Results 3,241-3,260 of 4,893 for speaker:Séamus Brennan

Written Answers — Social Insurance: Social Insurance (2 Nov 2005)

Séamus Brennan: Entitlement to maternity benefit is contingent on entitlement to maternity leave, legislation for which is the responsibility of the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform. Significant improvements have been made in the maternity benefit scheme over the recent years. As recently as 2001, improvements were made to increase core maternity leave, which attracted an entitlement to...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (2 Nov 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to answer Questions Nos. 381 and 387 together. 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. The old age non-contributory pension scheme is one of the schemes affected. The basis for the restriction contained in the new rules is the applicant's...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (2 Nov 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The household benefits package, which comprises the electricity/gas allowance, telephone allowance and television licence schemes, is generally available to people living permanently in the State, aged 66 years or over, who are in receipt of a social welfare type payment or who satisfy a means test. The package is also available to carers and people with disabilities under the age of 66 who...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (2 Nov 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The information requested by the deputy is contained in the following tabular statement. Table: Number of Recipients of Farm Assist by County, 2004 and 2005 County September 2004 September 2005 Carlow 61 56 Cavan 312 284 Clare 471 416 Cork 605 548 Donegal 1,194 1,123 Dublin 11 9 Galway 906 857 Kerry 668 624 Kildare 49 42 Kilkenny 128 120 Laois...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (2 Nov 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The Christmas bonus will again be paid this year to all recipients of long-term social welfare payments, at a rate equivalent to 100% of the person's normal weekly payment, subject to a minimum payment of €30. This measure will cost an estimated €139.3 million in 2005 and will benefit some 1.2 million persons comprising 835,000 recipients and 384,000 dependents. The estimated cost of...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (2 Nov 2005)

Séamus Brennan: My Department is committed to providing quality customer service to all its customers. This includes ensuring that applications are processed and that decisions on entitlement are issued as expeditiously as possible having regard to the eligibility conditions which apply. These conditions vary from scheme to scheme and may include establishment of the customer's social insurance record, the...

Written Answers — Identity Cards: Identity Cards (2 Nov 2005)

Séamus Brennan: My Department, together with the Department of Finance, is managing a programme of work to develop a framework within which public service cards can be deployed. The programme of work is known as the standard authentication framework environment, SAFE. Following approval from Government, an interdepartmental steering group was established in September 2004 to develop the framework. The...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (2 Nov 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The personal public service, PPS, number is a unique reference for people who have dealings with Departments of Government and public bodies. A PPS number issues automatically to children born in Ireland. In all other cases, a person seeking a PPS number must apply at one of my Department's local offices. It is necessary to have effective controls around the PPS number registration process to...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (2 Nov 2005)

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 has any function in determining entitlement to a supplement in individual cases. The mid-western region of the HSE has advised that the person concerned is in receipt of full entitlements. The person applied for a diet...

Written Answers — Security for the Elderly: Security for the Elderly (2 Nov 2005)

Séamus Brennan: In recent years the Government has concentrated on increasing primary social welfare payment rates by amounts far in excess of inflation. This approach, although more costly than increasing fuel allowances, delivers a better outcome for pensioners and others by substantially increasing their real income over the whole year. Since 2002, pensioners and other eligible groups have received...

Written Answers — Public Relations Contracts: Public Relations Contracts (2 Nov 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The Department of Social and Family Affairs has not awarded any contracts for public relations projects since December 2004.

Written Answers — Ministerial Staff: Ministerial Staff (2 Nov 2005)

Séamus Brennan: There are a total of six full-time administrative staff assigned to deal with matters in my constituency office. There are four established civil servants, one executive officer on a payscale of €26,618 to €42,238 and three clerical officers on a payscale of €21,245 to €34,448. I have also appointed, on a contract basis for my term of office, two non-established civil servants, a...

Written Answers — Consultancy Contracts: Consultancy Contracts (2 Nov 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The activities of the Department of Social and Family Affairs require the engagement of a range of consultancy expertise. Broadly, expertise is sought under three main headings: support with a number of strategic multi-annual programmes aimed at enhancing the delivery of the Department's services, for example, the service delivery modernisation programme; technical consultancies relating to...

Written Answers — Ministerial Staff: Ministerial Staff (2 Nov 2005)

Séamus Brennan: There are three staff in the Department's press office, including the press officer who is a higher executive officer on a payscale of €40,543 to €51,463 and the deputy press officer who is an executive officer on a payscale of €28,021 to €44,458. The third member of staff, who is awaiting re-assignment following promotion to executive officer, served as a clerical officer on a...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (2 Nov 2005)

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, HSE. They are intended to meet any shortfall that may exist between the cost of a special diet and the amount it would be reasonable to expect a person to pay towards their food costs. These diet supplement...

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (2 Nov 2005)

Séamus Brennan: My Department is due to decentralise all its headquarters sections remaining in Dublin to six locations throughout the country, involving some 1,300 staff. It is scheduled to decentralise to Sligo and Carrick-on-Shannon early in 2007, to Carrickmacross in 2008, and to Drogheda, Donegal and Buncrana in 2009. My Department has submitted implementation plans to the decentralisation...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (27 Oct 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 11, 29, 53, 63 and 68 together. Under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme administered on my behalf by the community welfare division of the Health Service Executive, a weekly or monthly rent or mortgage interest supplement is available to assist eligible people who are unable to meet their immediate accommodation needs through their own resources. In...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (27 Oct 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 12, 22, 79 and 86 together. The aim of the national fuel scheme is to assist householders who are in receipt of long-term social welfare or Health Service Executive payments towards the cost of their additional heating needs during the winter season. Fuel allowances are paid currently for 29 weeks from end-September to mid-April each year. Some 274,000...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (27 Oct 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The Construction Federation operatives pensions scheme operates as a registered employment agreement under the Industrial Relations Acts. There is a statutory obligation on employers to register eligible employees in the scheme and to pay the necessary contributions. Compliance with the terms of the scheme is enforced through the Construction Industry Monitoring Agency, the Labour Court and...

Written Answers — Family Support Services: Family Support Services (27 Oct 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 15, 17, 27, 50 and 54 together. My Department provides child income support in a number of ways. The principal support is child benefit, a universal payment which is neutral vis-À-vis the employment status of the child's parents and does not contribute to poverty traps. Over the period since 1997, the monthly rates of child benefit have increased by €103.51...