Results 5,961-5,980 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (13 May 2008)

Mary Hanafin: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that, in accordance with the statutory requirements, the relevant Departmental papers and comments of my Department have been sought in this case. On receipt of this response the case will be referred to an Appeals Officer for early consideration. The Social Welfare Appeals Office is an office of my Department that is independently...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (13 May 2008)

Mary Hanafin: A Deciding Officer disallowed the jobseeker's benefit claim of the person concerned from 25 January 2008, on the grounds that she was not available for, or genuinely seeking work. She appealed this decision. However, the Appeals Officer was not satisfied that she was available for full-time work and genuinely seeking work on a sustained and consistent basis and accordingly upheld the...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (13 May 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme, which is administered on my behalf by the community welfare division of the Health Service Executive (HSE), provides for the payment of a rent supplement to assist eligible people who are unable to provide for their immediate accommodation needs from their own resources and who do not have accommodation available to them from any other source. The...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (13 May 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The main conditions for receipt of Respite Care Grant are that the person or persons in respect of whom the application is made must require full-time care and attention and that the applicant must be providing that care. The legislation provides that a person is regarded as requiring full-time care and attention where they require continual supervision and frequent assistance throughout the...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Schemes: Social Welfare Schemes (13 May 2008)

Mary Hanafin: My Department provides a number of employment and training incentives to encourage and facilitate people, including people with a disability, to take up available work or training options. These include the back to work and back to education allowances. The back to work allowance provides a monetary incentive for people who are long term dependant on social welfare payments, including illness...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (13 May 2008)

Mary Hanafin: Child benefit (CB) is the principal means of providing support to families with children. It is neutral vis-À-vis the employment status of the child's parents and maximizes choice for parents. Child benefit is paid monthly in advance to 582,600 families is respect of over 1,118,000 children. At present there are no plans to move child benefit to a twice monthly payment. It should be noted...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (13 May 2008)

Mary Hanafin: There are two main commitments in the Agreed Programme for Government, which relate to pensioner qualified adults. These are as follows: i. Complete the scheme introduced in Budget 2007 to provide a personal pension payment for pensioner spouses in receipt of the Qualified Adult Allowance. The payment will be set at the level of a full rate Non-Contributory State Pension and the income limits...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (13 May 2008)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 324 and 337 together. 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...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (13 May 2008)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 325 and 327 together. It important that those who wish to continue in employment after normal retirement age should, as far as is possible, be facilitated and supported. Longer working can play an important role in ensuring that our pensions system is sustainable in the future and can be beneficial to the individual. The Green Paper on pensions includes an...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (13 May 2008)

Mary Hanafin: An earnings disregard of €100 per week was introduced in September 2006 where the non-contributory pensioner and/or spouse or partner is in employment. The disregard was intended as an incentive to facilitate non-contributory pensioners who wish to continue working, or to re-enter the workforce. In line with the commitment in the Programme for Government the disregard was increased to...

Written Answers — National Carers Strategy: National Carers Strategy (13 May 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. A working group, chaired by the Department of An Taoiseach, has begun work on developing the strategy. My Department provides the secretariat to the working group which also includes representatives of the Departments of...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (13 May 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The Government discussion paper, Proposals for Supporting Lone Parents, put forward proposals for the expanded availability and range of education and training opportunities for lone parents; the extension of the National Employment Action Plan to focus on lone parents; focused provision of childcare; improved information services for lone parents and the introduction of a new social...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (13 May 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The Programme for Government commits to implementing significant improvements in both the Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance and the School Meals schemes. There have been significant improvements to both schemes in recent years. The rates of back to school clothing and footwear allowance (BSCFA) have been increased significantly. Since 2005, the allowance has increased from €80...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (13 May 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The commitment in the programme for Government to which the Deputy refers is being advanced in the context of housing policy. Housing supports in general are provided by local authorities but the Department provides income maintenance support where required in particular circumstances. Mortgage interest supplement provides income support to eligible people who are unable to meet their...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (13 May 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The free travel scheme is available to all people living in the State aged 66 years or over and to people receiving certain disability or care payments. Following extension of the free travel scheme on an "all Island" basis proposals were put forward to extend the scheme to Irish born people living abroad and those receiving pensions from my Department. Officials of the Department have been...

Written Answers — Money Advice and Budgeting Service: Money Advice and Budgeting Service (13 May 2008)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 333 and 334 together. The Money Advice and Budgeting Service (MABS) is the main Government funded service which provides assistance to people who are over-indebted and need help and advice in coping with debt problems. The MABS has a unique and expert contribution to make in meeting the needs of people with debt difficulties in today's society. This includes...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (13 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. The person concerned applied for Disability Allowance on the 17 April 2008. The Medical Assessor determined that an examination would be...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (13 May 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The Health Service Executive has advised that the person concerned is in direct provision accommodation provided by the Reception and Integration Agency of the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform. People in direct provision are not regarded as being habitually resident in the state and are not entitled to any social welfare payment which is subject to the habitual residence condition.

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (13 May 2008)

Mary Hanafin: My Department provides a range of supports to parenting. Child Benefit and Maternity Benefit are the most direct financial provisions within the remit of my Department in this regard. Child Benefit, a universal payment, is paid in respect of children up to the age of 16 years — and it continues to be paid in respect of children up to the age of 19 years who are either in full-time...

Written Answers — Marriage Licences: Marriage Licences (8 May 2008)

Mary Hanafin: I have been advised by the Registrar General that the position is as set out below. Following commencement of the provisions of the Civil Registration Act, 2004 on 5 November, 2007, new processes and procedures were put in place to provide a universal system that recognises and underpins marriage as a solemn contract, and to streamline procedures to provide clarity on the formalities to be...