Results 2,901-2,920 of 4,893 for speaker:Séamus Brennan
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (4 Oct 2006)
Séamus Brennan: The carer's allowance is a social assistance payment which provides income support to people who are providing certain elderly or incapacitated persons with full time care and attention and whose incomes fall below a certain limit. In line with other social assistance schemes, a means test is applied to the carer's allowance so as to ensure that limited resources are directed to those in...
- Written Answers — Departmental Correspondence: Departmental Correspondence (4 Oct 2006)
Séamus Brennan: The issues raised will be addressed and a reply issued directly to the correspondent shortly, a copy of which will be forwarded to the Deputy.
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (4 Oct 2006)
Séamus Brennan: Disability allowance is payable to people whose employment capacity is substantially restricted because of a disability and whose income falls below certain limits. Entitlement to the allowance is subject to the person satisfying both a means test and the medical eligibility criteria that apply and these are prescribed in legislation. The medical criteria which must be satisfied in order to...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (4 Oct 2006)
Séamus Brennan: The back to school clothing and footwear allowance (BSCFA) scheme is administered on behalf of my Department by the Community Welfare division of the Health Service Executive. A person may qualify for payment of a back to school clothing and footwear allowance if he or she is in receipt of a social welfare or health service executive payment, is participating in an approved employment scheme...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (5 Oct 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 (5 Oct 2006)
Séamus Brennan: The back to school clothing and footwear allowance (BSCFA) and the mortgage interest supplement scheme is administered on behalf of my Department by the Community Welfare division of the Health Service Executive (HSE). The Executive has advised that it has disallowed an application by the person concerned for the back to school clothing and footwear allowance as her total household income was...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (5 Oct 2006)
Séamus Brennan: Under the terms of the supplementary welfare allowance scheme, which is administered on my behalf by the community welfare division of the Health Service Executive, an exceptional needs payment may be made to help meet an essential, once-off cost which the applicant is unable to meet out of his/her own resources. Each application is determined by the Executive based on the particular...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (5 Oct 2006)
Séamus Brennan: People participating in approved courses under the back-to-education allowance scheme receive a standard weekly rate of payment equivalent to the maximum rate of their previous social welfare payment. The scheme also provides for the retention of entitlement to secondary benefits, such as rent or mortgage interest supplements under the supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) scheme. This is...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (5 Oct 2006)
Séamus Brennan: The supplementary welfare allowance scheme, which includes mortgage interest supplement, is administered on my behalf by the Community Welfare division of the Health Service Executive. A mortgage interest supplement provides short-term income support to eligible people who are unable to meet their mortgage interest repayments in respect of a house which is their sole place of residence. The...
- Pension Provisions. (10 Oct 2006)
Séamus Brennan: As the House will be aware, because of slow progress being made towards our overall targets in the pensions area, in early 2005 I asked the Pensions Board to undertake the national pensions review. This was published in January 2006. In its report on the review, the board reaffirmed the various targets recommended in the original national pensions policy initiative, including a...
- Pension Provisions. (10 Oct 2006)
Séamus Brennan: I am determined neither to make nor dodge a general election timescale.
- Pension Provisions. (10 Oct 2006)
Séamus Brennan: It will take as long as it takes. The officials in my Department have started drafting the Green Paper and are finding the process very useful. The Green Paper will outline the major policy choices that face the country and most people would agree this is the right way to proceed. We know the size of the problem, that the choices are not easy and that they must be paid for. One idea the...
- Pension Provisions. (10 Oct 2006)
Séamus Brennan: I am determined to publish it before the election.
- Pension Provisions. (10 Oct 2006)
Séamus Brennan: A very serious issue is developing with regard to pensions and, as far as I understand the matter, the figures the Deputy has mentioned are correct. One solution is to ignore the problem and allow all the tax breaks to benefit the top 20% or 30% of earners, who are benefiting from them at present. Another solution is to hype the voluntary system, perhaps by turning tax breaks into cash...
- Pension Provisions. (10 Oct 2006)
Séamus Brennan: It is everywhere.
- Tax Code. (10 Oct 2006)
Séamus Brennan: Family members working together are generally not insurable under the Social Welfare Acts. Spouses of employed or self-employed contributors are specifically excepted from social insurance contributions in respect of their working activity with their spouses. However, there is scope within the provisions of social welfare legislation to enable spouses who are partners in an enterprise, or...
- Tax Code. (10 Oct 2006)
Séamus Brennan: This issue has been the subject of many reviews over the years. More recently, it was discussed under the partnership talks. The distilled wisdom of all the parties involved, at review level among employers, employees and, in so far as I can ascertain, farmers, is that while the system is not perfect and leaves people out of the loop, there is a solution by way of making formal arrangements...
- Tax Code. (10 Oct 2006)
Séamus Brennan: I recall that rule from my days as Chief Whip. I probably brought it in.
- Family Support Services. (10 Oct 2006)
Séamus Brennan: The Government discussion paper, Proposals for Supporting Lone Parents, put forward proposals for the expanded availability and range of education and training opportunities for lone parents; the extension of the national employment action plan to focus on lone parents; focused provision of child care; improved information services; and the introduction of a new social assistance payment for...
- Family Support Services. (10 Oct 2006)
Séamus Brennan: There has been action. There have been increases in child benefit. Family income supplement has been dramatically changed and improvedââ