Results 5,801-5,820 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (27 May 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The Department supports government policy which aims to facilitate the greater use of electronic payment systems in the economy in the interests of developing a world class payments environment in Ireland. Our payment strategy is designed to ensure that cost effective arrangements are in place for making payments to social welfare customers by using a range of payment options and to ensure...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (27 May 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The following table details the number of staff within my Department at the grade of Assistant Principal and higher, and the number recruited from outside of the Civil Service. Under the terms of Towards 2016 new arrangements are in place to increase open recruitment at Higher Executive Officer, Assistant Principal and Principal Officer across the civil service. Grade No. of posts...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (27 May 2008)

Mary Hanafin: To be entitled to jobseeker's benefit or allowance a person must be available for and capable of work. The person concerned had been in receipt of jobseeker's allowance and was paid in Dublin, until 1 April 2008, when her claim was suspended and then closed as she had failed to sign the live register as required. The person concerned applied for an illness benefit payment on 2 April 2008 but...

Written Answers — Industrial Disputes: Industrial Disputes (27 May 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The Civil Public and Services Union is currently in dispute with my Department in relation to a claim for the extension of the flexible attendance bands. The industrial action being taken involves non co-operation with lunchtime opening in the Department's local offices and a ban on answering phones at lunchtime. I regret the inconvenience to the public arising as a result of the industrial...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (27 May 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The back to education allowance (BTEA) is a second chance education opportunities scheme designed to encourage and facilitate people on certain social welfare payments to improve their skills and qualifications and, therefore, their prospects of returning to work. It is paid at a standard weekly rate equivalent to the maximum rate of the relevant social welfare payment that qualifies the...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (27 May 2008)

Mary Hanafin: Domiciliary Care Allowance is a monthly allowance administered by the Health Service Executive (HSE). Eligible children from birth to the age of 16 who are living at home and who have a severe disability requiring continual or continuous care and attention which is substantially in excess of that normally required by a child of the same age may qualify for Domiciliary Care Allowance. The...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (27 May 2008)

Mary Hanafin: Disability allowance is a weekly allowance paid to people with a disability who are aged between 16 and 66 years. The disability must be expected to last for at least one year and the allowance is subject to both a medical examination and a means test. Records in this Department show that 198 persons in the period February to December 2005, 246 persons in 2006, 248 persons in 2007 and 93...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (27 May 2008)

Mary Hanafin: Rent supplement is administered on behalf of the Department, by the Health Service Executive (HSE) as part of the supplementary welfare allowance scheme. Rent supplement is subject to a limit on the amount of rent that an applicant may incur. Rent limits are set at levels that enable the different eligible household types to secure and retain basic suitable rented accommodation, having...

Written Answers — Ministerial Travel: Ministerial Travel (22 May 2008)

Mary Hanafin: Ministerial cars are driven by members of An Garda Síochána. Such vehicles are exempt from tolls under section 62 of the Roads Act, 1993. Accordingly, no cost arises to the Exchequer.

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (22 May 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The person concerned advised his local Social Welfare Office that he would be in the UK from 8 April 2008. He was paid for the maximum 2 week holiday period from 8 April 2008 to 21 April 2008. He failed to present himself at the Social Welfare Office again until 1 May 2008. It is understood that he remained outside the State from 22 April 2008 until 30 April 2008, and accordingly he...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (22 May 2008)

Mary Hanafin: Supporting and recognising carers in our society is, and has been, a priority of the Government since 1997. Over that period, weekly payment rates to carers have greatly increased, qualifying conditions for carer's allowance have significantly eased, coverage of the scheme has been extended and new schemes such as carer's benefit and the respite care grant have been introduced and extended....

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (22 May 2008)

Mary Hanafin: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that the appeal from the person concerned was received by that Office on 3/4/08 and a summary decision was issued on 22/4/08 disallowing the appeal. In the decision the Appeals Officer noted that "by failing to co-operate with the Social Welfare Inspector as to his means, appellant has not shown that he satisfies the conditions as to means...

Social Welfare Appeals. (21 May 2008)

Mary Hanafin: I thank both Deputies for raising this issue. Eligibility for respite care grant was originally confined to people in receipt of certain primary social welfare payments, who received it automatically. Such people continue to do so. In the 2005 budget, eligibility for the respite care grant was extended to include all carers irrespective of means or contribution record but subject to certain...

Written Answers — Civil Registration: Civil Registration (21 May 2008)

Mary Hanafin: An tArd Chlaráitheoir (Registrar General) is the person with statutory responsibility for the administration of the civil registration system in Ireland. I have made enquiries with the Registrar General and he has informed me that the position is as follows. Section 46 of the Status of Children Act, 1987, provides that the husband in a legally subsisting marriage shall be presumed to be the...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (21 May 2008)

Mary Hanafin: My Department operates the free travel scheme which provides free travel on the main public and private transport services for those eligible under the scheme. These include road, rail and ferry services provided by companies such as Bus Átha Cliath, Bus Éireann and Iarnród Éireann, as well as Luas and services provided by over 90 private transport operators. Airlink and other special...

Written Answers — Tax and Social Welfare Codes: Tax and Social Welfare Codes (21 May 2008)

Mary Hanafin: My Department has taken a lead role over the years in developing and implementing identity management policies and procedures based on the use of the Personal Public Services (PPS) number. This number was previously known as the Revenue and Social Insurance (RSI) number. The name was changed to indicate the broadening of its role to one which supports delivery of a broader range of public...

Written Answers — : (21 May 2008)

Mary Hanafin: I am conscious of the need to facilitate persons in receipt of social welfare payments when taking up employment opportunities. To ensure that supports are structured to support this objective, a number of measures have been introduced in recent years to remove disincentives to taking up employment and to assist in the transition from welfare to work. These include easing of means tests...

Written Answers — : (21 May 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The social welfare system has been improved over recent decades to make it easier for people, and women in particular, to qualify for contributory pensions. Social insurance coverage has been extended to include new categories of employment such as part-time workers and qualifying conditions for pensions have been eased. The home-makers scheme was introduced to limit the impact periods...

Written Answers — Social Insurance: Social Insurance (21 May 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The Programme for Government states that 'The role and economic contribution of spouses working on the farm will be better recognised within the social insurance system, following on from Budget 2007 which allowed recipients of Farm Assist to make PRSI contributions for the first time'. Spouses working for self-employed contributors are specifically excepted from social insurance...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (21 May 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The Agreed Programme for Government includes the following commitment relating to the lowest rate of social welfare payments: Continue to maintain the value of the lowest rate of social welfare payments as agreed in the National Action Plan on Social Inclusion. In Budget 2008, the lowest rate of social welfare payment was increased by €12.00 per week or 6.5%, thereby fully maintaining the...