Results 5,721-5,740 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

National Carers' Strategy. (25 Jun 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The development of a national carers' strategy is a key Government commitment in both the national partnership agreement, Towards 2016, and the programme for Government. The focus of the strategy is on supporting informal and family carers in the community. While social welfare supports for carers are a key issue in the strategy, other issues such as access to respite and other health...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Payments: Social Welfare Payments (24 Jun 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The current range of payment options offered by the Department to customers includes payment via local post office; certain credit unions that have been authorised by the banking and credit union regulators; and bank or building society account, including post bank. Customers opt for a particular payment method having regard to their own personal circumstances. An Post and the Department...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (24 Jun 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...

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

Mary Hanafin: Following a meeting with a Social Welfare Inspector the Department wrote to the person concerned requesting written evidence of his current and past financial affairs and evidence of his job seeking efforts. When these are received a decision will be made as soon as possible and he will be notified of the outcome. Under Social Welfare legislation decisions in relation to claims must be made...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (24 Jun 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 — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (24 Jun 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The average contributions test has been a key qualifying condition for contributory pensions since the scheme was introduced in 1961. A person's contribution record is averaged from the first day they enter social insurance until they reach retirement age. A contributory pension is a very valuable benefit and the objective of the average contributions test is, to ensure amongst other...

Written Answers — Citizens Information Act: Citizens Information Act (24 Jun 2008)

Mary Hanafin: All sections of the Citizens Information Act, 2007 other than Section 4(a)(bb), which provides for the insertion of paragraph (bb) in section 7(1) of the Comhairle Act, 2000, and all of Section 5, which concerns the introduction of the Personal Advocacy Service, have been commenced. The post of Director of PAS was sanctioned by the Department of Finance in 2007 and the Citizens Information...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (24 Jun 2008)

Mary Hanafin: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that the appeal from the person concerned has been referred to an Appeals Officer who proposes to hold an oral hearing. The person concerned will be informed when arrangements have been made. The Social Welfare Appeals Office is an office of the Department that is independently responsible for determining appeals against decisions on social...

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

Mary Hanafin: The person concerned does not have an entitlement to illness benefit as he does not have sufficient PRSI contributions paid in the relevant tax year. The Department has issued an application form to the person concerned, which should be completed and returned in order to assess the applicant's entitlement, if any, to disability allowance. Disability Allowance is a weekly allowance paid to...

Written Answers — Budgeting Advice: Budgeting Advice (24 Jun 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The Money Advice and Budgeting Service (MABS) provided services to 6,608 new clients in the period to end May 2008. In addition, 1,041 people sought information about budgeting and money management. The MABS National Helpline received 3,904 calls to date in 2008. The majority of clients were on social welfare payments (58%), the highest numbers being 1,179 (18%) who were in receipt of the...

Written Answers — Departmental Offices: Departmental Offices (24 Jun 2008)

Mary Hanafin: As provided for in the Department's Modernisation Action Plan, a strategic review of front-line services has recently been commenced. The terms of reference for this review provide, inter alia, for recommendations in relation to the criteria to be used to determine the locations in which the Department should have a Local Office or Branch Office presence. The position in relation to the...

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (24 Jun 2008)

Mary Hanafin: Under the current decentralisation programme, the Department's Head Quarters, Social Welfare Appeals Office, Information and Communications Technology Division (ICT) and Citizens Information Board are designated to relocate to Drogheda. The Office of Public Works (OPW) is charged with securing accommodation in Drogheda for this Department. That Office has advised that they have purchased...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (19 Jun 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 — Social Insurance: Social Insurance (19 Jun 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The Social Insurance Fund derives its income mainly from pay-related social insurance contributions from both employers and employees. It provides insured contributors with both long-term pension benefits and short-term benefits such as unemployment and disability payments. The following table outlines the Social Insurance Fund Receipts, Expenditure, Annual Surplus and Cumulative Surplus...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (19 Jun 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The supplementary welfare allowance scheme (SWA) is administered on behalf of the Department by the community welfare division of the Health Service Executive (HSE). The Dublin/Mid-Leinster Area of the HSE has advised that the person concerned applied for payment of SWA on 10 June 2008, while awaiting a decision on his entitlement to Jobseekers Allowance. He furnished information to support...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (19 Jun 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The supplementary welfare allowance scheme, which includes rent supplement, is administered on behalf of the Department by the community welfare division of the Health Service Executive. The Executive has advised that due to a variation in the weekly earnings of the person concerned, the amount of rent supplement payable in this case is re-calculated on a monthly basis using individual...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (19 Jun 2008)

Mary Hanafin: Disability allowance is a means-tested weekly payment for people who are substantially restricted in taking up employment owing to an illness or disability that is expected to last for at least one year. However, where a person takes up employment that is considered to be rehabilitative in nature earnings from that employment may, be subject to a disregard that will exempt it from assessment...

Written Answers — Departmental Services: Departmental Services (18 Jun 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The provision of a quality service to the public is a core objective for this Department. A formal Comments and Complaints procedure is in operation which deals with complaints relating to delays, mistakes or poor customer service. A Comments and Complaints leaflet (SW104) is available on the Department's website and in the Department's local offices. This sets out the procedures for...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (18 Jun 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The Department has a programme of initiatives designed to assist social welfare recipients including lone parents to return to the active labour force. The back to education allowance (BTEA) facilitates people on certain social welfare payments to improve their skills and qualifications and, therefore, their prospects of returning to the active work force. The scheme enables qualified...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (17 Jun 2008)

Mary Hanafin: Rent supplements are subject to a limit on the amount of rent that an applicant for rent supplement may incur. Setting maximum rent limits higher than are justified by the open market would have a distorting effect on the rental market, leading to a more general rise in rent levels and in landlord income. This in turn would worsen the affordability of rental accommodation unnecessarily, with...