Results 781-800 of 4,893 for speaker:Séamus Brennan

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (12 Apr 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The person concerned applied for unemployment benefit on 16 March 2005. His claim is currently being examined. A decision will be made as soon as possible and the person concerned will be notified of the outcome. Under social welfare legislation, decisions in relation to claims must be made by deciding officers and appeals officers. These officers are statutorily appointed and I have no role...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (12 Apr 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The person concerned applied for unemployment benefit on 14 February 2005. A deciding officer disallowed his claim on 7 March 2005, on the grounds that he was not unemployed and not available for full-time work. Evidence provided by the Health Service Executive western region confirmed that he continues to be employed by the executive for five days, Monday to Friday each week. It is open to...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (12 Apr 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The person concerned applied for unemployment benefit on 14 March 2005. He did not make an application for an increase for a child dependant. The person concerned has been awarded unemployment benefit at the maximum weekly rate of €247.50 which includes a full increase in respect of his spouse. Child dependant allowance is payable to unemployment benefit customers in respect of children...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (12 Apr 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I have met several groups representing carers, older people and people with disabilities, since I have become Minister for Social and Family Affairs. I have also given careful consideration to the recommendations of the report on carers prepared by the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social and Family Affairs. This report is based on verbal and written submissions to the committee from family...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (12 Apr 2005)

Séamus Brennan: It is understood the Deputy is referring to the arrangements agreed voluntarily between the schools and the part-time teachers concerned, whereby an increased hourly rate is paid to encompass pay in respect of holiday entitlements. Entitlement to holiday pay for part-time workers is governed by the Organisation of Working Time Act 1997, which is the responsibility of the Minister for...

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (12 Apr 2005)

Séamus Brennan: : Under the Government decentralisation programme announced as part of budget 2004, my Department and its agencies are required to relocate to seven provincial locations, i.e., Drogheda, Buncrana, Donegal, Carrick-on-Shannon, Sligo, Monaghan and Carrickmacross. At present, my Department has decentralised offices in Sligo, Letterkenny, Longford, Waterford and Dundalk. There are no plans to...

Written Answers — Fairtrade Products: Fairtrade Products (12 Apr 2005)

Séamus Brennan: My Department provides facilities for a canteen service for staff in a number of locations but is not directly involved in the provision of meals or in the running of these facilities. Arrangements for the provision of services in these facilities are put in place by voluntary committees of staff in the locations in question. I will ensure that the issue of using Fairtrade products is brought...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (12 Apr 2005)

Séamus Brennan: Employment in the Civil Service is governed by a particular legal framework with well defined procedures and practices which reflect the special position of permanent and pensionable, established, staff. Staff are appointed to a permanent position following a competition held by the public appointments service, or under recruitment licence, in accordance with the terms of the Public Service...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (12 Apr 2005)

Séamus Brennan: Rent supplements are provided through the supplementary welfare allowance scheme which is administered on my behalf by the community welfare division of the Health Service Executive. The southern area of the executive has advised that the person concerned applied for a rent supplement in November 2004. Based on her income at that time, which comprised one-parent family payment and community...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (12 Apr 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 533 and 534 together. The person concerned is in receipt of farm assist. His means from farming were assessed at €5.08 per week when, following a review of the case by a social welfare inspector, the deciding officer increased the amount assessed as means to €81.00 per week. Details of the assessment are as follows: € Gross annual income from...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (12 Apr 2005)

Séamus Brennan: In budget 2005, I announced the extension of the respite care grant scheme to all carers providing full-time care to an older person or a person with a disability, regardless of means and subject to certain qualifying conditions. The respite care grant will continue to be payable to recipients of carer's allowance, carer's benefit, prescribed relative allowance, constant attendance allowance...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (12 Apr 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 536 and 537 together. Due to the large number of organisations funded by a number of different areas within my Department in the last three years, it has not been possible in the time available to collate all of the relevant information for the Deputy. A complete list of all relevant groups with details of funding available will be forwarded to the Deputy as...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (12 Apr 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The grandmother of the children concerned made a claim for orphan's (non-contributory) pension on 7 November 2001. The claim was disallowed by a deciding officer on the grounds that the children were not orphans within the meaning of the relevant social welfare legislation. Following the death of the grandmother the person concerned made an application for orphan's (non-contributory) pension...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (12 Apr 2005)

Séamus Brennan: Social welfare programmes aim to be responsive to the needs of those who depend on income maintenance support while providing incentives to assist people to become more independent financially, particularly through employment. 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...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (12 Apr 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Question Nos. 540 and 541 together. Responsibility for the disabled person's maintenance allowance, DPMA, scheme was transferred from the Department of Health and Children and the health boards to the Department of Social and Family Affairs in October 1996. On the transfer of the scheme the existing qualifying conditions were retained and the scheme was renamed disability...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (12 Apr 2005)

Séamus Brennan: Rent supplements are provided through the supplementary welfare allowance scheme which is administered on my behalf by the community welfare division of the Health Service Executive. The western area of the executive has advised that it is awaiting details of a housing needs assessment being undertaken by Galway City Council in respect of the person concerned. When the outcome of this...

Written Answers — Departmental Bodies: Departmental Bodies (12 Apr 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The five statutory agencies operating under the aegis of my Department are the Pensions Board, the Combat Poverty Agency, Comhairle, the Social Welfare Tribunal, and the Family Support Agency. In addition, the Pensions Ombudsman comes under the remit of my Department. Pensions Board fees, paid to Pensions Board members, excluding civil servants, are governed by the First Schedule to the...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (12 Apr 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The information requested by the Deputy is contained in the following tabular statement. Claims awarded and expenditure on maternity benefit, 2000 to 2004. Year Claims awarded Expenditure â'¬m 2000 23,851 58.04 2001 27,142 78.93 2002 29,042 99.20 2003 30,211 107.34 2004 33,495 121.57

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (13 Apr 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The back to school clothing and footwear allowance scheme assists persons in receipt of certain payments when children start school each autumn. The scheme operates from the beginning of June to the end of September each year and is administered on my behalf by the Health Service Executive. In 2004, 70,577 applications were approved under the scheme which benefited some 152,400 children at a...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (13 Apr 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The person concerned was awarded the household benefits package, including the free lifetime television licence, and An Post was informed accordingly. The address on the An Post database for the person concerned did not match the address forwarded by my Department and the licence issued to the address held by An Post. My Department has contacted An Post which has amended its records and a...