Results 1,721-1,740 of 4,893 for speaker:Séamus Brennan

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (16 Nov 2005)

Séamus Brennan: Fuel allowances are not payable in situations where a person has access to his or her own fuel supply or is benefiting from a subsidised or low cost heating service, such as those provided by Dublin City Council at a number of its housing complexes. The basis for this condition is that the contribution that local authority tenants in communal heating situations make towards their heating...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (16 Nov 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The person's application for carer's allowance was disallowed by a deciding officer on the grounds that he is working, on his holding, for more than ten hours per week. The person appealed this decision to the social welfare appeals office. In accordance with the statutory requirements, the relevant departmental papers, including a report from a social welfare inspector and a submission from...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (16 Nov 2005)

Séamus Brennan: In assessing means for social assistance purposes, including disability allowance, account is taken of any cash income the person or his or her spouse may have, together with the value of capital and property, except the home. Outgoings, such as mortgage payments on the family home, are not taken into account in determining entitlement to disability allowance and other weekly income...

Written Answers — Departmental Offices: Departmental Offices (17 Nov 2005)

Séamus Brennan: Staff in my Department offer a comprehensive and multifaceted service through our network of local and branch offices. Appointment systems are in place for many of the services that we offer: for example, appointments are arranged for customers who wish to see a facilitator to discuss educational and work opportunities or who are required to be interviewed by a social welfare inspector in...

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (17 Nov 2005)

Séamus Brennan: As part of the Government's decentralisation programme all headquarters staff of my Department are due to relocate to six locations throughout the country — Sligo, Carrick-on-Shannon, Drogheda, Buncrana, Donegal and Carrickmacross. My Department has submitted implementation plans to the decentralisation implementation group which, amongst other things, identifies the potential risks which...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (17 Nov 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The Government is committed to introducing a personal entitlement for pensioner spouses currently in receipt of the qualified adult allowance, QAA, set at a level of a full non-contributory pension. In budget 2004, the rate of QAA, for persons aged 66 and over, payable to invalidity pensioners was brought up to the level applicable to equivalent QAAs on old age contributory and retirement...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (17 Nov 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The aim of the national fuel scheme is to assist householders on long-term social welfare or health board payments with meeting the cost of their additional heating needs during the winter season. Fuel allowances are paid for 29 weeks, from end-September to mid-April, and are not intended to meet the full cost of heating. Some 274,000 — 151,000 with basic fuel allowance and 123,000 with...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (17 Nov 2005)

Séamus Brennan: With the exception of those participating in approved employment schemes, rent supplement is not payable to a household in circumstances where either spouse is in full-time remunerative employment. The Dublin-mid-Leinster area of the Health Service Executive, which administers the supplementary welfare allowance scheme on my behalf, has advised that it has not received a formal application...

Written Answers — Child Care Services: Child Care Services (17 Nov 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The supplementary welfare allowance scheme is administered on behalf of my Department by the community welfare division of the Health Service Executive. Neither I nor my Department has any function in decisions on individual claims. There is no scope within the supplementary welfare allowance scheme for assistance in respect of routine child care costs, except in exceptional circumstances...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (17 Nov 2005)

Séamus Brennan: My Department operates a number of schemes which provide income support to those persons who are unfit to work due to illness or disability. These payments include disability benefit and invalidity pension which are social insurance based schemes. Facilitating return to work or participation in the active labour force is one of the main objectives of the social welfare system. There are a...

Written Answers — Capital Expenditure: Capital Expenditure (17 Nov 2005)

Séamus Brennan: My Department did not undertake any capital projects in 2004 and 2005 with an estimated cost of between €30 million and €50 million. The Deputy may wish to note that my Department has a capital allocation in respect of information technology which for 2004 amounted to €7.7 million and, for 2005, €11 million.

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

Séamus Brennan: Rent supplements are payable under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme, which is administered on my behalf by the community welfare division of the Health Service Executive. Neither I nor my Department have any function in determining entitlement in individual cases. The mid western area of the executive has advised that the person concerned was refused rent supplement as the household...

Written Answers — Carers' Entitlements: Carers' Entitlements (22 Nov 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 395 to 398, inclusive, together. Supporting carers in our society has been a priority of the Government since 1997. Over that period weekly payment rates to carers have been greatly increased, qualifying conditions for carer's allowance have been significantly eased, coverage of the scheme has been extended and new schemes such as carer's benefit and the...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (22 Nov 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 — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (22 Nov 2005)

Séamus Brennan: For unemployment assistance purposes, the assessment of means for non-householders resident in the parental home has always taken into account the yearly value of any benefit and privilege enjoyed by him or her by virtue of residing with a parent or step-parent. In practice, this is taken to mean the value of free board and lodging to a claimant and such value is ascribed having regard to the...

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

Séamus Brennan: The term "fuel poverty" has been described as the inability to afford adequate warmth in a home, or the inability to achieve adequate warmth because of the energy inefficiency of the home. Various studies have been conducted on this issue in recent years, with varying estimates of the numbers and types of households affected by fuel poverty as defined in this way. I am not aware of any...

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

Séamus Brennan: The Government's aim is to increase the lowest rate of social welfare payments to €150, in 2002 terms, by 2007. In budget 2005, the lowest rates of payment were increased by €14 per week or by 10.4%, which represents an increase of over four times the projected rate of inflation for 2005. Any further improvements in the lower rates of payment will fall to be considered in a budgetary...

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

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 403 and 404 together. The one-parent family payment, OPFP, acts as a safety net for people where there is inadequate maintenance, where maintenance payments are irregular, or where efforts to secure maintenance in the first place fail. Applicants for one-parent family payment are required to make ongoing efforts to look for adequate maintenance from their...

Written Answers — Ministerial Staff: Ministerial Staff (22 Nov 2005)

Séamus Brennan: There are ten staff employed in my private office. These include eight administrative staff, a press adviser and a special adviser. The eight administrative staff are all established civil servants, one higher executive officer, 1.5 executive officers and 5.5 clerical officers. The higher executive officer is on a payscale of €40,543 to €51,463 with a private secretary allowance of...

Written Answers — School Meals: School Meals (22 Nov 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The school meals programme operated by my Department gives funding towards the provision of food services for disadvantaged school children through two schemes. The first is the statutory urban school meals scheme, currently operated by 35 local authorities, which provides food services to primary schools. The Department jointly funds the food costs with these local authorities, who also...