Results 3,381-3,400 of 4,893 for speaker:Séamus Brennan

Referral of Social Welfare Consolidation Bill 2005 to Standing Joint Committee on Consolidation Bills: Motion. (25 Oct 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I move: That, notwithstanding anything in Standing Orders— (a) the Social Welfare Consolidation Bill 2005 be referred to the Standing Joint Committee on Consolidation Bills; (b) the first meeting of the committee to consider the Bill be held on Wednesday, 26 October 2005; and (c) in the case of the Social Welfare Consolidation Bill 2005— (i) in accordance with Standing Order 142(3), the...

Written Answers — Budget Submissions: Budget Submissions (20 Oct 2005)

Séamus Brennan: Earlier this week, I held a pre-budget forum which was attended by 31 representative organisations, including the Tallaght Welfare Society. At this forum, each organisation, including this society, had the opportunity to present its key priorities for consideration in advance of budget 2006. I thank the society for its contribution to the forum and the valuable work which it and many other...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (20 Oct 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The person concerned claimed carer's allowance from 27 July 2005. The deciding officer disallowed the claim on the grounds that the person's means exceeded the statutory limit for receipt of carer's allowance. She appealed against this decision to the social welfare appeals office on 30 September 2005. In accordance with the statutory requirements the relevant departmental papers and comments...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (20 Oct 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 110 and 111 together. In the course of a routine review of fuel allowance payments, the Department recently ceased allowance entitlement which had been paid in error in a specific number of cases where the recipients were in local authority accommodation with subsidised or low cost heating. The allowances in question, which should not have been put in payment...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (20 Oct 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The person appealed against this decision to the social welfare appeals office. The appeal has been referred to an appeals officer who is of the opinion that an oral hearing is required. Arrangements are being made to have the hearing in the week commencing 7 November 2005. He will be advised of the exact date and venue for the hearing when the necessary arrangements have been made. Under...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (20 Oct 2005)

Séamus Brennan: Asylum seekers who arrived in this country since 10 April 2000 can have their accommodation needs and other basic living facilities met through the direct provision services operated by the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform. Following changes in social welfare legislation which came into effect on 27 May 2003, rent supplement is not payable where a person is not lawfully in the...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (20 Oct 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The position remains as I outlined to the Deputy on 6 October 2005 in response to his question about this case. The Dublin-mid-Leinster area of the Health Service Executive has advised that, following a review of her entitlements, it determined the person concerned was not entitled to supplementary welfare allowance on the grounds that she did not satisfy the statutory habitual residence...

Social Welfare Consolidation Bill 2005: Second Stage (Resumed). (20 Oct 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I thank Deputies for a fine debate. I had the pleasure of hearing all of it and greatly appreciate the contributions made. There is much expert advice available in the social welfare area and much research has been done, but it is particularly interesting to listen to Deputies who have people come to their clinics week in and out with real on-the-ground problems. I have taken careful note of...

Social Welfare Consolidation Bill 2005: Second Stage (Resumed). (20 Oct 2005)

Séamus Brennan: It is not, but if the Deputy has that list, I would not mind looking at it. The 237 individuals identified were in receipt of fuel allowance as well as being on subsidised heating. There are approximately 4,000 people in receipt of subsidised heating from the city council and the 237 found were also in receipt of fuel allowance. That was an error. Under the law of the land — criticise it as...

Social Welfare Consolidation Bill 2005: Second Stage (Resumed). (20 Oct 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I must deal with the law as it is. The recipients were told that from the start of the next season the error would not be continued. I suppose there are a number of ways out of it. We cannot continue to pay all 237 people without paying the 4,000 other people. We cannot tell the 237 people in question that they can keep the allowance because they got it in error, but the people down the...

Social Welfare Consolidation Bill 2005: Second Stage (Resumed). (20 Oct 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The Deputy said he dealt with five cases.

Social Welfare Consolidation Bill 2005: Second Stage (Resumed). (20 Oct 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I will examine the issue. In recent weeks we put new maximum amounts on rent allowances in an attempt to keep rent prices down. If rents were €600 and we agreed to pay rents up to €800, rents would rise to €800 to match what we would pay. We must be very careful in this market because the rent supplement accounts for 40% of the rental market of the State. When we impose a cap, we must...

Social Welfare Consolidation Bill 2005: Second Stage (Resumed). (20 Oct 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I will reconsider the matter.

Social Welfare Consolidation Bill 2005: Second Stage (Resumed). (20 Oct 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The caps were imposed for a good reason. If we pay more, the market will rise. That is why we have tried to hang back.

Social Welfare Consolidation Bill 2005: Second Stage (Resumed). (20 Oct 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The statistics suggest that rents are mainly static or levelling off. This is probably because of the great number of new apartments being built.

Social Welfare Consolidation Bill 2005: Second Stage (Resumed). (20 Oct 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I will get the details of those cases from the Deputy to ascertain what is the problem. I thank Deputies for their contributions. I will take on board the points made.

Social Welfare Consolidation Bill 2005: Second Stage (Resumed). (20 Oct 2005)

Séamus Brennan: We have 18 months left.

Social Welfare Consolidation Bill 2005: Second Stage (Resumed). (20 Oct 2005)

Séamus Brennan: It was just a wrong number.

Social Welfare Consolidation Bill 2005: Second Stage (Resumed). (20 Oct 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The wires were crossed.

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (19 Oct 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The supplementary welfare allowance scheme, which is administered on my behalf by the community welfare division of the Health Service Executive, provides for the payment of a rent supplement to assist eligible people who are unable to provide for their immediate accommodation needs from their own resources and who do not have accommodation available to them from any other source. Neither I...