Results 3,821-3,840 of 4,893 for speaker:Séamus Brennan

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

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 249 and 261 together. The free travel scheme is available to all people living in the State aged 66 years or over, to all carers in receipt of carer's allowance and to carers of people in receipt of constant attendance or prescribed relative's allowance. It is also available to certain people with disabilities and people who are in receipt of certain welfare...

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

Séamus Brennan: The aim of the national fuel scheme is to assist householders who are in receipt of long-term payments from my Department or from the Health Service Executive towards their extra heating needs during the winter season. A fuel allowance of €9 per week —€12.90 in designated urban smokeless fuel zones — is paid to eligible households for a 29 week period from end of September to...

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

Séamus Brennan: It would be inappropriate to provide details of specific control initiatives which my Department intends to undertake in the coming months, however the prevention of fraud and abuse of the social welfare system is an integral part of the day to day work of my Department. Systematic risk analysis is a key element of the Department's control strategy. This entails the identification by scheme...

Written Answers — Money Advice and Budgeting Service: Money Advice and Budgeting Service (24 May 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. The cost to the Department of Social and Family Affairs towards the provision of the MABS in the years 2000 to 2004 is detailed as follows: Year Funding â'¬ 2000 ...

Written Answers — Money Advice and Budgeting Service: Money Advice and Budgeting Service (24 May 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. The number of people availing of the MABS service for each year from 2000 to 2004 is detailed as follows: Year Total Number of Clients New Clients 2000 17,813 7,243 ...

Written Answers — Live Register: Live Register (24 May 2005)

Séamus Brennan: As the operational areas of my Department's local offices are not coterminous with county boundaries, it is not possible to give a precise reply in this instance. However, there are three local offices in County Kildare which are located in Newbridge, Athy and Maynooth. The number of people on the live register in these offices at the end of each of the years from 1997 to 2004 is detailed as...

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

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 255 and 256 together. As I stated in my reply to Parliamentary Question No. 205 of 17 May 2005, the person concerned was refused rent supplement by the Health Service Executive based on its conclusions about the particular circumstances of her case. She has appealed against this decision. The executive has advised that a file is being prepared for...

Written Answers — Departmental Reviews: Departmental Reviews (24 May 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The first phase of the review of the supplementary welfare allowance scheme has been completed and the report of the working group is being printed for publication shortly. The second phase of the review commenced in January 2005. The work of the review group on this final phase is expected to be completed by December 2005 and its report will be published as soon as possible thereafter.

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

Séamus Brennan: The qualifying conditions for contributory old age pensions require a person to have paid at least 260 contributions at the appropriate rate, enter insurance ten years before pension age and achieve a yearly average of at least ten contributions paid or credited on their social insurance record from 1953 — when the unified system of social insurance came into effect — or the date of entry...

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

Séamus Brennan: My Department administers several child income support measures, including child benefit, which delivers a standard rate of payment in respect of all children in a family, regardless of income levels or employment status. Child benefit supports all children but delivers proportionately more assistance to those on low incomes and with larger families. It is not intended primarily to meet child...

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

Séamus Brennan: The treatment benefit scheme operated by my Department provides to insured persons, and their dependent spouses, a range of services in the area of dental, optical and aural benefit. The availability of these benefits is subject to certain PRSI contribution conditions. The PRSI contribution classes which qualify for treatment benefit are A, E, H and P. Operational improvements are made from...

Social Welfare Code. (24 May 2005)

Séamus Brennan: Supporting carers in our society has been a priority of the Government since 1997. Over that period, weekly payment rates for carer's allowance have been greatly increased, qualifying conditions have been significantly eased and coverage of the scheme has been extended. In addition, new schemes such as carer's benefit and the respite care grant have been introduced. I announced several...

Social Welfare Code. (24 May 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I could never put my hand on my heart and say that we are doing enough for carers, who deserve every support we can give them. We must continue to make improvements and, as I said, we have made substantial improvements, both in the budget and in the legislation that followed. The new respite grant will be paid to approximately 9,000 full-time carers who would otherwise qualify for nothing....

Social Welfare Code. (24 May 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I never apologise for reviews. One learns something every day as people move from one payment to another so it would be silly not to review it every day. I keep everything under constant review as we learn how things operate from dealing with people. The Deputy is wrong, although accurate, to phrase it in the way he chose. It is accurate to the extent that if one is on a carer's allowance and...

Social Welfare Code. (24 May 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The cost would be very substantial.

Anti-Poverty Strategy. (24 May 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The research into indebtedness among lone parents was commissioned by the One Parent Exchange Network with funding from my Department's money advice and budgeting service and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. It focuses on the situation where debt has become a dominant aspect of people's lives and has come to carry serious social and health implications. The revelations on debt from an...

Anti-Poverty Strategy. (24 May 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I am concerned that some lone parents and other welfare recipients appear to encounter considerable difficulties in opening accounts with banks and other financial institutions. As a result, they are often obliged to obtain loans at higher interest rates from finance companies outside the mainstream or from moneylenders. As I indicated, representatives of the Irish Bankers' Federation have...

Anti-Poverty Strategy. (24 May 2005)

Séamus Brennan: Legal moneylenders are entitled to charge from 23% to more than 100%. We must examine this legal entitlement and warn people of its implications. Although the rates charged by the 50 licensed moneylenders are very expensive, I am even more concerned about unlicensed lenders. The money advice and budgeting service works hard in this area and has a budget for this year of €13 million. It...

Anti-Poverty Strategy. (24 May 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The report into indebtedness, Do the Poor Pay More? was commissioned by OPEN with funding from my Department's money advice and budgeting service and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. The report focuses on the situation of those for whom debt has become a dominant aspect of their lives and has come to carry serious social and health implications. The revelations on debt from an earlier...

Anti-Poverty Strategy. (24 May 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I do not accept that nothing was done in this area prior to the publication of this welcome report, for which MABS and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul provided funding. MABS has expanded over the years and now has more than 220 staff and a dramatically increased budget. This year alone we gave it €700,000 on top of the normal increase so that it could continue to advise people on...