Results 2,641-2,660 of 4,893 for speaker:Séamus Brennan

Social Welfare Law Reform and Pensions Bill 2006: Report and Final Stages. (9 Mar 2006)

Séamus Brennan: Over the last six years the Department has reviewed 9,474 such cases. I am referring to the assets of deceaseds' estates and the number of means-tested pension cases for which the Department has assessed overpayments. The number found to have overpayments was 2,326. As I said on Committee Stage, that recovered €30.9 million. It works out at around €5 million a year, on average, with about...

Social Welfare Law Reform and Pensions Bill 2006: Report and Final Stages. (9 Mar 2006)

Séamus Brennan: I will have to get more advice on that matter.

Social Welfare Law Reform and Pensions Bill 2006: Report and Final Stages. (9 Mar 2006)

Séamus Brennan: It is a good concept. Even if it is not in our area, perhaps we could look at it.

Social Welfare Law Reform and Pensions Bill 2006: Report and Final Stages. (9 Mar 2006)

Séamus Brennan: In respect of the case referred to by Deputy Penrose involving the accountant who has, unfortunately, been unwell, paragraph 2.7 on page 30 of the guide to social welfare services deals with voluntary PRSI contributions. According to this paragraph: If an employee or self-employed contributor is no longer covered by compulsory PRSI and they are under the age of 66, they may opt to pay...

Social Welfare Law Reform and Pensions Bill 2006: Report and Final Stages. (9 Mar 2006)

Séamus Brennan: I am advised that a measure of discretion will be exercised in this case, although I am not sure of its extent.

Social Welfare Law Reform and Pensions Bill 2006: Report and Final Stages. (9 Mar 2006)

Séamus Brennan: I thank Deputies for taking the trouble to table these amendments. I appreciate them and will keep these matters under review. I take note of what Deputy Seán Ryan and Deputy Penrose said. Following the introduction of the one-parent family payment in 1997 the deserted wife's benefit was discontinued with effect from 2 January 1997. The scheme for deserted wives under social insurance has...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (8 Mar 2006)

Séamus Brennan: Under the terms of the supplementary welfare allowance scheme, which is administered on my behalf by the community welfare division of the Health Service Executive, an exceptional needs payment may be made to help meet an essential, once-off cost which the applicant is unable to meet out of his-her own resources. There is no automatic entitlement to this payment. Each application is...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (8 Mar 2006)

Séamus Brennan: My Department's policy is to ensure that a range of payment options is available to customers and that service is continually improved by providing access to the wide range of payment options and new services and facilities now available. At present, some 175,000 customers of my Department, mostly those on unemployment and other short term payments, receive their payment by means of...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (8 Mar 2006)

Séamus Brennan: Under Irish social welfare legislation provision is made for the payment of a bereavement grant which is payable on the death of an insured person or of a child under age 18, or under age 22 if in full-time education. The payment is based on PRSI contributions and is a once-off payment of €635 payable to the person responsible for paying the funeral bill. Entitlement to the grant can be...

Written Answers — Social Insurance: Social Insurance (8 Mar 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The social insurance system in Ireland is generally based on compulsory paid PRSI contributions on which entitlement to a range of contingency-based payments are established. Workers are insured under the Social Welfare Acts as either employed or self-employed contributors. Employees and their employers generally pay contributions at PRSI class A, whereas self-employed workers generally pay...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (8 Mar 2006)

Séamus Brennan: Since 1994, successive Governments have followed the policy of holding the rate of child dependant allowances constant while concentrating additional resources for child income support on the child benefit scheme. Child benefit is neutral vis-À-vis the employment status of the child's parents and does not contribute to poverty traps, whereas the loss of child dependant allowances by social...

Written Answers — Anti-Poverty Strategy: Anti-Poverty Strategy (8 Mar 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The causes of poverty and its effects are multifaceted and require an integrated, multi-policy response at national, regional and local levels. The Government's strategic approach to tackling poverty was initially provided through the national anti-poverty strategy, NAPS, which was introduced in 1997. This strategy has now been subsumed into the national action plan against poverty and social...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (8 Mar 2006)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 145 and 146 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 carer's allowance have been significantly eased, coverage of the scheme has been extended and new schemes such as carer's benefit and the respite care payment have been introduced....

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (8 Mar 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. Under standard SWA rules rent supplements are normally calculated to ensure that a person, after the payment of rent, has an income...

Written Answers — Industrial Relations: Industrial Relations (8 Mar 2006)

Séamus Brennan: There have been no developments on this matter and the position remains as outlined in my reply to a question, reference number 2677/06, of 26 January 2006. There have been no discussions between staff representatives and the company contracted by the OPW to oversee the installation.

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (8 Mar 2006)

Séamus Brennan: Under the Government programme of decentralisation, it is proposed that all headquarter sections of the Department will relocate to six provincial locations: Drogheda, Carrick-on-Shannon, Sligo, Donegal town, Buncrana and Carrickmacross. As part of the Department's decentralisation implementation plan, the maintenance recovery unit, MRU, which comprises some 14 employees and is currently...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (7 Mar 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 have any function in decisions on individual claims. To qualify for rent supplement, a person must satisfy a number of conditions. The person must be a bona fide tenant, be habitually resident in...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (7 Mar 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The supplementary welfare allowance scheme, SWA, which includes rent supplement, is administered on my behalf by the community welfare division of the Health Service Executive. Neither I nor my Department have any function in relation to decisions on individual claims. Under standard SWA rules, rent supplements are normally calculated to ensure that a person, after the payment of rent, has an...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (7 Mar 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The supplementary welfare allowance scheme is administered on my behalf by the community welfare division of the Health Service Executive. Neither I nor my Department have any function in decisions on individual claims. The supplementary welfare allowance scheme provides for exceptional needs payments to assist with essential, once-off expenditure which a person could not reasonably be...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (7 Mar 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The current position in my Department is that 155 or 3.3% of the total staff of my Department are persons with disabilities. The majority of people with disabilities who are employed in my Department were recruited by way of competitions conducted by the Public Appointments Service, PAS. Persons with disabilities can avail of two recruitment processes operated by PAS, standard open...