Results 2,861-2,880 of 4,893 for speaker:Séamus Brennan

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

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

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

Séamus Brennan: The social welfare pension rights of those who take time out of the workforce for caring duties are protected by the homemakers scheme which was introduced from 1994. The scheme allows up to 20 years spent caring for children or incapacitated adults to be disregarded when a person's social insurance record is being averaged for pension purposes. However, the scheme will not of itself...

Written Answers — Departmental Programmes: Departmental Programmes (27 Sep 2006)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1046 to 1049, inclusive, together. The Outline Sectoral Plan, produced by my Department under the Disability Act 2005 and as part of the National Disability Strategy, proposed that Comhairle prepare a scheme relating to sign language interpretation (SLI) services in Ireland. In preparation for this task, Comhairle commissioned consultants to review existing...

Written Answers — EU Directives: EU Directives (27 Sep 2006)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1050 and 1051 together. 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...

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

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1052 and 1053 together. People providing full-time care who are in receipt of carers allowance, carers benefit or prescribed relatives allowance receive the respite care grant automatically, without having to apply for it. The same applies where a constant attendance allowance is in payment. Payment is made on or after the first Thursday in June of the year...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (27 Sep 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. The purpose of the scheme is to provide short-term income support, in the form of a weekly or monthly payment, to eligible people living in private rented accommodation whose means are insufficient to meet their...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (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. Section 190(1) of the Social Welfare (Consolidation) Act 2005 provides that people in full-time education are not normally eligible to receive...

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

Séamus Brennan: People providing full-time care who are in receipt of carers allowance, carers benefit or prescribed relatives allowance receive the respite care grant automatically, without having to apply for it. The same applies where a constant attendance allowance is in payment. Payment is made on or after the first Thursday in June of the year to which the payment refers. To date in 2006 the grant...

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

Séamus Brennan: My Department operates a number of schemes which provide income support to persons with an illness or disability, including the disability benefit and invalidity pension schemes and the means-tested disability allowance and blind pension. The number of people currently in receipt of these schemes and with comparative numbers for 1997 is: Disability Benefit 66,195 (42,460 in 1997); Invalidity...

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

Séamus Brennan: The living alone allowance or living alone increase as it is now known, is an additional payment of €7.70 per week made to people aged 66 years or over who are in receipt of certain social welfare payments and who are living alone. It is also available to people under 66 years of age who are living alone and who receive payments under one of a number of invalidity type schemes. The...

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

Séamus Brennan: Unlike other social welfare payments requiring qualifying contributions or assessment of means, child benefit is a universal payment, paid in respect of children up to the age of 16 years regardless of the level or source of parental income. It continues to be paid in respect of children up to age 19 who are in full-time education, or who have a physical or mental disability. The policy of...

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

Séamus Brennan: 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 carers and people with disabilities under the age of 66 who...

Written Answers — Social Insurance: Social Insurance (27 Sep 2006)

Séamus Brennan: Pay Related Social Insurance (PRSI) is an important part of the social welfare system. Social Insurance provides a range of benefits to customers at certain specified times in their lives. The integrity of the PRSI system is dependent on timely, appropriate contributions being made to the Social Insurance Fund by employers, employees and the self employed as laid down in social welfare...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (28 Sep 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The person concerned is awarded Carer's Allowance with effect from 1 June 2006. He had previously been refused carer's allowance on the grounds that he was engaged in employment for more than ten hours per week. The limit on the number of hours of employment was raised to fifteen hours with effect from 1st June 2006, enabling the person concerned to qualify from that date. As he is assessed...

Written Answers — Departmental Estimates: Departmental Estimates (28 Sep 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The total sum allocated to my Department in 2006 as between Vote 38 for Social and Family Affairs and the Social Insurance Fund is €13,540 million. Demand-led schemes account for the vast bulk of social welfare expenditure and the determinants of such expenditure can change significantly even in the short to medium term. However, the indications at this stage of the year are that the Vote...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (28 Sep 2006)

Séamus Brennan: I understand that the Deputy is concerned about the impact on entitlement to disability allowance where an existing single recipient marries or cohabits with a partner who is employed, particularly where the couple wish to take out a mortgage to purchase a property. In the case of all social assistance schemes, including disability allowance, account is taken, for means testing purposes, of...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (28 Sep 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...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (28 Sep 2006)

Séamus Brennan: Social Welfare legislation provides that a person must be available for and genuinely seeking work in order to be entitled to an unemployment payment or to sign for credits. Any person who fails to satisfy these conditions on an on-going basis is not entitled to an unemployment payment or credits. Persons who participate in part-time courses of education may retain their unemployment...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (28 Sep 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The unemployment assistance claim of the person concerned was disallowed with effect from 27 January 2006 on the grounds that he was not genuinely seeking work. He appealed this decision to the Social Welfare Appeals Office. The Appeals Officer upheld the Deciding Officer's decision and the person concerned was notified accordingly on 6 June 2006. If his circumstances have changed, it is...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (28 Sep 2006)

Séamus Brennan: Pneumoconiosis is a prescribed disease for the purpose of the occupational injuries benefit scheme administered by my Department. Occupational injuries benefit is payable to people with pneumoconiosis on the same basis as to people with other prescribed conditions. Disablement benefit, payable under the occupational injuries scheme, is a compensation payment for loss of faculty arising out...