Results 901-920 of 4,893 for speaker:Séamus Brennan

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (19 Apr 2005)

Séamus Brennan: Given current demographic projections for Ireland and the need to ensure the sustainability of our pensions system, there are no plans to reduce the qualifying age for entitlement to pension.

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (19 Apr 2005)

Séamus Brennan: A total of 73,677 persons are in receipt of disability allowance. Between January 2001 and December 2004, 1,796 persons were disallowed disability allowance, of which 33 were on medical grounds and 1,763 were in respect of means. This includes cases where appeals or reapplications may be in progress. Continuing entitlement to disability allowance payment is subject to the person satisfying...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (19 Apr 2005)

Séamus Brennan: My Department administers a number of child income support measures, including child benefit which delivers a standard rate of payment in respect of all children in a family regardless of income levels or employment status. Child benefit supports all children but delivers proportionately more assistance to those on low incomes and with larger families. It is not intended primarily to meet...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (19 Apr 2005)

Séamus Brennan: Entitlement to social welfare payments can be assessed using contributions paid in EU countries and countries with which Ireland has bilateral agreements. My Department has bilateral social security agreements in place with seven countries: Austria, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the USA and Switzerland. A bilateral understanding also exists with Quebec since 1994. By far...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (19 Apr 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 schemes. For many years the policy on support for pensioners has...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (19 Apr 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The measures introduced in the context of the 2004 Estimates included changes to the back to education allowance, one parent family payment, certain child dependant allowances, changes in the conditions of entitlement to short-term social insurance payments and changes in the supplementary welfare allowance scheme. It is not possible to quantify precisely the numbers affected by the measures...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (19 Apr 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The information requested by the Deputy is contained in the following tabular statement: Recipient of Family Income Supplement, 2002 to 2004. Recipients of Family Income Supplement % Change 2002 12,043 2003 12,317 2.3% 2004 14,727 19.6%

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (19 Apr 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The requirement to be habitually resident in Ireland was introduced as a qualifying condition for certain social assistance schemes and child benefit with effect from 1 May 2004. The basis for the restriction contained in the new rules is the applicant's habitual residence. The restriction is not based on citizenship, nationality, immigration status or any other factor. The question of what...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (19 Apr 2005)

Séamus Brennan: To qualify for an old age contributory pension, a person must have entered social insurance at least ten years before reaching pension age, have a minimum number of paid contributions on their record and have a yearly average of at least ten contributions paid or credited from 1953, when the unified system of social insurance came into effect, or the date of entry into social insurance, if...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (20 Apr 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The person's claim for old age non-contributory pension was disallowed on the grounds that her means, derived from the letting of her land, exceeds the statutory limit. The person appealed this decision to the Social Welfare Appeals Office and following an oral hearing of the appeal on 16 November 2004, the appeals officer disallowed the appeal. The appellant subsequently reported a change in...

Written Answers — Ministerial Staff: Ministerial Staff (20 Apr 2005)

Séamus Brennan: Since I took up office, I have appointed on a contract basis for my term of office four non-established civil servants, a special adviser, Mr. Frank Lahiffe, a press adviser, Mr. Tom Rowley, a personal secretary, Ms Mary Browne, and a personal assistant, Mr. Bobby Holland. All four appointees are employed full-time. The salaries for these staff are as follows: special adviser, €83,707 —...

Written Answers — Ministerial Staff: Ministerial Staff (20 Apr 2005)

Séamus Brennan: Since I took up office, I have appointed on a contract basis for my term of office a special adviser, Mr. Frank Lahiffe, a press adviser, Mr. Tom Rowley, a personal secretary and a personal assistant. During 2004, the travel and subsistence costs of my special adviser and my press adviser were €1,378.77 and €150.00 respectively. There were no travel and subsistence costs in respect of my...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (20 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 — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (20 Apr 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The provision of speech and language therapy sessions to medical card holders is the responsibility of the Health Service Executive. The issue of the availability of such services in a particular area is a matter for the executive, and neither I nor my Department has any function in that regard. Payments towards the cost of these services would not come within the scope of the supplementary...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (21 Apr 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 143 and 144 together. In general, people in full-time education are excluded from receiving assistance, including rent supplements, under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme. However, there is provision for continued payment of rent supplement to eligible people who wish to resume full-time education. People participating in approved courses under the...

Written Answers — Legal Aid Services: Legal Aid Services (21 Apr 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 145 and 146 together. The Northside Community Law Centre is one of a number of organisations which are funded under my Department's scheme of grants for the development and promotion of information and welfare rights. Since its establishment in 1975, the centre has been funded exclusively by State agencies with the Department taking over direct funding in...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (21 Apr 2005)

Séamus Brennan: 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 allowance". One of the qualifying conditions applying...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (21 Apr 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 148 and 153 together. The aim of the national fuel scheme is to assist householders who are in receipt of long-term social welfare or health board payments with their additional heating needs during the winter season. Under the scheme an allowance of €9.00 per week —€12.90 per week in designated smokeless fuel areas — is paid to eligible households...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (21 Apr 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I understand from my colleague, the Minister for Education and Science, that there are two schemes dealing with the provision of caretaking and secretarial duties. Ancillary staff employed by schools whose salary costs are paid directly, or recouped from the Department of Education and Science and who work for the full year, including during school holidays, are entitled to agreed levels of...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Contract: Social Welfare Contract (21 Apr 2005)

Séamus Brennan: My Department currently issues approximately 1.1 million weekly payments of which 58% are paid through An Post. The Government's decision in 1999 to extend the Department's existing contractual arrangements with An Post gave rise to a complaint being lodged with the European Commission in 2000. That complaint was subsequently referred by the European Commission to the European Court of...