Results 1,861-1,880 of 4,893 for speaker:Séamus Brennan

Written Answers — Employment Support Services: Employment Support Services (1 Dec 2005)

Séamus Brennan: My Department assists and encourages the unemployed and other welfare recipients, including lone parents and people with disabilities, to return to work, training or further education through a range of measures. One such measure is the back to work allowance scheme which incentivises and encourages people to return to work by allowing them to retain part of their social welfare payment for a...

Written Answers — Computerisation Programme: Computerisation Programme (1 Dec 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The increase of €6.85 million to which the Deputy refers is related to an increase in the A5 estimates sub-head in the Abridged Estimates Volume or AEV. This provides for the purchase, rental and maintenance of computer equipment and related items, photocopying equipment, other office machinery, printing, binding and stationery services. The major ICT infrastructure projects planned for my...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (1 Dec 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 44 and 54 together. My Department provides for payments due to qualified adults to be paid separately in certain circumstances, for example, in case of domestic difficulty where a spouse might otherwise have no other form of income. Also for certain categories of old age non-contributory pension, where the couple are both aged 66 or over, payment is made...

Written Answers — Family Support Services: Family Support Services (1 Dec 2005)

Séamus Brennan: My Department assists and encourages lone parents to return to work, training or further education through a range of measures administered by my Department's social and family support service. One significant measure is the back to work allowance scheme which incentivises and encourages people to return to work by allowing them to retain part of their social welfare payment for a period when...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (1 Dec 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 50, 92 and 93 together. I welcome the recent report on the accessibility and fairness of the social welfare appeals system and I commend the Northside Community Law Centre for its role in commissioning it. The centre is funded by my Department and earlier this year I approved substantial additional funding for it so that it can continue its role in delivering...

Written Answers — Anti-Poverty Strategy: Anti-Poverty Strategy (1 Dec 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 51 and 78 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 of 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 (1 Dec 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 53 and 65 together. The number of one-parent family recipients being paid by my Department at the end of September 2005 is 79,937, the latest date for which figures are available. Included in this figure are 906 widowed persons. It is not possible to get exact statistics on the number of one parent family payment recipients for whom social welfare payments are...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (1 Dec 2005)

Séamus Brennan: EUROSTAT, the statistical office of the EU, publishes comparisons of social protection expenditure as a percentage of GDP across the EU. This encompasses not only social welfare expenditure but also expenditure in other areas such as health care, social housing, employment support programmes and other social inclusion programmes. The latest such statistics were released on 20 October 2005 and...

Written Answers — Community Development: Community Development (1 Dec 2005)

Séamus Brennan: In mid-October, I held a pre-budget forum attended by 31 representative organisations which included various community and voluntary groups. Each of the organisations had the opportunity to present its key priorities for consideration in advance of budget 2006. I thank all those who participated for their contribution to the forum and for the valuable work which they do in their communities....

Written Answers — Emigrant Support Services: Emigrant Support Services (1 Dec 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The role of my Department in the area of supporting Irish emigrants has been built around providing good quality, clear and comprehensive information. It is essential that Irish emigrants, who are considering returning to Ireland to live, have up-to-date information available to them. My Department carries out this function by supporting the various voluntary agencies involved in this work....

Written Answers — Social Insurance: Social Insurance (1 Dec 2005)

Séamus Brennan: Since 2000, a total of 2,486 PRSI exemption certificates have been granted in respect of the temporary employment of persons not ordinarily resident in this country. Of that total, 1,504 certificates were granted to the company in question. An annual breakdown of those certificates follows at Appendix 1. Appendix 1: Exemption Certificate Issued. Year Number of Exemptions Issued Number...

Written Answers — Departmental Estimates: Departmental Estimates (1 Dec 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The Estimates for my Department, as set out in the recently published 2006 Abridged Estimates Volume, provide for spending on social welfare totalling €12.49 billion. Those Estimates make no provision for changes in eligibility, entitlements or rates of payment for any of the underlying programmes, which are matters for the forthcoming budget. Even before announcements in next week's budget...

Written Answers — Tax and Social Welfare Codes: Tax and Social Welfare Codes (1 Dec 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The two main methods of measuring poverty in Ireland are the national "consistent poverty" measure based on a relative income threshold of 60% of median income and enforced deprivation of certain items and the EU "at risk of poverty" measure, which is simply based on 60% of median income. The 2003 EU Survey of Income and Living Conditions, EUSILC, indicates that 3.5% of people at work fell...

Written Answers — Free Travel Scheme: Free Travel Scheme (1 Dec 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The programme for Government contains a commitment to a scheme of all-Ireland free travel for pensioners resident in all parts of the island. The scheme would enable pensioners resident in Ireland to travel free of charge on all bus and rail services in Northern Ireland. Likewise, pensioners in Northern Ireland would travel free of charge on all bus and rail services in this State. In July...

Written Answers — Emigrant Support Services: Emigrant Support Services (1 Dec 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The role of my Department in supporting emigrant groups has centred on providing good quality, clear and comprehensive information for Irish citizens wishing to emigrate and those hoping to return to Ireland to live. My Department ensures that appropriate and relevant information for emigrants is available by funding and supporting the various voluntary and community groups and organisations...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (1 Dec 2005)

Séamus Brennan: Family income supplement is a payment made to low-income families with children who are in employment. Family income supplement was introduced in 1984 to provide income support for employees with families who are on low earnings, preserving the incentive to remain in employment in circumstances where they might only be marginally better off than if they were fully reliant on social welfare...

Written Answers — Departmental Estimates: Departmental Estimates (1 Dec 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The 2006 Estimates for social welfare spending were published on 17 November last and represented the cost of implementing existing levels of service 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 that regard, I will be developing budget proposals on the...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (1 Dec 2005)

Séamus Brennan: In May 2000, a special half rate old age contributory pension was introduced to enable people with pre-1953 insurance who could not qualify for a payment under normal qualifying conditions, to receive a pension. People already qualifying for pensions at less than half rate could also benefit from the scheme. In order to be eligible for the payment, a person requires 260 paid contributions at...

Written Answers — Tax and Social Welfare Codes: Tax and Social Welfare Codes (1 Dec 2005)

Séamus Brennan: My Department assists and encourages long-term unemployed and other long-term welfare recipients to return to work, training or further education through a range of measures administered by the Department's employment support service. One significant measure is the back to work allowance scheme which incentivises and encourages long-term unemployed people, lone parents and certain persons...

Written Answers — Departmental Records: Departmental Records (1 Dec 2005)

Séamus Brennan: Arising from comment in the media, my Department carried out an examination of accesses to the computer record of the person concerned. During the period examined, our records show that 125 accesses to the record in question took place. On a general basis, staff of my Department are authorised to access individual records as long as it is for legitimate business reasons. In view of the number...