Results 1,001-1,020 of 4,893 for speaker:Séamus Brennan

Written Answers — Social Welfare Fraud: Social Welfare Fraud (10 May 2005)

Séamus Brennan: A strategic review of my Department's future payment requirements has commenced, with the aim of identifying payment solutions for the future which will be flexible, cost-effective, customer-focused, manageable and accountable. The study will take account of current market offerings in the financial services sector and future advances in card-based technologies with a view to seeing how...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (10 May 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The person concerned had been refused one-parent family payment by my Department on the grounds that she was cohabiting. She has appealed that decision to the social welfare appeals office. In the light of that situation, the Dublin and mid-Leinster area of the Health Service Executive has advised that it requested the person concerned to clarify her household circumstances so that her...

Written Answers — Private Rented Accommodation: Private Rented Accommodation (11 May 2005)

Séamus Brennan: Rent supplements are available 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, a person must satisfy a means test. The executive must satisfy itself also that the applicant has a genuine accommodation need which he or she cannot provide for, that a bona...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (11 May 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The aim of the national fuel scheme is to assist householders who are in receipt of long-term social welfare or health board payments and who are unable to provide for their extra heating needs during the winter season. A fuel allowance payment of €9 per week is paid to eligible households, with an additional €3.90 per week being paid in smokeless zones, bringing the total amount in those...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (11 May 2005)

Séamus Brennan: My Department makes payments to some 1.6 million customers on a weekly or monthly basis. Of those, 58% currently receive payment through their local post office, 11% are paid by cheque through the postal system and 31% receive direct electronic payment to their bank or building society account. Customers opt for a particular payment method having regard to their own circumstances and...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (11 May 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". This position was provided for in Part IV...

Written Answers — Social Insurance: Social Insurance (11 May 2005)

Séamus Brennan: PRSI credited contributions are an integral part of the social insurance system. The primary purpose of PRSI credits is to secure social welfare benefits and pensions of insured workers by covering gaps in insurance where workers are not in a position to pay PRSI, such as during periods of unemployment, illness or caring. To qualify for social insurance credits, a person must have previously...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (11 May 2005)

Séamus Brennan: Mortgage interest supplements are available through the supplementary welfare allowance scheme which is administered on my behalf by the community welfare division of the Health Service Executive. The HSE, western area, has advised that, following a review of the household income situation of the person concerned, it was decided that he no longer qualifies for payment of a mortgage interest...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (11 May 2005)

Séamus Brennan: My Department makes payments to approximately 667,000 customers who are in receipt of long-term benefit on schemes such as old age, lone parent and invalidity pension. Some 168,000 of my Department's long-term customers receive their payment entitlements by way of electronic funds transfer, EFT. This facility allows these customers to receive their payment into their bank accounts. ...

Written Answers — Computerisation Programme: Computerisation Programme (11 May 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The introduction of electronic registration of life events, including births, marriages and deaths, has enabled the automatic transmission of registration data to my Department at the time of registration. The necessary systems have been put in place to electronically match registration data against social welfare payment systems to identify cases for appropriate action. The information...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Fraud: Social Welfare Fraud (11 May 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The relevant state agencies in the United Kingdom are currently engaged in the migration of all social welfare-type payments to direct payment. At the end of December 2004, 72% of their customers were paid by direct payment to their bank or building society accounts and 14% were paid by direct payment to their post office accounts. The Department is not aware of any increased risk of fraud or...

Seanad: Pension Provisions: Statements. (11 May 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I thank the Cathaoirleach and Members of the Seanad for organising this debate, which is timely. I appreciate the opportunity to again discuss pension provisions, which we have discussed in the House on a number of occasions in recent months. I look forward to further discussions today. I welcome the report from the ESRI, entitled Pensions, Incomes and Replacement Rates, and pay tribute to...

Seanad: Pension Provisions: Statements. (11 May 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I did my bit for it, as did Senator O'Rourke. Ireland, with its new found wealth and relatively young population, still has sufficient time and opportunities to plan and structure a pensions system. As I noted, philosophical issues arise in this context, which is the reason I am interested in hearing the views of Senators and Deputies on pensions policy. There are those, including the...

Seanad: Pension Provisions: Statements. (11 May 2005)

Séamus Brennan: This has been one of the best debates I have heard on this subject, or indeed any other subject, for some time. I have listened very carefully to the contributions. We have touched many fundamental chords and scratched the surface of the question of where the country is going. I detected different trends in the discussion as it ranged across the various philosophies, if not theologies, about...

Seanad: Pension Provisions: Statements. (11 May 2005)

Séamus Brennan: That is something I intend to do soon. The basic principle is that people of a certain age should be seen as a resource or asset and not as a problem. People over a certain age can make major contributions to this country because they are experienced and have often learned things the hard way. To lock such people into a passive pension area, and to insist they stay there and do nothing else,...

Written Answers — Job Initiative: Job Initiative (12 May 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 124 and 127 together. The job initiative programme is one of a number of FÁS schemes in which lone parents may participate. Under the programme, full time employment is provided in the social economy for individuals who are over 35 years and fulfil certain criteria. Lone parents can qualify for the programme if they have been on one parent family payment,...

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

Séamus Brennan: My Department provides facilities for a canteen service for staff in a number of locations but it 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 am ensuring that the issue of using Fairtrade products is...

Written Answers — Appointments to State Boards: Appointments to State Boards (12 May 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The five statutory agencies operating under the aegis of my Department are the Pensions Board, the Combat Poverty Agency, Comhairle, the Family Support Agency and the Social Welfare Tribunal. The Pensions Board was established in December 1990 under the Pensions Act 1990 and comprises 17 members, including the chairperson. The role of the board is to monitor and supervise the provisions of...

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

Séamus Brennan: The Dublin and mid-Leinster area of the Health Service Executive has advised that the family in question had been in receipt of a rent supplement, initially paid to the person concerned and subsequently to her spouse, in respect of their family accommodation. The executive became aware that there had been a change in the employment status of the spouse of the person concerned. It sought...

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

Séamus Brennan: The supplementary welfare allowance scheme is administered on my behalf by the community welfare division of the Health Service Executive. Neither I nor my Department has a function in determining or reviewing entitlement in individual cases. As stated in my reply to Question No. 155 of 21 April 2005, the Dublin and mid-Leinster area of the executive has advised that the person concerned made...