Results 1,941-1,960 of 4,893 for speaker:Séamus Brennan

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (13 Dec 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Question Nos. 298 and 299 together. 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, with few exceptions, only one social welfare payment is payable at the one time. This approach is common to most social security systems...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (13 Dec 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The social welfare pension rights of those who take time out of the workforce for caring duties are protected by the homemakers scheme which was introduced from 1994. The scheme allows up to 20 years spent caring for children or incapacitated adults to be disregarded when a person's social insurance record is being averaged for pension purposes. However, the scheme will not of itself qualify...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (13 Dec 2005)

Séamus Brennan: Deserted wife's benefit is a payment made to a woman deserted by her husband. Entitlement to payment is based on social insurance contributions paid by the wife or her husband. An earnings limit was introduced for deserted wife's benefit in 1992. The limit, which applied only to new claims after August 1992, was set at €12,697.38 a year, gross earnings. Where earnings are in excess of...

Social Welfare Bill 2005: Second Stage (Resumed). (14 Dec 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I will go out on the Luas.

Social Welfare Bill 2005: Second Stage (Resumed). (14 Dec 2005)

Séamus Brennan: Ba mhaith liom cúpla focal a rá mar gheall ar an gcás sin. B'fhéidir go ndéanfainn scrúdú faoi leith air, más mian leis an Teachta an litir sin a thabhairt dom. Is éard atá i gceist ná liúntas faoi leith tar éis é a bheith 70 bliain d'aois nó níos sine. Déanfaidh mé scrúdú faoi leith ar sin. More than 22 Deputies contributed to this debate and I thank every one of them for...

Social Welfare Bill 2005: Second Stage (Resumed). (14 Dec 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The complete abolition of the means test for the carer's grant will have cost implications, estimated at €140 million in a full year.

Social Welfare Bill 2005: Second Stage (Resumed). (14 Dec 2005)

Séamus Brennan: While I respect the Deputy's view, I am surprised how easily he feels this can be done. This would be a move towards a universal carer's allowance. At the risk of being shot, if the Deputy was beginning from scratch with child benefit, would he make it a universal benefit?

Social Welfare Bill 2005: Second Stage (Resumed). (14 Dec 2005)

Séamus Brennan: Would the Deputy be then careful about taking universal routes for other benefits as many people may not need benefits? I will continue to examine the affordability and the practicality of means-testing the carer's allowance. However, it is not at the top of my priorities. I prefer instead to increase the thresholds, bring more carers into the system and increase allowances and benefits....

Social Welfare Bill 2005: Second Stage (Resumed). (14 Dec 2005)

Séamus Brennan: What was the Deputy's point?

Social Welfare Bill 2005: Second Stage (Resumed). (14 Dec 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The Deputy is referring to a specific individual who received rent allowance from the Health Service Executive in error.

Social Welfare Bill 2005: Second Stage (Resumed). (14 Dec 2005)

Séamus Brennan: While I presume the landlord should contact the Health Service Executive, if the Deputy supplies my officials with details of the case, it will be addressed.

Social Welfare Bill 2005: Second Stage (Resumed). (14 Dec 2005)

Séamus Brennan: It is unusual to be pressed on how to give back money. If someone wishes to return money, I promise the Deputy we will find a way for him to do so. I am sure the HSE would be glad to have the cheque returned. A number of speakers, albeit none of the Deputies present, used phrases such as "pittance" to describe increases in social welfare. I will outline some examples of how the increases will...

Social Welfare Bill 2005: Second Stage (Resumed). (14 Dec 2005)

Séamus Brennan: Now.

Social Welfare Bill 2005: Committee and Remaining Stages. (14 Dec 2005)

Séamus Brennan: He knows it well.

Social Welfare Bill 2005: Committee and Remaining Stages. (14 Dec 2005)

Séamus Brennan: All the points made have one thing in common, namely, that they all cost a few bob. I had to make choices in this budget, as one does in every one. I have made those choices and will have to stand over those as priorities. Regarding carer's allowance for the self-employed, that group is not specifically banned from receiving it, but they may only work up to ten hours a week, a figure that has...

Social Welfare Bill 2005: Committee and Remaining Stages. (14 Dec 2005)

Séamus Brennan: ——and one realises what a nightmare it is. We continue to work on that. According to the Central Statistics Office, the overall consumer price index increased by 12% from the start of 2002 to November 2005. In the same period, energy products increased by 41%. Liquid heating fuel is up by 70%, and solid fuel by 20%. The 41% figure is something of a crude average. The budget increase that...

Social Welfare Bill 2005: Committee and Remaining Stages. (14 Dec 2005)

Séamus Brennan: Making reports to the House poses no problem. We regularly answer parliamentary questions so we should be able to find time to produce the reports envisaged in these amendments. I hope more lone parents can be persuaded to join the back to education allowance scheme. The number of people availing of this scheme has doubled in the past six years, with the number of lone parents participating...

Social Welfare Bill 2005: Committee and Remaining Stages. (14 Dec 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The estimated cost of extending the household benefits scheme and free travel to all widows and widowers, irrespective of their age, would be €45 million. We are obviously talking about widows and widowers under 66 because approximately 66,200 widows and widowers over 66 receive free travel. A total of approximately 12,900 recipients of the widow's-widower's non-contributory pension receive...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (14 Dec 2005)

Séamus Brennan: Deserted wife's benefit is a payment made to a woman deserted by her husband. Entitlement to payment is based on social insurance contributions paid by the wife or her husband. Following the introduction of the one-parent family payment in 1997, the deserted wives benefit scheme was discontinued with effect from 2 January in that year. The scheme for deserted wives under social insurance has...

Written Answers — Departmental Agencies: Departmental Agencies (14 Dec 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The five statutory agencies operating under the aegis of my Department are the Pensions Board, the Combat Poverty Agency, Comhairle, the Social Welfare Tribunal and the Family Support Agency. In addition, the Pensions Ombudsman comes under the remit of my Department. Responsibility for replying to parliamentary questions about the above mentioned bodies comes within the remit of my...