Results 3,081-3,100 of 4,893 for speaker:Séamus Brennan

Pension Provisions. (1 Dec 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The needs of older people have been a priority for this Government since taking office in 1997. Since then we have delivered record increases in pensions. Pensions increased by 81% up to January this year, 50% ahead of the increase in the consumer price index over the same period. The household benefits scheme is now available to all those over 70 years of age regardless of their income or...

Pension Provisions. (1 Dec 2005)

Séamus Brennan: Deputy Stanton asked if I have plans to change the retirement age for the old age pension. The answer is no, I have no proposal to change the age limit of 66 years. However, I am interested in what the UK is doing in this area. There may be a case for encouraging those who choose to work for longer to perhaps receive a higher or enhanced pension. Many countries are examining this issue to...

Pension Provisions. (1 Dec 2005)

Séamus Brennan: All budgets and Social Welfare Bills, and every decision I will make as Minister, will reflect what I have said. That will get us some of the way but not all the way. I am not promising to get us to a utopian situation but I am determined that we should begin to move in a better direction, for example, by ensuring that women in the welfare system get a better deal.

Hospital Services. (1 Dec 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I thank Deputy Kirk for raising this matter. I reply on behalf of my colleague, the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Harney. Under the Health Act 2004, the Health Service Executive is required to manage and deliver, or arrange to be delivered on its behalf, health and personal social services. The HSE is considering the development of hospital services at Our Lady of...

Social Welfare Benefits. (1 Dec 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The Government's objective is to ensure that a social welfare recipient's total weekly income is sufficient to meet all their basic living needs, including food and heating costs. In recent years significant budget resources have been concentrated on providing real increases over and above inflation in all primary social welfare pension, benefit and assistance rates. This approach delivers a...

Social Welfare Benefits. (1 Dec 2005)

Séamus Brennan: No, what I am saying is that there obviously is an issue here. The Society of St. Vincent de Paul does fantastic work on behalf of all of us. Its members are out and about meeting people and they know what they are talking about. I read carefully the society's pre-budget submission in which it made many strong points which, like all other submissions, will be taken into account in the...

Social Welfare Benefits. (1 Dec 2005)

Séamus Brennan: Of course there is a problem, otherwise there would not be a Department like mine. There obviously is a problem and we are trying to address it in many ways. The submission from the Society of St. Vincent de Paul is excellent. It is professional and well researched. I received submissions from between 50 and 100 organisations about the budget.

Social Welfare Benefits. (1 Dec 2005)

Séamus Brennan: Organisations make submissions on the budget as to what they would like to——

Social Welfare Benefits. (1 Dec 2005)

Séamus Brennan: They make submissions as to their views on the setting of rates and how they would like to see the problem solved.

Social Welfare Benefits. (1 Dec 2005)

Séamus Brennan: Heating costs is an issue which has been addressed up to now by a 37% increase in welfare payments since 2002 and it can be further addressed in future Social Welfare Bills and in budgets.

Social Welfare Benefits. (1 Dec 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I am aware of the concerns expressed recently by the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in its pre-budget submission. In view of the particular financial pressures experienced at this time of the year by persons and families in receipt of social welfare payments, I recently announced that a Christmas double payment will be made to more than 1.2 million welfare customers and their dependants. The...

Social Welfare Benefits. (1 Dec 2005)

Séamus Brennan: On MABS, last year's budget gave a special allocation of €700,000, which was exactly the same amount that been removed earlier in one of the cuts referred to by the Deputy. I restored that funding but left it to the discretion of the MABS management as to where it fitted best. One must realise that since 1996, taxpayer spending on this area has doubled. It has moved from €5.7 billion up...

Social Welfare Benefits. (1 Dec 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The Christmas bonus payment was first introduced in December 1980 for social welfare pensioners and people who depend solely on their social welfare payments for income support. There have been a number of developments in this initiative since its inception, including changes in the level of the bonus payment which has been at the rate of 100% over the past six years, the introduction of a...

Social Welfare Benefits. (1 Dec 2005)

Séamus Brennan: As I said, some 834,000 people already get the bonus. The distinction was made many years ago between long-term and short-term recipients. It was decided that long-term people would get the bonus and short-term people would not. The Deputy is quite right in that disability benefit is a short-term scheme. However, there can be an anomaly in that many people can be on a short-term scheme for a...

Departmental Programmes. (1 Dec 2005)

Séamus Brennan: My Department has a pivotal role to play in ensuring that the fruits of our economic growth benefit all, particularly those who are most vulnerable and in need of vital support. I am determined that the resources available to my Department will be targeted at delivering 21st century welfare supports which are characterised by recognition, compassion, activation and service throughout the...

Departmental Programmes. (1 Dec 2005)

Séamus Brennan: She is much more photogenic than I am.

Departmental Programmes. (1 Dec 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The last budget began these reforms. We brought in special allowances for carers to recognise their work. We made substantial improvements in child benefit which started the reform process on child poverty. We moved income disregards for pensioners so that they could have much more income before they kicked into a pension. I refute the suggestion that the social agenda I have been laying out...

Departmental Programmes. (1 Dec 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I am the target.

Social Welfare Benefits. (1 Dec 2005)

Séamus Brennan: Entitlement to certain social welfare payments aimed at supporting those parenting alone is contingent on the claimant not cohabiting in a spousal relationship with another adult. I am aware that reluctance on the part of some parents to forego the income security provided by schemes such as the one parent family payment may act as a disincentive to the formation of partnerships and...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (30 Nov 2005)

Séamus Brennan: My Department has developed a range of contingency plans to address interruption in payments through the postal or post office counter services. These plans are kept under review to ensure that they offer the best response to any disruption to payments. Among the approaches available to my Department is the option of changing the payment method used by the customer, changing the location...