Results 2,721-2,740 of 4,893 for speaker:Séamus Brennan

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (22 Jun 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The operation of the driving license renewal system is a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Environment, Heritage and Local Government. There are, to my knowledge, no plans at present to conduct a review on the lines proposed.

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (22 Jun 2006)

Séamus Brennan: A Deciding Officer determined that the person concerned has means of €135.00 derived from income from a holding. He has been awarded farm assist at €140.80 which is the appropriate weekly rate for a person with this level of means. It is open to the person concerned to appeal this decision if he is not satisfied with the decision and a form for this purpose has been issued to him. Under...

Written Answers — Departmental Reports: Departmental Reports (22 Jun 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The information requested is currently being compiled within the Department and will be made available to the Deputy shortly.

Written Answers — Employment Rights: Employment Rights (27 Jun 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The case to which the Deputy refers relates to Directive 80/987/EEC which provides for the protection of employees in the event of the insolvency of their employer. The High Court in the U.K. referred a case to the European Court of Justice for a preliminary ruling on whether Article 8 of this Directive requires "Member States to ensure, by whatever means necessary, that employees' accrued...

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

Séamus Brennan: For the purposes of social assistance schemes, property which is leased is assessable as means. In the case of property such as a second house or a commercial building, the capital value of such property is assessed. No account is taken of the net rental income, if any. There are special arrangements in place where land is leased on a short-term basis, such as the 11 month system. In this...

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

Séamus Brennan: The Christmas bonus payment was introduced in December 1980. There have been a number of developments in this initiative since its inception, including changes in the level of the bonus payment which has been at the rate of 100% over the past 6 years, the introduction of a minimum payment (EUR30 in 2005) and the extension of the categories of eligible claimants. The focus of the bonus has...

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

Séamus Brennan: Disability allowance and carer's allowance are means tested social assistance payments. In the case of both schemes, account is taken, for means testing purposes, of the claimant's own means and, in the case of a couple, their joint means. In this regard, recipients of both disability allowance and carer's allowance are treated in the same way as recipients of all other social assistance...

Written Answers — Housing Supports: Housing Supports (27 Jun 2006)

Séamus Brennan: Under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme administered on my behalf by the Community Welfare Division of the Health Service Executive, a weekly or monthly rent supplement is available to assist eligible people who are unable to meet their immediate accommodation needs through their own resources. The objective of the scheme is to provide a short-term income support. In recent years...

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

Séamus Brennan: The farm assist scheme, which introduced special arrangements for farmers on low incomes, was provided for in the Social Welfare Act, 1999 and came into operation with effect from 7 April 1999. There are now 7,581 farm assist customers. The current average weekly payment is EUR 173.89. A table showing the number of recipients by county is set out below. The level of take-up is less than had...

Written Answers — Child Support: Child Support (27 Jun 2006)

Séamus Brennan: Children who reside in the Republic of Ireland, who are aged under 6 years and who are in receipt of Child Benefit from my Department, will, in most cases, qualify for the Early Childcare Supplement (ECS). A total of some 259,000 families with over 350,000 children under the age of 6, will qualify for this payment. In a small number of cases, children resident in the Republic of Ireland do...

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

Séamus Brennan: The means test for the supplementary welfare allowance scheme, through which rent supplement is provided, requires that all types of household income, including maintenance payments for a lone parent and his or her children, must be taken into account in determining a person's entitlement under the scheme. A person who claims a One-Parent Family Payment is required to seek maintenance from...

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

Séamus Brennan: The back-to-school clothing and footwear allowance Scheme (BSCFA) 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. A person may qualify for payment of a BSCFA payment if he/she is in receipt of a social welfare or health executive payment, or is...

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

Séamus Brennan: My Department is committed to providing quality customer service to all its customers. This includes ensuring that applications are processed and that decisions on entitlement are issued as expeditiously as possible having regard to the eligibility conditions which apply. These conditions vary from scheme to scheme and may involve, among other things, the need to establish the customer's...

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

Séamus Brennan: My Department is committed to providing quality customer service to all its customers by ensuring that claims for its various schemes are processed and decided as expeditiously as possible having regard to the eligibility conditions which apply. My Department processes a large volume of claims and bearing in mind that each individual case has to be examined on its merits I am satisfied that,...

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

Séamus Brennan: Under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme administered on my behalf by the Community Welfare Division of the Health Service Executive, a weekly or monthly rent supplement is available to assist eligible people who are unable to meet their immediate accommodation needs through their own resources. Neither I nor my Department have any function in relation to decisions on individual...

Written Answers — Equal Opportunities Employment: Equal Opportunities Employment (27 Jun 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The Disability Act, 2005 provides a new statutory basis for the implementation and compliance monitoring of the 3% employment target for people with a disability in the public sector. This percentage is not a 'ceiling' i.e. Departments and Offices are not restricted to a maximum of 3% of their staff being people with disabilities. The current position in my Department is that 155, or 3.3% of...

Written Answers — Departmental Correspondence: Departmental Correspondence (27 Jun 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The detailed statistics requested by the Deputy are not available. While records of the number of claims terminated as a result of each mailshot are recorded, corresponding overpayments assessed are not recorded separately, but they do form part of overall overpayment statistics. Child Benefit claims terminated as a result of mailshot control activity do not necessarily result in the...

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

Séamus Brennan: The respite care grant was extended in 2005 to carers other than those in receipt of a carer's allowance, carer's benefit, prescribed relative allowance, constant attendance allowance and domiciliary care allowance. Carers who do not qualify for a grant under one of these schemes may now obtain a grant if they and the person for whom they are caring satisfy certain conditions. Customers who...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (28 Jun 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. Rent...

Institutes of Technology Bill 2006: Order for Report Stage. (29 Jun 2006)

Séamus Brennan: I move: "That Report Stage be taken now."