Results 4,501-4,520 of 4,893 for speaker:Séamus Brennan

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

Séamus Brennan: The total amount of overpayments raised to date in respect of one parent family payment cases for the tax years 2001, 2002 and 2003 is €23.2 million. A breakdown for individual tax years is not available. Recipients of one parent family payments are obliged to notify my Department when there is a change in their circumstances, for example, when their earnings increase. Overpayments may...

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

Séamus Brennan: Rent supplements are available through the supplementary welfare allowance scheme which is administered by the health boards on behalf of my Department. Supplementary welfare allowance is not normally payable to people who are engaged in full-time employment. For these purposes, employment for 30 hours or more per week is regarded as full-time. Arrangements which have been in place for a...

Written Answers — Family Support Services. : Family Support Services. (23 Nov 2004)

Séamus Brennan: It is estimated that there are over 3,000 crèches and pre-schools in the country, the majority of which are privately operated. The remainder are community-based and operate on a not for profit basis. Some are grant-aided by health boards while others receive funding through the equal opportunities child care programme of the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform. In addition, the...

Seanad: Pension Provisions: Statements (Resumed). (18 Nov 2004)

Séamus Brennan: I thank Senators for a worthwhile and fascinating debate and for their candid contributions. I am pleased that Senators acknowledge the size of the challenges ahead. As I said at the beginning, 75% of workers do not have adequate pension provision, which cannot continue. I must bring forward whatever initiatives are possible as soon as possible. I thank Senator Terry for her list of...

Seanad: Pension Provisions: Statements (Resumed). (18 Nov 2004)

Séamus Brennan: The question revolves around what is done with it, how it is collected, how it is managed, who invests it, whether it goes into shares, property, bonds and so on. I appreciate that these are real issues. However, one cannot argue the principle because we have accepted it for many years and we apply it every day. We deduct PRSI from people's incomes and it goes into the social fund which is...

Seanad: Pension Provisions: Statements. (18 Nov 2004)

Séamus Brennan: Pensions are an international issue and most countries in the developed world face the same challenges as Ireland, namely, how to provide pensions that are both adequate and sustainable in a context where our population is ageing rapidly. The combined effect of large numbers reaching retirement age and rising life expectancy will mean a doubling of the old age dependency ratio. In 2000, the...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (16 Nov 2004)

Séamus Brennan: The Central Statistics Office included a question in the 2002 Census to identify the number of persons providing unpaid personal care for a friend or family member with a long term illness, health problem or disability. The analysis of this portion of the Census found that 40,500 people provide 43 hours or more unpaid personal help per week, or more than six hours per day; 8,000 people...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (16 Nov 2004)

Séamus Brennan: Child dependant allowance is an additional weekly payment made to social welfare recipients in respect of each qualified child dependant. A full CDA rate of €16.80 is payable to recipients of unemployment or disability benefit together with a qualified adult allowance where the spouse's gross weekly earnings do not exceed €210. Where earnings exceed €210 the full rate is no longer...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (16 Nov 2004)

Séamus Brennan: The South Western Area Health Board has advised that the person concerned is currently in receipt of a monthly rent supplement of €366.50. This is the maximum amount payable in her circumstances. This rate, and that paid to her previously, takes account of the fact that she cares for her grandson. There is no standard rate of rent supplement payable to a person whose sole source of income...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (16 Nov 2004)

Séamus Brennan: The South Western Area Health Board has advised that the person concerned made inquiries regarding rent supplement at her local health centre. She has not, however, made a formal application for rent supplement. She was referred to her local housing authority to be assessed in respect of her accommodation needs as she was neither on the housing list nor an existing private sector tenant for...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (2 Nov 2004)

Séamus Brennan: The free travel scheme is available to all people aged 66 years or over who are permanently residing in the State. It is also available to carers and to people with disabilities who are in receipt of certain social welfare payments. Accordingly, those emigrants who return to live permanently in the State are entitled to free travel. Any extension to the free travel scheme for temporary visits...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (2 Nov 2004)

Séamus Brennan: Recipients of social welfare or health board payments who have been prescribed a special diet as a result of a specified medical condition, and whose means are insufficient to meet their needs, may qualify for a diet supplement under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme. The amount of supplement payable depends on which of two categories of diet, that is, a lower cost diet costing €44...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (2 Nov 2004)

Séamus Brennan: The supplementary welfare allowance scheme, which is administered on behalf of my Department by the health boards, provides for exceptional needs payments to help meet essential, once-off expenditure which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of his or her weekly income. The North Western Health Board was contacted regarding this case and has advised that the person concerned...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (2 Nov 2004)

Séamus Brennan: The supplementary welfare allowance scheme, which is administered on behalf of my Department by the health boards, provides for exceptional needs payments to help meet essential, once-off expenditure which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of his or her weekly income. In certain circumstances a board will provide assistance towards the cost of minor repairs but the scale...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (2 Nov 2004)

Séamus Brennan: My Department has a dedicated internal audit unit, which is free of other duties and independent of the activities it audits. The unit is headed by a professional accountant and also includes two assistant principals, four higher executive officers, five executive officers and one clerical officer. Apart from the head of internal audit, HIA, other members of the unit has accounting expertise...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (2 Nov 2004)

Séamus Brennan: An application for carer's allowance from the person concerned was received by my Department on 22 January 2004. Following the necessary investigations to determine her entitlement, she was awarded carer's allowance on 21 April 2004 with effect from 22 January, 2004. The person concerned has not requested that consideration be given to backdating the claim prior to the date of her...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (2 Nov 2004)

Séamus Brennan: In the case of the person concerned she applied for a deserted wife's benefit in December 1994. Entitlement to this payment, for those applicants whose claim was made on or after 31 August 1992, is subject to an earnings limit. According to the information available to the Department, the gross earnings of the person concerned for the income tax year 2003 exceeded the maximum earnings limit....

Written Answers — Safe Home Programme: Safe Home Programme (2 Nov 2004)

Séamus Brennan: The safe home programme is core funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs, through the DÍON fund, and the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. My Department has funded the safe home programme for various information projects since 2001 amounting to €56,245 to date. Among the projects funded were the setting up of a website, www.safehomeireland.ie; the production...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (2 Nov 2004)

Séamus Brennan: Entitlement to old age non-contributory pension is based upon a claimant's means. In the case of a married couple, the means of each individual is taken to be half their joint means. In August 2004, the person concerned was awarded an old age non-contributory pension of €136.50 per week with effect from 30 July 2004, the first payment date after she reached pension age 66. Her entitlement...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (2 Nov 2004)

Séamus Brennan: The person concerned was in receipt of disability allowance from 11 April 2001. Payment was disallowed by a deciding officer from 10 February 2004 on the grounds that the person's means were in excess of the limit. These means were held to be derived from benefit of a partner's earnings from employment. The person appealed this decision to the social welfare appeals office. Following an oral...