Results 5,901-5,920 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Education Schemes. (14 May 2008)

Mary Hanafin: It is designed to ensure that it gives people the opportunity to go to education which would open the door for them to employment. The fact that more than 8,000 people are benefiting from the scheme means we are definitely targeting those on the live register as more than 5,500 of those people are on the live register. There are no plans to extend the scheme to those on low incomes.

Education Schemes. (14 May 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The commitment to the scheme is shown by the fact that €70.8 million is being spent on it. It is important there are schemes targeted at people on social welfare. That is not to say there should not be other schemes targeted at people on low incomes. Part of the programme for Government seeks to ensure a free fees initiative for part-time courses.

Education Schemes. (14 May 2008)

Mary Hanafin: It is part of the programme for Government. We are only one year into the programme.

Education Schemes. (14 May 2008)

Mary Hanafin: This is a new initiative, which is also part of social partnership, to try to target those who did not get an opportunity to participate in third level education. It was piloted in Tallaght Institute of Technology last September and it will be extended in the autumn. It will specifically target the people about whom the Deputy spoke, namely, those who did not benefit from higher education,...

Anti-Poverty Strategy. (14 May 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The Society of St. Vincent de Paul has a proud tradition of supporting and championing the rights of the poorest members of our society. I am aware it recently expressed concerns about increased demands on its supports and services in the Dublin area. I draw attention to the fact that people who are experiencing immediate financial emergencies can avail of the community welfare service which...

Anti-Poverty Strategy. (14 May 2008)

Mary Hanafin: I urge anybody who requires exceptional or urgent need payments, such as expenses relating to children, to seek the assistance available. Some €76 million has been set aside in this year's budget for that type of hardship payment. I hope people do not feel they have to depend on an organisation like the St. Vincent de Paul for that assistance. Food inflation has been significant over the...

Anti-Poverty Strategy. (14 May 2008)

Mary Hanafin: There is no need for a supplementary budget at this stage. We encourage people, if necessary, to approach their community welfare officer to ensure they are getting the full benefit of schemes such as the family income supplement. Although there has been an increase in the number of people taking up family income supplement, it has not been adopted to full capacity yet. Perhaps some of the...

Community Welfare Service. (14 May 2008)

Mary Hanafin: In February 2006, as part of its reform of the health sector, the Government decided that the administration of the supplementary welfare allowance scheme, SWA scheme, as well as certain other functions, would transfer to the Department of Social and Family Affairs. Provision has been made in the Social Welfare and Pensions Act 2008 for the transfer of the administration of SWA to the...

Community Welfare Service. (14 May 2008)

Mary Hanafin: In response to the first question, in addition to dealing with the administration of social welfare schemes, community welfare officers are also engaged in health and personal social services work, which includes means assessment for medical cards and nursing home subventions. These latter functions will remain with the HSE when the community welfare service transfers. It was on the basis...

Community Welfare Service. (14 May 2008)

Mary Hanafin: I do not know. If there is an answer I will get it for Deputy Enright.

Community Welfare Service. (14 May 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The Deputy will be aware that these discussions are sensitive and the National Implementation Body arranged the establishment of the group of SIPTU, IMPACT, the HSE and the Departments of Health and Children and Social and Family Affairs, which had intensive discussions, culminating last month. It is anticipated that the group will reconvene very shortly. It is waiting for the management to...

Social Welfare Appeals. (14 May 2008)

Mary Hanafin: My Department processes almost 2 million applications for benefit, pension or allowance each year, only a small percentage of which result in an appeal to the social welfare appeals office. A claimant who is dissatisfied with the decision of a deciding officer of the Department, including a decision based on medical criteria, may appeal it to the social welfare appeals office. In addition...

Social Welfare Appeals. (14 May 2008)

Mary Hanafin: I am interested in the figures Deputy Broughan cited on disability allowance. Although he is correct in saying that 2,754 cases were appealed, of that number, 700 were not allowed and 568 were withdrawn.

Social Welfare Appeals. (14 May 2008)

Mary Hanafin: That is the advantage of having an appeals process and it is an important part of the process. Given that 2 million applications are made every year, I thought the number of appeals was small. The major difference in making the appeal is that one is allowed to enclose additional medical information with the appeal. Sometimes that makes the difference. Often people do not supply sufficient...

Social Welfare Appeals. (14 May 2008)

Mary Hanafin: Ongoing professional training is an important part of the work of the frontline people, particularly medical assessors. Medical assessors are full time, fully qualified and registered people. Medical education is carried out by national and international experts to ensure they are on top of their jobs. That is important, particularly in the area of disability. Some decisions on whether a...

Social Welfare Appeals. (14 May 2008)

Mary Hanafin: I am not sure I am referring to the correct figure.

Social Welfare Appeals. (14 May 2008)

Mary Hanafin: I will check the budget for the whole appeals process.

Social Welfare Benefits. (14 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. 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 who do not have accommodation...

Social Welfare Benefits. (14 May 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The rent supplement was always intended to be a short-term scheme.

Social Welfare Benefits. (14 May 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The fact that it then grew and there were so many people on it for 18 months or more was the reason for developing the RAS. People were becoming dependent on the rent supplement for their housing needs which was never the intention behind it. The intention is to ensure that these people can be facilitated through the local authorities' various schemes, whether through RAS units or social...