Results 3,781-3,800 of 4,893 for speaker:Séamus Brennan

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (24 May 2005)

Séamus Brennan: A person approaching pension age who is in receipt of a social welfare payment is advised to apply for the pension three months in advance of reaching pension age. The onus remains on the person to complete the application form and submit this to the Department. About 30% of all those who apply for an old age pension are notified under this process. Last year, to enhance early application for...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (24 May 2005)

Séamus Brennan: My Department tries to assist and encourage long-term unemployed, people with disabilities and other long-term welfare recipients to return to work, training or further education through a range of measures administered by my Department's social and family support service. The back to work allowance scheme incentivises and encourages long-term unemployed people, lone parents and certain...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (24 May 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 71, 73, 87, 98 and 112 together. It is Government policy to encourage people to participate in occupational and private pension arrangements so that they can, when they retire, maintain their pre-retirement standard of living. To this end a range of measures have been introduced in recent years, including personal retirement savings accounts, PRSAs, mandatory...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (24 May 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 74 and 111 together. The Irish pensions system is unique, combining as it does a flat rate State payment and a voluntary supplementary pensions sector designed to provide the earnings related element of retirement income. The comparisons in the OECD survey are valid in so far as they focus on income from State cash payments. However, they do not provide a full...

Written Answers — Anti-Poverty Strategy: Anti-Poverty Strategy (24 May 2005)

Séamus Brennan: Weekly payments through the various social assistance schemes are intended to provide income to meet the basic living needs of recipients, including food, clothing, heat and light. Supplements are also payable in certain circumstances for specific needs, for example, fuel allowances, rent supplements, living alone allowance for older people or the household benefits package for pensioners,...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (24 May 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The Government recently agreed the key elements of a scheme for the repayment of long-term stay charges. I confirm that, in the case of those who were charged, such repayments will not impact on current pension entitlements and I will make the necessary legislative changes to bring this provision into effect when full details of the repayment scheme have been finalised. The normal means...

Written Answers — Anti-Poverty Strategy: Anti-Poverty Strategy (24 May 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 77 and 90 together. The two main methods of measuring poverty in Ireland are the national "consistent poverty" measure, based on a relative income threshold of 60% of median income and enforced deprivation of certain items, and the EU "at risk of poverty" measure, which is simply based on 60% of median income. The 2003 EU survey of income and living...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (24 May 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The supplementary welfare allowance scheme is administered on my behalf by the community welfare division of the Health Service Executive. It provides for the payment of a weekly or monthly rent or mortgage interest supplement to assist eligible people who are unable to provide for their accommodation costs from their own resources and who do not have accommodation available from any other...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Fraud: Social Welfare Fraud (24 May 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The prevention of fraud and abuse of the social welfare system is an integral part of the day to day work of my Department. In this regard all staff engaged in claims processing are concerned with preventing and detecting fraud and abuse. More than 600 staff at local, regional and national level are engaged on a full or part-time basis on work related to the control of fraud and abuse of the...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (24 May 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I understand the Deputy's inquiry relates to instances concerning former members of religious congregations who are absent from work on the grounds of illness and who, owing to their previous employment history, have insufficient PRSI contributions to qualify for social insurance benefits. People in such circumstances who have an injury, disease or illness which has continued, or is expected...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (24 May 2005)

Séamus Brennan: My Department's policy is to ensure that a range of payment options is available to customers and that service is continually improved by providing access to the wide range of payment options and new services and facilities now available. In this regard I recently announced a strategic review of my Department's future payment requirements with a view to the customer receiving the most modern...

Written Answers — Anti-Poverty Strategy: Anti-Poverty Strategy (24 May 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 82 and 108 together. The extent of measured poverty among persons who are in receipt of illness and disability payments was considered by my Department as part of a broader review of illness and disability income support programmes. The review was carried out as part of my Department's ongoing programme of expenditure reviews and subsequently published. In its...

Written Answers — Anti-Poverty Strategy: Anti-Poverty Strategy (24 May 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The recently published review by CORI "Pathways To Inclusion" outlines policies needed to ensure economic development, social equity and sustainability in Ireland. I welcome the publication of this comprehensive report. The Deputy will be aware that it was only published earlier this month and my Department will review the report in detail over the coming weeks and months. The Government's...

Written Answers — Anti-Poverty Strategy: Anti-Poverty Strategy (24 May 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 84, 96, 123 and 127 together. The Government's acknowledgement of the serious nature of poverty in Ireland is reflected in the national action plan against poverty and social exclusion, NAP/Inclusion, which provides a clear and strategic basis for tackling the multi-dimensional problem of poverty and social exclusion. This plan contains ambitious targets...

Written Answers — Anti-Poverty Strategy: Anti-Poverty Strategy (24 May 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 86, 103 and 120 together. The report "Do the Poor Pay More?", a study of lone parents and debt, shows that many lone parents do not have access to mainstream banking and are, therefore, more likely to be indebted to high interest lenders such as moneylenders and hire purchase companies. On publication of the research I met with the Irish Bankers Federation,...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (24 May 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 88 and 100 together. The back to work allowance scheme which was introduced in September 1993 is part of my Department's programme of initiatives designed to assist long-term unemployed people, lone parents and other social welfare recipients to return to the active labour force. There are two strands to the scheme, the back to work enterprise allowance for...

Written Answers — School Meals: School Meals (24 May 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 89 and 93 together. 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 statutory urban school meals scheme currently operated by 36 local authorities. The Department jointly funds the food costs with these local authorities, which also...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (24 May 2005)

Séamus Brennan: Pay related social insurance, PRSI, contributions for the self employed are collected by the Revenue Commissioners under the self assessment system. PRSI details are transferred to my Department by electronic tape exchange. Records for fully paid up self employed contributors are recorded on my Department's central records computer system. Records in cases where the self employed contributor...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (24 May 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The changes in the arrangements for the assessment of capital for social assistance schemes, as announced in budget 2005, will be advertised in the national and provincial newspapers in the coming weeks. In addition, use will be made of television screen advertising in credit unions throughout the country. My Department's information officers in our social welfare local offices will be...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (24 May 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The back to education allowance is a second chance education opportunities programme designed to encourage and facilitate people on certain social welfare payments to improve their skills and qualifications and, therefore, their prospects of returning to the active workforce. The conditions for entitlement to the third level option of the back to education allowance were revised with effect...