Results 2,381-2,400 of 4,893 for speaker:Séamus Brennan

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits. : Social Welfare Benefits. (11 May 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The Report titled 'Out of the Traps' Ending poverty traps and making work pay for people in poverty" published by the European Anti Poverty Network and Open last December is a valuable contribution to the development of the Irish social protection system. The Report focuses on a range of means testing and delivery issues, including, in particular, issues relating to rules and provisions...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits. : Social Welfare Benefits. (11 May 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The aim of the national fuel scheme is to assist householders on long-term social welfare or health service executive payments with meeting the cost of their additional heating needs during the winter season. Fuel allowances are paid for 29 weeks from end-September to mid-April and are not intended to meet the full cost of heating. Budget 2006 provided for an increase in the rate of fuel...

Written Answers — Poverty Impact Assessments. : Poverty Impact Assessments. (11 May 2006)

Séamus Brennan: Poverty proofing was introduced in 1998 as a result of a commitment in the first National Anti-Poverty Strategy and is defined as "the process whereby Government policies and programmes are assessed at design and implementation stages in relation to their impact on poverty and on inequalities which are likely to lead to poverty, with a view to poverty reduction". Since 1998 it has been a...

Written Answers — Social Insurance. : Social Insurance. (11 May 2006)

Séamus Brennan: Since 2000, a total of 2,590 PRSI exemption certificates has been granted in respect of the temporary employment of persons not ordinarily resident in this country. Of these 1,504 certificates were granted to the company in question. An annual breakdown of these certificates is set out in the following table. The legislation provides for an exemption from PRSI contributions for up to 52 weeks...

Written Answers — Anti-Poverty Strategy. : Anti-Poverty Strategy. (11 May 2006)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 42, 44, 46 and 48 together. I launched the recent ESRI report "Reconfiguring the Measurement of Deprivation and Consistent Poverty in Ireland" on 10 April. The report re-assesses how poverty is measured in the light of the rapid economic progress in recent years and current living standards and expectations. The existing 'consistent poverty' measure was...

Written Answers — Post Office Network. : Post Office Network. (11 May 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The Government is committed to maintaining a viable network of post offices throughout the country and my Department is to the forefront in upholding this commitment. In 2005, over 37.8 million payments were issued to social welfare customers through post offices at a cost of EUR47.4 million. At present, 416,000 customers on long-term schemes are paid by means of a book of personalised...

Written Answers — Care of the Elderly: Care of the Elderly (11 May 2006)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 45, 50, 56, 65 and 74 together. Supporting and recognising carers in our society has been a priority of the Government since 1997. Over that period, weekly payment rates to carers have been greatly increased, qualifying conditions for carer's allowance have been significantly eased, coverage of the scheme has been extended and new schemes such as carer's...

Written Answers — Departmental Schemes: Departmental Schemes (11 May 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The Programme for Government contains a commitment to a scheme of all-Ireland free travel for pensioners resident in all parts of the island of Ireland. The scheme would enable pensioners resident here to travel free of charge on all bus and rail services in Northern Ireland. Likewise, pensioners in Northern Ireland would travel free of charge on services in this State. In July 1995, my...

Written Answers — Traveller Community: Traveller Community (11 May 2006)

Séamus Brennan: Members of the travelling community are recognized as being among the groups in Irish society which are most vulnerable to poverty and social exclusion. Since 1997, when the first National Action Plan against poverty (NAPS) was introduced, a strategic approach has been taken to combating poverty and social exclusion which recognizes their multifaceted nature and the need for a coordinated...

Written Answers — Anti-Poverty Strategy: Anti-Poverty Strategy (11 May 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 — Family Support Services: Family Support Services (11 May 2006)

Séamus Brennan: Over the past three years, thanks to the considerable amount of work which has been done by the Family Support Agency, the number of Family Resource Centres under the Family & Community Services Resource Centre Programme has increased from 53 to 91. Government funding under the Programme has increased in the same period from €6.9m. to €12.9m. I have approved a further nine groups to join...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (11 May 2006)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 55 and 79 together. The back to education allowance is a second chance education opportunities programme 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. The BTEA scheme benefits people who have difficulty finding...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (11 May 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The Irish social protection system provides significant access and coverage for insurance based and means tested payments for employed and self-employed workers in the event of a range of contingencies arising. The level of coverage available to self-employed workers has increased particularly significantly since the Commission on Social Welfare in 1986 recommended thatsocial insurance...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Fraud: Social Welfare Fraud (11 May 2006)

Séamus Brennan: My Department assumed sole responsibility for the allocation of Personal Public Service (PPS) Numbers in June 2000. Since then my Department has put in place and continuously improved operational structures and processes. Last year just over 270,000 PPS Numbers were allocated, up from approximately 220,000 in 2004. It is necessary to have effective controls around the PPS No. registration...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (11 May 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The Independent Social Welfare Appeals Office deals with approximately 14, 000 appeals annually and, in the context of that volume of cases, it would not be feasible to publish cases in the level of detail implied by the Deputy's Question. However, it does currently provide information on its decisions at a number of different levels. The annual report of the Chief Appeals Officer contains...

Written Answers — Income Continuance Scheme: Income Continuance Scheme (11 May 2006)

Séamus Brennan: Income continuance plans provide cover to individuals in the event of long term illness or disability which prohibits the person from following their own normal occupation. These plans are insurance policies and the providers of the products are regulated by the Financial Regulator since May 2003. There are different types of products in the market, those sold directly to individuals by...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (11 May 2006)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 64, 122 and 131 together. Pneumoconiosis is a prescribed disease for the purpose of the Occupational Injuries Benefit scheme administered by my Department. The legislation governing the Occupational Injuries Scheme provides entitlement to benefit for persons suffering from certain prescribed diseases which are listed in the legislation and where that person...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (11 May 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The living alone allowance, or living alone increase as it is now known, is an additional payment of EUR7.70 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 (11 May 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The Unemployment Benefit scheme provides income support for people who have lost work and are seeking alternative employment. A fundamental qualifying condition for unemployment benefit 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 Unemployment Benefit in respect of the remainder of the week, subject to being...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (11 May 2006)

Séamus Brennan: To qualify for a blind pension from my Department, a claimant must satisfy a number of conditions. She/he must be age 18 years of age or over and must be so blind that she/he either cannot perform any work for which eyesight is essential or cannot continue in his/her ordinary occupation. In addition, the claimant must be habitually resident in the State and satisfy a means-test. A person who...