Results 1,841-1,860 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin
- Priority Questions (19 Jan 2010)
Mary Hanafin: As Minister for Social and Family Affairs may I start by congratulating Deputies Enright and McHugh on the birth of their boy. GuÃm gach ráth, sláinte agus fad saol ar an gclann álainn
- Social Welfare Benefits. (19 Jan 2010)
Mary Hanafin: The Department of Social and Family Affairs assists social welfare recipients with heating costs, through their basic payments, through the fuel allowance scheme and through the household benefits package of electricity and gas allowances. The household benefits package is payable throughout the year to almost 380,000 pensioners, people with disabilities, and carer households to assist them...
- Social Welfare Benefits. (19 Jan 2010)
Mary Hanafin: I was not involved in the emergency committee and I do not believe it addressed this particular issue, knowing that it was being dealt with by the Department of Social and Family Affairs and the community welfare officers who distribute the money for the Department; that is why I am in a position to answer these questions. Interestingly, although I know many people had to use fuel almost...
- Social Welfare Benefits. (19 Jan 2010)
Mary Hanafin: -----through the community welfare officers. The sufficient amount of â¬92 million has been allocated to them this year for supplementary welfare payments.
- Social Welfare Benefits. (19 Jan 2010)
Mary Hanafin: In fairness to community welfare officers they dealt extraordinarily well with the flooding issue.
- Social Welfare Benefits. (19 Jan 2010)
Mary Hanafin: They are the people best placed on the ground and who know. Providing an additional week's benefit has been suggested. However, that would be paid in May which would not be much good to people now. Much of the money invested in fuel expenditure by the Department is done so through household benefits and that is not targeted. Admittedly it goes to everybody over the age of 70 and older...
- Social Welfare Benefits. (19 Jan 2010)
Mary Hanafin: The exceptional needs payment available for this year is approximately â¬90 million. There is also the installation scheme but that is a separate issue and I want to return to the question asked by the Deputy in the first instance on the carbon tax to be introduced this year and her final question on the fuel strategy for last year. An interdepartmental group on energy affordability has...
- Social Welfare Benefits. (19 Jan 2010)
Mary Hanafin: The primary objective of the back to education allowance, BTEA, is to give welfare recipients who left school early and those without third level qualifications a second chance to attain educational qualifications so as to reduce their risk of long-term unemployment. In order to qualify for participation, an applicant must generally be in receipt of a relevant social welfare payment for three...
- Social Welfare Benefits. (19 Jan 2010)
Mary Hanafin: The Deputy has acknowledged that we have made necessary changes and I am open to making more. We need to ensure that we keep qualifying criteria for the link with social welfare. We must also ensure that there is a time lag because problems can arise if there is no waiting time. The Deputy referred to graduates. Traditionally, we have not gone beyond the higher diploma. I accept that...
- Social Welfare Benefits. (19 Jan 2010)
Mary Hanafin: I have been looking at a number of issues, such as the problems encountered by people who qualified a long time ago and whose postgraduate qualifications are no longer relevant to the current market. We need to have a focus on any solutions to these problems, and we could do that in the context of the smart economy. We should be targeting support for people who are doing courses that might...
- Social Welfare Benefits. (19 Jan 2010)
Mary Hanafin: I will participate in any discussion on back to education programmes.
- Social Welfare Fraud. (19 Jan 2010)
Mary Hanafin: Welfare fraud is theft. It is a serious crime and the Department is doing everything it can to prevent and detect fraud, and to crack down on those who abuse the system. Several initiatives were introduced or enhanced last year to target controls more effectively in schemes. These included more frequent mailshots to identify people who have left the country and who are no longer entitled to...
- Social Welfare Fraud. (19 Jan 2010)
Mary Hanafin: One of the reasons the target was not met was that the number on the live register did not reach the anticipated level. It is important that we stop people receiving payment before fraud occurs. This issue is being given careful attention. The control target for next year is â¬533 million. The Department hopes and expects to achieve this target through the range of measures it has...
- Social Welfare Fraud. (19 Jan 2010)
Mary Hanafin: I am aware of that. It is awful that anyone would continue to collect money for such a long period.
- Social Welfare Fraud. (19 Jan 2010)
Mary Hanafin: Deputy Shortall makes a fair point. At that time, the systems did not talk to each other. As a result of new information technology, deaths are automatically notified to the Department. This did not occur at the time of the case to which the Deputies refer. One should not underestimate the fact that the systems talk to each other. While it may be odd that is only taking place now, at...
- Social Welfare Fraud. (19 Jan 2010)
Mary Hanafin: A person who was working would not have an entitlement.
- Social Welfare Fraud. (19 Jan 2010)
Mary Hanafin: I will return to the Deputy on that question. In some schemes, including lone parent's allowance, carer's allowance, illness payments, State pensions and family income supplement, the savings secured from anti-fraud measures have exceeded the targets. We cannot concentrate all our efforts on the live register.
- Social Welfare Fraud. (19 Jan 2010)
Mary Hanafin: We will continue to take the issue seriously. The Deputy asked what new measures the Department would take this year. The introduction of the new PPS card is a new initiative. Members of the public can also make a complaint or report suspected fraud on-line without providing any information about themselves. They can provide details and information on the Department's website about people...
- Social Welfare Benefits. (19 Jan 2010)
Mary Hanafin: Between 2000 and 2009, overall expenditure on child benefit grew from just â¬638 million to approximately â¬2.5 billion per annum. The Government is proud to have been able to deliver such significant increases in payments to families when the resources were available. However, with tax revenues having fallen dramatically, we cannot afford to maintain spending at this level. The...
- Social Welfare Benefits. (19 Jan 2010)
Mary Hanafin: A person earning â¬22,000 per annum would be much better off than an individual on the live register because the latter would only receive slightly more than â¬11,000 per annum.