Results 2,921-2,940 of 4,893 for speaker:Séamus Brennan

Family Support Services. (10 Oct 2006)

Séamus Brennan: ——back to school allowances, early child care supplements and equal opportunity child care programmes, etc, have been put in place. Last year, those improvements stood at well over €1 billion. Much is happening in tackling child poverty and poverty generally. The facts and figures I have make clear that it is having a major impact. To return to the Deputy's question, I do not have a...

Family Support Services. (10 Oct 2006)

Séamus Brennan: My target is to ensure there is no child poverty in this country at this stage of our development. That is what we are working towards.

Family Support Services. (10 Oct 2006)

Séamus Brennan: It is my intention that the legislation will be separate. There may be financial aspects of it that will have to be dealt with in a budget, but the legislation would have to be separate because it is a new scheme and there are considerable legislative reforms involved.

Social Welfare Benefits. (10 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...

Social Welfare Benefits. (10 Oct 2006)

Séamus Brennan: That is what I want to do.

Social Welfare Benefits. (10 Oct 2006)

Séamus Brennan: However, I do not have the luxury of ignoring what the Attorney General or the Commission say. I must take account of what both institutions say. As the Deputy is aware, I removed the peak time restrictions recently and in the coming period it will be possible to give full details on the expansion of the North-South travel. We will then have sorted those two problems. I am as committed...

Social Welfare Benefits. (10 Oct 2006)

Séamus Brennan: I will give the Deputy's suggestion some thought.

Social Welfare Code. (10 Oct 2006)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 108, 122, 151, 175, 196, 201 and 203 together. The package of reforms and initiatives aimed at supporting lone parents is based on the Government discussion paper Proposals for Supporting Lone Parents, which I launched in March this year. The discussion paper sought to address the increased risk of social exclusion and poverty faced by lone parents and...

Social Welfare Code. (10 Oct 2006)

Séamus Brennan: As I said, it is my intention that we will have separate legislation on lone parent reforms. That does not rule out the Minister for Finance making preparatory type changes in a budget, as he has done in recent budgets, by adjusting guidelines and limits, increasing amounts and putting in place a framework in anticipation of the legislation. While it will be a specific Bill, the budgets and...

Social Welfare Code. (10 Oct 2006)

Séamus Brennan: Deputy Crow is correct in stating that we must get this right and I have no monopoly on wisdom in this area. Senior officials in my Department, researchers and various bodies involved have been undertaking this study for more than three years. I have picked up the ball and run with it in an effort to get it across the line. I seek to distil the wisdom around me. There is no financial...

Social Welfare Code. (10 Oct 2006)

Séamus Brennan: For some months a group of officials have been working on the implementation plan. It arose from our consultations with lone parent groups who made it clear that income was one aspect of the problem. Aspects such as flexible working hours, child care and access to education and training, as mentioned by Deputy Crowe, should be addressed in tandem. We committed to developing proposals and...

Social Welfare Code. (10 Oct 2006)

Séamus Brennan: I am not accusing anyone in the Chamber. Everyone here is being responsible about it but I am thinking in the context of the next election. Dealing with these social issues in a political cauldron is most difficult. It is easy to whip up fears. I accept that Deputy Stanton is not doing this but it is easy to do so and I wanted to be careful and ensure that we progressed the matter with...

Social Welfare Code. (10 Oct 2006)

Séamus Brennan: I did it.

Social Welfare Code. (10 Oct 2006)

Séamus Brennan: Deputy Penrose asked me to reduce the qualifying period from 15 months to 12, which I did. He then asked me to reduce the period to nine months.

Social Welfare Code. (10 Oct 2006)

Séamus Brennan: Subject to an examination by me of the matter, I am certain I did so. In respect of the clause Deputy Penrose is thinking of, we reduced the period to nine months but introduced a FÁS assessment so that FÁS would have a role in assessing the back to education requirement. As far as I am concerned, I did what Deputy Penrose asked me to do on the floor of this House.

Written Answers — Social Welfare Fraud: Social Welfare Fraud (10 Oct 2006)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 109 and 162 together. Operation Gull is a joint control exercise undertaken periodically at Airports and Ports in the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland and Great Britain and the operations involve personnel from the Garda National Immigration Bureau, my Department and the United Kingdom Immigration Service. A Social Welfare Inspector was assigned to the...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (10 Oct 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 qualify...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (10 Oct 2006)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 111, 128 and 178 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. Applications for the allowance may be made between the beginning of June and the end...

Written Answers — Family Support Services: Family Support Services (10 Oct 2006)

Séamus Brennan: I am aware of the excellent work which has been done for many years by the organisation One Family, formerly known as Cherish, in providing voice, support and action for one-parent families through membership, professional services and campaigning. The organisation works with all types and all members of one-parent families, respecting the realities of family life in Ireland. I received a...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (10 Oct 2006)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 113 and 429 together. Supporting and recognising carers in our society is and has been a priority of the Government since 1997. Over that period, weekly payment rates to carers have been greatly increased, qualifying conditions for carer's allowance have been significantly eased, coverage of the scheme has been extended and new schemes such as carer's benefit...