Results 3,721-3,740 of 4,893 for speaker:Séamus Brennan

Social Welfare Benefits. (1 Mar 2007)

Séamus Brennan: I confirmed the commencement date for the revised arrangements would apply to new applicants from September 2007. It is not proposed at this point to include existing recipients, although I would like to do so. The Department informed me it could take some time to do that. We will commence with new applicants and I hope in time policy will develop so we can extend this facility to existing...

Social Welfare Benefits. (1 Mar 2007)

Séamus Brennan: Carer's allowance is a social assistance payment paid to people who are providing full-time care and attention to a person in need of such care. In line with other social assistance schemes, a means test is applied to the carer's allowance so as to ensure resources are directed to those in greatest need. This means test has been eased significantly over the years. Following budget 2006,...

Social Welfare Benefits. (1 Mar 2007)

Séamus Brennan: If I announced the abolition of the means test for carers, the Labour Party would have to amend its manifesto. Deputy Penrose would be the most disappointed man in the House if I announced that move. The Deputy feels passionately about this and has managed to put the issue at centre stage in his party, on which I compliment him. I have an open mind on the matter. Sometimes it is better to...

Anti-Poverty Strategy. (1 Mar 2007)

Séamus Brennan: In 2005, the rate of consistent poverty in Ireland was 7% of the population, of whom 12.2% were children. This proportion is still too high, but it must be judged in the context of what has been achieved over the past decade. Some 250,000 people, including children, have been lifted from poverty in Ireland based on the consistent poverty measure. The Government is determined to continue to...

Anti-Poverty Strategy. (1 Mar 2007)

Séamus Brennan: I was just getting good at it.

Anti-Poverty Strategy. (1 Mar 2007)

Séamus Brennan: The study uses figures from 2000. We should keep that in mind.

Anti-Poverty Strategy. (1 Mar 2007)

Séamus Brennan: With respect to the Deputy, it has changed. It is almost seven years since these figures were produced and Ireland has changed dramatically in that time. While the Deputy is right to say the study places us as 22 out of 24 in regard to material well-being it puts us eighth in terms of educational well-being, seventh in family and peer relationships, fourth in behaviours and risks for...

Employment Support Services. (1 Mar 2007)

Séamus Brennan: Consistent with the vision for all people of working age as set out in the Government's recently published national action plan for social inclusion 2007-16 and bearing in mind the 2010 EU level target participation rate for older workers of 50%, which was agreed by the European Council under the Lisbon strategy, unemployed people aged 55 to 64 years have been included within the scope of the...

Employment Support Services. (1 Mar 2007)

Séamus Brennan: Labour force participation by people aged 65 years or over is in the region of 7.2%, and it is expected to reduce to 6.2% by 2010. In the 1950s it was 37%. I do not have figures for those who claimed the €100 income disregard which became €200 in the recent budget but the number is small. There has not been an enormous response but the disregard is valuable. We have asked the Citizens...

Social Welfare Benefits. (1 Mar 2007)

Séamus Brennan: Child benefit can be paid in respect of every child under the age of 16 years, who is ordinarily resident in the State. Payment can be extended to the nineteenth birthday if the child is in education, or incapable of self-support. The benefit is paid to the qualified person with whom the child resides and since 1 May 2004, the qualified person must satisfy the habitual residence condition....

Social Welfare Benefits. (1 Mar 2007)

Séamus Brennan: I have met various organisations about this issue. The Department, the Government and I wish to take a humane and caring approach to it. As the Deputy correctly points out, children are innocent parties in these decisions to move from country to country. We will keep a close eye on it. Ireland was one of only three states to open its borders in 2004; most other member states did not do...

Social Welfare Benefits. (1 Mar 2007)

Séamus Brennan: Only 10% of the claims were disallowed. The number of child benefit claims that required examination of the habitual residence condition was 16,000 between May 2004 and January 2007. The 10% that were disallowed were disallowed for good reasons. There was little or no connection with the State. There is a safety net through social welfare officers, community welfare officers and the social...

Social Welfare Code. (1 Mar 2007)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 6, 60 and 166 together. Last year's 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...

Social Welfare Code. (1 Mar 2007)

Séamus Brennan: The Cabinet cleared the discussion document which we published. We have had a number of discussions recently on my proposals. The legislation is being prepared in the Department. The implementation group is doing its work as we speak and I hope the tests can start this year. The tests are to assess in an urban and rural setting how the new payment might work. This involves removing the...

Social Welfare Code. (1 Mar 2007)

Séamus Brennan: FÁS will do it. Does the Deputy mean when we move to the new payment?

Social Welfare Code. (1 Mar 2007)

Séamus Brennan: We will use the activation process that FÁS has already. That is the present intention.

Social Welfare Code. (1 Mar 2007)

Séamus Brennan: This is rehearsed in the lone parents document. It is suggested in that document that there would be more facilitators, who would work alongside FÁS in giving advice to lone parents who wish to get back into the workplace. FÁS would have a central role. Whether we can develop other facilitators alongside it is one of the issues being examined by the implementation group.

Social Welfare Code. (1 Mar 2007)

Séamus Brennan: The Deputies know this is a complicated area. The Government's policy is clear in that it is committed to removing the cohabitation rule, replacing the lone parent's allowance with an allowance that is targeted at children who live in low income families rather than focussing on the make-up of a family. That principle is generally supported across the House. We are working on the logistics...

Social Welfare Code. (1 Mar 2007)

Séamus Brennan: There will be some degree of priority for lone parents. The statistics show that poverty is more prevalent among lone parents.

Social Welfare Code. (1 Mar 2007)

Séamus Brennan: We must ensure they are fully informed of this option. As poverty is more prevalent among lone parents, they would have substantial priority in the child care area. Other measures already exist, such as the extra €1,000 payment, and the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform has increased the number of child care places available. I am concerned that the quality of jobs available...