Results 3,821-3,840 of 4,893 for speaker:Séamus Brennan

Written Answers — Social Insurance: Social Insurance (1 Mar 2007)

Séamus Brennan: The Community Employment (CE) scheme is a programme administered by FÁS which is designed to assist long-term unemployed and others who are distant from the labour force by offering them part-time and temporary work positions in jobs based within local communities. Following the placement, participants are actively encouraged to capitalise on the skills and experience that they have obtained...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (1 Mar 2007)

Séamus Brennan: Compulsory social insurance for self-employed workers was introduced in 1988. In the legislation providing for Class S contributions, a general exclusion for people whose total income is below a certain threshold was put in place, similar to that which already existed for employees. The level at which a self-employed person becomes eligible for Class S contributions has remained unchanged...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (1 Mar 2007)

Séamus Brennan: The supplementary welfare allowance scheme is administered on my behalf by the Community Welfare division of the Health Service Executive (HSE). The Dublin/Mid-Leinster Area of the HSE has advised that the person concerned is an asylum seeker in receipt of a direct provision allowance of €19.10 granted to her when she resided at accommodation provided through the Reception and Integration...

Written Answers — Live Register: Live Register (1 Mar 2007)

Séamus Brennan: The live register in January 2007 was 158,752. This is the lowest January figure in the past 5 years. The live register in each of the previous four months has also been at its lowest level for the month in question for the last five years. Each year unemployment levels tend to be highest in July/August and lowest in October/November. This is due primarily to seasonal factors such as the...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (1 Mar 2007)

Séamus Brennan: In order to qualify for the maximum rate of the state pension (contributory) a person must, amongst other qualifying conditions, achieve a yearly average of at least 48 contributions paid or credited on his/her social insurance record. I am anxious to ensure that as many people as possible can qualify for a contributory pension and, in this regard, the range of reduced payments has been...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (1 Mar 2007)

Séamus Brennan: Currently Ireland has bilateral social security agreements with seven countries: Austria, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the USA and Switzerland. Ireland entered into a bilateral understanding with Canada on 1 October 1994. The main purpose of these agreements is to protect the social security pension rights of workers who have worked both in Ireland and the other...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (1 Mar 2007)

Séamus Brennan: The back to education allowance (BTEA) 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 from 15 to 12 months in the...

Written Answers — Rural Transport Services: Rural Transport Services (1 Mar 2007)

Séamus Brennan: The free travel scheme provides free travel on the main public and private transport services for those eligible under the scheme. These include road, rail and ferry services provided by companies such as Bus Átha Cliath, Bus Éireann and Iarnród Éireann, as well as Luas and services provided by over 80 private transport operators. The vast majority of private contractors providing...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (1 Mar 2007)

Séamus Brennan: One of the key objectives of the 2007 social welfare package was to protect and enhance the value of all weekly rates of payment, including the rate of widows or widowers pensions, in relative terms by giving increases which are well in excess of projected inflation (4.1%) for this year. In Budget 2007, contributory State pensions, including the widow/er's contributory pension (aged 66 and...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (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 who needs such care. The primary objective of the social welfare system is to provide income support and as a general rule only one weekly social welfare payment is payable to an individual. Persons qualifying for two social welfare payments receive the higher payment...

Written Answers — Departmental Investigations: Departmental Investigations (1 Mar 2007)

Séamus Brennan: The information requested is currently being compiled within the Department and will be made available to the Deputy as soon as possible.

Order of Business (6 Mar 2007)

Séamus Brennan: One could not organise such an instruction. How could one regulate it?

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (6 Mar 2007)

Séamus Brennan: The Social Welfare (Occupational Injuries) Act, 1966 provided for the repeal of the Workmen's Compensation Acts, with effect from 1 May, 1967. However, employers continued to be liable to pay compensation under the Workmen's Compensation Acts in respect of accidents which occurred or diseases which were contracted before that date. It was decided however, that increases in the compensation...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (6 Mar 2007)

Séamus Brennan: A Deciding Officer disallowed the jobseeker's allowance claim of the person concerned from the 19 October 2006 on the grounds that he was not genuinely seeking work. The person concerned appealed this decision. Following an oral hearing an Appeals Officer allowed his jobseeker's claim. The weekly payment of Jobseekers Allowance of €185.80 will shortly issue to the person concerned. He...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (6 Mar 2007)

Séamus Brennan: A claim for unemployment assistance (since renamed jobseekers allowance) by the person concerned was disallowed by a Deciding Officer on the grounds that she was not unemployed. The person appealed this decision and an Appeals Officer made a summary decision disallowing the appeal. Summary decisions may be made where the Appeals Officer is of the opinion that a case is of such a nature that...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (6 Mar 2007)

Séamus Brennan: The person's application for respite care grant was disallowed by a Deciding Officer who, having considered the medical evidence furnished in support of the claim and the views of the Department's Chief Medical Advisor decided that the person concerned was not entitled to a respite care grant. The decision was appealed to the Social Welfare Appeals Office. The Appeals Officer, having...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Allowances: Social Welfare Allowances (6 Mar 2007)

Séamus Brennan: A number of measures have been introduced in recent years to remove disincentives to taking up employment and to assist in the transition from welfare to work. These measures include special means disregards and tapered withdrawal of benefits as earnings increase, and employment support schemes such as the back to work programme. In the case of one parent families and others who...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (6 Mar 2007)

Séamus Brennan: The respite care grant is an annual payment for carers. Previously the grant was only available to carers in receipt of carer's allowance or benefit. However, from June 2005, the respite care grant was extended to all carers who are providing full time care and attention to a person who needs such care, regardless of their income. Those persons in receipt of other social welfare payments,...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (6 Mar 2007)

Séamus Brennan: The supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) scheme, which is administered on my behalf by the community welfare division of the Health Service Executive, provides for the payment of a rent supplement to assist eligible people who are unable to provide for their immediate accommodation needs from their own resources and who do not have accommodation available to them from any other source. Rent...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (6 Mar 2007)

Séamus Brennan: The Family Income Supplement (FIS) provides income support for employees on low earnings with families. This preserves the incentive to remain in employment in circumstances where the employee might only be marginally better off than if he or she were claiming other social welfare payments. There are currently 21,971 people in receipt of FIS. In Budget 2007, I have continued the re-focusing...