Results 3,401-3,420 of 4,893 for speaker:Séamus Brennan

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (13 Dec 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 — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (13 Dec 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The social welfare system comprises two types of payment, social insurance based schemes, which require those eligible to reach a certain standard in terms of the social insurance contributions paid or credited on their record, and non-contributory payments designed for those without the necessary social insurance record for contributory schemes who can satisfy a means test. Within that basic...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (13 Dec 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, I...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (13 Dec 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The person in question is a Latvian national who is working in Ireland. His family is residing in Latvia. Under EU regulation 1408/71, an employed person who is working in a Member State is entitled to family benefits provided by that State even though the worker's family may be residing in another member state. Claims processed under EU regulations generally take a longer time to finalise...

Written Answers — Consultancy Contracts: Consultancy Contracts (13 Dec 2006)

Séamus Brennan: My Department engages consultancy support in a range of areas including policy development, business and organisation change and in the area of information and communications technology (ICT). The bulk on expenditure in the last two years has been on consultancy support for the delivery of strategic ICT and business programmes such as REACH and the Service Delivery Modernisation programme....

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (13 Dec 2006)

Séamus Brennan: A person who is paid Illness Benefit is required to comply with "Rules of Behaviour" specified in regulations. These "Rules of Behaviour" ensure that Illness Benefit is paid only to people who are unable to work because of illness or disability. The purpose of exemptions to the rules of behaviour is to allow a person to return to work on a part-time basis after a prolonged absence for...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (13 Dec 2006)

Séamus Brennan: From January 2007 persons in receipt of state pension (non contributory) can also augment their income by up to €200 per week (or €10,400 annually) in earnings from insurable employment and still maintain their pension entitlements in addition to their entitlement to fuel allowance. This new disregard, relating to earnings from employment, is an incentive to facilitate state pension...

Citizens Information Bill 2006: Report and Final Stages (14 Dec 2006)

Séamus Brennan: I apologise for my delay due to the Social Welfare Bill in the Seanad.

Citizens Information Bill 2006: Report and Final Stages (14 Dec 2006)

Séamus Brennan: It is one of those weeks, but not to worry, it will be a long Christmas. I explained previously that we changed the name for branding reasons. I have ensured that the line "advocacy, information and advice" will be present wherever the title is used. The word advocacy will always appear as a strap line and that is very important.

Citizens Information Bill 2006: Report and Final Stages (14 Dec 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The board's intention is to promote the new personal advocacy service as a distinct service and to target people with disabilities and those who work with them. On the passing of the legislation, the statutory body will be called the citizens information board, an bord um fhaisnéis do shaoránaigh. However, the board's important function in the provision of advocacy services will be...

Citizens Information Bill 2006: Report and Final Stages (14 Dec 2006)

Séamus Brennan: I accept the good intent behind this amendment but I feel requiring the director to consider whether a parent could act effectively on behalf of a child, when considering entitlement to a personal advocate, would make qualifying conditions for the service more stringent. This amendment could be counterproductive in practice because it introduces to the qualifying criteria the notion of...

Citizens Information Bill 2006: Report and Final Stages (14 Dec 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The amendment is not necessary. The strategic and business plans of the citizens information board, now Comhairle, should include — I will seek to ensure they do — some kind of time target. To put it into legislation could have the kind of effect mentioned previously, as for example in the planning area where people kept returning for more information and the issue ended up going round...

Citizens Information Bill 2006: Report and Final Stages (14 Dec 2006)

Séamus Brennan: I do not have a problem with what the Deputy is trying to achieve. At one level it is reasonable to use the word "reasonable" in legislation. However, at another level an army of lawyers could spend time dealing with what is "reasonable" where somebody has a particular advocacy issue. "Reasonable" for that person might be two days, but "reasonable" in other circumstances could be two...

Citizens Information Bill 2006: Report and Final Stages (14 Dec 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The point I made on Committee Stage was that the legislation requires the advocate to act in the best interests of the person. The advocate is statutorily required to do so. It may not always be simple to take direct instruction and therefore it is better to rely on the legislative requirement to act in the best interests of the person. The giving, receiving and misunderstanding of...

Citizens Information Bill 2006: Report and Final Stages (14 Dec 2006)

Séamus Brennan: We are reducing the size of the board from 20 to 15 for operational efficiency. The percentages are tweaked as a result and there is a reduction from 25% to 20% in the representation of people with disabilities. I undertook to take account of that when making appointments. That is the better route to take at this stage. When one reduces a board dramatically, one gets this type of...

Citizens Information Bill 2006: Report and Final Stages (14 Dec 2006)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to accept the amendment subject to one change. There should be no apostrophe after "Citizens" in line with the word used in the Short Title of the Bill, Citizens Information Act 2006. The marginal note will also be changed by the Bills Office to read "Short Title, collective citation and commencement".

Citizens Information Bill 2006: Report and Final Stages (14 Dec 2006)

Séamus Brennan: I thank the Deputies opposite for their consideration of and work on the Bill and, in particular, for agreeing to the timetable. I had hoped the Bill would be passed in the Seanad tomorrow but, unfortunately, this will not prove possible. I am sure it will be passed in the Upper House as soon as its sittings resume.

Community Welfare Service. (14 Dec 2006)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 and 4 together. The decision taken by the Government to transfer certain functions from the Health Service Executive to my Department came on foot of recommendations made by the Commission on Financial Management and Control Systems in the Health Service. I am fully in favour of and support that decision. The decision will involve the transfer of...

Community Welfare Service. (14 Dec 2006)

Séamus Brennan: I greatly acknowledge and thank the 701 community welfare officers throughout the country and the 183 supporting clerical staff, including, for example, porters. The service is delivered through 1,000 locations throughout the country. There are nine appeals officers in the community welfare service who deal with SWA appeals and there are 59 superintendents. This has been discussed over many...

Community Welfare Service. (14 Dec 2006)

Séamus Brennan: This recommendation was made by a commission on financial management and control systems in the health service. It follows on from the reorganisation and restructuring of the Health Service Executive. Community welfare officers administer, for example, the rent scheme which runs to between €400 million and €500 million annually. It is an enormous scheme and must be seen as a welfare...