Results 941-960 of 4,893 for speaker:Séamus Brennan

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (26 Apr 2005)

Séamus Brennan: Family income supplement, FIS, was introduced in 1984 to provide income support for employees on low earnings with families and thereby preserve the incentive to remain in employment in circumstances where they might otherwise only be marginally better off than if they were fully reliant on social welfare payments. Weekly payments of FIS are made to families, including one-parent families,...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (26 Apr 2005)

Séamus Brennan: Under the Treaty of the European Community and the European Economic Area, EEA, agreement, citizens of member states are entitled to travel to other member states to seek employment. As such, EEA nationals are treated in the same way as Irish citizens in respect of applications for social welfare payments and national legislation does not distinguish between nationals and non-nationals. In...

Written Answers — Bank Charges: Bank Charges (26 Apr 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The overall aim of my Department's payment delivery policy is to ensure that the most modern and widest range of payment methods are available to my Department's customers. Current payment methods include payment at post offices by means of a pension order book, electronic or manual post draft issued to the customer's designated post office each week, payment by cheque to the home address of...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (27 Apr 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The regulatory basis for granting PRSI exemptions is contained in Article 97 of SI 312/1996. Similar provisions apply in respect of posted workers under EU Regulation 1408/71 and various bilateral agreements. These exemptions are granted for a period not exceeding 52 weeks and are subject, inter alia, to the employees having valid work permits. All applications for exemption certificates made...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (27 Apr 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The full year cost of increasing the disability allowance to the level of the contributory old age pension in 2005 would be of the order of €136 million. Further increases will be examined in the context of budget 2006.

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (27 Apr 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The 34% rate derives from the national pensions policy initiative published by the Pensions Board in 1998. The board proposed a rate of 34% of gross average industrial earnings for contributory pensions based on average earnings for the previous year. On that basis, the current rate of pension is equivalent to almost 32%. The rate of old age pension has increased substantially since this...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (27 Apr 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 209 and 211 together. 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. This ensures that resources are not used to make two income support payments to any one person. Of course, persons qualifying for two social welfare payments always...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Allowances: Social Welfare Allowances (27 Apr 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The setting of waste management charges and the introduction of waivers in respect of waste charges is, as stated by my colleague, the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, a matter for each local authority. The introduction of a national social welfare scheme to address the issue is not considered feasible given the wide range of charging regimes and cost levels that...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (27 Apr 2005)

Séamus Brennan: There are currently three different weekly rates of child dependant allowances payable to social welfare recipients, €16.80, €19.30 and €21.60. To standardise the three main rates of allowances at the highest rate of €21.60 would mean that approximately 243,000 full rate payments and 93,000 half rate payments would be increased at a cost of approximately of €59 million annually. The...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (27 Apr 2005)

Séamus Brennan: Special cross-Border arrangements have been in place since 1995 which allow southern and northern free travel pass holders to undertake point to point cross-Border journeys free of charge. The introduction of free travel on an all-Ireland basis would enhance these existing arrangements by enabling southern pass holders to make free journeys within the North. Similarly, Northern Ireland pass...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (27 Apr 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 214 and 215 together. 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. To qualify for a rent supplement an eligible person must satisfy a means test. Rent supplements are normally calculated to ensure that an eligible person,...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (27 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 Dublin and mid-Leinster area of the executive has advised that during a routine review of this rent supplement case, it came to the attention of the executive that the person in question had been in receipt...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (27 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 Dublin and mid-Leinster area of the executive has advised that the level of rent being paid in this particular case is within the prescribed rent limits. The issue in this case arose when it came to the...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (28 Apr 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The person concerned is currently in receipt of a reduced rate widow's non-contributory pension. This is a means tested payment. When assessing a person's means, account must be taken of any earnings, savings, investments, property or income which the person may have. It was decided on 18 March 2005 that the person concerned was entitled to a reduced rate widow's non-contributory pension of...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (28 Apr 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The extension of free travel to Irish pensioners living abroad could have, apart from the cost and administrative implications, legal implications arising from the prohibition of discrimination against pensioners of other EU member states. If the scheme were extended along the lines suggested, it is likely that it would have to be extended to all pensioners who are EU nationals coming to...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (28 Apr 2005)

Séamus Brennan: It is proposed to take Questions Nos. 159, 161 and 162 together. In accordance with Government policy in regard to control and management of expenditure, I submit expenditure management reports to Government every second month outlining expenditure incurred in the year to date and projected end-year position for both my Department's Vote 38 and the social insurance fund, SIF. My Department...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (28 Apr 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The amounts expended specifically on software packages, consultancy services and hardware, including maintenance charges, to manage my Department's accounts, are only available in respect of the years from 1998 inclusive. The total amounts in each of these years are as follows: 1998 —€33,164; 1999 —€49,419; 2000 —€82,700; 2001 —€245,454; 2002 —€369,831; 2003 —€202,609;...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (28 Apr 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I am committed to facilitating greater social welfare client choice of telephone services. In this regard my Department is in contact with the regulator, ComReg, regarding the technical and administrative requirements for mobile phone, as well as land-line services. To date, three mobile phone companies have expressed an interest in participating in the telephone allowance scheme and these...

Written Answers — Postal Service: Postal Service (28 Apr 2005)

Séamus Brennan: Four of the five points raised by the person concerned in the circular type letter received by the Deputy concern matters which are the responsibility of my colleague, the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources. The other point relates to allegations that my Department is forcing its customers to change from payment at post offices to direct payment into bank accounts. The...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (28 Apr 2005)

Séamus Brennan: Family income supplement is designed to assist people in low income employment with qualified child dependants where they might otherwise be only marginally better off than if they were fully dependent on a welfare payment. The part-time job incentive, PTJI, scheme applies where a recipient of long-term unemployment assistance takes up insurable employment for up to 24 hours per week. A...