Results 2,441-2,460 of 4,893 for speaker:Séamus Brennan

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (25 Apr 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. Carers allowance is one of the schemes affected. The basis for the restriction in the new rules is the applicant's habitual residence. A person's habitual residence is decided in accordance with European Court of...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (25 Apr 2006)

Séamus Brennan: Decontrolled rent allowance is payable to tenants of certain dwellings affected by the de-control of rents that occurred in July 1982. A tenant who suffers hardship due to a rent increase of a decontrolled rent may qualify for this form of rent allowance. The allowance is not assessable as means for the other social welfare or Health Service Executive payments. The number of persons in...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (25 Apr 2006)

Séamus Brennan: Family income supplement, FIS, is designed to provide cash support for employees on low earnings with families. This preserves the incentive to remain in employment in circumstances where the employee might only be marginally better off than if he or she were unemployed and claiming other social welfare payments. FIS is paid on a weekly basis over a period of 52 weeks, taking into account a...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (25 Apr 2006)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 465 and 466 together. The information requested by the Deputy regarding persons over 66 years in receipt of carer's allowance has been prepared in tabular format as follows: Total carers over 66 years in receipt of Carer's Allowance Carers 2003 2004 2005 2006* Over 66 caring for 1 2,003 2,216 2,506 2,512 Over 66 caring for 2 173 178 204 196...

Written Answers — Legal Advisers: Legal Advisers (25 Apr 2006)

Séamus Brennan: Legal advice and related support services for my Department are supplied by the office of the Attorney General and the office of the Chief State Solicitor, as appropriate. During the years 2004 and 2005, my Department incurred expenditure in seeking legal and technical advice on the development of occupational and personal pensions, particularly in the context of the Pensions (Amendment) Act...

Written Answers — Legal Advisers: Legal Advisers (25 Apr 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The statutory agencies operating under the aegis of my Department 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 my Department. The Pensions Board is the only State body, operating under the aegis of my Department, that employs a legal adviser in a...

Written Answers — Legal Advisers: Legal Advisers (25 Apr 2006)

Séamus Brennan: My Department has a post of legal adviser, which is currently vacant due to a career break absence. The role of the post is clearly defined and states that the remit shall not encroach in any way upon the functions of the office of the Attorney General. All matters of major significance requiring legal advice continue to be referred to the Attorney General and advice from the Department's own...

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

Séamus Brennan: There are various schemes within the social welfare system to assist families in dealing with death and funeral expenses. These include the payment of a bereavement grant to insured people and their families, the payment of six weeks social welfare following the death of persons in receipt of certain social welfare schemes or their spouse, and the payment of the widowed parent's grant. The...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (26 Apr 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The setting of waste management charges and the introduction of waivers in respect of waste charges is, as stated by my colleague the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, a matter for each local authority. The introduction of a national social welfare scheme to address the issue would be complex, given the wide range of charging regimes and cost structures that exist...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (26 Apr 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The supplementary welfare allowance scheme, which is administered on behalf of the Department by the community welfare division of the Health Service Executive, provides for the payment of a rent supplement to assist eligible people who are unable to provide for their immediate accommodation needs from their own resources and who do not have accommodation available to them from any other...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (27 Apr 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The person's application for carer's allowance was disallowed by a deciding officer on the grounds that he is employed outside the home for more than ten hours per week. The person appealed this decision to the social welfare appeals office, which acts independently of my Department. In accordance with the statutory requirements the relevant departmental papers, including a submission from...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (27 Apr 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The application from the person to whom the Deputy refers was received on 23 March. The claim is being processed in my Department at present and I expect that it will be decided within the next week. If the claim is awarded, payment will issue within one week of the decision being made.

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (27 Apr 2006)

Séamus Brennan: In the case in question, a deciding officer determined that the person concerned lost his employment by reason of misconduct and, under the legislation, is disqualified from receiving unemployment benefit for nine weeks to 10 May 2006. He was notified on 19 April 2006. It is open to him to appeal this decision and a form for this purpose was issued to him on 24 April 2006. A decision will be...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (3 May 2006)

Séamus Brennan: Joint assessment is not relevant for social insurance purposes and in turn building entitlement to the state contributory pension. Liability to PRSI is assessed within its own legislative framework and provisions under income tax legislation are not relevant in relation to the calculation of social insurance liability. The accrual of PRSI contributions and class at which they are paid may...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (3 May 2006)

Séamus Brennan: One of the conditions of the household benefits package for people under 70 years is that the applicant must be residing alone or with excepted people. Excepted people include: a qualified adult; dependent child(ren) under age 18 or up to age 22 if in full-time education; a person so incapacitated as to require constant care and attention for at least 12 months; a person who would qualify for...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (3 May 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The free travel scheme is available to all people living in the State aged 66 years or over. 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 age 66 who are in receipt of certain disability-type welfare payments, such as...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (3 May 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The Department of Social and Family Affairs does not make any specific arrangements to provide access for staff to on-line newspapers. However, departmental staff who have internet access, like any member of the public, are able to log on to newspaper websites that do not require a paid subscription. The Department engaged the services of a media monitoring company in 2005. This provides an...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (3 May 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The supplementary welfare allowance scheme is administered on my behalf by the Community Welfare division of the Health Service Executive. Neither I nor my Department have any function in relation to decisions on individual claims. The Eastern Region of the Health Service Executive has advised that the person concerned is in receipt of the basic weekly supplementary welfare allowance payment...

Written Answers — Departmental Committees: Departmental Committees (4 May 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The Audit Committee in my Department was established in 2000. The role of the Audit Committee is, as part of the ongoing systematic review of the business control and corporate governance procedures within the Department, to oversee and advise on matters relating to the operations and development of the internal audit function, the business control and risk management environment and the...

Order of Business. (9 May 2006)

Séamus Brennan: I thank the Deputy.