Social and Family Affairs Minister Mary Hanafin said today that if cuts were not made to payments, health services would have had to bear the brunt.

The Social and Family Affairs Minister Mary Hanafin has said the latest Live Register figures are "grounds for hope and optimism".

There has been a massive increase in the demand for the rent supplement scheme, despite the Government's trying to reduce the cost of it.

MONEY saved from cuts to child benefit paid to those on higher incomes should be used to increase payment to those on lower incomes, Barnardos chief executive Fergus Finlay said yesterday.

Barnardos is appealing to the Government to leave child benefit payments untouched for families in receipt of social welfare.

The Social and Family Affairs Minister has given the clearest indication yet that child benefit payments will be cut in next month's Budget.

A PROFILING system to identify those at risk of long-term unemployment when they first seek social welfare is to be introduced next year, Social and Family Affairs Minister, Mary Hanafin, has announced.

A new process to fast-track jobseekers' payments is set to be introduced in around one-third of social welfare offices around the country.

THE number of parents refused a grant towards the cost of caring for a disabled child has almost tripled since the Department of Social and Family Affairs (DoFSA) took over the scheme from the Health Service Executive (HSE).

MINISTER Mary Hanafin was accused of being more interested in self-congratulation than the thousands of people joining the dole queue after claiming a report revealing a massive rise in social welfare spending showed the Government’s “commitment to caring and supporting its citizens”.

ONE in six people on the live register are in limbo regarding dole entitlements because of delays processing their claims.

ECONOMIST Colm McCarthy is expected to deliver recommendations for €5 billion of the toughest spending cuts in the State’s history to Finance Minster Brian Lenihan tomorrow.

The Pensions Board has said "serious losses" were sustained by Irish pension schemes last year and that "the experience of 2008 was worse than it could, or should, have been".

MORE and more farmers’ spouses are qualifying for contributory state pension and other social welfare benefits by applying to have a commercial partnership retrospectively recognised.

Social and Family Affairs Minister Mary Hanafin says the number of people losing jobs in Ireland has slowed down significantly in recent weeks.

STAFF in the department of Social and Family Affairs took more than 190,000 days of sick leave over the past three years, an average of 12 days per year for each staff member.

The Labour Party is putting pressure on government backbenchers and independent TDs to vote against the controversial scrapping of the Christmas social welfare bonus.

SOCIAL welfare recipients will not get a Christmas bonus payment this year while jobseekers under the age of 20 will have their welfare allowance halved to €100 a week.

A SERIES of “cost-neutral” policies should be introduced to help plug the gaps left by the scrapping of the national carers’ strategy, a leading support group has claimed.

Social and Family Affairs Minister Mary Hanafin has reiterated that the Government has no plans to introduce an emergency budget to tackle the economic crisis.

FALLING rents should not be used as an excuse to reduce rent supplement payments, housing charity Threshold has warned.

MIXED messages have emerged from the Government on whether cuts in social welfare are on the cards.

THIRD-LEVEL colleges are likely to be asked to offer spare places to some of the thousands of people joining the dole queues every week.

THOUSANDS of people who could have benefited from community employment (CE) schemes are no longer eligible due to Government cutbacks.

SOCIAL Welfare spending this year has gone about €1 billion above what the Government had estimated for 2008, driven by a huge rise in unemployment.

The Social and Family Affairs Minister has said she is closely monitoring pension schemes in Ireland and is preparing proposals for a long-term strategy.

Social and Family Affairs Minister Mary Hanafin says she believes Irish voters are changing their mind on the Lisbon treaty.

TÁNAISTE Mary Coughlan has come under further criticism by the opposition who accused her of causing confusion among disabled people over what they would be entitled to under Budget 2009.

The Government has moved to cushion the impact of today’s 17.5% ESB price increase on low-income families.

THE largest electricity price increase in the history of the State will impact heavily on low-income families and OAPs, it has been claimed.

A MOTHER who has spent four months trying to find a school in which to enrol her autistic son is hopeful that the support of Taoiseach Brian Cowen will help her case in time for him to begin classes in September.

Social and Family Affairs Minister Mary Hanafin has dismissed a recommendation to replace stamp duty on houses with a new property tax.

CUTBACKS across other Government departments will be needed if social welfare payments are to be maintained throughout the recession, it was admitted last night.

WOMEN working on farms have been urged to check out their pension entitle- ments in the context of changes and clarifications announced by Social and Family Affairs Minister Mary Hanafin.

More than 15,000 people now avail of a mobile phone cash allowance from the Government.

MIGRANT workers claiming more than €90 million a year in child benefits for dependents living in other EU countries have been subjected to an anti-fraud crackdown.

A DECISION whether or not to formally review Waterford Institute of Technology’s claim for university status will be made by the Government in the next few weeks Education Minister Mary Hanafin has insisted, despite opposition claims that she has already decided against it.

MINISTERS were under pressure last night to explain why only one in five civil servants have moved under the Government’s decentralisation plan, launched more than four years ago.

THE announcement by Social and Family Affairs Minister Martin Cullen of efforts to help lone parents get into the workforce is a welcome attempt to break the cycle of poverty that affects thousands of children.

Government ministers may have to be prosecuted over the dismal running of pension schemes for public workers, an official watchdog warned today.

The Government will publish its proposals today for future changes to the pensions system.

GRUELLING commutes and a lack of free time for families is leading to a growing number of marriages and relationships collapsing.

THE recent report from the Irish Association of Pension Funds (IAPF) that there has been a significant decline in the number of defined benefit pension schemes offered by employers is confirmation of one of the worrying developments in the pensions area.

Credit unions launched an offensive today against rogue loan sharks preying on the vulnerable over the months in the run-up to Christmas.