Results 4,141-4,160 of 4,893 for speaker:Séamus Brennan

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (22 Mar 2005)

Séamus Brennan: Special cross-Border arrangements have been in place since 1995 which allow Southern and Northern free travel pass holders to undertake cross-Border journeys free of charge. The introduction of free travel on an all-Ireland basis would enhance these existing arrangements by enabling Southern pass holders to make free journeys within the North. Similarly, Northern Ireland pass holders would be...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (22 Mar 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The person concerned applied for unemployment benefit on 10 January 2005. His claim was disallowed by the deciding officer on the grounds that he was not available for full-time work and not genuinely seeking employment. The person appealed against this decision to the social welfare appeals office and an appeals officer is of the opinion that an oral hearing is required. He will be advised...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (22 Mar 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I am committed to the development of the telephone allowance scheme to respond to the expanding telecommunications market and to facilitate greater social welfare client choice of telephone services. My Department is in contact with the communications regulator, ComReg, regarding the technical and administrative requirements for mobile phone, as well as land-line, services. To date three...

Written Answers — Departmental Costs: Departmental Costs (22 Mar 2005)

Séamus Brennan: Under the provisions of the Official Languages Act 2003 my Department is required to prepare a draft scheme specifying the services proposed to be provided exclusively through Irish, exclusively through English, through both Irish and English, and the measures proposed to ensure that any services not provided through Irish will be so provided. As part of this process, under section 13 of the...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (22 Mar 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 284 and 285 together. The details sought by the Deputy are set out in the following tables. It should be noted that rent supplement is normally payable directly to the tenants concerned, not to their landlords. The statistics shown in tables one and two relate to the number of applicants and recipients, and do not necessarily equate to a number of housing...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Fraud: Social Welfare Fraud (22 Mar 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The personal public service number, PPSN, is the individual's unique reference number for dealings with Departments and public bodies. Prior to June 2000, allocation of PPSNs was a shared function between my Department and Revenue. Since then, my Department has sole responsibility for the registration process. A PPSN issues automatically to children born in Ireland. In all other cases...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (22 Mar 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The back to education allowance is a second chance education opportunities scheme 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 work force. To qualify for participation in the BTEA scheme an applicant must, inter alia, be pursuing a course of study at a...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (22 Mar 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 288, 290 and 291 together. Persons in receipt of a carer's allowance and carer's benefit receive a respite care grant in June each year. The grant is also payable to carers who are caring for recipients of a constant attendance or prescribed relative's allowance. The conditions for receipt of the extended respite care grant are set out in the Social Welfare...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (22 Mar 2005)

Séamus Brennan: Up to November 2004, recipients of unemployment payments who reside more than six miles from their nearest social welfare local or branch office signed a declaration at their local Garda Station for the purpose of proving unemployment. This service was instituted, as a service to customers, at a time when transport was less frequent and travel was more difficult than today. My Department is...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (22 Mar 2005)

Séamus Brennan: Under social welfare legislation, claimants may be requested to furnish such documents and certificates as deemed necessary to determine entitlement to payment. It is in this context that birth, marriage and other certificates are requested. In the case of one parent family payment, in particular where a question of cohabitation arises, the baptismal certificate may be requested where the...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (22 Mar 2005)

Séamus Brennan: There is a statutory obligation on all claimants of one parent family payment to satisfy, and continue to satisfy, the conditions for entitlement to the payment. The person concerned applied for one parent family payment on 7 September 2004. Her claim was investigated by an inspector of my Department and following this investigation she submitted some additional documentation. She has now...

Written Answers — Pension Funds: Pension Funds (22 Mar 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The Social Welfare and Pensions Act 2005, which was recently passed by both Houses, provides for amendments to the Pensions Act 1990 to implement the EU Directive 2003/41/EC on the activities and supervision of the institutions for occupational retirement provision, known as the IORPs directive. The directive bans borrowing, except for liquidity purposes or on a temporary basis, for schemes...

Written Answers — Departmental Appointments: Departmental Appointments (22 Mar 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The five statutory agencies operating under the aegis of my Department are the Pensions Board, the Combat Poverty Agency, Comhairle, the Social Welfare Tribunal, and the Family Support Agency. In addition, the Pensions Ombudsman comes under the remit of my Department. Pensions Board There were three appointments to the Pensions Board from 1 March 2002. Fees, which are governed by the first...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (22 Mar 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The Dublin Mid-Leinster region of the Health Service Executive has advised that payment of rent supplement to the person concerned was terminated as she had not provided the necessary clarification sought by the executive about her household circumstances to order to determine her continued eligibility. The person concerned has appealed against this decision to the executive's area appeals...

Written Answers — Social Insurance: Social Insurance (22 Mar 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The primary legislative provisions underlying the social welfare system generally and the social insurance system in particular are contained in the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 1993 and its subsequent amendments. Section 17, subsection (1)(a) of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 1993 provides that every person over 16 years and under pensionable age who has reckonable income or...

Written Answers — Social Insurance: Social Insurance (22 Mar 2005)

Séamus Brennan: PRSI contributions are paid by employees on a weekly basis. The main rates of employee contribution are 4% standard rate, largely class A, and 0.9% modified rate, public service employees employed before 1995. There is a threshold of €287 below which social insurance employee contributions are not payable and there is a ceiling on the annual employee contribution. Employed contributors are...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (22 Mar 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 work force. At present, to qualify for participation in the scheme an applicant must be, inter alia, in receipt of a relevant...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (22 Mar 2005)

Séamus Brennan: In Budget 2005, I announced that the respite care grant scheme would be extended to all carers providing full-time care to an older person or a person with a disability, regardless of means but subject to certain employment related conditions. The grant will be payable from 2 June 2005. Application forms and information leaflets are currently being drawn up and these will be available from...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (22 Mar 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The supplementary welfare allowance scheme, which is administered on my behalf by the community welfare service of the Health Service Executive, provides for payment of a basic weekly allowance to eligible people who have little or no income. An assessment of a person's means and needs must be carried out to determine entitlement to an allowance. Where there is a shortfall in a person's...

Written Answers — Consultancy Contracts: Consultancy Contracts (22 Mar 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The amount of money paid out by my Department on consultancy services in 2004 was €3,009,247. This expenditure is broken down in three main strands: support for a number of strategic multi-annual 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...