Results 3,641-3,660 of 4,893 for speaker:Séamus Brennan

Social Welfare Benefits. (30 Jun 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I thank the Deputy for the question and her helpful suggestions, which I will consider. I would be happy to arrange for senior officials to meet the Deputy to take her through the details of the scheme if she wishes. As to her question, this is a new scheme. I expect 4,000 households will be facilitated under the rental accommodation scheme by the end of 2005. This year, I have transferred...

Social Welfare Benefits. (30 Jun 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I will consider the Deputy's point.

Written Answers — Health Service Allowances: Health Service Allowances (29 Jun 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 265 and 266 together. Details of recipients of rent supplement and expenditure on rent supplements in each of the past five years by health board area are set out in the following tables. Table 1: Expenditure on rent supplement by health board area from 2000 to 2004. 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 â'¬m â'¬m â'¬m â'¬m â'¬m ERHA 78.3 87.9...

Written Answers — EU Regulations: EU Regulations (29 Jun 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The Social Welfare (Consolidation) Act 1993 sets out the circumstances in which an offence has been committed under the social welfare code, along with the associated penalties. In the main, these provisions are detailed in Chapter 4 of Part VI of that Act. The Minister does not have the power, under the provisions of the Act, to create an indictable offence by way of regulations.

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (29 Jun 2005)

Séamus Brennan: There are currently three different weekly rates of child dependant allowances payable to social welfare recipients, namely, €16.80, €19.30 and €21.60. To standardise the three main rates of allowances at the highest rate of €21.60 would mean that approximately 243,000 full-rate payments and 93,000 half-rate payments would be increased at a cost of approximately of €59 million...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (29 Jun 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 — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (29 Jun 2005)

Séamus Brennan: At my request, the Pensions Board is at present conducting a review of our overall pensions strategy. The review encompasses an examination of the main strategic recommendations contained in the national pensions policy initiative including those relating to the adequacy of income in retirement, coverage targets, levels of social welfare pensions, sustainability of State pensions, including...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (29 Jun 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The current rate of old age contributory pension, €179.30 per week, represents just under 32% of gross average industrial earnings based on average earnings in 2004. At the end of March 2005, there were about 393,000 older persons in receipt of a social welfare pension. This represents 21% of those at work. Figures on the numbers in receipt of State pensions in other EU countries are not...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (29 Jun 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The most recent figures released by the Central Statistics Office on occupational and private pensions coverage relate to the first quarter of 2004. These show that 52.4% of the workforce had a private or occupational pension, including 6.3% with just a private pension. Coverage for the key target group for the national pensions policy initiative, those who are 30 years of age and over,...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (29 Jun 2005)

Séamus Brennan: My Department provides people receiving social welfare payments with a range of payment options including electronic fund transfer, EFT. The majority of those on invalidity pension who opt for this facility do so at the start of their claim and are paid on a regular weekly basis once their claim is put into payment. EFT payments for invalidity pensioners are currently made one week in...

Written Answers — Social Insurance: Social Insurance (29 Jun 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The information required by the Deputy is contained in the following tabular statement. Amounts received in PRSI from 1997 to date. Employer Employee Self-Employed â'¬000 â'¬000 â'¬000 1997 1,739,552 571,844 156,671 1998 2,007,125 542,385 165,770 1999 2,328,712 620,919 205,456 2000 2,763,419 745,569 190,051 2001 3,251,639...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (28 Jun 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to takes Questions Nos. 431 and 435 together. Diet supplements are provided for under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme, which is administered on my behalf by the community welfare division of the Health Service Executive. The amount of supplement payable depends on which of two categories of diet has been prescribed by the applicant's medical adviser, low cost or high...

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (28 Jun 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 432 and 433 together. The decentralisation implementation group, DIG, report to the Minister for Finance on 19 November 2004 recommended the locations and organisations to be included in the first phase of moves under the decentralisation programme and those to be regarded as potential early movers. Neither Carrickmacross nor Monaghan was included in the first...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (28 Jun 2005)

Séamus Brennan: My Department provides people receiving social welfare payments with a range of payment options, including electronic fund transfer, EFT. The majority of those who opt for this facility do so at the start of their claim and are paid on a regular weekly basis once their claim is put into payment. When EFT was introduced, payments were made four weeks in arrears. In 2000, the payment frequency...

Written Answers — Consultancy Contracts: Consultancy Contracts (28 Jun 2005)

Séamus Brennan: My Department has not engaged the services of models for use in any promotional activities, policy launches or other events. Of the four agencies under the aegis of my Department, the Combat Poverty Agency, Comhairle and the Family Support Agency have never engaged the services of models for promotional activities or any other such events. The Pensions Board has used models in promotional...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (28 Jun 2005)

Séamus Brennan: Rent 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. Rent supplements are subject to a means test. In addition to a minimum contribution of €13, which a recipient is required to pay from his or her own resources, each applicant is also required to contribute any...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (28 Jun 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The person concerned was in receipt of unemployment assistance from September 1998. Following a review of her entitlement in January 2005, a deciding officer made a revised decision disallowing her claim from 25 February 2002 to 30 November 2004 on the grounds that her means, derived from her partner's income, were in excess of the statutory limit for payment of unemployment assistance...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (28 Jun 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The supplementary welfare allowance scheme, which is administered on my behalf by the community welfare staff of the Health Service Executive, is one of a number of social assistance schemes which are subject to a statutory habitual residence condition with effect from 1 May 2004. Any person whose habitual residence or "centre of interest" is deemed to be other than in this State or the...

Written Answers — Consultancy Contracts: Consultancy Contracts (28 Jun 2005)

Séamus Brennan: My Department engages external consultants from time to time to provide a range of specialist expertise. Broadly, expertise is sought under three main headings. Support with a number of strategic programmes aimed at enhancing the delivery of the Department's services, such as the service delivery modernisation programme, technical consultancies relating to the ongoing development of...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (28 Jun 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The school meals programme operated by my Department gives funding towards provision of food services for disadvantaged school children through two schemes. The first is the long-standing statutory urban school meals scheme, currently operated by 36 local authorities. The Department jointly funds the food costs with these local authorities, who also manage and fund the administration of the...