Results 4,201-4,220 of 4,893 for speaker:Séamus Brennan

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2005: Committee Stage. (8 Mar 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I assure Senator Terry that I have been very impressed by the way the Department has dealt with cases of overpayment. Staff have made it clear to me that the person concerned is consulted directly or indirectly in all cases. Regarding the example of a pensioner cited by Senator Terry, that person would be consulted at some level and a suitable repayment schedule that would meet his or her...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2005: Committee Stage. (8 Mar 2005)

Séamus Brennan: Senator Terry's amendment calls for a statutory restatement to be published within three months. The Pensions Board provides a legislation service by paying a fee, under which subscribers receive a non-statutory consolidated text of the Pensions Acts and regulations, including all amendments to date. The text of the legislation is made available in loose-leaf format, which allows it to be...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2005: Committee Stage. (8 Mar 2005)

Séamus Brennan: Pensions are complex but it is critical to have them. It is incumbent on all of us to try to strip away the complexity and get to the heart of the matter. Pensions are about the income of ordinary people during their later years and about providing a sense of security that this income will be there each month. While the area of pension fund managers, investment managers, yields, bonds,...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2005: Committee Stage. (8 Mar 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I thank the Senators for their contributions. They will appreciate that the technicalities involved, the procedures with which the House must comply and the wording of the amendment are such that it is not possible for me to accept it as it stands. I am aware, however, that the amendments have been tabled in order to facilitate discussion and debate. As stated on a number of occasions, I...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2005: Committee Stage. (8 Mar 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I would like to see that letter.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2005: Committee Stage. (8 Mar 2005)

Séamus Brennan: We have rules and cut-off points, but at the same time we have to be sensible. The clearest evidence that the transition to work is having an effect is the falling unemployment figures. People are coming off unemployment and into the workforce. There is a also a constant flow of people back to education. However, I accept that we have to get a clearer measurement on that.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2005: Committee Stage. (8 Mar 2005)

Séamus Brennan: As Senators are aware, this debate has been going on for some time. I appreciate that the amendment before the House has been tabled for pro forma reasons to allow us to discuss the issue. I would have no difficulty in returning to the House to debate this subject from time to time. Indeed, I doubt if I could avoid it, given that the subject is so controversial. Senators have raised a number...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2005: Committee Stage. (8 Mar 2005)

Séamus Brennan: This is a difficult area. Any payment made to somebody who is unemployed — one has to be unemployed to get the rent allowance — could be called a disincentive. One could incentivise anyone fairly quickly by taking away his or her payments. He or she would get up the next morning with a great incentive but that would not be fair. I do not think Senator O'Meara is suggesting we do that. The...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2005: Committee Stage. (8 Mar 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I thank the Senator for proposing the amendment. She will be aware that I asked the Department to carry out an examination of the current arrangements of the assessment of capital, particularly as they apply to SSIAs, with a view to bringing forward proposals which might be included in budget 2005. On budget day, we announced that the capital disregards for means test purposes for all...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2005: Committee Stage. (8 Mar 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I will keep the matter under review. The increase from approximately €13,000 to €20,000 is the largest ever single move in this area and should deal with the situation.

Written Answers — Free Travel Scheme: Free Travel Scheme (3 Mar 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The free travel scheme is available to all people living in the State aged 66 years, or over. It is also available to carers and to people with disabilities who are in receipt of certain social welfare payments. European nationals aged 66 or over who are permanently living in Ireland, qualify for free travel in the same way as Irish citizens aged 66 or over. The issue of extending the free...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (3 Mar 2005)

Séamus Brennan: Social welfare legislation provides that a person must satisfy the conditions of being available for and genuinely seeking work in order to be entitled to unemployment benefit or unemployment assistance. The person concerned had made an application for asylum in the State and on 28 January 2005 the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform refused this application. He was given leave to...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (3 Mar 2005)

Séamus Brennan: In the case raised by the Deputy, the person commenced a FÁS training course on 6 December 2004. Under agreed arrangements with FÁS, people undertaking training who are in receipt of disability allowance, are eligible for a FÁS training allowance instead of disability allowance. Payment of disability allowance is suspended for the duration of the person's attendance on the FÁS training...

Written Answers — Consultancy Contracts: Consultancy Contracts (3 Mar 2005)

Séamus Brennan: In 2003, the personnel section of my Department engaged the services of the person concerned, to adjudicate on a pay claim submitted by the branch managers' association. This work included a one-day arbitration hearing on 19 February 2003 and the total cost was €1,306. No other consultancy or other work was carried out for or on behalf of this Department since 1998 by the person concerned.

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (3 Mar 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The supplementary welfare allowance scheme, which is administered on my behalf by the community welfare division of the Health Service Executive, HSE, provides for exceptional needs payments to be made to assist with essential, once-off expenditure in exceptional circumstances. Exceptional needs payments, are made at the discretion of the community welfare division of the Health Service...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (2 Mar 2005)

Séamus Brennan: Existing provision for pensions include pensions under the social insurance system which require a certain level of social insurance contributions and pensions under social assistance which depend on satisfying a means test. A number of measures have been introduced in recent years which make it easier for people to qualify for pensions. These include extended social insurance coverage and an...

Written Answers — Anti-Poverty Strategy: Anti-Poverty Strategy (2 Mar 2005)

Séamus Brennan: Tackling child poverty continues to be one of the key priorities of this Government. It is also one of the special initiatives under the partnership agreement, Sustaining Progress. The Government recognises the importance of supporting and protecting families and children and is fully committed to achieving the NAPS target of eliminating consistent poverty amongst children. The most...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (2 Mar 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The person concerned applied for unemployment benefit on 6 October 2004. Her claim was disallowed by the deciding officer on the grounds that she was not genuinely seeking employment. The person appealed against this decision to the social welfare appeals office, which was received on 29 November 2004, and an appeals officer is of the opinion that an oral hearing is required. She will be...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (2 Mar 2005)

Séamus Brennan: The person concerned ceased employment on Saturday 22 January 2005 and applied for unemployment assistance on Monday 24 January 2005.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2005: Second Stage (Resumed). (2 Mar 2005)

Séamus Brennan: I thank Senators for a very good debate. There has been more than two hours and ten minutes discussion and I listened carefully to what was said. Almost every issue raised could be the subject of a debate in this House. We could have a debate for a whole day on issues such as child poverty, child benefit, pensions, child care and carers, so I will not try to get through all of them. Senator...