Results 4,541-4,560 of 4,893 for speaker:Séamus Brennan

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (19 Oct 2004)

Séamus Brennan: In assessing means for social assistance purposes account is taken of any cash income the person may have, together with the value of capital and property. Capital may include the following: stocks and shares of every description, which are assessed according to their current market value, and savings certificates, bonds or national instalment savings, which are assessed according to their...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (19 Oct 2004)

Séamus Brennan: Provision has been made to exempt from PRSI contributions payments made to personal retirement savings accounts, PRSAs, introduced under the Pensions (Amendment) Act 2002 and payments to other personal pensions in the form of ordinary retirement annuity contracts, which are paid through the payroll system. These arrangements were provided for in the regulations that govern the PAYE system....

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (19 Oct 2004)

Séamus Brennan: Under the existing free travel scheme, pass holders who reside in the Republic of Ireland can travel free within the South. Similarly, people who live in Northern Ireland and who hold a concessionary travel pass can travel free within the North. Under the special cross-Border arrangements in place since 1995, both southern and northern pass holders can undertake cross-Border journeys free of...

Written Answers — Social Partnership Policy: Social Partnership Policy (19 Oct 2004)

Séamus Brennan: The recommendations to which the Deputy refers form part of CORI's most recent policy briefing in which it sets out its main recommendations for budget 2005. In the latter regard, I recently held a pre-budget forum, attended by 27 different organisations, including CORI. These organisations, representing the welfare interests of a wide variety of people, put forward a range of proposals and...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (12 Oct 2004)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 372 and 377 together. The details of the number of farmers who applied for farm assist since 2001 are as follows: Number 2001 1,473 2002 1,716 2003 1,765 2004 1,264 Statistics on the number of applicants who qualified for a payment are not immediately available. However, I will arrange for this information to be communicated to the Deputies as...

Written Answers — Family Support Services: Family Support Services (12 Oct 2004)

Séamus Brennan: The family resource centre in question was included under the family and community services resource centre programme in 2002. The centre received funding of €84,422 in total in 2003 and is scheduled to receive €84,533 in 2004. The programme is now being administered by the Family Support Agency. Officials in the agency have confirmed that no application for expansion has been received...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (12 Oct 2004)

Séamus Brennan: The person concerned was in receipt of disability allowance up to 21 July 2004 when his claim was disallowed. He is being paid supplementary welfare allowance. The principal conditions for receipt of disability allowance are that the medical eligibility conditions for receipt of the allowance are met, the means test which applies is satisfied and the person is resident within this...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (12 Oct 2004)

Séamus Brennan: There is a statutory obligation on all claimants of the one-parent family payment to satisfy, and continue to satisfy, the conditions for entitlement to the payment. In the case of the person concerned, she was requested during the investigation of her claim to provide documentation regarding her means. She failed to provide this information and her application was refused last month on the...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (12 Oct 2004)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 376 and 380 together. In the case of wage earning families the method of calculation of the assessment of means of an unemployment assistance applicant under 27 years of age who is living at home takes account of the net parental income after deductions for rent or mortgage repayments and a parental allowance. The remainder is then divided among the dependent...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (12 Oct 2004)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 378 and 383 together. Assistance with regard to attendance at school is provided by my Department through the school meals programme and the back to school clothing and footwear allowance scheme. The school meals programme provides funding for the urban school meals scheme, which operates in conjunction with certain local authorities, as well as for a number...

Written Answers — Family Support Services: Family Support Services (12 Oct 2004)

Séamus Brennan: My Department has been involved in activities to combat moneylending and over-indebtedness since 1988. Since then the number of money advice and budgeting services, MABS, has grown to 52 operating out of 65 centres throughout the country. There are 130 money advisers and 80 administrative staff working in the MABS. This represents an increase of 20 since June 2003. A total of almost €64...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (12 Oct 2004)

Séamus Brennan: Social welfare legislation provides that, to be entitled to unemployment benefit or unemployment assistance, a person must prove, inter alia, that he or she is available for and genuinely seeking work. Unemployment benefit and assistance claimants are expected to demonstrate they have taken reasonable steps to secure suitable employment and to provide examples of such steps. A person who...

Written Answers — Live Register: Live Register (12 Oct 2004)

Séamus Brennan: Data of the type requested by the Deputy is not collated by my Department at county level as the catchment areas of local offices are not co-terminal with county boundaries. There are three local offices in County Kildare located in Athy, Maynooth and Newbridge. The number of persons signing on the live register at the three local offices in Kildare on 24 September 2004 was 4,604 as compared...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (12 Oct 2004)

Séamus Brennan: A person may qualify for payment of the back to school clothing and footwear allowance if he or she is in receipt of a qualifying social welfare or health board payment; is participating in an approved employment scheme, such as the back to work scheme, or a recognised education or training course and has household income at or below certain prescribed levels. The income limits, which are...

Written Answers — Free Travel Scheme: Free Travel Scheme (5 Oct 2004)

Séamus Brennan: Under the existing free travel scheme, pass holders who reside in the Republic of Ireland can travel free within the South. Similarly, people who live in Northern Ireland who hold a concessionary travel pass can travel free within the North. Under the special cross-Border arrangements, in place since 1995, both southern and northern pass holders can undertake cross-Border journeys free of...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (5 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. Section...

Written Answers — Departmental Websites: Departmental Websites (5 Oct 2004)

Séamus Brennan: One of the information channels used in delivering on the Department's information policy is the website, www.welfare.ie., which was first established in 1996. It contains information on all our schemes and services including publications, leaflets and booklets. Application forms are available for downloading and on-line services are available to customers notifying loss of employment,...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (5 Oct 2004)

Séamus Brennan: The impact of the measures introduced in the rent supplement scheme was fully assessed and the manner of their implementation was carefully designed to ensure that the interests of vulnerable groups such as the homeless, the elderly and disabled were fully protected. It is not possible to quantify precisely the numbers affected by the measures. However, 27,229 applications for rent supplement...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (5 Oct 2004)

Séamus Brennan: In 1997 the one-parent family payment was introduced to replace a number of schemes which catered for different categories of lone parent. These schemes included lone parents allowance, deserted wife's benefit and the non-contributory widow and widower's pension for those with dependent children. The scheme is based on the contingency of lone parenthood and the need for social welfare support...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (5 Oct 2004)

Séamus Brennan: Prior to reaching age 66, the person concerned was a qualified adult on her husband's old age non-contributory pension. She applied for an old age non-contributory pension in her own right in August 2004. Following assessment of her means she was awarded this pension at the maximum personal rate of €154 per week with effect from Friday, 1 October 2004, the first payment date following her...