Results 5,881-5,900 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (14 May 2008)

Mary Hanafin: Improvements in social welfare supports are normally introduced by way of the annual Budget. Budget 2008 provided for increases in welfare rates of payment which are ahead of the projected increases in prices for 2008. These included: An increase in the maximum personal rates of contributory pension of €14, or6.7%, per week, and An increase of €12.00 per week, or 6.5%, in the lowest...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (14 May 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The Green Paper on Pensions was published on the 17th October 2007, beginning a period of consultation on our pensions system which will continue until the end of May 2008. From time to time, the Department has received personal queries about people's State Pension entitlements through the channels set up to receive Green Paper submissions. Where this occurs, the Department refers the queries...

Written Answers — Social Insurance: Social Insurance (14 May 2008)

Mary Hanafin: There are no plans at present to withdraw funds from the Social Insurance Fund.

Written Answers — Homeless Persons: Homeless Persons (14 May 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The Government is committed to addressing homelessness in a comprehensive and co-ordinated manner. Substantial progress is being made under the Government's strategy on adult homelessness, in addressing the needs of people who are homeless and in assisting them to move to accommodation that is suitable to their needs. This has been done through the recognition that a solution to homelessness...

Written Answers — International Agreements: International Agreements (14 May 2008)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 128 and 176 together. Ireland has social security agreements with Austria, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the USA and Switzerland. These agreements came into effect between 1989 and 1999, except for that with the UK which covers the Isle of Man and Channel Islands and came into effect on 1st October 2007. Ireland also has a bilateral...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (14 May 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The telephone allowance is a component of the household benefits package which also includes the electricity/gas allowance and free television license schemes. The package is generally available to people living in the State aged 66 years or over who are in receipt of a social welfare payment or who satisfy a means test. It is also available to people aged under 66 who are in receipt of...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (14 May 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The legislative provisions relating to late claims for social welfare benefits are set out in Section 241 of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005, and in Regulations made under that section. These provisions set out the times within which a person must claim, the disqualifications which apply where a late claim is made, and the circumstances in which the time limits may be extended....

Written Answers — Social Insurance: Social Insurance (14 May 2008)

Mary Hanafin: Increasing numbers of company directors are seeking formal insurability decisions as to their correct class of insurance, some of which have come to the attention of the Social Welfare Appeals Office. As a result the Appeals Office has proposed a change in social welfare legislation aimed at simplifying the classification of directors. The situation arises due to the fact that, while some...

Written Answers — Personal Advocacy Service: Personal Advocacy Service (14 May 2008)

Mary Hanafin: A key function of the Personal Advocacy Service will be to develop awareness and understanding of advocacy amongst people with disabilities and service providers. This will be done through a range of measures including engaging directly with disability representative groups, service providers and other voluntary and statutory organisations who deal with people with disabilities. The Personal...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (14 May 2008)

Mary Hanafin: Guidelines detailing circumstances that may affect ongoing entitlement to invalidity pension and conditions to be observed for customers claiming or receiving the pension are forwarded to customers in advance of the award of invalidity pension claims, and a signed declaration acknowledging observation of these guidelines must be returned to my Department prior to the award of payment. These...

Written Answers — Departmental Audits: Departmental Audits (14 May 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The Office of the Data Protection Commissioner undertook an audit of the Department in late January 2008. The Commissioner is preparing his report and, in this regard, his officials have been liaising with officials of the Department. When the final report is received, its findings and recommendations will be carefully examined by the Department with a view to taking whatever actions are...

Written Answers — Legislative Reform: Legislative Reform (14 May 2008)

Mary Hanafin: This issue was the subject of a recent High Court judgement concerning the rights of a person, who has undergone gender reassignment surgery, to recognition of her acquired gender. On foot of the High Court judgement, delivered on 19 October 2007, the judge made a declaration, pursuant to Section 5 of the European Convention on Human Rights Act 2003, that Sections 25, 63 and 64 of the Civil...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (14 May 2008)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 173 and 175 together. 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...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (14 May 2008)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 177 and 178 together. The back to education allowance (BTEA) is paid at a standard weekly rate equivalent to the maximum rate of the relevant social welfare payment that qualifies the applicant for participation in the scheme. It essentially replaces their existing social welfare income and in addition an annual €400 cost of education allowance is payable....

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (14 May 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The purpose of rent supplement, administered under the supplementary welfare allowance 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 who do not have accommodation available to them from any other source. Rent supplement is subject to a limit on the amount of rent...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (14 May 2008)

Mary Hanafin: Pneumoconiosis is a prescribed disease for the purpose of the Occupational Injuries scheme administered by my Department. The legislation governing the Occupational Injuries Scheme provides entitlement to benefit for persons suffering from certain prescribed diseases which are listed in the legislation and where that person has contracted that disease in the course of their employment. Where...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (14 May 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The social welfare appeals process is quasi-judicial and the procedures are designed to ensure that every appellant's case gets full and satisfactory consideration. The quasi judicial nature of the appeals system means that the process must be governed by fair procedures. This, of course, can give rise to inevitable time lags in processing appeals. I am advised that improving processing...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (14 May 2008)

Mary Hanafin: Claims for State Pension (Contributory) and State Pension (Transition) are now fully processed within three weeks of receipt of the applications where all information is available. Average processing times for all claims now stand at less than 8 weeks for a State Pension (Contributory) and 5 weeks for State Pension (Transition). The Department has commenced claim initiation on the State...

Education Schemes. (14 May 2008)

Mary Hanafin: My Department provides a wide range of second chance education opportunities to facilitate people on certain social welfare payments to improve their skills and qualifications and, therefore, their prospects of returning to the active workforce. The back to education allowance is one of these second chance education opportunities schemes. It is paid at a standard weekly rate equivalent to...

Education Schemes. (14 May 2008)

Mary Hanafin: This is a very positive scheme given that 8,090 people are currently availing of it. Some 3,359 people are participating in second level education while 4,731 are participating in third level education. It is very much targeted at those in receipt of social welfare payments. The scheme is specifically for such people and not for those on low incomes. People on low incomes who qualify for...