Results 2,581-2,600 of 4,893 for speaker:Séamus Brennan

National Economic and Social Forum Report. (22 Mar 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The National Economic and Social Forum, NESF, report covers the full breadth of issues involved in creating a more inclusive labour market. The recommendations underlying the report extend beyond the social welfare system, to include local partnership-based strategies, labour market and social inclusion measures and structures, make-work-pay policies, the national employment services,...

National Economic and Social Forum Report. (22 Mar 2006)

Séamus Brennan: That is a major debate and one that we have already had once or twice.

National Economic and Social Forum Report. (22 Mar 2006)

Séamus Brennan: We could spend a few hours at it so I will not wander down that road too much apart from saying that the report notes that more than €1 billion of State funding is now being spent annually on measures aimed at helping people to get back to work, as well as tackling problems associated with labour market vulnerability. We have agreed many times that the way out of poverty is through...

Social Welfare Benefits. (22 Mar 2006)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 60, 76, 113 and 188 to 190, inclusive, together. According to the census for 2002, there are 48,500 people providing personal care for more than four hours per day. More than 26,200 of these are in receipt of either carer's allowance or carer's benefit. This means that 54% of carers are in receipt of a specific carer's payment from my Department. The...

Decentralisation Programme. (22 Mar 2006)

Séamus Brennan: Under the Government's decentralisation programme for the Civil Service and public service, the Department's headquarters sections and the social welfare appeals office are to relocate to six locations, Sligo, Carrick-on-Shannon, Donegal, Buncrana, Drogheda and Carrickmacross. In addition, the Combat Poverty Agency and Comhairle, which operate under the Department's aegis, are scheduled to...

Decentralisation Programme. (22 Mar 2006)

Séamus Brennan: Over 1,000 applications have been received, covering various grades, including principal officers, assistant principal officers, higher executive officers, executive officers, staff officers and clerical officers. There is a good mix of skills across those grades that can be brought to bear whatever the location. The Department has decentralised very successfully in the past. There are more...

Decentralisation Programme. (22 Mar 2006)

Séamus Brennan: I accept that. This is what the central application facility is trying to resolve. As I indicated earlier, a good range of people, from principal officers, assistant principals and so on, have applied. We find it more difficult to fill some locations than others. A considerable shortfall exists in a number of areas for which we find it difficult to induce people to sign up. However, given the...

Social Welfare Benefits. (22 Mar 2006)

Séamus Brennan: I am conscious of the need to facilitate those in receipt of social welfare payments taking up employment opportunities and to ensure that social welfare supports are structured to support this objective. A number of progressive measures have been introduced in recent years aimed at removing disincentives for people wishing to take employment and to assist in the transition from welfare to...

Social Welfare Benefits. (22 Mar 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The free travel scheme is available to all people aged 66 years or over living in the State. 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 the age of 66 in receipt of certain disability type welfare payments, such as...

Social Welfare Benefits. (22 Mar 2006)

Séamus Brennan: As I stated previously, this is something I want to do. I confirm again that it is not a financial issue. It is still a legal issue at this point. My advice from the Attorney General's office still holds, although it is my intention to go back to raise further issues with him. The original issue we raised with the Attorney General's office was to extend it to all Irish born people in the UK...

Social Welfare Benefits. (22 Mar 2006)

Séamus Brennan: Not permanently, just for those two will do.

Social Welfare Benefits. (22 Mar 2006)

Séamus Brennan: I would like to study those. As he read them, I noted the second paragraph was strong on non-discrimination. There were a couple of good uses of "however" in them, which one expects in a good reply to a parliamentary question.

Social Welfare Benefits. (22 Mar 2006)

Séamus Brennan: Lawyers differ in all these matters. I want to do this. It is my intention. I will not give up on it. If one confines it to pensions it is not particularly expensive. If I could get around the legal issue, there are many people in the UK to whom I really want to extend it who are outside the pensioner group and are perhaps in greater need of it — those in the pre-1953 category who have been...

Social Welfare Benefits. (22 Mar 2006)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 54 and 55 together. The back to education allowance, 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 — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (21 Mar 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The Reach unit reports to my Department and is a central piece of infrastructure for e-government in Ireland. Funding for the project was provided by the information society fund through a ring-fenced subhead in my Department's Vote. Total expenditure on Reach to the end of 2005 was just under €37 million and the estimate for 2006 is €11.5 million. A number of services have been developed...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (21 Mar 2006)

Séamus Brennan: Where a deckhand is paid solely by reference to a share in the catch, they are considered to be insurable at the Class S rate of PRSI. This entitles them to the following benefits: widow's or widower's contributory pension, orphan's contributory allowance, old age contributory pension, maternity benefit, adoptive benefit and bereavement grant. Where a deckhand is paid a set wage, even where...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (21 Mar 2006)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 450 and 458 together. In making a decision on an unemployment payment claim, a deciding officer will take all relevant factors into account including the level of job opportunities available and the person's availability for and his or her efforts to find work. The onus is on the customer to prove to the satisfaction of the deciding officer that he or she...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (21 Mar 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. The back to school clothing and footwear allowance scheme provides a one-off payment to eligible families to assist with the extra costs when...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (21 Mar 2006)

Séamus Brennan: Responsibility for policy to combat violence against women rests with the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform. The national steering committee on violence against women is chaired by my colleague the Minister of State at the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Deputy Frank Fahey, and includes representatives from the Departments of Health and Children, the Environment,...

Written Answers — Employment Support Services: Employment Support Services (21 Mar 2006)

Séamus Brennan: An increase in workforce participation of older people is one of the more important means of ensuring the sustainability of pensions systems in the future and has been recognised as such internationally. It is important that we encourage and facilitate people who would like to continue to work beyond normal retirement age. The Government is already committed to removing the retirement...