Results 2,801-2,820 of 4,893 for speaker:Séamus Brennan

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (6 Jul 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. Tax credits are a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Finance. The introduction of a national social welfare scheme to address the issue would be complex given the...

Written Answers — Family Support Services: Family Support Services (6 Jul 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The Government discussion paper, "Proposals for Supporting Lone Parents" which I launched in March this year, addresses the social exclusion and risk of poverty faced by many such families and their children. The process which led to the publication of the discussion paper included a number of submissions from organisations around the country representing lone parents as well as other...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (6 Jul 2006)

Séamus Brennan: There is no application process for Early Childcare Supplement (ECS). The Early Childcare Supplement will be paid in respect of those qualified children who receive Child Benefit from my Department. Currently Child Benefit is in payment to 737 non resident families for 1332 children. Of these, 481 children are under 6 years and would qualify for ECS. The detailed statistics are as follows. ...

Written Answers — Education Schemes: Education Schemes (6 Jul 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The Back to Education Allowance or 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. The BTEA is not payable to people pursuing post-graduate qualifications because people with a primary degree are...

Written Answers — Health Services: Health Services (27 Sep 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The supplementary welfare allowance scheme, which includes rent supplement, is administered on behalf of the Department 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 person concerned applied for Rent Supplement earlier this year but she was refused on the grounds that she had...

Written Answers — Health Services: Health Services (27 Sep 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The supplementary welfare allowance scheme is administered on behalf of the Department 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. If a recipient of a social welfare or Health Services Executive payment has exceptional heating costs due to ill health, infirmity or a medical...

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

Séamus Brennan: Following the recent energy price increases, my Department is increasing the current annual entitlement of 1,800 free units of electricity to 2,400 units from January 2007. A pro rata increase will also apply on the gas allowance from October 2006. The estimated annual cost of the increases is EUR 46 million for the electricity allowance and EUR 2.9 million for the gas allowance. My...

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

Séamus Brennan: It has been agreed between my Department and CIE that all peak travel time restrictions for free travel customers will be removed with effect from 25 September 2006 at an annual cost of some €1.15 million. The free travel scheme permits circa 600,000 recipients to travel free on a range of transport services. The value of a free travel pass to an individual customer depends on usage and...

Written Answers — Health Services: Health Services (27 Sep 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The supplementary welfare allowance scheme is administered on behalf of my Department 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 following a review of the claim of the person concerned, payment of supplementary welfare allowance was...

Written Answers — Health Services: Health Services (27 Sep 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The supplementary welfare allowance scheme which includes rent and mortgage interest supplements is administered on behalf of my Department 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 received an application for a mortgage...

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

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 974 and 979 together. 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...

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

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 975, 1020 and 1028 together. The household benefits package, which comprises the electricity/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...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (27 Sep 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The qualifying conditions for contributory old age pensions require a person to have paid at least 260 contributions at the appropriate rate, enter insurance 10 years before pension age and achieve a yearly average of at least 10 contributions paid or credited on their social insurance record from 1953 (when the unified system of social insurance came into effect) or the date of entry into...

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

Séamus Brennan: The person to whom the Deputy refers is currently in receipt of a Survivor's Contributory Pension at the maximum rate payable to a person under 66 years and has been advised of a possible entitlement to the National Fuel scheme. There is a general rule in the social welfare code that a person who is entitled to more than one income maintenance payment at any one time may only receive one of...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (27 Sep 2006)

Séamus Brennan: In the case of both unemployment benefit and assistance, the legislation provides that all unemployed persons must satisfy the conditions of being available for and genuinely seeking employment in order to be entitled to a payment. Any person who fails to satisfy these conditions on an ongoing basis is not entitled to an unemployment payment. In applying the legislation Deciding Officers do...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (27 Sep 2006)

Séamus Brennan: A person is disqualified from receipt of unemployment assistance for any day in which they are attending a full-time day course of study. This disqualification extends over vacation periods during the academic year and summer vacation periods between 2 consecutive years of a course of study. Second level students are also disqualified from receipt of unemployment assistance for three...

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

Séamus Brennan: A bereavement grant of €635 issued to the person concerned on 27 July 2006.

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

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 982 to 984, inclusive, and 988 together. The back to school clothing and footwear allowance scheme, BSCFA, operates from the beginning of June to the end of September each year and is administered on behalf of my Department by the Community Welfare division of the Health Service Executive. The BSCFA scheme provides a one-off payment to eligible families to...

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

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 985 and 986 together. The back to school clothing and footwear allowance scheme is administered on my behalf by the Community Welfare division of the Health Service Executive. The scheme is open toapplications from June to end-September each year. In Budget 2006, the rate of the allowance was increased by €40 to €120 for children aged 2-11 and to €190...

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

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 987 and 1032 together. The person concerned submitted an application for the Respite Care Grant in respect of full-time care provided by her in respect of herhusband. A decision not to award the Respite Care Grant in this case was made by a Deciding Officer on 19th September 2006. Amongst the documentary information relied upon by the Deciding Officer was the...