Results 4,121-4,140 of 4,893 for speaker:Séamus Brennan

Written Answers — Advocacy Services: Advocacy Services (25 Apr 2007)

Séamus Brennan: The introduction of a personal advocacy service is provided for in the Citizens Information Act, 2007. The Act has as its primary purpose the amendment of the Comhairle Act, 2000, to assign additional and enhanced functions to the Citizens Information Board, formerly Comhairle, which operates under the aegis of my Department, to enable it to introduce a personal advocacy service to...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (25 Apr 2007)

Séamus Brennan: Under the terms of the supplementary welfare allowance scheme which is administered on my behalf by the community welfare division of the Health Service Executive (HSE), an exceptional needs payment (ENP) may be made to help meet an essential, once-off cost which the applicant is unable to meet out of his/her own resources. There is no automatic entitlement to this payment. Each application...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (25 Apr 2007)

Séamus Brennan: There are currently 18 Appeals Officers serving in the Social Welfare Appeals Office, all of whom are Assistant Principal Officers.

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (25 Apr 2007)

Séamus Brennan: I introduced legislation (under the Social Welfare Law Reform and Pension Act 2006) whereby all persons in receipt of State Pension (Transition) would transfer automatically to the State Pension (Contributory) on attaining age 66. State Pension (Transition) is paid on a Thursday and State Pension (Contributory) is paid on Friday. The change was implemented from January 2007 for customers...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (25 Apr 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 in relative terms by giving increases which are well in excess of the projected rate of inflation (4.1%) for this year. In Budget 2007: i. Contributory State pensions were increased by €16 per week, or 8.3%, with proportionate increases being given to those on...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (25 Apr 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. It is paid at a standard weekly rate equivalent to the maximum rate of the relevant social welfare payment that...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (25 Apr 2007)

Séamus Brennan: Since taking Office this 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. These included a commitment to raise the qualified adult increase for the spouses and partners (age 66 or over) of contributory pensioners to the level of the state pension (non-contributory). Spouses...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (25 Apr 2007)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 189 and 190 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 (contributory)....

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (25 Apr 2007)

Séamus Brennan: The household benefits package, which comprises the electricity/gas allowance, telephone allowance and free television licence schemes, is generally available to people living in the State, aged 66 years or over, who are in receipt of a social welfare type payment or who satisfy a means test. The package is also available to carers and people with disabilities under the age of 66 who are in...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (25 Apr 2007)

Séamus Brennan: Widows and widowers can qualify for one of a number of different schemes depending on their particular circumstances. The contributory widow(er)'s pension is available to those who satisfy the necessary PRSI contribution conditions, either on their own record or that of the deceased spouse. Those qualifying for this benefit are not subject to a means test. Those without the necessary PRSI...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (26 Apr 2007)

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. The Executive has advised that the person concerned made an application for rent supplement earlier this month. However, the section of his application form relating to his housing needs which has to be completed by the...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (26 Apr 2007)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 149 and 151 together. 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...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (26 Apr 2007)

Séamus Brennan: There were 13,800 appeals received in 2006 and 14,006 finalised. There were 3,755 appeals received up to the end of March this year and 3, 629 finalised. As of that date, there were 1,610 appeals listed for oral hearings. During 2006 the average time taken to process all appeals (i.e. those decided summarily and by way of oral hearing) was 21 weeks. However, if allowance was made for the...

Written Answers — Social Insurance: Social Insurance (26 Apr 2007)

Séamus Brennan: Details of the surplus amount in the Social Insurance Fund in each of the years since 1997 are as follows: Year Cumulative Surplus 1997 â'¬8million 1998 â'¬61million 1999 â'¬330million 2000 â'¬673million 2001 â'¬1.2 billion 2002 â'¬1.3 billion 2003 â'¬1.5 billion 2004 â'¬1.9 billion 2005 â'¬2.4 billion 2006 Provisional â'¬3.1 billion

Written Answers — Social Insurance: Social Insurance (26 Apr 2007)

Séamus Brennan: The estimated amount of employee PRSI contributions for 2006 is €1,380,234.

Written Answers — Social Insurance: Social Insurance (26 Apr 2007)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 154 and 155 together. The vast majority of employees pay social insurance contributions at the PRSI Class A rate. No contribution is paid where weekly earnings are €339 or less. Where earnings exceed €339 contributions are not paid on the first €127. The basic rate of employee class A contribution is4%. Different rates of contribution apply to public...

Written Answers — Social Insurance: Social Insurance (26 Apr 2007)

Séamus Brennan: Details of the amount paid into the social insurance fund and the amount paid out from the social insurance fund in 2005 and 2006 are as follows: 2005 2006 â'¬ â'¬ Income 6,159,018 6,997,152 (Provisional) Expenditure 5,664,609 6,327,157 (Provisional) The details in respect of 2006 are provisional, pending the completion of the social insurance fund account for that year.

Written Answers — Social Insurance: Social Insurance (26 Apr 2007)

Séamus Brennan: Ireland has a number of social security Agreements with the United Kingdom dating back to the 1960s. Some years ago it was agreed between both States that a consolidation and update of these earlier Agreements should be carried out to take account of the legislative changes that had occurred in both States. It was also agreed to modify these Agreements to extend their scope to people resident...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (26 Apr 2007)

Séamus Brennan: Entitlement to carer's allowance is based on an applicant satisfying medical, means and residency conditions. In determining entitlement to the allowance there are, in certain cases, unavoidable time lags involved in making the necessary investigations and enquiries. Delays can also arise if persons applying for the allowance are not in a position to supply all the necessary information in...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (26 Apr 2007)

Séamus Brennan: The supplementary welfare allowance scheme, which includes rent supplement, is administered on behalf of my Department by the Health Service Executive. It provides for the payment of a weekly or monthly supplement in respect of rent to eligible persons in the State whose means are insufficient to meet their accommodation needs. Certain categories of people are excluded from receipt of rent...