Results 2,941-2,960 of 4,893 for speaker:Séamus Brennan
- Social Welfare Bill 2005: Second Stage (Resumed). (14 Dec 2005)
Séamus Brennan: The complete abolition of the means test for the carer's grant will have cost implications, estimated at â¬140 million in a full year.
- Social Welfare Bill 2005: Second Stage (Resumed). (14 Dec 2005)
Séamus Brennan: While I respect the Deputy's view, I am surprised how easily he feels this can be done. This would be a move towards a universal carer's allowance. At the risk of being shot, if the Deputy was beginning from scratch with child benefit, would he make it a universal benefit?
- Social Welfare Bill 2005: Second Stage (Resumed). (14 Dec 2005)
Séamus Brennan: Would the Deputy be then careful about taking universal routes for other benefits as many people may not need benefits? I will continue to examine the affordability and the practicality of means-testing the carer's allowance. However, it is not at the top of my priorities. I prefer instead to increase the thresholds, bring more carers into the system and increase allowances and benefits....
- Social Welfare Bill 2005: Second Stage (Resumed). (14 Dec 2005)
Séamus Brennan: What was the Deputy's point?
- Social Welfare Bill 2005: Second Stage (Resumed). (14 Dec 2005)
Séamus Brennan: The Deputy is referring to a specific individual who received rent allowance from the Health Service Executive in error.
- Social Welfare Bill 2005: Second Stage (Resumed). (14 Dec 2005)
Séamus Brennan: While I presume the landlord should contact the Health Service Executive, if the Deputy supplies my officials with details of the case, it will be addressed.
- Social Welfare Bill 2005: Second Stage (Resumed). (14 Dec 2005)
Séamus Brennan: It is unusual to be pressed on how to give back money. If someone wishes to return money, I promise the Deputy we will find a way for him to do so. I am sure the HSE would be glad to have the cheque returned. A number of speakers, albeit none of the Deputies present, used phrases such as "pittance" to describe increases in social welfare. I will outline some examples of how the increases will...
- Social Welfare Bill 2005: Second Stage (Resumed). (14 Dec 2005)
Séamus Brennan: Now.
- Social Welfare Bill 2005: Committee and Remaining Stages. (14 Dec 2005)
Séamus Brennan: He knows it well.
- Social Welfare Bill 2005: Second Stage (Resumed). (14 Dec 2005)
Séamus Brennan: I will go out on the Luas.
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (13 Dec 2005)
Séamus Brennan: The details requested by the Deputy of the numbers availing of the farm assist scheme have been compiled from data that is maintained on a local office catchment area basis and these figures do not correspond exactly with county boundaries. The figures are as follows: 2002 2003 2004 3/12/2005 Cavan 307 312 307 286 Monaghan 404 408 417 400 The cost of funding the farm assist...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (13 Dec 2005)
Séamus Brennan: A fuel allowance of â¬9 per week is payable to eligible households during a 29 week winter heating period from the end of September to mid-April each year. An additional â¬3.90 per week is payable in the designated urban smokeless fuel zones. The scheme is expected to cost â¬85.4 million in 2005. The numbers qualifying for the fuel allowance scheme from 2000 to 2005 are set out in the...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (13 Dec 2005)
Séamus Brennan: The term "fuel poverty" has been described as the inability to afford adequate warmth in a home, or the inability to achieve adequate warmth because of the energy inefficiency of the home. The primary contributory factor is the energy efficiency of the private and public housing stock. Problems relate mainly to older housing with poor insulation and draught-proofing or inefficient heating...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (13 Dec 2005)
Séamus Brennan: The free travel scheme is available to all people living in the State aged 66 years, or over. It is also available to carers and to people with disabilities who are in receipt of certain social welfare payments. It applies to travel within the State and cross-Border journeys between here and Northern Ireland. There have been a number of requests and inquiries about the extension of...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (13 Dec 2005)
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 decisions on individual claims. In determining entitlement to rent supplement, the executive must be satisfied that the applicant has a genuine accommodation need, that the...
- Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (13 Dec 2005)
Séamus Brennan: In August 2005, the person concerned applied for an old age contributory pension. One of the conditions for receipt of this pension is that the claimant must have started paying insurance contributions in Ireland before reaching 56 years. Following an examination of his entitlement, his application was disallowed as he did not begin paying Irish contributions until he was aged 61 years. His...
- Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (13 Dec 2005)
Séamus Brennan: The old age contributory and retirement pensions are payable at ages 66 and 65 respectively. The contribution conditions for the schemes also differ in that a minimum yearly average of 24 contributions is required to qualify for a retirement pension whereas an average of ten contributions will qualify a person for an old age contributory pension. There are concerns across the EU about the...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (13 Dec 2005)
Séamus Brennan: For unemployment assistance purposes, the assessment of means for non-householders resident in the parental home has always taken into account the yearly value of any benefit and privilege enjoyed by him or her by virtue of residing with a parent or step-parent. In practice, this is taken to mean the value of free board and lodging to a claimant and such value is ascribed having regard to the...
- Written Answers — Social Insurance: Social Insurance (13 Dec 2005)
Séamus Brennan: The social insurance fund surplus at the end of September 2005 was â¬2,199 million; this is the latest confirmed figure available.
- Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (13 Dec 2005)
Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Question Nos. 298 and 299 together. The social welfare system is based on income replacement with entitlement related to defined contingencies such as sickness, unemployment, old age and widowhood. Social welfare legislation provides that, with few exceptions, only one social welfare payment is payable at the one time. This approach is common to most social security systems...