Results 1,621-1,640 of 4,893 for speaker:Séamus Brennan

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

Séamus Brennan: Weekly payments of FIS are made to families with children under 18 or between 18 and 22 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 three months and where the income of the family is less than a prescribed weekly amount. The number of...

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

Séamus Brennan: The one-parent family payment acts as a safety net for people caring for children on their own, who receive inadequate maintenance, where maintenance payments are irregular or where efforts to secure maintenance in the first place fail. Applicants for one-parent family payments must satisfy the Department that they have made reasonable attempts to obtain such maintenance. They are also...

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

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 197 to 203, inclusive, together. My Department is highly dependent on information and communications technology to support schemes, produce payments and deliver a pro-active service to customers. By the late 1990s, it was clear that our technology and processes were becoming obsolete and that a radical programme of change and development was required to meet...

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

Séamus Brennan: The rural social scheme was introduced in May 2004 by my colleague, the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, to provide income support to farmers and fishermen and their dependent spouses. The scheme is payable, subject to certain conditions, to people who previously had been in receipt of a qualifying social welfare payment or who had participated in community employment. The...

Written Answers — EU Directives: EU Directives (27 Oct 2005)

Séamus Brennan: There are no outstanding EU directives within the competency of my Department that have not been transposed into law. No warning letters were received by the Department from the Commission or any other EU bodies concerning non-transposed directives during the period referred to by the Deputy and no legislation is outstanding.

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

Séamus Brennan: The earnings disregard for those in receipt of disability allowance who engage in rehabilitative employment has been increased on an number of occasions since the transfer of the then disabled persons maintenance allowance, DPMA, from the health boards to my Department as disability allowance in 1996. At that time the disregard was £35.20, equivalent to €44.69 and was increased to £36.30...

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

Séamus Brennan: There are currently 1,982 people receiving blind pensions from my Department. The blind pension scheme is expected to cost €16.9 million in 2005. The estimated additional cost of increasing the rate of blind pension to the equivalent rate of old-age contributory pension is €1.4 million per annum. Any increase in the rate of blind persons pension could only be considered in a budgetary...

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

Séamus Brennan: A deciding officer disallowed the person's claim for one-parent family payment on the grounds that the person is co-habiting with another as man and wife. An appeal on the person's behalf was received on 11 October 2005 in the social welfare appeals office. An appeals officer has considered the case and is of the opinion that an oral hearing is necessary. The person concerned will be notified...

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

Séamus Brennan: Social welfare legislation provides that to be entitled to unemployment benefit a person must be available for employment and be genuinely seeking work. The onus is on the claimant to show to the satisfaction of a deciding officer that he or she satisfies each of these conditions on an ongoing basis. In accordance with section 42(4)(a)(iii) of the Social Welfare (Consolidation) Act 1993, as...

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

Séamus Brennan: The person concerned is in receipt of maximum rate widow's contributory pension of €85.70 and €7.70 living alone allowance. To qualify for a payment under the national fuel scheme, the total income of a widow, including her widow's contributory pension, must not exceed €236.49 per week. The person concerned is receiving an occupational pension in addition to her widow's contributory...

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

Séamus Brennan: The person concerned applied for one parent family payment on 5 August 2005 and his case was forwarded to an inspector for investigation. A number of calls were made to the person's address but he was not available for interview. An appointment has been made to interview the person concerned this week.

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

Séamus Brennan: The person concerned claimed farm assist on 18 April 2005. He was requested to submit certain information in support of his claim. To date, a number of items remain outstanding. On receipt of the required documentation the claim will be examined in full and he will be advised of the outcome in due course.

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

Séamus Brennan: Widows and widowers can qualify for one of a number of different schemes depending on their particular circumstances. The contributory widow's or widower's pension is available to those who satisfy the necessary PRSI contribution conditions, either on their own record or that of the deceased spouse. Those qualifying for this benefit are not subject to any means test. Those without the...

Written Answers — International Agreements: International Agreements (27 Oct 2005)

Séamus Brennan: Ireland has social security agreements with seven countries — Austria, Australia,Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the USA and Switzerland. These agreements came into effect between 1989 and 1999, except for that with the UK which came into effect in 1971. Ireland also has a bilateral understanding with Quebec since 1 October 1994. All these agreements are currently in operation and...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (27 Oct 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. Detailed statistics of rent supplement applications refused are not maintained by the executive or on my Department's computer systems. However, my Department undertook a survey, in four of the former health...

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

Séamus Brennan: I understand the Deputy is referring to the position of the PRSI contributions payable by couples in relation to farming activities. Under social welfare legislation, the social insurance status of spouses in a family business, including farming, can vary. Broadly speaking there are three different scenarios to be considered. First, where spouses are actively engaged in farming or any other...

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

Séamus Brennan: In the programme for Government, the Government has made the needs of older people a priority with the inclusion of several commitments related specifically to older people. One of these is a commitment to increase the old age pension rate to €200 per week by 2007. Significant progress towards this objective has been made since the Government took office in 1997 with increases of up to...

Written Answers — Social Insurance: Social Insurance (2 Nov 2005)

Séamus Brennan: Entitlement to maternity benefit is contingent on entitlement to maternity leave, legislation for which is the responsibility of the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform. Significant improvements have been made in the maternity benefit scheme over the recent years. As recently as 2001, improvements were made to increase core maternity leave, which attracted an entitlement to...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (2 Nov 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to answer Questions Nos. 381 and 387 together. The requirement to be habitually resident in Ireland was introduced as a qualifying condition for certain social assistance schemes and child benefit with effect from 1 May 2004. The old age non-contributory pension scheme is one of the schemes affected. The basis for the restriction contained in the new rules is the applicant's...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (2 Nov 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The household benefits package, which comprises the electricity/gas allowance, telephone allowance and television licence schemes, is generally available to people living permanently in the State, aged 66 years or over, who are in receipt of a social welfare type payment or who satisfy a means test. The package is also available to carers and people with disabilities under the age of 66 who...