Results 3,261-3,280 of 4,893 for speaker:Séamus Brennan

Written Answers — Departmental Schemes: Departmental Schemes (27 Oct 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 16 and 35 together. The homemaker's scheme which was introduced in 1994 is intended to mitigate the effect of periods spent on caring duties when a person's insurance record is being averaged for pension purposes. The scheme allows up to 20 years spent on caring duties to be disregarded when a person's insurance record is being averaged to assess entitlement...

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

Séamus Brennan: As the Deputy will be aware, there are three social welfare schemes providing pensions for older people — old age contributory pension, retirement pension and old age non-contributory pension. In the case of the first two, these are contributory schemes payable at 66 and 65, respectively. People who receive old age contributory pension can work without restriction while those applying for...

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

Séamus Brennan: The one parent family payment is designed to provide income support to parents with insufficient means who are parenting alone. This can arise as a result of being widowed, or following separation or divorce, or being unmarried. One of the objectives of the one parent family payment is to encourage lone parents to consider employment as an alternative to welfare dependency, while at the same...

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

Séamus Brennan: The Pensions Act requires the trustees of funded defined benefit, DB, schemes to certify on a regular basis that the scheme meets the statutory funding standard. From 23 September 2005, these certificates must be submitted every three years. The annual report of the Pensions Board shows that of the 596 schemes which submitted funding certificates in 2004, 240 — or 40% — of them failed to...

Written Answers — Irish Language: Irish Language (27 Oct 2005)

Séamus Brennan: It has always been an objective of my Department to provide quality customer service in Irish. Since 2000 this approach has been augmented by the inclusion of a specific commitment to service in Irish in the existing principles of quality customer service which are in operation Civil Service-wide. To meet these objectives, the Department has implemented a number of initiatives including...

Written Answers — Social Inclusion: Social Inclusion (27 Oct 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I welcome the ESRI report, Trends in Welfare for Vulnerable Groups, 1994-2001, which will be a useful addition to the research on poverty levels for vulnerable groups. The report provides an insight into the situation of these groups in terms of their risk of experiencing poverty and social exclusion. Although this report refers to the period from 1994 to 2001, a combination of economic...

Written Answers — Departmental Schemes: Departmental Schemes (27 Oct 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 25, 45, 60, 217 and 221 together. 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. The scheme...

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

Séamus Brennan: 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 with the cost of their additional heating needs during the winter season. Fuel allowances are paid for 29 weeks from end-September to mid-April. Some 274,000 customers — 151,000 with basic fuel allowance and 123,000 with smokeless fuel supplement...

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

Séamus Brennan: Following the social welfare increases awarded in last year's budget, the lowest rate of social welfare payment currently stands at €148.80 per week. Government policy as regards social welfare rates is guided by the commitment in the revised national anti-poverty strategy to increase the lowest social welfare rates to €150 per week — in 2002 terms — by 2007 and to set the appropriate...

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

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 limitations being imposed at that time by many of the other member...

Written Answers — Money Advice and Budgeting Service: Money Advice and Budgeting Service (27 Oct 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The Money Advice and Budgeting Service is provided by 52 MABS companies operating out of 65 centres throughout the country. At present, there are 150 money advisers and 78 administrative staff working in the MABS. A total of €13.62 million has been allocated to the service in 2005, which is an increase of €2.2 million over the 2004 allocations. During the 12 month period up to December...

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

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 31, 65 and 220 together. Child benefit is the principal means of providing support to families with children in Ireland. It is neutral vis-À-vis the employment status of the child's parents and maximises choice for parents. Child benefit is paid monthly in advance to over 530,000 families is respect of over 1,020,000 children. Child benefit rates now stand at...

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

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 32, 34, 49, 51, 91, 97 and 219 together. According to census 2002, there are 48,500 people providing personal care for over four hours per day. Almost 25,450 of these are in receipt of either carer's allowance or carer's benefit. This means that over 52% of the 48,500 carers, as estimated by the CSO to be caring for more than four hours per day, are in receipt...

Written Answers — Poverty Reduction: Poverty Reduction (27 Oct 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 33, 77 and 94 together. The most recent statistics on poverty levels in Ireland are derived from the 2003 EU survey on income and living conditions, EU-SILC, released earlier this year by the Central Statistics Office, CSO. This survey replaces the living in Ireland survey, LIIS, which was conducted by the Economic and Social Research Institute, ESRI, until...

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

Séamus Brennan: The back to school clothing and footwear allowance scheme operates from the beginning of June to the end of September each year. The scheme is administered on my behalf by the community welfare division of the Health Service Executive. A person may qualify for payment of a back to school clothing and footwear allowance if he or she is in receipt of a social welfare or health service executive...

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

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 38, 64, 66, 74, 81 and 83 together. The one-parent family payment is designed to provide income support to parents with insufficient means who are parenting alone. This can arise as a result of being widowed, or following separation or divorce, or being unmarried. The findings of the recent EU survey on income and living conditions, EU SILC, bear out the...

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

Séamus Brennan: The household benefits package, which comprises the electricity-gas allowance, telephone allowance and free lifetime television licence is available to people living permanently in the State who must satisfy certain qualifying conditions. As of 30 September 2005, there were 308,923 customers in receipt of the telephone allowance from my Department. The primary objective of the telephone...

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

Séamus Brennan: My Department has a comprehensive information policy which is designed to ensure that all citizens are made aware of their entitlements in a timely fashion. It also ensures customers are kept informed of changes and improvements in schemes and services as they occur. From time to time my Department undertakes specific information campaigns on the introduction of new schemes, changes in...

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

Séamus Brennan: The Government is anxious to ensure that as many people as possible can qualify for contributory pensions in their own right and in this regard a number of measures have been introduced over the years which make it easier for people to qualify for pensions. These include the reduction in the yearly average number of contributions required for pension purposes from 20 to ten and the special...

Written Answers — Departmental Schemes: Departmental Schemes (27 Oct 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The programme for Government contains a commitment to a scheme of all-Ireland free travel for pensioners resident in all parts of the island. The scheme would enable pensioners resident in Ireland to travel free of charge on all bus and rail services in Northern Ireland. Likewise, pensioners in Northern Ireland would travel free of charge on all bus and rail services in this State. In July...