Results 1,901-1,920 of 4,893 for speaker:Séamus Brennan

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

Séamus Brennan: My Department administers a number of child income support measures, including child benefit which delivers a standard rate of payment in respect of all children in a family regardless of income levels or employment status. Child benefit supports all children but delivers proportionately more assistance to those on low incomes and with larger families. It is not intended primarily to meet...

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

Séamus Brennan: Weekly payments of family income supplement, FIS, are made to families, including one parent families, with children under 18 or between 18 and 22 if in full-time education, where one or more 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...

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

Séamus Brennan: The household benefits package, which comprises the electricity and 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...

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

Séamus Brennan: The person concerned was in receipt of unemployment assistance from 6 October 2003 to 8 October 2005 when the claim was closed as she had commenced employment. She made a repeat claim at Carlow local office on 11 November 2005 and her case was referred to a social welfare inspector for examination. The address given in respect of the application differs from the one quoted by the Deputy. If...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (6 Dec 2005)

Séamus Brennan: Widow's or widower's non-contributory pension is a means tested payment payable to a widow or widower, without dependent children, whose income falls below a certain limit and who does not satisfy the contribution conditions for contributory widow or widower's payment. In assessing means for social assistance purposes, account is taken of any cash income the person or his or her spouse may...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (6 Dec 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The application for a respite care grant from the person to whom the Deputy refers was received in the Department of Social and Family Affairs on 24 November 2005. It is being processed and the Department of Social and Family Affairs hopes to be in a position to make a decision on it and inform the applicant of the outcome shortly.

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (6 Dec 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The Department of Social and Family Affairs has set out in its customer service charter the procedures for the treatment of all its customers in terms of service delivery. The customer charter is a public statement about our standards and services and the Department's customer action plan outlines how the Department of Social and Family Affairs gives effect to these commitments. There are no...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (6 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 new scheme. In order to be eligible for the payment, a person requires 260 paid...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (6 Dec 2005)

Séamus Brennan: A representative of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul was quoted in the press last week stating that the society's big concern was that some people would need to juggle between paying for heat and eating this winter. He called for a doubling of the social welfare fuel allowance. Fuel allowances are supplementary entitlements payable over the winter months to people in receipt of pensions and...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (6 Dec 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 308 to 310, inclusive, together. The job initiative programme is one of a number of FÁS schemes in which lone parents may participate. Under the programme full-time employment is provided in the social economy for individuals who are over 35 years and fulfil certain criteria. With effect from 1 January 2005, job initiative employees earn a minimum of...

Written Answers — Social Insurance: Social Insurance (6 Dec 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The revenue that will be raised in social insurance contributions from employers, employees and the self-employed in 2006 is estimated at €6,550 million, on a pre-budget basis. This represents an increase of €503 million on the 2005 projected outturn of €6,047 million which is due mainly to projected growth in earnings and employment levels in 2006. The make-up of both years' figures,...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (6 Dec 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The Dublin and mid-Leinster area of the Health Service Executive, which administers the rent supplement scheme on my behalf, has advised that its appeals officer decided in early November 2005 to uphold the decision to award the person concerned rent supplement rate of €65.20 per month. This rate was based on her household circumstances as then known. However, as there were indications at...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (6 Dec 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The free travel scheme is available to all people living in the State aged 66 years or over. All carers in receipt of carer's allowance and carers of people in receipt of constant attendance or prescribed relative's allowance, regardless of their age, receive a free travel pass. It is also available to people under the age of 66 who are in receipt of certain disability type welfare payments,...

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (6 Dec 2005)

Séamus Brennan: Under the Government decentralisation programme announced in budget 2004, my Department is to relocate 230 posts to Donegal town and 120 posts to Buncrana. The decentralisation implementation group, DIG, report to the Minister for Finance on 19 November 2004 recommended those locations and organisations to be included in the first phase of moves, and those to be regarded as potential early...

Written Answers — Social Insurance: Social Insurance (6 Dec 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The concept of weeks of insurable employment plays a key role in the operation of the social insurance system and is provided for in legislation. The system provides that social insurance contributions are paid by employees and employers on earnings exceeding €38 for each week of insurable employment. These contributions progressively build towards entitlement to a range of short and...

Written Answers — Social Insurance: Social Insurance (6 Dec 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The social welfare system is based on income replacement with entitlement related to defined contingencies such as sickness, unemployment, old age and widowhood. Social welfare legislation provides that generally only one social welfare payment is payable at the one time. This approach is common to social security systems across the world. The overall objective is to ensure that social...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (7 Dec 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 167 and 168 together. The EC Council Directive 2003/41/EC on the activities and supervision of institutions for occupational retirement provision, IORPs, is generally referred to as the IORPs directive or the pensions directive. The directive sets out a framework for the operation and supervision of occupational pension schemes in all member states and will...

Written Answers — Family Support Services: Family Support Services (7 Dec 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The aim of the national fuel scheme is to assist householders who are in receipt of long-term social welfare or health service executive payments with the cost of their additional heating needs during the winter season. As a long-standing policy within the scheme, fuel allowances are not payable in situations where a person has access to their own fuel supply or is benefiting from a...

Written Answers — Family Support Services: Family Support Services (7 Dec 2005)

Séamus Brennan: My Department assists and encourages long-term unemployed and other welfare recipients, including lone parents, to return to work, training or further education through a range of measures administered by its 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...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (7 Dec 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 pay scale of €40,543 to €51,463 with a private secretary allowance of...