Results 2,201-2,220 of 4,893 for speaker:Séamus Brennan

Written Answers — Budgeting Advice: Budgeting Advice (20 Jun 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The Money Advice and Budgeting Service (MABS) provides assistance to people who are over indebted and need intensive help and advice in coping with debt problems. There are 52 independent companies nation-wide operating the service and support is provided by MABS National Development Limited, a support company for the service. MABS was established on a pilot basis in 1992 and it has now grown...

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

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 86, 97, 105, 121 and 123 together. Support of carers has been a priority of Government since 1997. Payments to carers have been greatly improved over that period and qualifying conditions for carers allowance have been significantly eased, coverage of the scheme has been extended and new schemes such as carers benefit and the respite care grant have been...

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

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 87, 305, 306 and 307 together. My Department does not create or hold records or statistics in relation to health matters per se. Information relating to occupational diseases regarding miners is only held by my Department in the context of claims made under its Occupational Injuries Benefit scheme. Pneumoconiosis is a prescribed disease for the purpose of this...

Written Answers — Departmental Properties: Departmental Properties (20 Jun 2006)

Séamus Brennan: My Department occupies 145 buildings throughout the country of which 129 are open to the public. These include: 65 Inspectors offices, 58 Local Offices, 4 signing centres and 2 Appeals offices. The Department's main public offices are the 58 Local Offices of which 54 are accessible to people with disabilities. Of the 4 with accessibility problems, (Nth Cumberland St in Dublin, Athlone, Bantry...

Written Answers — Budgeting Advice: Budgeting Advice (20 Jun 2006)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 90 and 129 together. My Department has overall responsibility for the Money Advice and Budgeting Service (MABS), which provides assistance to people who are over-indebted. A total of 16.41 million euro in funding has been allocated to MABS in 2006, which represents an increase of in excess of twenty percent over the 2005 figure. The service is targeted at...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (20 Jun 2006)

Séamus Brennan: Occupational pensions in Ireland are voluntary arrangements and, as such, the employer can change the terms of these arrangements. I am aware that there are many pressures on Defined Benefit schemes emanating from the need for employers to increase contributions to schemes, to meet the requirements of accounting standards (FRS17) and also the Funding Standard under the Pensions Act. The...

Written Answers — Employment Support Services: Employment Support Services (20 Jun 2006)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 92 and 104 together. Proposals for an innovative programme to promote participation through activation measures aimed at people of working age are under discussion in the context of the preparation of the National Development Plan. Under these proposals my Department would seek to provide a single transparent system with a primary focus on the customer and a...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (20 Jun 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. Neither I nor my Department has any function in relation to decisions on individual claims. The purpose of the scheme is to provide short-term income support to eligible people living in private rented accommodation whose...

Written Answers — Tax and Social Welfare Codes: Tax and Social Welfare Codes (20 Jun 2006)

Séamus Brennan: In every case where a one-parent family payment is awarded, the maintenance recovery unit of my Department seeks to trace the other parent in order to ascertain whether he or she is in a financial position to pay maintenance either directly to the recipient of the one parent family payment or to contribute towards the cost of one-parent family payment which is paid to their family. In cases...

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

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 101, 110 and 132 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 — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (20 Jun 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The unemployment schemes provide income support for people who are seeking their first job or have lost work and are seeking alternative employment. A fundamental qualifying condition for both the unemployment benefit scheme and unemployment assistance scheme is that a person must be available for full-time work. Where a person is employed for up to three days in a week, s/he may claim...

Written Answers — Social Insurance: Social Insurance (20 Jun 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The primary purpose of credited contributions is to protect the social insurance entitlement of insured workers who, for reasons relating either to incapacity, ill-health, unemployment or the provision of care (i.e. for children, the elderly or those with a disability) are not in a position to make PRSI payments. As a general rule, in order to qualify for credits, a person must be an employed...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (20 Jun 2006)

Séamus Brennan: This Government is committed to introducing a personal entitlement for pensioner spouses, currently in receipt of the qualified adult increase, at the level of a full non-contributory pension and that remains the position. At present the increase for a qualified adult on a contributory pension is 82% of the target rate. Spouses and partners of non-contributory pensioners receive a pension in...

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

Séamus Brennan: EU Migrant workers have an entitlement to Child Benefit and other "Family benefits" including Early Childcare Supplement (ECS) under EU Regulation 1408/71. Where a national of an EU state with a family is working in Ireland, the worker is entitled to payment of such benefits, even if the children of the worker are resident in the worker's home country. EU migrant workers in Ireland with an...

Written Answers — Social Inclusion: Social Inclusion (20 Jun 2006)

Séamus Brennan: My Department has overall responsibility for co-ordinating the National Action Plan against Poverty and Social Exclusion (NAP/inclusion) which represents the Government's strategic multi-faceted approach to tackling poverty. The Office for Social Inclusion, based in my Department, co-ordinates the process mainly at national level, working closely with relevant Departments and the social...

Written Answers — Family Support Services: Family Support Services (20 Jun 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The Family Mediation Service is a free, professional, confidential service that enables couples who have decided to separate to reach agreement on all issues related to their separation. It assists couples to address the issues on which they need to make decisions including post-separation living arrangements, finances and parenting arrangements to enable children to have an on-going...

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

Séamus Brennan: The supplementary welfare scheme is administered by the Community Welfare Service of the Health Service Executive on my behalf. The establishment of the Health Service Executive prompted a fresh consideration of the role and structure of the Community Welfare Service, and of the most appropriate location for that service in the future. The Commission on Financial Management and Control...

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

Séamus Brennan: The social welfare system is designed to provide income supports and access to relevant services in a timely manner to all our customers. The system is now neutral with regard to how it treats men and women; receipt of payment is generally dependent on contingency and other conditions being met. Levels of payment and how they apply are exactly the same for men and women. However, while there...

Written Answers — Child Support: Child Support (20 Jun 2006)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 116 and 126 together. Child poverty is a complex area requiring coordinated action across a range of government services and income support payments. The development of income supports which can make the most effective contribution to child poverty lies within my Department's responsibilities and a series of budgets have increased considerably in real terms...

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

Séamus Brennan: In assessing means for social assistance purposes account is taken of any cash income the person may have, together with the value of capital and property (except the home). Capital may include the following: —Stocks and shares of every description, which are assessed according to their current market value. —Savings certificates, bonds, national instalment savings, which are assessed...