Results 1,601-1,620 of 4,893 for speaker:Séamus Brennan

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

Séamus Brennan: The 2006 Estimates for social welfare spending will be published on November 17 next and will represent the cost of implementing existing levels of services in the various programmes and services provided by my Department and its agencies. Normally, improvements in social welfare schemes and services are introduced by way of the budget. In this regard, I will be developing budget proposals...

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

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 55, 88 and 96 together. Weekly payments of FIS are made to families, including one-parent families, with children under 18 years or between 18 and 22 years if in full-time education, where at least one parent is in full-time remunerative employment of not less than 19 hours per week, or 38 hours per fortnight, where the employment is likely to last at least...

Written Answers — Social Inclusion: Social Inclusion (27 Oct 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 56 and 70 together. The report, The Social Inclusion of Older People at Local Level, prepared for the National Council on Ageing and Older People by the Work Research Centre, identifies the policies and measures that are being planned and implemented by the county and city development boards to ensure the inclusion of older people at local level. The report...

Written Answers — Anti-Poverty Strategy: Anti-Poverty Strategy (27 Oct 2005)

Séamus Brennan: In budget 2005, I introduced the following improvements to assist low income families: a €14, 10.4%, increase in the personal rate of payment for the lowest rates of social welfare payments. This level of increase is over four times the projected level of inflation for 2005; an increase of €9.30, 10.4%, per week in the rate of qualified adult allowance, QAA, payable to those in receipt of...

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

Séamus Brennan: Last week, I held a pre-budget forum which was attended by 31 representative organisations including One Family, formerly Cherish. At this forum, each organisation, including One Family, had the opportunity to present its key priorities for consideration in advance of budget 2006. I would like to thank One Family for its contribution to the forum and the valuable work which it and many other...

Written Answers — Anti-Poverty Strategy: Anti-Poverty Strategy (27 Oct 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 59 and 195 together. The reduction and eventual elimination of child poverty are at the core of the strategic process to combat poverty and social exclusion, a priority shared internationally. The OECD in a report to social affairs Ministers in April this year pointed out that "children who grow up in disadvantaged households are more likely to do poorly at...

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

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 62 and 67 together. My Department is pursuing a modernisation programme which aims to build on the quality service it provides at present and to ensure an excellent service is maintained into the future. The establishment of a separate agency to administer and deliver social welfare payments is one of a number of options that are under consideration as part of...

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

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 69 and 85 together. The back to education allowance is a second chance education opportunities scheme designed to encourage and facilitate people on certain social welfare payments to improve their skills and qualifications and, therefore, their prospects of returning to the active work force. There are two options available under this scheme, namely, the...

Written Answers — Money Advice and Budgeting Service: Money Advice and Budgeting Service (27 Oct 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 72 and 92 together. My Department has overall responsibility for the money advice and budgeting service, MABS, which provides assistance to people who are over-indebted. A total of €13.6 million in funding has been allocated to MABS in 2005. The service is targeted at those who are on low income or in receipt of social welfare payments. There are 52 MABS...

Written Answers — Information Provision: Information Provision (27 Oct 2005)

Séamus Brennan: My Department has not undertaken any specific research along the lines suggested by the Deputy regarding the information needs of older citizens. However, Comhairle, the national information agency which operates under the aegis of my Department, has recently funded Age Action Ireland, a voluntary organisation to carry out a research project entitled, Uptake of Social Welfare Benefits by...

Written Answers — Citizens Information Service: Citizens Information Service (27 Oct 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The provision of information in a clear and simple manner is an essential element in the effective delivery of social welfare services by my Department. My priority is to ensure that people are fully aware of their entitlements and are advised and assisted when the need arises to avail of the schemes and supports available. My Department funds Comhairle, the statutory agency responsible for...

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

Séamus Brennan: Social welfare programmes aim to be responsive to the needs of those who depend on income maintenance support while providing incentives to assist people to become more independent financially, particularly through employment. A number of measures have been introduced in recent years to remove disincentives to taking up employment and to assist in the transition from welfare to work. These...

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

Séamus Brennan: Since 2000, a total of 2,480 PRSI exemption certificates have been granted in respect of the temporary employment of persons not ordinarily resident in this country. Of this total, 1,504 certificates were granted to the company in question. An annual breakdown of these certificates is outlined in the following table. Exemption Certificates Issued Year Number of exemptions issued Number...

Written Answers — Child Support: Child Support (27 Oct 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I understand from the Deputy's question that he is referring to child benefit increases. Child benefit is the principal means of providing support to families with children in Ireland. It is neutral vis-À-vis the employment status of the child's parents and maximizes choice for parents. Child benefit is paid monthly in advance to over 530,000 families is respect of over 1,020,000 children....

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

Séamus Brennan: There are currently three different weekly rates of child dependant increases payable to social welfare recipients, €16.80, €19.30 and €21.60, depending on the type of payment. A half rate child dependant increase may also be paid in respect of a child in certain circumstances, for example, where both of the child's parents are receiving a social welfare payment or where one parent has...

Written Answers — Computerisation Programme: Computerisation Programme (27 Oct 2005)

Séamus Brennan: My Department is highly dependent on computer systems to deliver its schemes and in particular, its payment services. For example, each week my Department is responsible for some 970,000 payments that, when dependants are included, directly benefit some 1.5 million men, women and children. Each year almost 60 million transactions are processed and issued by my Department. The majority of...

Written Answers — Advocacy Services: Advocacy Services (27 Oct 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The introduction of a personal advocacy service for people with disabilities is provided for in the Comhairle (Amendment) Bill 2004, which was published in September 2004 in conjunction with the Disability Bill 2004. The Bill aims to assign additional and enhanced functions to Comhairle, the national information agency, which will enable it to introduce a personal advocacy service for people...

Written Answers — Consultancy Contracts: Consultancy Contracts (27 Oct 2005)

Séamus Brennan: My Department engages consultancy expertise under three main headings: support with a number of strategic multi-annual programmes aimed at enhancing the delivery of the Department's services, for example, the service delivery modernisation programme; technical consultancies relating to the ongoing development of information technology systems; and consultancy assistance in other areas,...

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

Séamus Brennan: From 1 May 2004 the requirement to be habitually resident in Ireland was introduced as a qualifying condition for certain social assistance schemes and child benefit. The effect of the condition is that a person whose habitual residence is elsewhere is not paid certain social welfare payments on arrival in Ireland. The question of what is a person's habitual residence is decided in accordance...

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

Séamus Brennan: I was pleased to receive the pre-budget submission recently from the One Family group and to welcome the organisation to my pre-budget forum to hear at first hand the issues raised by its representatives. The recommendations made by One Family in its pre-budget submission, entitled Achieving Equality and Social Inclusion for All One Parent Families in Ireland, include proposals on access for...