Results 1,201-1,220 of 4,893 for speaker:Séamus Brennan

Written Answers — Anti-Poverty Strategy: Anti-Poverty Strategy (21 Jun 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The figure for child poverty in Ireland of 15.7% based on 50% of median national income in 2000 was referred to in the recent Combat Poverty Agency "Ending Child Poverty" policy statement which, in turn, was drawn from a recent UNICEF report on child poverty. As I restated when I launched the agency's statement, tackling child poverty continues to be among my key priorities. Strategies to...

Written Answers — Anti-Poverty Strategy: Anti-Poverty Strategy (21 Jun 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The findings of the recent Combat Poverty Agency, CPA, policy statement Ending Child Poverty, are based on an analysis of income support packages for families in 22 industrialised countries. The statement indicated that Ireland has the highest replacement rate for lone parents in the 22 countries studied, replacement rates are often defined as the ratio of social welfare benefits to...

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

Séamus Brennan: Since 1997, the monthly rates of child benefit has increased by €103.51 at the lower rate and €127.78 at the higher rate, increases of 271% and 258% respectively, compared with inflation of 30.6%. In the budget for 2001, the Minister for Finance announced a multi-annual programme of increases in child benefit to the value of €1.27 billion over three years, subsequently extended to five...

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

Séamus Brennan: My Department takes a number of measures to ensure that people are aware of possible entitlement to the family income supplement, FIS. These include advising all newly awarded one parent family payment recipients, advising all employers annually in PRSI mailshots and examining entitlement in all awarded back to work allowance cases. Information on FIS is contained in all child benefit books...

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

Séamus Brennan: Following a Government commitment in Sustaining Progress, the National Economic and Social Council have been asked by the Government to consider the possibility of a second-tier child income support payment which would replace child dependant allowances and family income supplement, with a view to channelling resources to low income families without creating disincentives to employment. I am...

Written Answers — Services for Persons with Disabilities: Services for Persons with Disabilities (22 Jun 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 181, 188 and 189 together. It is clear from the ESRI Report, Disability and Social Inclusion in Ireland, that the barriers faced by people with disabilities and, indeed, other groups who are vulnerable to poverty and social exclusion, are multi-faceted and require a multi-agency response. The National Action Plan against Poverty and Social Exclusion 2003-2005,...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (22 Jun 2005)

Séamus Brennan: There is no question of depriving pensioners of their entitlements to fuel allowances. Fuel allowances have never been payable in cases where a person has a subsidised heating service, such as those provided by Dublin City Council at a number of its developments. To qualify for an allowance under the national fuel scheme an applicant must be in receipt of a qualifying payment, live alone or...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (22 Jun 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 paid to people under 66 years of age who are living alone and are receiving one of a number of invalidity type schemes. It is not a payment in its own right but an allowance which can only...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (22 Jun 2005)

Séamus Brennan: To qualify for an allowance under the national fuel scheme an applicant must be in receipt of a qualifying payment, live alone or only with a dependent spouse-partner-child or children or with other eligible recipients and be unable to provide for his or her heating needs from his or her own resources. People who are in receipt of relevant non-contributory social assistance payments do not...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (22 Jun 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 185 and 190 together. The electricity allowance covers normal standing charges and up to 1,800 units of electricity each year. VAT due on this standard allowance is also covered. The value of the allowance, if fully taken up, is €359.91 per annum. The free travel scheme is available to all people living in the State aged 66 years, or over, to all carers in...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (22 Jun 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The person to whom the Deputy refers submitted an application for the respite care grant on 9 May 2005 in respect of full-time care provided by her in respect of her parents. A decision not to award the respite care grant in this case was made by a deciding officer on 10 June 2005. Among the documentary information relied upon by the deciding officer was the opinion of a medical assessor who,...

Written Answers — Communications Masts: Communications Masts (22 Jun 2005)

Séamus Brennan: In line with Government policy to support the rollout of 3G mobile technology, the Office of Public Works has entered into contractual arrangements with mobile phone companies to locate telecommunications infrastructure, on Government buildings, as necessary. Aras Mhic Dhiarmada has been identified as one such building. My Department is aware that staff have health and safety concerns in...

Written Answers — Anti-Poverty Strategy: Anti-Poverty Strategy (22 Jun 2005)

Séamus Brennan: Despite the huge increases in employment participation in Ireland in recent years and in employment opportunities generally, the proportion of lone parents in employment is low compared to other developed countries. This was borne out by an OECD report on reconciling work and family life, published in 2003, which found that employment participation among lone parents at 45% in this country is...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (23 Jun 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The regulations governing the payment of rent supplement stipulate that, in general, rent supplement is not paid to people who vacate local authority accommodation. Furthermore, rent supplement is not ordinarily paid unless the local authority is satisfied that the applicant has a housing need which the local authority is not in a position to address. However, the regulations provide the...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (23 Jun 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The policy in relation to one parent family payment is to encourage and facilitate lone parents in moving into the paid labour force. 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. There is no disregard given to a person whose income is an...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (23 Jun 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The free travel scheme is available to all people living in the State aged 66 years, or over, to all carers in receipt of carer's allowance and to carers of people in receipt of constant attendance or prescribed relative's allowance. It is also available to people under age 66 who are in receipt of certain disability type welfare payments, such as disability allowance, invalidity pension and...

Written Answers — Tax and Social Welfare Codes: Tax and Social Welfare Codes (23 Jun 2005)

Séamus Brennan: In its policy statement, Ending Child Poverty, which I launched recently, the Combat Poverty Agency makes recommendations in a number of areas, including the tapered withdrawal of means tested payments and the consideration of delivery mechanisms through the tax system to improve benefit take up. As I said at its launch, this statement, based on an analysis of income support packages for...

Written Answers — Tax and Social Welfare Codes: Tax and Social Welfare Codes (23 Jun 2005)

Séamus Brennan: A sub-group of the senior officials group on social inclusion is examining obstacles to employment for lone parent families, with particular emphasis on income supports, employment, education, child care and support programmes and information. This group is scheduled to report to the Cabinet Committee on Social Inclusion by the end of July. We must also look closely at income supports and at...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (23 Jun 2005)

Séamus Brennan: No expenditure was incurred by my Department in respect of the two Nice treaty referenda.

Written Answers — EU Directives: EU Directives (23 Jun 2005)

Séamus Brennan: There is one directive which falls within the responsibility of my Department which has not yet been fully implemented. This is EC Council Directive 2003/41/EC on the activities and supervision of institutions for occupational retirement provision, IORP, more generally known as the IORPs directive, which sets out a framework for the operation and supervision of occupational pension schemes in...