Results 3,741-3,760 of 4,893 for speaker:Séamus Brennan

Anti-Poverty Strategy. (1 Mar 2007)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 7, 23 and 46 together. The new national action plan for social inclusion was launched last week with an overall goal to make a decisive impact on consistent poverty. This is underlined by the fact that a new target is being set, using an updated set of indicators, which is more realistic and in keeping with living standards today. The new target is to reduce...

Anti-Poverty Strategy. (1 Mar 2007)

Séamus Brennan: We should be conscious from the taxpayer's perspective that welfare payments have doubled in five or six years, from €7 billion to €15 billion. That is a considerable investment by the taxpayer in tackling poverty. It is not only a question of income, since other Departments are also involved. Recent budgets were to a large degree targeted at tackling child poverty, which we dealt...

Anti-Poverty Strategy. (1 Mar 2007)

Séamus Brennan: There is still poverty in Ireland. I made the point that the target of 2% that we set has been reached, and I stand by that. We have changed the measure, and one does not need too many studies to see that there is poverty among lone parents, some older people, the unemployed and so on. There is still unacceptable poverty, particularly child poverty, which has no place in Ireland in the...

Anti-Poverty Strategy. (1 Mar 2007)

Séamus Brennan: Is the Deputy asking who is responsible for poverty?

Anti-Poverty Strategy. (1 Mar 2007)

Séamus Brennan: I assure the Deputy that I do not claim that title.

Anti-Poverty Strategy. (1 Mar 2007)

Séamus Brennan: Successive Governments have had a special responsibility to seek to eliminate poverty. However, we must be honest about this. Some measures of poverty are allied to lifestyle. We cannot give everyone the same lifestyle, but we can seek to remove poverty. I seek to ensure that we no longer have in our midst what the Deputy and I would have known in our childhoods — good, old-fashioned...

Anti-Poverty Strategy. (1 Mar 2007)

Séamus Brennan: On all sides of the House, we have a responsibility to eliminate poverty.

Anti-Poverty Strategy. (1 Mar 2007)

Séamus Brennan: I am not on a mission to ensure that there are no disparities in wealth in Ireland. If that is our policy objective, I do not know where we will finish.

Anti-Poverty Strategy. (1 Mar 2007)

Séamus Brennan: We have disparities in wealth, like most other countries.

Anti-Poverty Strategy. (1 Mar 2007)

Séamus Brennan: I agree with the Deputy, in that my objective is to ensure equal opportunity for everyone in the country, with access to education, training, health and an absolute safety net to ensure that no one falls below a certain level of income support in Ireland. That is the first set of objectives I must meet, and we are making solid progress in that regard. I acknowledge that there are still...

Homemakers' Scheme. (1 Mar 2007)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 8 and 31 together. The homemakers' scheme was introduced in 1994 to protect the social welfare pension rights of those who take time out of the workforce for caring duties. The scheme allows up to 20 years from 1994 to be spent caring for children or incapacitated adults to be disregarded when a person's social insurance record is being averaged for State...

Homemakers' Scheme. (1 Mar 2007)

Séamus Brennan: Many of these issues, including policy issues, are being examined in the context of the Green Paper. The residency condition of the scheme was changed in March 2005 when new legislation was introduced to bring it into line with the carer's schemes. A person can now qualify as a homemaker once he or she satisfies certain non-residency conditions. In effect, this means that it is no longer...

Homemakers' Scheme. (1 Mar 2007)

Séamus Brennan: I do not think the latter figure, concerning the number of people who did not apply, would be available to me. As regards backdating, that precise item is being examined in the context of the Green Paper to see whether some backdating is possible. The question has been raised with me on several occasions.

Homemakers' Scheme. (1 Mar 2007)

Séamus Brennan: Is the Deputy referring to credited contributions for those who are in receipt of carer's allowances?

Homemakers' Scheme. (1 Mar 2007)

Séamus Brennan: That policy issue has been examined several times. I am in favour of trying to improve that situation whereby credits can be more available. It is one of the issues that I have asked my officials to look at in the context of the Green Paper.

Homemakers' Scheme. (1 Mar 2007)

Séamus Brennan: I have many views on many issues.

Homemakers' Scheme. (1 Mar 2007)

Séamus Brennan: Yes, it has, but that OECD report dealt particularly with tax credits, which is a different subject. I will revert to the Deputy on that.

Pension Provisions. (1 Mar 2007)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 9, 40 and 164 together. Since taking office the Government has made the needs of older people a priority with the inclusion of several commitments in the Programme for Government aimed specifically at this group. I am pleased to say that we have delivered on the most recent of these commitments, which was to increase the non-contributory State pension to...

Pension Provisions. (1 Mar 2007)

Séamus Brennan: It was not just the Tánaiste's party conference that surprised me with its announcements — the other two parties currently represented in the House also surprised me with their announcements, but I have been doing the sums. Gross average industrial earnings were €601 in September 2006. On that basis, a pension based on 40% of gross average industrial earnings would be approximately...

Pension Provisions. (1 Mar 2007)

Séamus Brennan: The figures of €720 million and €2 billion are additional costs which must be added to the current pension expenditure to give the total cost. I was surprised when I heard Green Party announcements on the radio at the weekend because they suggested, almost chapter by the chapter, everything the Pensions Board had proposed in its report.