Results 3,161-3,180 of 4,893 for speaker:Séamus Brennan

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (22 Nov 2005)

Séamus Brennan: Under the decentralisation programme announced by the Government in 2003, the Combat Poverty Agency is designated to relocate to Monaghan town. At this time there is no indicative date for the move. The Combat Poverty Agency has submitted an implementation plan to the decentralisation group and is currently in the process of updating that plan. There are a total of 39 applicants on the...

Written Answers — Hospital Staff: Hospital Staff (22 Nov 2005)

Séamus Brennan: My Department arranges sessions at various centres around the country to assess or review the medical condition of people who are claiming a payment from my Department in respect of illness. These sessions are conducted by the Department's medical assessors and a nurse attendant is always present during the examinations. With the exception of a small number of nurse attendants, the majority...

Written Answers — Departmental Offices: Departmental Offices (17 Nov 2005)

Séamus Brennan: Staff in my Department offer a comprehensive and multifaceted service through our network of local and branch offices. Appointment systems are in place for many of the services that we offer: for example, appointments are arranged for customers who wish to see a facilitator to discuss educational and work opportunities or who are required to be interviewed by a social welfare inspector in...

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (17 Nov 2005)

Séamus Brennan: As part of the Government's decentralisation programme all headquarters staff of my Department are due to relocate to six locations throughout the country — Sligo, Carrick-on-Shannon, Drogheda, Buncrana, Donegal and Carrickmacross. My Department has submitted implementation plans to the decentralisation implementation group which, amongst other things, identifies the potential risks which...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (17 Nov 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The Government is committed to introducing a personal entitlement for pensioner spouses currently in receipt of the qualified adult allowance, QAA, set at a level of a full non-contributory pension. In budget 2004, the rate of QAA, for persons aged 66 and over, payable to invalidity pensioners was brought up to the level applicable to equivalent QAAs on old age contributory and retirement...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (17 Nov 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The aim of the national fuel scheme is to assist householders on long-term social welfare or health board payments with meeting the cost of their additional heating needs during the winter season. Fuel allowances are paid for 29 weeks, from end-September to mid-April, and are not intended to meet the full cost of heating. Some 274,000 — 151,000 with basic fuel allowance and 123,000 with...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (17 Nov 2005)

Séamus Brennan: With the exception of those participating in approved employment schemes, rent supplement is not payable to a household in circumstances where either spouse is in full-time remunerative employment. The Dublin-mid-Leinster area of the Health Service Executive, which administers the supplementary welfare allowance scheme on my behalf, has advised that it has not received a formal application...

Written Answers — Child Care Services: Child Care Services (17 Nov 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The supplementary welfare allowance scheme is administered on behalf of my Department by the community welfare division of the Health Service Executive. Neither I nor my Department has any function in decisions on individual claims. There is no scope within the supplementary welfare allowance scheme for assistance in respect of routine child care costs, except in exceptional circumstances...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (17 Nov 2005)

Séamus Brennan: My Department operates a number of schemes which provide income support to those persons who are unfit to work due to illness or disability. These payments include disability benefit and invalidity pension which are social insurance based schemes. Facilitating return to work or participation in the active labour force is one of the main objectives of the social welfare system. There are a...

Written Answers — Capital Expenditure: Capital Expenditure (17 Nov 2005)

Séamus Brennan: My Department did not undertake any capital projects in 2004 and 2005 with an estimated cost of between €30 million and €50 million. The Deputy may wish to note that my Department has a capital allocation in respect of information technology which for 2004 amounted to €7.7 million and, for 2005, €11 million.

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (16 Nov 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I proposed to take Question Nos. 329 and 332 together. Supporting carers in our society has been a priority of the Government since 1997. Over that period weekly payment rates to carer's have been greatly increased, qualifying conditions for carers' allowance have been significantly eased, coverage of the scheme has been extended and new schemes such as carers' benefit and the respite care...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (16 Nov 2005)

Séamus Brennan: There are a number of different categories of residency in the Central Mental Hospital as follows: those detained under the categories of "guilty but insane" and "unfit to plead" who are deemed to be detained in legal custody and are not eligible for payment of disability allowance under the Social Welfare Acts and those detained under the relevant Mental Health Acts who are not considered to...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (16 Nov 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The person concerned was in receipt of carer's allowance from 1 October 1998. Following a review of her entitlement, payment from 4 January 2001 to 30 March 2005 was disallowed by a deciding officer retrospectively, as it was found that the person was working more than ten hours per week. As a consequence, an overpayment of €34,970.31 was assessed against her. The person concerned appealed...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (16 Nov 2005)

Séamus Brennan: Fuel allowances are not payable in situations where a person has access to his or her own fuel supply or is benefiting from a subsidised or low cost heating service, such as those provided by Dublin City Council at a number of its housing complexes. The basis for this condition is that the contribution that local authority tenants in communal heating situations make towards their heating...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (16 Nov 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The person's application for carer's allowance was disallowed by a deciding officer on the grounds that he is working, on his holding, for more than ten hours per week. The person appealed this decision to the social welfare appeals office. In accordance with the statutory requirements, the relevant departmental papers, including a report from a social welfare inspector and a submission from...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (16 Nov 2005)

Séamus Brennan: In assessing means for social assistance purposes, including disability allowance, account is taken of any cash income the person or his or her spouse may have, together with the value of capital and property, except the home. Outgoings, such as mortgage payments on the family home, are not taken into account in determining entitlement to disability allowance and other weekly income...

Written Answers — Social Insurance: Social Insurance (15 Nov 2005)

Séamus Brennan: Current social welfare legislation excludes spouses from PRSI liability as both employed and self-employed contributors. This exclusion recognises the practical difficulties in establishing the nature of a genuine employment relationship in circumstances such as when a person employed under a contract of service, that is as an employee, by his or her spouse is classed as an "excepted"...

Written Answers — School Meals: School Meals (15 Nov 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The school meals programme operated by my Department gives funding toward provision of food services for disadvantaged school children through two schemes. The first is the statutory urban school meals scheme, currently operated by 36 local authorities, which provides food services to primary schools. The Department jointly funds the food costs with these local authorities, who also manage...

Written Answers — Social Insurance: Social Insurance (15 Nov 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The current employee PRSI ceiling stands at €44,180 per annum. The abolition of this ceiling would yield an estimated €238.2 million in additional revenue. This estimate is based on a sample of cases from 2003 updated for changes in earnings and the number of contributors. The employee PRSI ceiling is reviewed annually in accordance with the legislative stipulations of the Social Welfare...

Written Answers — EU Legislation: EU Legislation (15 Nov 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 364 to 366, inclusive, together. While in general EU directives may allow all member states to avail of exemptions and derogations, my Department has not sought specific exemptions from any EU directives or regulations. All EU directives for which my Department has responsibility have been transposed into Irish law. The Commission has recently issued a...