Results 4,521-4,540 of 4,893 for speaker:Séamus Brennan
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (2 Nov 2004)
Séamus Brennan: The person concerned, who is 64 years of age, is currently in receipt of a widower's contributory pension at the rate of â¬134.30, based on a yearly insurance average of 32. In addition he is in receipt of a national fuel allowance of â¬12.90 per week. The fuel allowance is paid from October to April each year. The person concerned is also in receipt of a travel pass. He does not qualify...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (2 Nov 2004)
Séamus Brennan: Section 57 of the regulations in question provides that where, for any two complete consecutive social insurance contribution years, there are no employment contributions paid or credited in respect of an insured person, a contribution cannot be credited to such person until a further 26 employment contributions have been paid in respect of him or her. Section 58 provides that employment...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (2 Nov 2004)
Séamus Brennan: The basic qualifying conditions for the old age (contributory) pension date from the introduction of the pension in 1961, though they have been eased considerably in recent years to make qualifying easier. The average contributions test was intended to ensure that those qualifying for pension had made an adequate contribution to the social insurance fund while at the same time minimising the...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Regulations: Social Welfare Regulations (2 Nov 2004)
Séamus Brennan: Currently, recipients of unemployment payments who reside more than six miles from their nearest social welfare local or branch office sign 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 currently...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Statistics: Social Welfare Statistics (2 Nov 2004)
Séamus Brennan: The supplementary welfare allowance scheme, which is administered on behalf of my Department by the health boards, provides assistance to people whose means are insufficient to meet their basic needs, subject to certain conditions. In addition to the basic weekly allowance, assistance can be given by health boards under the scheme in the form of supplements in respect of rent, mortgage...
- Written Answers — Welfare Organisations: Welfare Organisations (2 Nov 2004)
Séamus Brennan: On 11 October 2004 I hosted the annual pre-budget forum to which a wide variety of organisations with interests in social welfare issues had been invited. In all, 27 organisations attended on the day and I extended an invitation to each of them to meet with me over the coming months to outline their work and to make their concerns known to me. The following organisations attended the forum:...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (19 Oct 2004)
Séamus Brennan: The free travel scheme is available to all people living in the State aged 66 years or over, to all carers in receipt of carer's allowance and to carers of people in receipt of constant attendance or prescribed relative's allowance. It is also available to people under age 66 who are in receipt of certain disability type welfare payments, such as disability allowance, invalidity pension and...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (19 Oct 2004)
Séamus Brennan: The principal conditions for receipt of carer's allowance are that full-time care and attention is required and being provided and that the means test which applies is satisfied. Where a person in receipt of carer's allowance takes up an educational course or part-time employment which exceeds ten hours per week, then that person would generally no longer satisfy the qualifying conditions for...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (19 Oct 2004)
Séamus Brennan: Permanent and pensionable public servants employed, including for example teachers and those working in local authorities, who were employed before April 1995 are liable for PRSI class D contributions. Class D contributors have traditionally been insured for a limited range of social insurance benefits: widow's or widower's and orphan's (contributory) pensions; bereavement grant; occupational...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (19 Oct 2004)
Séamus Brennan: Subject to certain conditions the supplementary welfare allowance scheme, which is administered on behalf of my Department by the health boards, provides for the payment of rent supplement to eligible people whose means are insufficient to meet their accommodation costs. The regulations governing rent supplement stipulate that, in addition to a minimum contribution, currently â¬13, each...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (19 Oct 2004)
Séamus Brennan: The person concerned made a claim for unemployment benefit from 24 August 2004. The deciding officer disallowed the claim on the grounds that the person is not unemployed. The person concerned has appealed this decision to the social welfare appeals office. The appeal has been referred to the appeals officer who is of the opinion that an oral hearing is required. She will be advised of the...
- Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (19 Oct 2004)
Séamus Brennan: An applicant must be permanently incapable of work and satisfy certain PRSI conditions to qualify for invalidity pension. The person concerned applied for invalidity pension on 23 August 2004. Although she fulfilled the medical eligibility criteria the social insurance, PRSI, conditions were not satisfied. She was refused invalidity pension and was notified of this decision on 14 October...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (19 Oct 2004)
Séamus Brennan: Subject to certain conditions, the supplementary welfare allowance scheme, which is administered on behalf of my Department by the health boards, provides for the payment of a weekly or monthly supplement in respect of mortgage interest to eligible people in the State whose means are insufficient to meet their accommodation needs. One of the conditions for receipt of mortgage interest...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (19 Oct 2004)
Séamus Brennan: Free fuel allowance is payable to persons on certain long-term social welfare or health board payments who live alone or with other social welfare recipients and where they are unable to provide for their own heating needs. There is no record of a free fuel application for the household concerned. While carer's allowance, which the person concerned is receiving, is not a qualifying payment...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (19 Oct 2004)
Séamus Brennan: Social welfare legislation provides that all unemployed persons must satisfy the conditions of being available for full-time employment and genuinely seeking work to be entitled to an unemployment payment. A person who fails to satisfy these conditions on an ongoing basis is not entitled to an unemployment payment. The amount of unemployment benefit payable for any day of unemployment, Monday...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (19 Oct 2004)
Séamus Brennan: A deciding officer disallowed the unemployment assistance claim of the person concerned and an appeals officer upheld this decision. A letter outlining the grounds of the appeals officer's decision was issued to her on 2 September 2004. An appeals officer's decision is final in the absence of new facts or fresh evidence. The person concerned made a repeat application for unemployment...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (19 Oct 2004)
Séamus Brennan: As the Deputy will be aware, the Christmas bonus will again be paid this year to all recipients of long-term social welfare payments, at a rate equivalent to 100% of the person's normal weekly payment, subject to a minimum payment of â¬30. The measure will cost an estimated â¬127.4 million in 2004 and will benefit some 1.2 million persons comprising 816,000 recipients and 386,000...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (19 Oct 2004)
Séamus Brennan: Subject to certain conditions, the supplementary welfare allowance scheme, which is administered on behalf of my Department by the health boards, provides for the payment of a weekly or monthly supplement in respect of rent to eligible people in the State whose means are insufficient to meet their accommodation needs and who do not have accommodation available from any other source. The South...
- Written Answers — Social Insurance: Social Insurance (19 Oct 2004)
Séamus Brennan: The requested information is contained in the following table.
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (19 Oct 2004)
Séamus Brennan: The living alone allowance is an additional payment of â¬7.70 per week made to people receiving certain social welfare payments who are living alone. In general, the payment is made to those who have reached pension age and are receiving a social welfare pension and those under that age receiving certain invalidity type schemes. Extending the allowance to recipients of the pre-retirement...