Results 2,301-2,320 of 4,893 for speaker:Séamus Brennan

Decentralisation Programme. (22 Mar 2006)

Séamus Brennan: Over 1,000 applications have been received, covering various grades, including principal officers, assistant principal officers, higher executive officers, executive officers, staff officers and clerical officers. There is a good mix of skills across those grades that can be brought to bear whatever the location. The Department has decentralised very successfully in the past. There are more...

Decentralisation Programme. (22 Mar 2006)

Séamus Brennan: I accept that. This is what the central application facility is trying to resolve. As I indicated earlier, a good range of people, from principal officers, assistant principals and so on, have applied. We find it more difficult to fill some locations than others. A considerable shortfall exists in a number of areas for which we find it difficult to induce people to sign up. However, given the...

Social Welfare Benefits. (22 Mar 2006)

Séamus Brennan: I am conscious of the need to facilitate those in receipt of social welfare payments taking up employment opportunities and to ensure that social welfare supports are structured to support this objective. A number of progressive measures have been introduced in recent years aimed at removing disincentives for people wishing to take employment and to assist in the transition from welfare to...

Social Welfare Benefits. (22 Mar 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The free travel scheme is available to all people aged 66 years or over living in the State. All carers in receipt of carer's allowance and carers of people in receipt of constant attendance or prescribed relative's allowance, regardless of their age, receive a free travel pass. It is also available to people under the age of 66 in receipt of certain disability type welfare payments, such as...

Social Welfare Benefits. (22 Mar 2006)

Séamus Brennan: As I stated previously, this is something I want to do. I confirm again that it is not a financial issue. It is still a legal issue at this point. My advice from the Attorney General's office still holds, although it is my intention to go back to raise further issues with him. The original issue we raised with the Attorney General's office was to extend it to all Irish born people in the UK...

Social Welfare Benefits. (22 Mar 2006)

Séamus Brennan: Not permanently, just for those two will do.

Social Welfare Benefits. (22 Mar 2006)

Séamus Brennan: I would like to study those. As he read them, I noted the second paragraph was strong on non-discrimination. There were a couple of good uses of "however" in them, which one expects in a good reply to a parliamentary question.

Social Welfare Benefits. (22 Mar 2006)

Séamus Brennan: Lawyers differ in all these matters. I want to do this. It is my intention. I will not give up on it. If one confines it to pensions it is not particularly expensive. If I could get around the legal issue, there are many people in the UK to whom I really want to extend it who are outside the pensioner group and are perhaps in greater need of it — those in the pre-1953 category who have been...

Social Welfare Benefits. (22 Mar 2006)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 54 and 55 together. The back to education allowance, BTEA, 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 2002 the Government, in view of the expenditure...

Social Welfare Benefits. (22 Mar 2006)

Séamus Brennan: I do not like going to court for cases involving social welfare because it is not normally a fair battle between social welfare recipients and the State. I do not like being there and, subject to the advice I receive from the Attorney General's office, it is not my intention to appeal. I had better wait for the formal advice from his office but, as a policy, I am opposed to appealing, unless...

Social Welfare Benefits. (22 Mar 2006)

Séamus Brennan: If that is the case, I will revert to the House. However, as a matter of policy, it is not my intention to appeal. If the payments were confined to the 172 people who initiated proceedings in the court, I would be disposed to help but the total number of back to education scheme participants in 2003 and 2004 was 5,458. I need to be a little circumspect before I agree to make payments——

Social Welfare Benefits. (22 Mar 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The number involved is more than 5,000. A total of 172 added their names to the application to the High Court and the case of one person was adjudicated on. I, therefore, must be a little circumspect before I rush into making back payments or compensation payments, particularly when legal issues pertain. I have an open mind about paying participants on the scheme during the summer and I will...

Social Welfare Benefits. (22 Mar 2006)

Séamus Brennan: There are approximately 7,500 people on this scheme and expenditure on it was €48 million last year. I agree the back to education scheme is a very good one. It was designed to help those who have not worked for some time to improve their employability and job readiness. More than 5,000 people were on the scheme during the 2003-04 academic year who might have had an expectation of getting...

Social Welfare Benefits. (22 Mar 2006)

Séamus Brennan: All carers in receipt of carer's allowance, carer's benefit, prescribed relative allowance or constant attendance allowance will automatically receive the respite care grant from my Department next June without having to apply for it. Similarly, carers who get domiciliary care allowance from the Health Service Executive will automatically receive the respite care grant from the HSE. The...

Social Welfare Benefits. (22 Mar 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The feedback from the family income supplement campaign, based on initial figures I received this morning, is quite good. I wanted to see to what extent the television and radio advertising was effective and we received an immediate extra 1,000 applications for the family income supplement. I will have more comprehensive figures in a week or two and will supply them to Deputies. There is no...

Social Welfare Benefits. (22 Mar 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The report referred to by the Deputy is on a study of the cost of healthy eating and specialised diets undertaken on behalf of the Department by the Irish Nutrition and Dietetic Institute, the findings of which were published on 23 January 2006. The report is the most comprehensive review of specialised diets and food costs carried out in Ireland in the past decade. It has brought an...

Social Welfare Benefits. (22 Mar 2006)

Séamus Brennan: I thank Dr. Muireann Cullen of the Irish Nutrition and Dietetic Institute, who did a superb job with the study, modernising it and bringing the information up to date. We are talking here about special diets, the typical additional cost of which, according to the report, is between €3 and €8 per week, depending on the type of diet concerned. At the end of 2005, there were 11,723 people in...

Social Welfare Benefits. (22 Mar 2006)

Séamus Brennan: I note the Deputy's comments. The study showed convenience stores are the most expensive places to purchase specialised foods while the large low-cost stores offer the best prices. It also highlighted that a person on the lowest social welfare income can meet the costs. I understand the difficulty for people in remote areas not having access to large convenience stores. The estimated extra...

Social Welfare Benefits. (22 Mar 2006)

Séamus Brennan: There is much detailed information on diets prescribed for the purpose of diet supplement. These include diets for diabetics, low-fat, low-cholesterol, high-fibre, gluten-free, low-lactose and milk-free diets. For people under 18 years, it includes high-fibre, diabetic, high-protein, gluten-free, low-protein and low-lactose, modified-protein, high-calorie diets. The revised scheme is not for...

Departmental Appointments. (22 Mar 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The five statutory agencies operating under the aegis of the Department of Social and Family Affairs are the Pensions Board, the Combat Poverty Agency, Comhairle, the Family Support Agency and the Social Welfare Tribunal. In addition the Pensions Ombudsman comes under the remit of the Department. Since my appointment as Minister for Social and Family Affairs, I have appointed 17 persons to...