Results 1,141-1,160 of 4,782 for speaker:Olwyn Enright
- Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (30 Jun 2009)
Olwyn Enright: Question 514: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if the role of a special needs organiser is solely to allocate appropriate levels of resources to a school rather than to assign particular special needs assistants to particular pupils; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26114/09]
- Written Answers — Adult Education: Adult Education (30 Jun 2009)
Olwyn Enright: Question 515: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if any of the 2,500 part-time college places include courses in renewable energy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26115/09]
- Social Welfare Code. (25 Jun 2009)
Olwyn Enright: I will deal with the issue of processing times later in respect of my other questions. I tabled this question because of the high rate of appeals to the Department. I am concerned about the high rate of successful appeals because if the system operated effectively there should not be such a high rate. I will cite three examples from last year. More than half of all appeals for the carer's...
- Social Welfare Code. (25 Jun 2009)
Olwyn Enright: I would not accept in any sense that this is a good control measure because more than half the people who appealed in those three instances were found to be entitled to the payment which means that there was no issue of fraud or of trying to pull the wool over the Department's eyes. These people were entitled to the payment and had to wait the initial application time, which could have been...
- Social Welfare Code. (25 Jun 2009)
Olwyn Enright: I agree.
- Social Welfare Code. (25 Jun 2009)
Olwyn Enright: Jobseeker's allowance does not.
- Social Welfare Code. (25 Jun 2009)
Olwyn Enright: A total of 40% of appeals are successful. That is the point of the question.
- Social Welfare Code. (25 Jun 2009)
Olwyn Enright: To find the Department's mistakes.
- Social Welfare Code. (25 Jun 2009)
Olwyn Enright: That needs to be examined.
- Pension Provisions. (25 Jun 2009)
Olwyn Enright: Question 5: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the reason for the delay in the publication of the long-term pension framework; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25550/09]
- Pension Provisions. (25 Jun 2009)
Olwyn Enright: I thank the Minister. She may think it entirely appropriate that the Government takes time but it has taken 12 years with little or no progress. There has been a little progress on defined benefit and none on the overall pension problem. I am glad the Minister says the framework will be published this year but on Question Time at the end of April she told me it would be published in a...
- Pension Provisions. (25 Jun 2009)
Olwyn Enright: The improvements relate to the State pension; they do not relate to the plethora of other pension areas which have not been improved, rather have seen a disimprovement. The Minister mentioned an implementation period of 2012 and I know she stated that previously but it is much too far away. Either way, the report still needs to be published so people know what will be there and can make...
- Pension Provisions. (25 Jun 2009)
Olwyn Enright: The Government has had 12 years. It did not come up last week.
- Pension Provisions. (25 Jun 2009)
Olwyn Enright: The value of people's pensions has been wiped.
- Social Welfare Benefits. (25 Jun 2009)
Olwyn Enright: While we all know what is involved in processing a claim, these factors do not explain the difference in processing times. Irrespective of whether average processing times are 19 weeks in one area or two weeks in another area, departmental staff must ask claimants the same questions. Variations in claimants' circumstances do not account for the delays in processing claims. When we last...
- Social Welfare Benefits. (25 Jun 2009)
Olwyn Enright: Difficulties will persist even if the community welfare service comes within the remit of the Department because the service is no longer able to provide the support it did one year ago on account of the increasing number of claimants. What action will the Minister take to address this matter?
- Social Welfare Benefits. (25 Jun 2009)
Olwyn Enright: I referred to this issue in a priority question and have raised it several times. I accept, as most people do, that staff are working flat out. However, the main concern is the customer, the person who has nothing to live on and is trying to survive. I have raised an issue with regard to people doing FÃS courses but have not received a satisfactory answer to my question. They sign off...
- Social Welfare Benefits. (25 Jun 2009)
Olwyn Enright: Regarding mortgage interest supplement, I am concerned about whether it is efficient. However, I have a greater concern, namely, the protocol with the bankers' federation and the Minister's claim that only nine houses were repossessed in the first quarter of this year. I am concerned that the Minister is believing the bankers. The people referred to did not disappear. They sold their...
- Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (25 Jun 2009)
Olwyn Enright: Question 159: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the number of job facilitators; the average waiting time to access support from a job facilitator; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23447/09]
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (25 Jun 2009)
Olwyn Enright: Question 158: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if she will arrange for her Department to collect information and statistics on the number of people who apply for mortgage interest supplement; the number of people who have been refused mortgage interest supplement; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23446/09]