Results 1,561-1,580 of 4,893 for speaker:Séamus Brennan

Social Welfare Benefits. (27 Oct 2005)

Séamus Brennan: Following the social welfare increases awarded in last year's budget, the lowest rate of social welfare payment currently stands at €148.80 per week. Depending on their circumstances, social welfare recipients are also entitled to additions to the personal rate of payment in respect of a spouse or partner and dependent children. In the case of a two-adult household with three children, the...

Social Welfare Benefits. (27 Oct 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The issue is bedevilled by attempts to statistically measure poverty. Estimates are made in terms of consistent poverty, risk of poverty and relative poverty, with different purposes for each. In addition, the Central Statistics Office, the EU and the UN have different measures of poverty.

Social Welfare Benefits. (27 Oct 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I do not have a figure.

Social Welfare Benefits. (27 Oct 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I have been around too long to estimate for the Deputy what people need to live.

Social Welfare Benefits. (27 Oct 2005)

Séamus Brennan: While I would ask a similar question if I was in opposition, consistent improvements have been made in this area. When making a determination on State support, account must be taken of different circumstances, for example, whether a family lives in a local authority or inherited house or has to pay a mortgage.

Social Welfare Benefits. (27 Oct 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The sum of €528.49 was supplied in the details accompanying the question. That is a suggestion from one quarter. The other figure is €413.02 which was referred to in the question. To give the Deputy an appropriate answer to his question, all the circumstances of the family must be taken into account.

Social Welfare Benefits. (27 Oct 2005)

Séamus Brennan: To ascertain what is an adequate income for any family, and not only a family living in poverty, depends very much on——

Social Welfare Benefits. (27 Oct 2005)

Séamus Brennan: ——the circumstances of the family.

Social Welfare Benefits. (27 Oct 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I think so.

Local Authority Housing. (27 Oct 2005)

Séamus Brennan: In general my Department has no function in securing accommodation for one parent families or any other social welfare customers. However, under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme, administered on my behalf by the community welfare division of the Health Service Executive, a weekly or monthly rent or mortgage interest supplement is available to assist eligible people who are unable to...

Local Authority Housing. (27 Oct 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I am unhappy at the pace at which the new scheme is taking off. Only about 30 or 40 people have been facilitated under the scheme by the local authorities. That is disappointing and we need to do far better. The rent supplement was only ever intended to be a temporary support. It was not meant to become a permanent housing arrangement. That is a matter for the Department of the Environment,...

Offshore Exploration. (27 Oct 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I am not taking the matter.

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

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 11, 29, 53, 63 and 68 together. Under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme administered on my behalf by the community welfare division of the Health Service Executive, a weekly or monthly rent or mortgage interest supplement is available to assist eligible people who are unable to meet their immediate accommodation needs through their own resources. In...

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

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 12, 22, 79 and 86 together. The aim of the national fuel scheme is to assist householders who are in receipt of long-term social welfare or Health Service Executive payments towards the cost of their additional heating needs during the winter season. Fuel allowances are paid currently for 29 weeks from end-September to mid-April each year. Some 274,000...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (27 Oct 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The Construction Federation operatives pensions scheme operates as a registered employment agreement under the Industrial Relations Acts. There is a statutory obligation on employers to register eligible employees in the scheme and to pay the necessary contributions. Compliance with the terms of the scheme is enforced through the Construction Industry Monitoring Agency, the Labour Court and...

Written Answers — Family Support Services: Family Support Services (27 Oct 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 15, 17, 27, 50 and 54 together. My Department provides child income support in a number of ways. The principal support is child benefit, a universal payment which is neutral vis-À-vis the employment status of the child's parents and does not contribute to poverty traps. Over the period since 1997, the monthly rates of child benefit have increased by €103.51...

Written Answers — Departmental Schemes: Departmental Schemes (27 Oct 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 16 and 35 together. The homemaker's scheme which was introduced in 1994 is intended to mitigate the effect of periods spent on caring duties when a person's insurance record is being averaged for pension purposes. The scheme allows up to 20 years spent on caring duties to be disregarded when a person's insurance record is being averaged to assess entitlement...

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

Séamus Brennan: As the Deputy will be aware, there are three social welfare schemes providing pensions for older people — old age contributory pension, retirement pension and old age non-contributory pension. In the case of the first two, these are contributory schemes payable at 66 and 65, respectively. People who receive old age contributory pension can work without restriction while those applying for...

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

Séamus Brennan: The one parent family payment is designed to provide income support to parents with insufficient means who are parenting alone. This can arise as a result of being widowed, or following separation or divorce, or being unmarried. One of the objectives of the one parent family payment is to encourage lone parents to consider employment as an alternative to welfare dependency, while at the same...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (27 Oct 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The Pensions Act requires the trustees of funded defined benefit, DB, schemes to certify on a regular basis that the scheme meets the statutory funding standard. From 23 September 2005, these certificates must be submitted every three years. The annual report of the Pensions Board shows that of the 596 schemes which submitted funding certificates in 2004, 240 — or 40% — of them failed to...