Results 5,741-5,760 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (17 Jun 2008)

Mary Hanafin: To qualify for a State Pension Non-Contributory, a person or couple must be habitually resident in the State and satisfy a means test. In determining means, the weekly income derived from occupational pensions, farming, and/or self employment by claimant and/or spouse or partner is assessed. Where a person/couple has savings and investments and any property (excluding a person's own home),...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (17 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 my Department that is independently responsible for determining appeals against decisions on social...

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

Mary Hanafin: The Health Service Executive has advised that the person concerned is currently living in local authority accommodation in Co Kildare. Under the legislation governing entitlement to rent supplement, a person is not entitled to a supplement where he or she has vacated local authority accommodation without satisfying the Health Service Executive there was good cause for doing so. The person...

Written Answers — Regulatory Impact Analysis: Regulatory Impact Analysis (17 Jun 2008)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 554 and 560 together. My Department has produced a number of Screening Regulatory Impact Analyses (RIAs) since the Government Decision to introduce this policy. These related to the Citizens Information Bill 2006; the inclusion of trust-based Retirement Annuity Contracts under the relevant provisions of the Pensions Act (Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2007);...

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

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 555 and 556 together. The person concerned applied for a jobseeker's allowance payment on 8 May 2008. His claim is currently with a Social Welfare Inspector for assessment of his means. Following completion of the Social Welfare Inspector's report a decision will be made as soon as possible and he will be notified of the outcome. He is currently in receipt...

Written Answers — Private Rented Accommodation: Private Rented Accommodation (17 Jun 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The supplementary welfare allowance scheme, which includes rent supplement, is administered on behalf of the Department by the community welfare service of the Health Service Executive (HSE). The purpose of rent supplement is to provide short-term income support to eligible tenants living in private rented accommodation whose means are insufficient to meet their accommodation costs and who...

Written Answers — Departmental Agencies: Departmental Agencies (17 Jun 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The five statutory bodies operating under the aegis of my Department are the Pensions Board, the Combat Poverty Agency, the Citizens Information Board (formerly Comhairle), the Family Support Agency and the Social Welfare Tribunal. In addition the Pensions Ombudsman comes under the remit of my Department.

Written Answers — Anti-Poverty Strategy: Anti-Poverty Strategy (17 Jun 2008)

Mary Hanafin: Under the EU's Open Method of Co-ordination on Social Protection and Social Inclusion, each member state is required to prepare a National Report on Strategies for Social Protection and Social Inclusion (NSSPI). This report sets out strategic priorities in the policy areas of social inclusion, pensions and health and long term care. My department is currently preparing Ireland's NSSPI for the...

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

Mary Hanafin: The person concerned applied for Disability Allowance on 17 April 2008. In order to assess his medical eligibility to Disability Allowance a medical examination was arranged for Friday 13 June, 2008 and the result of this examination is expected shortly. A Social Welfare Inspector interviewed the applicant on 9 June 2008, in order to assess his weekly means. The Inspector has returned his...

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

Mary Hanafin: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that, the relevant Departmental papers and comments of my Department have been received and the case has been referred to an Appeals Officer for consideration. The Social Welfare Appeals Office is an office of my Department that is independently responsible for determining appeals against decisions on social welfare entitlements.

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (17 Jun 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The Department uses pre-recorded oral announcements in the delivery of its schemes and services where a menu of options is presented to the customer. The options are presented in a clear simple language using terms to describe the various schemes that are well understood by customers in order to ensure that they choose the right option and eliminate unnecessary transfer of calls between...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (17 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 and payments are not...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (17 Jun 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The Department aims to ensure that all citizens are made aware of their rights and entitlements and that they are kept informed of changes and improvements in schemes and services as they occur. The provision of information in a clear and accessible manner is an essential element in the achievement of this objective. The Department uses a mix of advertising media including national and...

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

Mary Hanafin: The Health Service Executive has advised that according to its records, the person concerned is no longer in full-time employment and has been awarded a rent supplement of €87 per week from 7th May 2008. This is the maximum rate of rent supplement due given the financial circumstances of the person concerned.

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

Mary Hanafin: The supplementary welfare allowance scheme, which includes mortgage interest supplement, is administered on behalf of the Department by the community welfare division of the Health Service Executive. A mortgage interest supplement provides short-term income support to eligible people who are unable to meet their mortgage interest repayments in respect of a house which is their sole place of...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (17 Jun 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The social welfare pension rights of those who take time out of the workforce for caring duties are protected by the homemaker's scheme which was introduced in and took effect from 1994. The scheme allows up to 20 years spent caring for children or incapacitated adults to be disregarded when a person's social insurance record is being averaged for pension purposes. However, the scheme will...

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

Mary Hanafin: As stated in my reply to the Deputy on 13 May 2008, the Health Service Executive has advised that following a review of the rent supplement in payment, it was noted that the rent charged by the landlord to the person concerned had been reduced. As a consequence, the rent supplement payment was reduced. If the person concerned is not satisfied with the decision of the community welfare...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (17 Jun 2008)

Mary Hanafin: Expenditure on Social Welfare schemes and allowances for individual recipients are considered to be dedicated or ring-fenced regardless of whether or not the entitlement is laid down in statute. The Deputy would of course be aware that most of the schemes are on a statutory footing.

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

Mary Hanafin: To qualify for payment of the Respite Care Grant, a person must satisfy all the qualifying conditions on the date the Grant is due for payment, that is, the first Thursday in June of the year for which the Grant is being claimed. One of these conditions is that the applicant is not employed outside the home for more than 15 hours a week. The person to whom the Deputy refers was employed for...

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

Mary Hanafin: My Department currently operates a range of schemes for people with an illness or disability including the insurance based illness benefit and invalidity pension, the means-tested disability allowance and blind person's pension, and occupational injury benefit for those who are unable to work because of an accident suffered at work. In line with other payments provided by my Department to...