Results 4,061-4,080 of 4,893 for speaker:Séamus Brennan

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (19 Apr 2005)

Séamus Brennan: To qualify for an old age contributory pension, a person must have entered social insurance at least ten years before reaching pension age, have a minimum number of paid contributions on their record and have a yearly average of at least ten contributions paid or credited from 1953, when the unified system of social insurance came into effect, or the date of entry into social insurance, if...

Social Welfare Benefits. (19 Apr 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. The objective is to increase their prospects of returning to the active workforce and reduce the risk of them becoming dependent on social welfare on a long-term basis. The allowance...

Social Welfare Benefits. (19 Apr 2005)

Séamus Brennan: It would cost €6.7 million over three years to do that. I will make that decision well in advance of next September.

Social Welfare Benefits. (19 Apr 2005)

Séamus Brennan: As the Deputy is aware, the qualifying period was six months and I increased it to 12 months in the budget. I have said consistently since then that it does not come into effect until September and that well in advance of September I will finalise my thinking on that, particularly in terms of sourcing the additional funding. The timescale is fine. It is nothing different from what I have been...

Social Welfare Benefits. (19 Apr 2005)

Séamus Brennan: Money.

Nursing Home Subventions. (19 Apr 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I understand my colleague, the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children, will very shortly bring proposals to Government on repayments to residents and former residents of publicly-funded long-stay care places. Over the period in question, my Department paid affected persons their full pension and other social welfare entitlements and had no function in the deduction of the charges...

Nursing Home Subventions. (19 Apr 2005)

Séamus Brennan: It is my intention that any repayments will not impact on current pension entitlements. I will bring forward proposals in this regard when I have full details of the repayments scheme. The repayments scheme has not yet been signed off by Government or finally approved and as soon as we have that scheme finalised, I will be able to bring forward proposals to give effect to my intention that...

Nursing Home Subventions. (19 Apr 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I will review the matter, especially as it relates to deceased persons. The Deputy should be aware, however, that the funds being recouped to the Exchequer were not, for whatever reason, the legal entitlements of whoever received them. Means may inadvertently not have been disclosed for example. We are clawing back money to which people were not entitled. Having said that, I will review the...

Nursing Home Subventions. (19 Apr 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I will review the matter.

Child Support. (19 Apr 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The Deputy refers, perhaps, to a review on the possible merging of child dependant allowances and family income supplement to form a second tier of child benefit support. The review is being undertaken by the National Economic and Social Council. Under its terms of reference, the review does not specifically deal with the backdating of claims as there is a general obligation on people to...

Child Support. (19 Apr 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I can see how difficulties arise for individuals. It has been a long-standing feature of the social welfare code here and in other jurisdictions that, other than in exceptional circumstances, claims are accepted only from a current date. Where extenuating circumstances exist, backdated payments can be made for up to six months, or longer in the case of some schemes, where proof of entitlement...

Child Support. (19 Apr 2005)

Séamus Brennan: Applicants for one parent family payment are required to make ongoing efforts to obtain adequate maintenance from former spouses or, in the case of unmarried applicants, the other parent of a child. Generally, maintenance is obtained through negotiation or court order, although it is increasingly the case that separated couples use my Department's family mediation service which is being...

Child Support. (19 Apr 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I have acknowledged that this area is in need of a serious overhaul. Only 14% of single fathers — by and large the maintenance comes from fathers — have had determination orders issued against them. No contributions are due from a further 49% who, although they were working, their income was deemed to be low. Some 13% of liable relatives are on social welfare and it has been deemed that...

Child Support. (19 Apr 2005)

Séamus Brennan: It is not that simple. I wish that it were. The mother is in receipt of the lone parent's allowance. The money paid to the Department by fathers is almost certainly considerably less than the lone parent's allowance. It is not a matter of the money not being passed on to families. If it were passed on, it would likely interfere with the mother's lone parent's allowance because her income...

Child Support. (19 Apr 2005)

Séamus Brennan: It is not the case that the Department is holding money back from children who are entitled to it. A mother is entitled to a lone parent's allowance but maintenance funds from the Department could affect her means-tested payment.

Child Support. (19 Apr 2005)

Séamus Brennan: Only half of it is not affected.

Social Insurance. (19 Apr 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The personal public service number is the citizen's unique reference number for all dealings with Departments and public bodies. In order to ensure a person receives only one number, and that the number is allocated on information that is accurate and verified, certain procedures are set down to be followed by offices of my Department when dealing with applications. It is necessary to have...

Social Insurance. (19 Apr 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I confirm again that the officials will be in touch with the Deputy to discuss these matters with him in detail. People are normally informed of their PPS numbers by post within five days. The Department will certainly offer advice and assistance to anyone who has difficulty in obtaining documentation that is required for identification.

Family Support Services. (19 Apr 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 77, 114, 134, 137, 144 and 155 together. For people in working age households, the main route out of poverty is employment. Despite the great increases in employment participation in Ireland in recent years and in opportunities generally, the proportion of lone parents in employment is low compared with other developed countries. This was borne out by a recent...

Family Support Services. (19 Apr 2005)

Séamus Brennan: This is one report of which I have taken account. It has not covered everything. If it had, I would simply be able to implement it. It rehearses many of the main issues and suggests certain directions in which to proceed. However, there is much small print to be worked out. As I indicated to the Deputy, the group meets on a fortnightly basis and will send its report to the full senior...