Results 2,721-2,740 of 4,893 for speaker:Séamus Brennan

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (16 Feb 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The staffing of the Garda information service centre in Castlebar, County Mayo, is a matter for the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform. My Department is liaising with that Department regarding the release of staff who are interested in transferring to the offices in Castlebar. To date, no formal offers of transfer have been received for Dublin based staff.

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (16 Feb 2006)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 157 to 159, inclusive, together. The couple involved is in receipt of two separate payments from my Department. The husband is in receipt of a full-rate invalidity pension of €193.30 per week while the wife is in receipt of an old age non-contributory pension, which is payable at a reduced rate of €157 per week. For the purposes of determining entitlement...

Written Answers — Departmental Offices: Departmental Offices (15 Feb 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The Office of Public Works, which has responsibility for the acquisition of all property for my Department, has obtained a site in Ballymun as part of the regeneration of the area for the building of a new social welfare office. I understand planning permission has been received and construction is to begin by end of 2006 with an 18 month building programme.

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (15 Feb 2006)

Séamus Brennan: Entitlement to unemployment benefit or unemployment assistance is subject to satisfying certain conditions provided for in law which require, among others, that the person is capable of work, is available for work and is genuinely seeking work. Being available for work means that a person is free to take up employment immediately and is not placing restrictions on the type of work or the...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (15 Feb 2006)

Séamus Brennan: Homeless persons have the same entitlements under the social welfare system as other persons and are subject to the same qualifying conditions. If homeless persons are unemployed but capable of and genuinely seeking work, then they can apply for unemployment assistance providing they can provide an address, such as a hostel, at which they can be contacted if necessary. They can be paid basic...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (15 Feb 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The person concerned was scheduled to attend an oral hearing on 13 December 2005 and telephoned in advance to say that he could not attend. In accordance with normal procedures, he was requested to write to the appeals officer with an explanation why he could not attend. As no written explanation was received, the appeals officer considered the case on the evidence available and disallowed...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (14 Feb 2006)

Séamus Brennan: Diet supplements are provided through the supplementary welfare allowance scheme which is administered on my behalf by the community welfare division of the Health Service Executive. Any person who is receiving a social welfare or health service executive payment, who has been prescribed a special diet as a result of a specified medical condition and who is unable to provide for his or her...

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (14 Feb 2006)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 413 and 414 together. As part of the decentralisation programme announced in December 2003, my Department is due to decentralise its headquarters to Drogheda. The indicative time for completion of accommodation in Drogheda is 2009. There are five posts at assistant secretary and one at deputy secretary level in my Department. In the context of a general...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (14 Feb 2006)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 415 and 416 together. 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 to eligible people living in private rented accommodation whose means are insufficient to meet their...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (14 Feb 2006)

Séamus Brennan: Under the terms of the supplementary welfare allowance scheme, the Health Service Executive may make a single payment, known as an exceptional needs payment, ENP, to help meet essential, once-off, exceptional expenditure, which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of his or her weekly income. Eligible people would normally be in receipt of a social welfare or Health Service...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (14 Feb 2006)

Séamus Brennan: Since April 2000 the needs of asylum seekers are catered for under the direct provision system operated by the reception and integration agency of the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform. Under the system asylum seekers are provided with full board accommodation and other facilities such as laundry services and access to leisure areas. To take account of the services provided, a...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (14 Feb 2006)

Séamus Brennan: I understand that the Deputy is referring to the disqualification period that applies on an unemployment benefit claim when a person receives a redundancy payment. Under social welfare legislation a person under the age of 55 who receives a redundancy payment in excess of €19,046.07, may be disqualified for receiving unemployment benefit for a period of up to nine weeks from the last date...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (14 Feb 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. My Department does not have any function in relation to decisions on individual claims. The community welfare division of the Health Service Executive has advised that it has no record of an application for rent supplement...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (14 Feb 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. My Department does not have any function in relation to decisions on individual claims. The executive has advised that it recently reviewed the rent supplement claim of the person concerned and it has decided to increase...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (14 Feb 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The social insurance or PRSI system is based on payment of compulsory contributions to the social insurance fund, in return for which, and subject to meeting the conditions prescribed, contributors become eligible for a range of income replacement benefits such as old age contributory pension. The rationale underlines the general principle that there should be a reasonable link between...

Rent Supplement: Motion. (14 Feb 2006)

Séamus Brennan: I want to refer to matters raised by Deputy Gilmore and others. There is a case for reforming rent allowance because the reality is that the State is paying approximately €400 million per year on a temporary basis to house 60,000 people. The questions arising from that issue are obvious. For example, would it be preferable to put that money into permanent housing? If one went to the local...

Rent Supplement: Motion. (14 Feb 2006)

Séamus Brennan: I will examine the issue, as I see the point the Deputy has made. More than €400 million is spent under the scheme per annum. The number of recipients of rent supplement has almost doubled in a decade. In 1995, when the scheme began, the figure was 32,000 but today it is more than 60,000. Of the 60,173 people in the scheme, more than half, or 33,000, have been in it for 18 months or more,...

Written Answers — Homeless Persons: Homeless Persons (9 Feb 2006)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 8 and 32 together. The Government is committed to addressing homelessness in a comprehensive and co-ordinated manner. Substantial progress is being made under the Government's strategy on adult homelessness, in addressing the needs of people who are homeless and in assisting them to move to accommodation that is more suitable to their needs. This has been done...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (9 Feb 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The back to work allowance scheme, which was introduced in 1993, is part of my Department's programme of initiatives designed to assist long-term unemployed, lone parents and other social welfare recipients to return to the active labour force. There are two strands to the scheme, the back to work enterprise allowance for self-employment and the back to work allowance for employees. In budget...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (9 Feb 2006)

Séamus Brennan: 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 1 May 2004. It was introduced in the context of the Government's decision to open the Irish labour market to workers from the new EU member states without the transitional limitations which were being imposed at that time by...