Results 1,641-1,660 of 4,893 for speaker:Séamus Brennan

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

Séamus Brennan: The information requested by the deputy is contained in the following tabular statement. Table: Number of Recipients of Farm Assist by County, 2004 and 2005 County September 2004 September 2005 Carlow 61 56 Cavan 312 284 Clare 471 416 Cork 605 548 Donegal 1,194 1,123 Dublin 11 9 Galway 906 857 Kerry 668 624 Kildare 49 42 Kilkenny 128 120 Laois...

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

Séamus Brennan: The Christmas bonus will again be paid this year to all recipients of long-term social welfare payments, at a rate equivalent to 100% of the person's normal weekly payment, subject to a minimum payment of €30. This measure will cost an estimated €139.3 million in 2005 and will benefit some 1.2 million persons comprising 835,000 recipients and 384,000 dependents. The estimated cost of...

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

Séamus Brennan: My Department is committed to providing quality customer service to all its customers. This includes ensuring that applications are processed and that decisions on entitlement are issued as expeditiously as possible having regard to the eligibility conditions which apply. These conditions vary from scheme to scheme and may include establishment of the customer's social insurance record, the...

Written Answers — Identity Cards: Identity Cards (2 Nov 2005)

Séamus Brennan: My Department, together with the Department of Finance, is managing a programme of work to develop a framework within which public service cards can be deployed. The programme of work is known as the standard authentication framework environment, SAFE. Following approval from Government, an interdepartmental steering group was established in September 2004 to develop the framework. The...

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

Séamus Brennan: The personal public service, PPS, number is a unique reference for people who have dealings with Departments of Government and public bodies. A PPS number issues automatically to children born in Ireland. In all other cases, a person seeking a PPS number must apply at one of my Department's local offices. It is necessary to have effective controls around the PPS number registration process to...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (2 Nov 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 any function in determining entitlement to a supplement in individual cases. The mid-western region of the HSE has advised that the person concerned is in receipt of full entitlements. The person applied for a diet...

Written Answers — Security for the Elderly: Security for the Elderly (2 Nov 2005)

Séamus Brennan: In recent years the Government has concentrated on increasing primary social welfare payment rates by amounts far in excess of inflation. This approach, although more costly than increasing fuel allowances, delivers a better outcome for pensioners and others by substantially increasing their real income over the whole year. Since 2002, pensioners and other eligible groups have received...

Written Answers — Public Relations Contracts: Public Relations Contracts (2 Nov 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The Department of Social and Family Affairs has not awarded any contracts for public relations projects since December 2004.

Written Answers — Ministerial Staff: Ministerial Staff (2 Nov 2005)

Séamus Brennan: There are a total of six full-time administrative staff assigned to deal with matters in my constituency office. There are four established civil servants, one executive officer on a payscale of €26,618 to €42,238 and three clerical officers on a payscale of €21,245 to €34,448. I have also appointed, on a contract basis for my term of office, two non-established civil servants, a...

Written Answers — Consultancy Contracts: Consultancy Contracts (2 Nov 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The activities of the Department of Social and Family Affairs require the engagement of a range of consultancy expertise. Broadly, expertise is sought 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...

Written Answers — Ministerial Staff: Ministerial Staff (2 Nov 2005)

Séamus Brennan: There are three staff in the Department's press office, including the press officer who is a higher executive officer on a payscale of €40,543 to €51,463 and the deputy press officer who is an executive officer on a payscale of €28,021 to €44,458. The third member of staff, who is awaiting re-assignment following promotion to executive officer, served as a clerical officer on a...

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

Séamus Brennan: Diet 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, HSE. They are intended to meet any shortfall that may exist between the cost of a special diet and the amount it would be reasonable to expect a person to pay towards their food costs. These diet supplement...

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (2 Nov 2005)

Séamus Brennan: My Department is due to decentralise all its headquarters sections remaining in Dublin to six locations throughout the country, involving some 1,300 staff. It is scheduled to decentralise to Sligo and Carrick-on-Shannon early in 2007, to Carrickmacross in 2008, and to Drogheda, Donegal and Buncrana in 2009. My Department has submitted implementation plans to the decentralisation...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (3 Nov 2005)

Séamus Brennan: 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 natural gas allowance is an alternative to the electricity allowance for people whose homes are connected to a natural gas supply. On the standard tariff, the...

Written Answers — Citizens' Information Service: Citizens' Information Service (3 Nov 2005)

Séamus Brennan: My Department funds Comhairle, the statutory agency responsible for providing people with access to accurate, comprehensive and clear information relating to social services. Comhairle supports and funds a network of citizens' information services to provide information, advice and advocacy services on a wide range of civil and public services. In 2005, Comhairle provided direct funding of...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (3 Nov 2005)

Séamus Brennan: In the course of the means investigation, the person concerned was asked to provide valuation of a house, not his place of residence, which is owned by him. As this information was not received, the social welfare inspector estimated the value of the property at €100,000. This valuation may be revised on receipt of an appropriate valuation from the person concerned. In the meantime, he may...

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (3 Nov 2005)

Séamus Brennan: Under the Government's decentralisation programme all of the Department's headquarters sections based in Dublin are due to relocate to six locations throughout the country — Sligo, Carrick-on-Shannon, Drogheda, Donegal, Buncrana and Carrickmacross. The headquarters offices on the north side of Dublin city are: Áras Mhic Diarmada, Store Street, Dublin 1; Gandon House, Amiens Street, Dublin...

Written Answers — Anti-Poverty Strategy: Anti-Poverty Strategy (3 Nov 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The latest available child poverty data are from the EU survey of income and living conditions — EU SILC — for 2003. The EU SILC indicated that 23.9% of children are "at risk of poverty", that is, living in households with less than 60% of median equivalised income for their household size. Of these, approximately 14.6% of children are living in households with income below the 60%...

Social Welfare Consolidation Bill 2005: Report and Final Stages. (8 Nov 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The Deputy should not start with such comments.

Social Welfare Consolidation Bill 2005: Report and Final Stages. (8 Nov 2005)

Séamus Brennan: On the latter point, I am aware that the consolidation procedure is very restrictive. It is laid down in Standing Orders and when I was asked to nominate three people, I did not have much scope and chose members of the two larger Opposition parties and one person from the Government side. It is no reflection on other Members. I would have been delighted to include other parties had I had the...