Results 641-660 of 4,893 for speaker:Séamus Brennan

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (24 Feb 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The living alone allowance is an additional payment of €7.70 per week made to people aged 66 years or over who are in receipt of certain social welfare type payments and who are living alone. It is also available to people under 66 years of age who are living alone and are receiving payments under one of a number of invalidity type schemes. The allowance was last increased in 1996. For many...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (24 Feb 2005)

Séamus Brennan: Data from the Central Statistics Office show there were 180,800 women aged 70 and over in the State in 2003. Almost 157,000, or 87%, of those women received social welfare payments in their own right, with further numbers of women being paid as qualified adults on their spouse's pension. This means that the majority of women over 70 years of age and resident in Ireland are receiving social...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (24 Feb 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The person concerned applied for an electricity allowance and a free television licence on 1 December 2004. As her spouse was already in receipt of both these allowances since April 2000 her application was refused. The household had a telephone which was in the name of the applicant's son until 12 January 2005. When my Department was informed that the name had been changed on the bill to...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (24 Feb 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The unemployment benefit scheme is designed to provide income support for people who have lost employment and who are unable for find alternative employment. Social welfare legislation provides that, in order to be entitled to an unemployment payment, a person must prove, inter alia, that he or she is available for full-time employment and genuinely seeking work. There is an onus on each...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (24 Feb 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The policy on one-parent family payment is to encourage and facilitate lone parents in moving into the paid labour force so that they may avoid long-term welfare dependency. The main element of this policy is an earnings disregard of €146.50 per week. This disregard is designed to help towards expenses incurred from taking up employment such as travel, child minding etc. In addition, only...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (24 Feb 2005)

Séamus Brennan: In my reply to previous parliamentary questions from the Deputy on 26 January 2005 on this case, I informed him that the Health Service Executive had advised that the rent supplement in payment to the person concerned was due for review to take account of the fact that she had begun a second year of her community employment scheme. This was necessary because her entitlement to rent supplement...

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2005: Report Stage. (1 Mar 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I do not propose to accept the amendment. I explained on Committee Stage that I appreciate the amendment is a semi-pro forma one which calls for a report. I confirm that I would have no difficulty in reporting to the House on this subject any time I am called upon to do so. Most Deputies will acknowledge that the pro forma nature of the amendment is to enable us to discuss the matter of...

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2005: Report Stage. (1 Mar 2005)

Séamus Brennan: All these amendments call for reports of one kind or another. I indicated to the House and to the committee that I have no difficulty in discussing these matters by way of parliamentary question, Adjournment matter and special debates or through legislative debate. I have no difficulty in making reports on these matters. We can discuss the best format for it later. I would be reluctant to...

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2005: Report Stage. (1 Mar 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I thank Deputies for their contributions on the amendment but I prefer to decline making the amendment on the understanding that I am happy to discuss the issue in the House whenever they wish. The one-parent family issue goes back to 1997 when the structure of the allowance was reorganised. A one-parent family can result from death, separation, divorce or being unmarried but I am determined...

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2005: Report Stage. (1 Mar 2005)

Séamus Brennan: Anti-fraud measures maintain the pressure since it takes funds from those who deserve them, and they must be available to them. I have made this point many times, especially in the area of lone parents. We cannot simply throw money at a social issue and hope that it salves our conscience. We must get behind the payment and see what the social issue is and whether we can solve the basic...

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2005: Report Stage. (1 Mar 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I have come some of the way and I gave very good reasons for that. Next September is the key date and between now and then we will make final decisions on it. That is the month of the application to go back to education, and in the meantime we will make some decisions in that regard. I will take account of what is being said here.

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2005: Report Stage. (1 Mar 2005)

Séamus Brennan: Several Deputies spoke of reform. With a social security system the size of this, which accounts for one third of all Government spending and which has risen from €6 billion to €12 billion in four or five years at a time when unemployment is approximately 4%, and economic growth of 3%, 4% or 5% per annum is predicted, one must continue reform. That means simplifying, modernising and...

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2005: Report Stage. (1 Mar 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I will give the Deputy my advice. To introduce a standard rate and change the three to the one of which the Deputy speaks would mean that approximately 336,000 payments would be brought up to the higher rate, which is what the Deputy is advocating.

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2005: Report Stage. (1 Mar 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The current cost of that would be €60 million annually.

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2005: Report Stage. (1 Mar 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I believe that all sides of the House have agreed that, though that may be too strong a word. I do not get the sense that Members are pushing the argument that child dependant allowances should be the focus of our increases. They have deliberately not been increased since 1994 by successive Governments. I came to the issue with an open mind, examined it and listened to the arguments. I came...

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2005: Report Stage. (1 Mar 2005)

Séamus Brennan: If I could be convinced that child dependant allowances were better than child benefit, I would listen to that argument but——

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2005: Report Stage. (1 Mar 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I have met a large number of the 30 or 40 groups involved in this area and the vast majority of them opted for child benefit, which has increased dramatically in recent years. They opted for that as the main focus because it goes to all homes irrespective of employment whereas child dependant allowance is linked primarily to unemployment and, therefore, one has to be unemployed to get it....

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2005: Report Stage. (1 Mar 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The NESC is considering the possibility of a new payment which will represent an amalgamation of FIS and CDA and which can be targeted at child poverty. We expect to receive a report from the NESC on the matter in the coming months. Like me, the NESC is of the opinion that something else is required. In that context, it has been suggested that a new allowance should replace both FIS and CDA...

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2005: Report Stage. (1 Mar 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I appreciate the Deputy's comments on SSIAs in respect of amendment No. 3. We drew up what is probably a practical way to deal with the matter and I appreciate the support of the House on it. The Deputy knows the answer in respect of amendment No. 4. However, I appreciate why he is raising the matter. This comes down to the source of any capital held by a pensioner, which can include savings...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (1 Mar 2005)

Séamus Brennan: As I stated in my reply to a previous parliamentary question from the Deputy on 17 November 2004, the Southern Health Board advised that an application by the person concerned in September 2004 for an exceptional needs payment was refused on the grounds that he had been in a position to meet the funeral expenses from his own resources. He was unsuccessful in appealing this decision to the...