Results 4,481-4,500 of 4,893 for speaker:Séamus Brennan

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2004: Committee and Remaining Stages. (16 Dec 2004)

Séamus Brennan: If no more money was put into the fund, one could draw on it for four months.

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2004: Committee and Remaining Stages. (16 Dec 2004)

Séamus Brennan: The good news is that it was never so healthy.

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2004: Committee and Remaining Stages. (16 Dec 2004)

Séamus Brennan: It is hard to estimate the number of children affected by the discontinuation of the crèche supplement last year because we continued to pay the supplement to existing recipients. We stopped accepting new applications and do not know how many people would have applied had they had the opportunity. There is no way to estimate this number accurately. I provided €2.3 million for the provision...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2004: Committee and Remaining Stages. (16 Dec 2004)

Séamus Brennan: It straddles four Departments if one includes the Department of Finance.

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2004: Committee and Remaining Stages. (16 Dec 2004)

Séamus Brennan: There are possible taxation supports which come within the remit of the Department of Education and Science too so it could involve five Departments.

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2004: Committee and Remaining Stages. (16 Dec 2004)

Séamus Brennan: Is this on amendment No. 8?

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2004: Committee and Remaining Stages. (16 Dec 2004)

Séamus Brennan: No. I am informed that the service continued in any case, funded by the Department of Health and Children. Those crèches received funding from the Department through the health boards and the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform. We paid 1,738 people by the end of 2003 but we do not have a figure for those who might have applied to us had the rule not been changed. We have no way...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2004: Committee and Remaining Stages. (16 Dec 2004)

Séamus Brennan: Child dependant allowance is an additional payment made to social welfare recipients in respect of each qualified child dependant. From January, full child dependant allowance is payable where a person's spouse or partner's gross weekly income does not exceed €220. From January the half-rate allowance will be payable where incomes in excess of that figure do not exceed €350. In the...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2004: Second Stage (Resumed). (15 Dec 2004)

Séamus Brennan: I thank Senators for their kind contributions, to which I will respond. In particular, I thank those who took the time to thank the officials and staff of the Department of Social and Family Affairs. I support the comments that were made in that regard. I assure the House, having worked in six or seven Departments, that the officials with whom I am working at present, who are dealing with...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2004: Second Stage (Resumed). (15 Dec 2004)

Séamus Brennan: I take the view that child benefit is directed at families as an income support. Child care is a broader issue. Child benefit may contribute to addressing child care needs but it is not the only answer.

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2004: Second Stage (Resumed). (15 Dec 2004)

Séamus Brennan: I know the Senator has done much work in this area. Child care has many aspects. The Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform recently announced that it has substantial funds available to lead a child care programme. The Ministers for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Health and Children and Finance and I need to work together to ensure there is an integrated child care strategy...

Seanad: Hospitals Building Programme. (15 Dec 2004)

Séamus Brennan: Following the closure by the Bon Secours Order of "The Grove" hospital in Tuam, the Western Health Board, which is responsible, in the first instance, for the provision of health services in the Tuam area, decided to build a new 50-bed community hospital on the grounds and adjoining land to replace the existing facility. This new hospital will comprise a mix of up to 30 beds for continuing...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2004: Second Stage. (15 Dec 2004)

Séamus Brennan: I am pleased to introduce the Social Welfare Bill 2004, the first of two Bills which will implement the social welfare package of €874 million announced in last week's budget. The package represents an increase of €244 million, or almost 40%, on the 2004 package of €630 million. It brings the projected level of social welfare expenditure for 2005 to over €12.25 billion, which...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (23 Nov 2004)

Séamus Brennan: The supplementary welfare allowance scheme is administered by health boards on behalf of my Department. Within each board, the scheme is administered by a superintendent and community welfare officers. The role of the superintendent community welfare officer relates to the determination and review of claims and to the supervision of community welfare officers. Superintendent community welfare...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (23 Nov 2004)

Séamus Brennan: The household benefits package, which comprises the electricity-gas allowance, telephone allowance and television licence schemes, is generally available to people living permanently in the State, aged 66 years or over, who are in receipt of a social welfare type payment or who fulfil a means test. The package is also available to carers and people with disabilities under the age of 66 who...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (23 Nov 2004)

Séamus Brennan: 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 allowance for employees, and the back to work enterprise allowance for self...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (23 Nov 2004)

Séamus Brennan: The supplementary welfare allowance scheme, which is administered by health boards on behalf of my Department, provides for the payment of a weekly or monthly supplement in respect of rent to eligible people. Entitlement to rent supplement depends on a number of factors: (a) that applicants are habitually resident in the State; (b) they have a genuine housing need which cannot be provided...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (23 Nov 2004)

Séamus Brennan: Legislation provides that where a person works for up to three days a week either on a casual or part-time basis, earnings are assessed at 60% for unemployment assistance purposes. In addition, persons without children are allowed a €12.70 disregard for each day worked, with the balance of earnings assessed at 60%. The current arrangements for assessment of casual and part-time means came...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (23 Nov 2004)

Séamus Brennan: Deserted wife's allowance is a means-tested payment made to women who have no dependent children, who were deserted by their husband and who do not satisfy the contribution conditions for deserted wife's benefit. Deserted wife's allowance was closed to new applications with effect from 2 January 1997 when the one-parent family payment was introduced. In assessing means for the purposes of the...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (23 Nov 2004)

Séamus Brennan: The person's application for carer's allowance was disallowed by a deciding officer on the grounds that full-time care and attention was not being provided by the person concerned. The person concerned appealed against this decision to the social welfare appeals office. Following her letter of appeal, the case was referred back to my department for further investigation. When investigations...