Results 2,021-2,040 of 4,893 for speaker:Séamus Brennan

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (26 Jan 2006)

Séamus Brennan: A total of 7,015 claims were refused by my Department because of the habitual residence condition up to 23 January 2006. A breakdown by scheme type is set out in the tabular statement below. There has been no EU directive on the habitual residence condition and no review of refused cases is either planned or necessary. However, under Article 7(1) of EEC Regulation 1612/68, a worker who is a...

Written Answers — Industrial Relations: Industrial Relations (26 Jan 2006)

Séamus Brennan: There have been no recent developments on this matter and the position remains as outlined in my reply to Parliamentary Question No. 140 of 1 December 2005. As I indicated in that reply, my Department has been assured by the Office of Public Works that no further action will be taken on the installation in question without discussions between staff representatives and the company contracted...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (26 Jan 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The back to education allowance is a second chance education opportunities scheme designed to encourage and facilitate people on certain social welfare payments to improve their skills and qualifications and, therefore, their prospects of returning to the active work force. In budget 2005 the qualifying period for persons accessing the third level option of the scheme was reduced from 15...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (26 Jan 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The one parent family payment, OFP, is paid by my Department to parents who, for one reason or another, are parenting alone. Educational attainment is not a condition for receipt of the payment and no data on the level of qualification attained by the OFP recipient are captured at the time of application. At the end of 2005 there were some 80,000 lone parents in receipt of one parent family...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (31 Jan 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The Dublin and mid-Leinster area of the Health Service Executive has confirmed that the person concerned has been awarded a rent supplement with effect from 5 January 2006 and has advised that the first payment for €882.80 will issue early in the week commencing on 30 January 2006.

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (31 Jan 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The person concerned is in receipt of a farm assist payment at the weekly rate €152.80 with means of €13 assessed since 10 August 2005, derived from income from capital and income from a holding. If her circumstances have changed since the last means assessment, it is open to the person concerned to apply for a review and a form for this purpose has now been issued to her.

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (31 Jan 2006)

Séamus Brennan: Unemployment benefit is a short-term, contribution-based payment which is payable for up to 15 months, after which a person may apply for unemployment assistance, a means tested payment. Alternatively, one of a couple may receive credited contributions only, in order to maintain an insurance record while qualifying as an adult dependant on a spouse and partner's or on a partner's claim....

Written Answers — Tax Code: Tax Code (31 Jan 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The childminding relief was announced by the Minister for Finance in budget 2006 and will be provided for in forthcoming legislation. It will allow an individual to supervise up to three children in his or her own home, exempting all related childminding earnings up to a maximum ceiling of €10,000 per annum from tax, social insurance and levy payments. If childminding income exceeds...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (31 Jan 2006)

Séamus Brennan: My Department provides child income support in a number of ways. The principal support is child benefit, a universal payment which is neutral vis-À-vis the employment status of the child's parents and does not contribute to poverty traps. Since 1997, the monthly rates of child benefit have increased by €111.91 at the lower rate and €135.48 at the higher rate, increases of 293.8% and...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (31 Jan 2006)

Séamus Brennan: As detailed in the reply to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 165 of 23 November 2005 and 138 of 1 December 2005, the person concerned applied for carer's allowance in respect of two carers on 4 October 2005. The principal conditions for receipt of the allowance are that full-time care and attention is required and being provided and that the means test that applies are satisfied. Additionally,...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (31 Jan 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The award of the one-parent family payment recognises the recipient as head of a distinct family unit. Payment of a child dependant increase in respect of the same person would be inconsistent with that principle. In addition, social welfare legislation provides that where a person may qualify for more than one payment, the one that is more beneficial is put into payment. In the scenario...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (31 Jan 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The requirement to be habitually resident in Ireland was introduced as a qualifying condition for certain social assistance schemes and child benefit with effect from 1 May 2004. The basis for the restriction contained in the new rules is the applicant's habitual residence. The restriction is not based on citizenship, nationality, immigration status or any other factor. The question of what...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (31 Jan 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The supplementary welfare allowance scheme, which includes rent supplement, is administered on my behalf by the community welfare division of the Health Service Executive. Neither I nor my Department has any function in relation to decisions on individual claims. The Dublin and mid-Leinster area of the executive has advised that the person concerned has been awarded a rent supplement from 1...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (31 Jan 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The aim of the national fuel scheme is to assist householders on long-term social welfare or health service executive payments with meeting the cost of their additional heating needs during the winter season. Fuel allowances are paid for 29 weeks from the end of September to mid-April and are not intended to meet the full cost of heating. Eligibility is subject to means. People who already...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (31 Jan 2006)

Séamus Brennan: Following an oral hearing, an appeals officer disallowed the unemployment benefit claim of the person concerned on the grounds that he is not genuinely seeking work. The appeals officer was not satisfied that the person concerned has made sustained efforts to seek employment. He was notified accordingly on 20 January 2006. The appeals officer's decision is final in the absence of new facts or...

Written Answers — Departmental Posts: Departmental Posts (31 Jan 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The filling of posts in the Department is considered in the context of the Government policy on public service numbers and of the needs of the service to be provided. Posts, where they fall vacant, are examined critically on this context before a decision to fill them is made. The present position is that the Department is currently working on filling 50 vacant posts which have arisen in...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (1 Feb 2006)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 257 and 258 together. To qualify for a social insurance payment a person must satisfy contribution conditions which vary from scheme to scheme. In the case of widow's or widower's entitlement to a contributory pension this may be based on the social insurance record of either the widowed person or the late spouse. As few as three years' contributions may be...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (1 Feb 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The requirement to be habitually resident in Ireland was introduced as a qualifying condition for certain social assistance schemes and child benefit with effect from 1 May 2004. The basis for the restriction contained in the new rules is the applicant's habitual residence. The restriction is not based on citizenship, nationality, immigration status or any other factor. The question of what...

Written Answers — Consultancy Contracts: Consultancy Contracts (1 Feb 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The Department of Social and Family Affairs has not initiated, continued or completed any contracts for public relations projects in 2005.

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (1 Feb 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The retirement pension was introduced in 1970 and was intended to provide income support for people who had to retire aged 65 years until they became eligible for the normal social welfare pension, which at the time was payable from 70 years of age. The qualifying age for old age pension was subsequently reduced over time to 66 years of age which means the requirement to retire before...