Results 2,581-2,600 of 4,893 for speaker:Séamus Brennan

Written Answers — Official Hospitality: Official Hospitality (23 May 2006)

Séamus Brennan: My Department does not possess a wine cellar.

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (23 May 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 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 in...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (23 May 2006)

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

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (24 May 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 Health Service Executive has advised that it has no record of a formal application for rent supplement from the person...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (24 May 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The report referred to by the deputy is the Examination of the Cost of Healthy Eating and Specialised Diets undertaken on behalf of my Department by the Irish Nutrition and Dietetic Institute (INDI) which was published in January 2006. The report is the most comprehensive review of specialised diets and foods costs that has been carried out in Ireland in the past decade. It has brought an up...

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

Séamus Brennan: An earnings limit was introduced for deserted wife's benefit in 1992. The limit, which applied only to new claims after August 1992, was set at EUR12,697.38 a year (gross earnings). Where earnings are in excess of EUR12,697.38 a year, there may be entitlement to a reduced rate of payment of deserted wife's benefit, provided gross earnings do not exceed EUR17,776.33 a year. Following the...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (25 May 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 Health Service Executive has advised that the person concerned has been provided with an application form for rent supplement....

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

Séamus Brennan: There is no record in my Department of having received an application for the Respite Care Grant from the person to whom the Deputy refers. As soon as the completed application form has been received, the application will be processed as soon as possible.

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

Séamus Brennan: There is no record in my Department of an application having been received from the person to whom the Deputy refers. I am arranging for a form to be forwarded to the person concerned. As soon as this is completed and returned to my Department, it will be processed as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (25 May 2006)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 176 to 179, inclusive, together. Under the Government decentralisation programme announced in Budget 2004, this Department is due to decentralise all of its Dublin based headquarters sections, involving some 1,300 staff, to six locations throughout the country. Only a limited number of posts will remain in Dublin. In addition, the Combat Poverty Agency and...

Written Answers — Anti-Poverty Strategy: Anti-Poverty Strategy (30 May 2006)

Séamus Brennan: Persons are regarded as being in relative income poverty, or 'at risk of poverty', if their income falls below 60 per cent of median income for the population as a whole. The 'consistent poverty' measure, used in Ireland to ascertain those who are most deprived and vulnerable, is calculated by identifying from among those in the 'at risk of poverty' category persons who are also deprived of...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (30 May 2006)

Séamus Brennan: For the purposes of means testing for social assistance payments such as Disability Allowance, Unemployment Assistance, Blind Person's Pension, Farm Assist, Pre-Retirement Allowance and One Parent Family Payment, any moneys received by way of a maintenance grant under the following schemes are not assessed as means: 1.a scheme administered by the Minister for Education and Science under the...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (30 May 2006)

Séamus Brennan: A claim for unemployment assistance by the person concerned was disallowed by the Deciding Officer on the grounds that he is not genuinely seeking employment. The person appealed against this decision to the Social Welfare Appeals Office and in accordance with the statutory requirements the relevant departmental papers and comments of my Department were sought. These are now to hand and the...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (30 May 2006)

Séamus Brennan: Currently, a single old age non-contributory pensioner, with no other means, can have capital of up to EUR28,000 and qualify for a pension at the maximum rate and capital of up to EUR79,000 and still qualify for a pension at the minimum rate. These figures are doubled in the case of a pensioner couple. In the context of Budget 2006, I was pleased to announce that I proposed to establish, in...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (30 May 2006)

Séamus Brennan: Section 7 of the Social Welfare Law Reform and Pensions Act 2006 provided for an increase in the duration of payment of carer's benefit from 65 weeks to 104 weeks. This improvement takes effect from Budget Day, 7 December 2005. Section 48 of the Act also amended the Carer's Leave Act 2001 to provide for a corresponding increase in the duration of carers's leave from 65 weeks to 104 weeks....

Written Answers — Departmental Bodies: Departmental Bodies (30 May 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The five statutory agencies operating under the aegis of my Department are the Pensions Board, the Combat Poverty Agency, Comhairle, the Social Welfare Tribunal, and the Family Support Agency. Pensions Board The Pensions Board was established to regulate occupational pension schemes and Personal Retirement Savings Accounts (PRSAs) in Ireland as part of its statutory role to monitor and...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (30 May 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The supplementary welfare allowance scheme, which is administered on my behalf 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 source. Under the...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (30 May 2006)

Séamus Brennan: To qualify for unemployment payments a person must have lost employment and must satisfy the conditions of being available for and genuinely seeking work. Subject to certain conditions it is possible for a person to qualify for payment for part of a week while being employed for the rest of the week. Special arrangements exist in relation to systematic short-time working were this occurs in a...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (30 May 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 end-September to mid-April. The allowance represents a contribution towards a person's normal heating expenses. The scheme has been improved in...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (30 May 2006)

Séamus Brennan: Prior to Budget 2005, the Respite Care Grant was payable by my Department to recipients of Carers Benefit and Carers Allowance. The grant is paid automatically with their primary payment. Budget 2005 extended entitlement to the Grant to all full-time carers irrespective of means or contribution record but subject to certain conditions relating, notably, to employment. To date some 7,300...