Results 2,081-2,100 of 4,893 for speaker:Séamus Brennan

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (27 Sep 2006)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1052 and 1053 together. People providing full-time care who are in receipt of carers allowance, carers benefit or prescribed relatives allowance receive the respite care grant automatically, without having to apply for it. The same applies where a constant attendance allowance is in payment. Payment is made on or after the first Thursday in June of the year...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (27 Sep 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The supplementary welfare allowance scheme, which includes rent supplement, is administered on my behalf by the Community Welfare division of the Health Service Executive. The purpose of the scheme is to provide short-term income support, in the form of a weekly or monthly payment, to eligible people living in private rented accommodation whose means are insufficient to meet their...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (27 Sep 2006)

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 relation to decisions on individual claims. Section 190(1) of the Social Welfare (Consolidation) Act 2005 provides that people in full-time education are not normally eligible to receive...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (27 Sep 2006)

Séamus Brennan: People providing full-time care who are in receipt of carers allowance, carers benefit or prescribed relatives allowance receive the respite care grant automatically, without having to apply for it. The same applies where a constant attendance allowance is in payment. Payment is made on or after the first Thursday in June of the year to which the payment refers. To date in 2006 the grant...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (27 Sep 2006)

Séamus Brennan: My Department operates a number of schemes which provide income support to persons with an illness or disability, including the disability benefit and invalidity pension schemes and the means-tested disability allowance and blind pension. The number of people currently in receipt of these schemes and with comparative numbers for 1997 is: Disability Benefit 66,195 (42,460 in 1997); Invalidity...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (27 Sep 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The living alone allowance or living alone increase as it is now known, is an additional payment of €7.70 per week made to people aged 66 years or over who are in receipt of certain social welfare payments and who are living alone. It is also available to people under 66 years of age who are living alone and who receive payments under one of a number of invalidity type schemes. The...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (27 Sep 2006)

Séamus Brennan: Unlike other social welfare payments requiring qualifying contributions or assessment of means, child benefit is a universal payment, paid in respect of children up to the age of 16 years regardless of the level or source of parental income. It continues to be paid in respect of children up to age 19 who are in full-time education, or who have a physical or mental disability. The policy of...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (27 Sep 2006)

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

Written Answers — Social Insurance: Social Insurance (27 Sep 2006)

Séamus Brennan: Pay Related Social Insurance (PRSI) is an important part of the social welfare system. Social Insurance provides a range of benefits to customers at certain specified times in their lives. The integrity of the PRSI system is dependent on timely, appropriate contributions being made to the Social Insurance Fund by employers, employees and the self employed as laid down in social welfare...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (6 Jul 2006)

Séamus Brennan: My Department welcomes the provision of transport services provided by private operators, whether alongside CIE services or otherwise, for pensioners and other groups eligible under the free travel scheme. There is a number of routes where my Department pays for independent services in respect of the free travel scheme operated by more than one operator. My Department has contract...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (6 Jul 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The supplementary welfare allowance scheme, which includes rent supplement, is administered my behalf of the Department by the community welfare division of the Health Service Executive. Neither I nor my Department has any function in relation to decisions on individual claims. Rent supplements payments are subject to a maximum amount of rent in respect of which a supplement is payable. The...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (6 Jul 2006)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 376 and 385 together. 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 age 66 who are in...

Written Answers — Departmental Records: Departmental Records (6 Jul 2006)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 377 and 389 together. Prior to April 1979, each individual worker liable for social insurance deductions was given a unique social insurance number, regardless of marital status, and this was the key identifier for recording of social insurance contributions deducted in respect of their employment(s). The social insurance number was replaced by the Revenue and...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (6 Jul 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The supplementary welfare allowance scheme, which includes rent supplement, is administered on my behalf by the Community Welfare division of the Health Service Executive. A detailed breakdown of rent supplement recipients is unavailable for the years prior to 2001. The number of people in Waterford in receipt of Rent Supplement rose from about 1,300 in 2001 to just over 1,800 in 2005 and has...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (6 Jul 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The rates of contribution payable in respect of various insurable employments are set out in the following table. During that period, the rates of contribution or 'stamp' payable were not calculated as a percentage of earnings, but rather paid on a fixed rate. Contributions payable under the Social Welfare Acts, the Occupational Injuries Act, the Redundancy Payments Acts and the Health...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (6 Jul 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The Respite Care Grant is payable automatically to recipients of Carers Allowance, Carers Benefit and Prescribed Relatives Allowance, and in cases where a Constant Attendance Allowance is in payment in respect of the person being cared for. Budget 2005 extended entitlement to the Grant to all full-time carers irrespective of means or contribution record but subject to certain conditions...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (6 Jul 2006)

Séamus Brennan: One of the conditions for receipt of a fuel allowance from my Department is that the claimant's heating needs are not covered under a Deed of Transfer. In October 1987, the person concerned transferred his holding to his son under such a Deed. This legally binding document obliged the son to provide for the heating needs of his parents. In April 2006, the Deputy wrote to my Department...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (6 Jul 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The person concerned had been in receipt of unemployment assistance since 1987. Following a review, a Deciding Officer disallowed his unemployment assistance claim from 28 December 2005, on the grounds that he was not genuinely seeking, or available for work. The person concerned appealed this decision. However, the Appeals Officer was not satisfied that he had made sustained efforts in...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (6 Jul 2006)

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 age 66 who are in receipt of certain disability type welfare payments, such as...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (6 Jul 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The principal programme through which my Department provides funding to voluntary and community groups is the scheme of Grants for the Development and Promotion of Information and Welfare Rights. The purpose of the scheme is to enable my Department to contribute towards the funding of a number of nationally-based information organisations, including those involved with advice to emigrants. It...