Results 2,161-2,180 of 4,893 for speaker:Séamus Brennan

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

Séamus Brennan: The farm assist scheme, which introduced special arrangements for farmers on low incomes, was provided for in the Social Welfare Act, 1999 and came into operation with effect from 7 April 1999. There are now 7,581 farm assist customers. The current average weekly payment is EUR 173.89. A table showing the number of recipients by county is set out below. The level of take-up is less than had...

Written Answers — Child Support: Child Support (27 Jun 2006)

Séamus Brennan: Children who reside in the Republic of Ireland, who are aged under 6 years and who are in receipt of Child Benefit from my Department, will, in most cases, qualify for the Early Childcare Supplement (ECS). A total of some 259,000 families with over 350,000 children under the age of 6, will qualify for this payment. In a small number of cases, children resident in the Republic of Ireland do...

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

Séamus Brennan: The means test for the supplementary welfare allowance scheme, through which rent supplement is provided, requires that all types of household income, including maintenance payments for a lone parent and his or her children, must be taken into account in determining a person's entitlement under the scheme. A person who claims a One-Parent Family Payment is required to seek maintenance from...

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

Séamus Brennan: The back-to-school clothing and footwear allowance Scheme (BSCFA) is administered on my behalf 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. A person may qualify for payment of a BSCFA payment if he/she is in receipt of a social welfare or health executive payment, or is...

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

Séamus Brennan: My Department is committed to providing quality customer service to all its customers. This includes ensuring that applications are processed and that decisions on entitlement are issued as expeditiously as possible having regard to the eligibility conditions which apply. These conditions vary from scheme to scheme and may involve, among other things, the need to establish the customer's...

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

Séamus Brennan: My Department is committed to providing quality customer service to all its customers by ensuring that claims for its various schemes are processed and decided as expeditiously as possible having regard to the eligibility conditions which apply. My Department processes a large volume of claims and bearing in mind that each individual case has to be examined on its merits I am satisfied that,...

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

Séamus Brennan: Under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme administered on my behalf by the Community Welfare Division of the Health Service Executive, a weekly or monthly rent supplement is available to assist eligible people who are unable to meet their immediate accommodation needs through their own resources. Neither I nor my Department have any function in relation to decisions on individual...

Written Answers — Equal Opportunities Employment: Equal Opportunities Employment (27 Jun 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The Disability Act, 2005 provides a new statutory basis for the implementation and compliance monitoring of the 3% employment target for people with a disability in the public sector. This percentage is not a 'ceiling' i.e. Departments and Offices are not restricted to a maximum of 3% of their staff being people with disabilities. The current position in my Department is that 155, or 3.3% of...

Written Answers — Departmental Correspondence: Departmental Correspondence (27 Jun 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The detailed statistics requested by the Deputy are not available. While records of the number of claims terminated as a result of each mailshot are recorded, corresponding overpayments assessed are not recorded separately, but they do form part of overall overpayment statistics. Child Benefit claims terminated as a result of mailshot control activity do not necessarily result in the...

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

Séamus Brennan: The respite care grant was extended in 2005 to carers other than those in receipt of a carer's allowance, carer's benefit, prescribed relative allowance, constant attendance allowance and domiciliary care allowance. Carers who do not qualify for a grant under one of these schemes may now obtain a grant if they and the person for whom they are caring satisfy certain conditions. Customers who...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (22 Jun 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The operation of the driving license renewal system is a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Environment, Heritage and Local Government. There are, to my knowledge, no plans at present to conduct a review on the lines proposed.

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (22 Jun 2006)

Séamus Brennan: A Deciding Officer determined that the person concerned has means of €135.00 derived from income from a holding. He has been awarded farm assist at €140.80 which is the appropriate weekly rate for a person with this level of means. It is open to the person concerned to appeal this decision if he is not satisfied with the decision and a form for this purpose has been issued to him. Under...

Written Answers — Departmental Reports: Departmental Reports (22 Jun 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The information requested is currently being compiled within the Department and will be made available to the Deputy shortly.

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (21 Jun 2006)

Séamus Brennan: I have no plans to replace rent supplement with housing benefit. While expenditure on rent supplement is unavailable on a county by county breakdown I can confirm that expenditure this year on the rent supplement scheme up to the end May 2006 in the HSE North West Area covering counties Sligo, Donegal and Leitrim is €5.63 million while expenditure nationally is €161,172 million. Rent...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (21 Jun 2006)

Séamus Brennan: A total of 214 staff, under age 60, in the general service grades listed by the Deputy, have resigned from my Department from January 2002 to date. This figure includes 14 staff members who have voluntarily resigned under the Cost-Neutral early retirement scheme, which allows officers between the ages of 50 and 60 to retire with reduced pension and lump sum. A breakdown by grade for each year...

Written Answers — Anti-Poverty Strategy: Anti-Poverty Strategy (20 Jun 2006)

Séamus Brennan: I welcome the publication by the Combat Poverty Agency (CPA) of its new report "The Distributional Impact of Ireland's Indirect Tax System" and the associated policy statement "Promoting Equity in Ireland's Tax System". The focus of the report is on whether and to what extent the Irish system of indirect taxation, namely VAT and excise duties, is regressive. The report outlines that over the...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (20 Jun 2006)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 52 and 54 together. The major discussion paper, "Proposals for Supporting Lone Parents" which I launched in March this year, addresses the social exclusion and risk of poverty faced by many such families and their children. The report puts forward proposals for reform of the income support system for all parents on a low income. The report proposes the...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (20 Jun 2006)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 53 and 81 together. The Back to Education Allowance or BTEA is a second chance education opportunities scheme designed to encourage and facilitate people on certain social welfare payments to improve their skills and qualifications and, therefore, their prospects of returning to the active work force. In 2002 the Government in view of the expenditure...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (20 Jun 2006)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 55, 82 and 83 together. Under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme administered on my behalf by the Community Welfare Division of the Health Service Executive, a weekly or monthly rent supplement is available to assist eligible people who are unable to meet their immediate accommodation needs through their own resources. In recent years, a significant...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (20 Jun 2006)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 56 and 100 together. The requirement to be habitually resident in Ireland was introduced as a qualifying condition for certain social assistance schemes and child benefit with effect from 1st May 2004. The basis for the restriction contained in the rules is the applicant's habitual residence. The effect is that a person whose habitual residence is elsewhere is...