Results 3,241-3,260 of 4,893 for speaker:Séamus Brennan

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (14 Nov 2006)

Séamus Brennan: I have received and noted the correspondence referred to by the Deputy. In considering eligibility for contributory payments it is necessary to uphold the contributory principle which underpins entitlement. This requires, amongst other things, that people make a minimum level of contribution to the social insurance system. The pre-1953 pension is one of a number of special pensions...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (14 Nov 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The Programme for Government contains a commitment to a scheme of all-Ireland free travel for pensioners resident in all parts of the island of Ireland. The scheme will enable pensioners resident here to travel free of charge on all bus and rail services in Northern Ireland. Likewise, pensioners in Northern Ireland will travel free of charge on services in this State. Implementation of a...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (14 Nov 2006)

Séamus Brennan: Two interesting papers were presented at the recent ESRI conference which have relevance to the services administered by my Department. The paper relating to the growth of disability payments in Ireland sets out to examine, using an econometric model, the extent to which individuals, who classify themselves as disabled or ill for the purposes of labour force surveys, may be misreporting their...

Written Answers — Wealth Distribution: Wealth Distribution (14 Nov 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The OECD's use of the phrase "social transfers" encompasses not only social welfare expenditure but also expenditure in other areas such as health care, social housing, employment support programmes and other social inclusion programmes. My Department is responsible for some 50% of this expenditure. The OECD acknowledges the fact that differences in the structure of social protection...

Written Answers — Family Support Services: Family Support Services (14 Nov 2006)

Séamus Brennan: I am currently developing proposals for inclusion in the forthcoming Budget which will benefit all social welfare recipients including low income families. In this regard, I am taking into account various factors including Government commitments relating to weekly rates of payment, such as bringing the lowest social welfare rate to €150 per week in 2002 terms and to have the combined value...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (14 Nov 2006)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 399 and 415 together. The cost of increasing child dependant allowance rates to a single weekly figure of €30 for all recipients is €180 million in a full year.

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (14 Nov 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. Under standard SWA rules, rent supplements are normally calculated to ensure that a person, after the payment of rent, has an income equal to the rate of SWA appropriate to their family circumstances less a minimum...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (14 Nov 2006)

Séamus Brennan: There is a general rule in the social welfare code whereby a person who is entitled to more than one income maintenance payment at any one time may only receive one of the payments. This is designed to ensure that limited resources are not used to make two income support payments to any one individual. However, there are some exceptions to this rule, including the payment of half-rate...

Written Answers — EU Directives: EU Directives (14 Nov 2006)

Séamus Brennan: No outstanding EU directives within the competency of my Department have yet to be transposed into law.

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (14 Nov 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The back to education allowance 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. I reduced the qualifying period for access to the third level option of the scheme to 12 months in the 2005 Budget. I...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (14 Nov 2006)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 408 to 410, inclusive, together. My Department operates two main types of pension scheme; contributory and non-contributory payments. Contributory payments are paid on the basis of social insurance contributions made over a person's working life. Missionaries who have made sufficient social insurance contributions can qualify for the state pension...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (14 Nov 2006)

Séamus Brennan: Ireland has social security agreements with Austria, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the USA and Switzerland. These agreements came into effect between 1989 and 1999, except for that with the UK which came into effect in 1971. Ireland has had a bilateral understanding with Quebec since 1 October 1994. All these agreements are in operation and are working satisfactorily....

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (14 Nov 2006)

Séamus Brennan: Approximately, 340,000 pensioner and other households qualify for the electricity or gas allowances through the household benefits package. In recognition of the recent increases in the price of natural gas and electricity I have recently announced significant increases to the gas and electricity allowances. In order to cover the 33.8% increase in the cost of natural gas, from October 1st,...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (14 Nov 2006)

Séamus Brennan: A National Disability Survey, a follow-up to the latest Population Census is currently being conducted by the Central Statistics Office, the results of which will be available next year. This is the first national survey in Ireland specifically designed to capture the prevalence of different types of disability and the extent to which those affected participate in various activities. The...

Written Answers — Poverty Levels: Poverty Levels (14 Nov 2006)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 417 and 418 together. The aim of the national fuel scheme is to assist householders on long-term social welfare or health service executive payments with meeting the cost of their heating needs during the winter season. Fuel allowances are paid for 29 weeks from end-September to mid-April. The allowance represents a contribution towards a person's normal...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (15 Nov 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The supplementary welfare allowance scheme, which includes mortgage interest supplement, is administered on my behalf by the Community Welfare Service of the Health Service Executive. The Executive has been contacted concerning this case and has advised that it has not received an application for mortgage interest supplement from the person concerned. It has advised that the person concerned...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (15 Nov 2006)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 226 and 227 together. My Department does not directly employ counsellors to assist lone parents. Rather, it has a number of facilitators who provide a range of services for people attempting to rejoin the labour market. A key role of the facilitator is to focus on the support programmes available to those seeking work, to identify their needs and to seek to...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (15 Nov 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The processing of one-parent family claims has heretofore been carried out in the Social Welfare Services Office in Sligo. Following a review of the arrangements for administering the scheme, it was decided that services should in future be provided through my Department's network of Local and Branch Offices. The primary aim of providing services at local level is to improve customer...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (16 Nov 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The provision of occupational pensions in Ireland is on a voluntary basis and depends on the willingness of employers to contribute to and maintain schemes for their employees. Traditionally, such schemes were organised on a defined benefit basis. However, in recent years defined benefit provision has been under pressure because of volatility in the stock markets and increasing liabilities...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (16 Nov 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. Under the terms of the supplementary welfare allowance scheme, a recipient of a social welfare or Health Service Executive payment who has exceptional heating costs due to ill health or infirmity can apply to their local community welfare...