hanafin: There will not be anyone visiting Beijing in an official capacity from this Department during the Olympic Games.

Written Answers — Departmental Publications: Departmental Publications (9 Jul 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The information requested is currently being compiled and a reply will issue to the Deputy as soon as possible.

National Development Plan: Motion (Resumed) (9 Jul 2008)

Mary Hanafin: I welcome the opportunity to detail for the House the actions that the Department of Social and Family Affairs will be taking as part of the Government's collective approach to controlling short-term expenditure in the interests of Ireland's future prosperity. As the Taoiseach and the Minister for Finance outlined yesterday and today, with the downturn in the global economy and the...

National Development Plan: Motion (Resumed) (9 Jul 2008)

Mary Hanafin: I wish to share my time with Deputy O'Hanlon.

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

Mary Hanafin: The Department provides a range of supports to assist unemployed people, particularly the long-term unemployed, lone parents, and sickness related welfare recipients to return to the active labour market either by taking up employment or becoming self-employed. The main welfare to work measure for the unemployed is the National Employment Action Plan (EAP). Under the EAP, people who are...

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

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 527 and 539 together. 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 purpose of the rent supplement scheme is to provide short-term income support to eligible people living in private rented accommodation whose means...

Written Answers — Live Reigster: Live Reigster (8 Jul 2008)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 528 and 529 together. The data requested is not held by the Department in the format specified. Live Register figures are collated by local office of registration. The live register is published monthly by the Central Statistics Office and it includes a breakdown by region, county and social welfare local office. The live register and a range of related...

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

Mary Hanafin: The number of recipients and expenditure on mortgage interest supplement for 2008 and in each of the past 5 years is shown in the following tabular statement. Recipients and Expenditure on Mortgage Interest Supplement Year Recipients Expenditure â'¬000 2003 3,933 7,663 2004 3,318 6,333 2005 3,220 6,339 2006 3,424 7,873 2007 4,111 12,198 2008 *5,203 **8,135 *27 June 2008. **End...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (8 Jul 2008)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 531 to 533, inclusive, together. Since my appointment as Minister for Social and Family Affairs on 7th May 2008, I have appointed, on a contract basis for my term of office, a Special Adviser, Ms. Averil Power whose salary is €94,740 per annum, and a Press Officer, Ms. Geraldine Butler whose salary is €71,814 per annum. There are three established civil...

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

Mary Hanafin: The back to school clothing and footwear allowance scheme (BSCFA) is administered on behalf of the Department by the community welfare division of the Health Service Executive (HSE). Applications for the allowance may be made between the beginning of June and the end of September each year. The operational arrangements for the processing of applications and the payment to qualifying...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (8 Jul 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The review of the supplementary welfare allowance scheme was carried out as part of the Government's Expenditure Review Initiative series of Programme Evaluation reviews. Given the extensive and complex nature of the scheme, the review was undertaken in two phases. A report was published at the end of the first phase in December 2004. That report gave a broad appraisal of the scheme and...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (8 Jul 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The review of the jobseeker schemes which was undertaken under the expenditure review process, focused on the application of the schemes conditions to workers who are not employed on a full-time basis. The review was completed in November 2006. The review contained a range of recommendations, some of which may result in savings to the Exchequer or to the Social Insurance Fund while others...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (8 Jul 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The Department conducted an internal review of payments to carers during the period 2004 to 2006. The review was designed as a vehicle to build on the review of the carer's allowance which was published in 1998. The review examined all aspects of carer's allowance, carer's benefit and the respite care grant and made a broad range of recommendations covering issues such as the definition of...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (8 Jul 2008)

Mary Hanafin: A value for money review of the Department's information services and the Citizens Information Board is currently being carried out. The review will cover the period 2005-2007 and will examine direct and indirect expenditure incurred in the provision of information on social welfare schemes. It is expected that the review will be completed by the end of 2008 and any recommendations arising...

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

Mary Hanafin: The person concerned was awarded and paid jobseeker's allowance from 8 February 2008 to 15 April 2008. A Deciding Officer has also awarded him a retrospective allowance payment of €379.58 for the period from 15 December 2007 to 8 February 2008. The payment issued to him on 2 July 2008.

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (8 Jul 2008)

Mary Hanafin: Family income supplement (FIS) is designed to provide cash support for employees on low earnings with families. This preserves the incentive to remain in employment in circumstances where the employee might only be marginally better off than if he or she were unemployed and claiming other social welfare payments. FIS is paid on a weekly basis over a period of 52 weeks, taking into account a...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (8 Jul 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 purpose of the rent supplement scheme is to provide short-term income support to eligible people living in private rented accommodation whose means are insufficient to meet their accommodation costs and...

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

Mary Hanafin: The Health Service Executive (HSE) has advised that there is no record of an application for rent supplement or an exceptional needs payment from the person concerned. If he wishes to make an application for rent supplement or an exceptional needs payment he should apply to the community welfare officer at his local health centre.

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (8 Jul 2008)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 544 and 555 together. 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...

Written Answers — Money Advice and Budgeting Service: Money Advice and Budgeting Service (8 Jul 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The Money Advice and Budgeting Service (MABS) provides assistance to people who are over-indebted and need help and advice in coping with debt problems. There are 53 independent MABS companies with voluntary boards of management operating the service nation-wide. The MABS companies directly employ over 240 staff to provide the service. From time to time, temporary staff are employed by...