Results 2,201-2,220 of 4,893 for speaker:Séamus Brennan

Social Welfare Law Reform and Pensions Bill 2006: Second Stage (Resumed). (23 Feb 2006)

Séamus Brennan: It is a pity to stop him.

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (23 Feb 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The legislative provisions on late claims for social welfare payments are set out in section 241 of the Social Welfare (Consolidation) Act 2005 and in statutory instruments. These provisions set out the times within which a person must claim the disqualifications which apply where a claim is made late and the circumstances in which the time limits may be extended. All late claims are...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (23 Feb 2006)

Séamus Brennan: Rent supplements are available to eligible people through the supplementary welfare allowance scheme, which is administered on my behalf by the community welfare division of the Health Service Executive. Rent supplement is not payable to people in full-time education. However, an exception is made for people who are in receipt of certain social welfare payments on a long-term basis who wish...

Written Answers — Social Insurance: Social Insurance (23 Feb 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The Deputy will be aware that the case in question has been a subject of previous correspondence in relation to the person's entitlement to a reduced rate contributory pension. The question at issue at this stage relates to entitlement to credited contributions, retrospectively for periods spent outside the workforce. PRSI credited contributions are an integral part of the social insurance...

Written Answers — Traveller Community: Traveller Community (23 Feb 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The national action plan against poverty and social exclusion, NAP/inclusion, which recognises Travellers as a vulnerable group, includes the objective to improve their life experience through the provision of appropriate education, health and housing services and to remove any remaining barriers to their full participation in the work and social life of the country. To that end a number of...

Social Welfare Law Reform and Pensions Bill 2006: Second Stage (Resumed). (28 Feb 2006)

Séamus Brennan: I thank the Deputies for their consideration of Second Stage of this Bill. I will bring forward a small number of technical amendments on Committee Stage. I would like to deal with many of the items raised during this debate on Committee Stage because they are very detailed. Deputy Connaughton listed four or five cases involving individuals and I would like to deal with those issues in detail...

Social Welfare Law Reform and Pensions Bill 2006: Referral to Select Committee. (28 Feb 2006)

Séamus Brennan: I move: That the Bill be referred to the Select Committee on Social and Family Affairs, in accordance with Standing Order 120(1) and paragraph 1(a)(i) of the Orders of Reference of that committee.

Written Answers — Social Insurance: Social Insurance (28 Feb 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The child-minding relief, announced by the Minister for Finance in the budget, is provided for in the Finance Bill 2006. The scheme allows an individual to supervise up to three children in his or her own home with all related child-minding earnings, up to a maximum ceiling of €10,000 per annum, exempted from taxation. To ensure that all those who participate in this scheme are afforded the...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (28 Feb 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. The purpose of the scheme is to provide short-term income support to eligible people living in private rented accommodation whose means are insufficient to meet their accommodation costs and who do not have accommodation...

Written Answers — Departmental Advertising: Departmental Advertising (28 Feb 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The use of advertising is a vital medium in the effective delivery of social welfare services to ensure all citizens are kept informed of the broad range of social insurance, social assistance schemes and other supports available to them and of changes and improvements to the schemes and services as they occur. My Department spent €176,228 on advertising in the national newspapers in 2005....

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (28 Feb 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The household benefits package, which comprises the electricity and gas allowance, telephone allowance and television licence schemes, is generally available to people living permanently in the State, aged 66 years or over, who are in receipt of a social welfare type payment or who satisfy a means test. The package is also available to carers and people with disabilities under the age of 66...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (28 Feb 2006)

Séamus Brennan: Special arrangements for volunteer development workers have provided since 1983 for the award of credited social insurance contributions up to an aggregate of five years while they are outside the country on development activities. These credited contributions enable the workers to qualify for short-term benefits on their return from their overseas development work and it supports their...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (28 Feb 2006)

Séamus Brennan: In regard to self-employed contributors who are outside the PAYE system, there is no provision for payments made towards future personal pension provision to be exempted from liability for PRSI contributions. However, self-employed contributors on the PAYE schedule E system may avail of PRSI refunds on these payments. The relevant provisions are contained in section 38 of the Social Welfare...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (28 Feb 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The carer's benefit scheme is a weekly income support payment operated and paid by this Department. It is specifically intended to support people who must leave the workforce temporarily to care for someone who is in need of full-time care and attention. It is based on PRSI contributions paid by the carer. As provided for in the Social Welfare Law Reform and Pensions Bill 2006, the benefit is...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (28 Feb 2006)

Séamus Brennan: On budget day, I was pleased to announce that I proposed to establish, in September 2006, a standardised State non-contributory pension, replacing the old age pension and, for recipients aged 66 years and over, blind pension, widow/widower's pension, one-parent family payment, deserted wife's allowance and prisoner's wife's allowance. In addition to the simplification and rationalisation of...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (28 Feb 2006)

Séamus Brennan: My Department employs over 4,500 people. There are 12 people on the payroll in my Department who are currently deployed outside of the Department. The following is a breakdown of the numbers and details involved. One assistant principal and four assistant principals, acting, are completing a two year masters programme in public policy analysis; one assistant principal is on secondment to the...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (28 Feb 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The carer's allowance is a social assistance payment which provides income support to people who are providing certain elderly or incapacitated persons with full-time care and attention and whose incomes fall below a certain limit. The primary objective of the social welfare system is to provide income support and, as a general rule, only one weekly social welfare payment is payable to an...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (28 Feb 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The risk of poverty, especially child poverty, tends to be higher among one-parent families, larger families and those faced by long-term unemployment, due mainly to the direct costs of rearing children, including child care costs, and the opportunity costs related to the reduced earning capacity of parents arising from their care responsibilities. This applies particularly to one-parent...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (28 Feb 2006)

Séamus Brennan: I understand that the Deputy is concerned, in particular, about the current arrangements applying in the case of old age pensions and other social assistance pensions where the claimant is in possession of a farm. In assessing means for social assistance purposes, account is taken of any cash income the person may have, including income from farming, together with the value of capital and...

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (28 Feb 2006)

Séamus Brennan: Under the Government's decentralisation programme for the civil and public service, the Department's headquarter sections and the social welfare appeals office are scheduled to relocate to six locations — Sligo, Carrick-on-Shannon, Donegal, Buncrana, Carrickmacross and Drogheda. In addition, the Combat Poverty Agency and Comhairle, which operate under the aegis of the Department, are...