Results 841-860 of 4,893 for speaker:Séamus Brennan

Social Welfare Benefits. (25 Apr 2007)

Séamus Brennan: Staff are deployed throughout the Department wherever pressure points arise. Upwards of 5,000 people are spread across the Department and they work under substantial pressure on the new schemes, making changes and improvements they are asked to implement on a daily basis. I cannot say that staff were specifically deployed to carers but the Secretary General deploys staff wherever pressure...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (24 Apr 2007)

Séamus Brennan: Since taking office this Government has made the needs of older people a priority with the inclusion of several commitments in the Programme for Government aimed specifically at the group. I am very pleased to say that we have delivered on the commitment to increase the State pension (non-contributory) to €200 per week by 2007. The State pension (contributory) has passed this mark and now...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (24 Apr 2007)

Séamus Brennan: The supplementary welfare allowance scheme, which includes rent supplement, is administered on my behalf by the Community Welfare Division of the Health Service Executive. The Executive has advised that as part of a routine review, it had suspended payment of rent supplement on the grounds that it had not received from the person concerned the documentation required to allow it to determine...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (24 Apr 2007)

Séamus Brennan: In order to qualify for the maximum rate of the state pension (contributory) a person must, amongst other qualifying conditions, achieve a yearly average of at least 48 contributions paid or credited on his/her social insurance record. I am anxious to ensure that as many people as possible can qualify for a contributory pension and, in this regard, the range of reduced payments has been...

Written Answers — Work Permits: Work Permits (24 Apr 2007)

Séamus Brennan: There is no record of an application for a PPS Number having been accepted from the person concerned. She should call to her Local Social Welfare Office, where the issuing of a PPS Number in her case will be explored in detail and the requirements explained to her.

Written Answers — Family Support Services: Family Support Services (24 Apr 2007)

Séamus Brennan: Raphoe Family Resource Centre (FRC) was established in 2002 under the Family & Community Services Resource Centre Programme and continues to be funded under the programme by the Family Support Agency. The aim of a Family Resource Centre is essentially to help combat disadvantage by supporting the functioning of the family unit. Centres provide services for lone parent families, young...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (24 Apr 2007)

Séamus Brennan: The earnings disregard for those in receipt of Disability Allowance engaging in rehabilitative employment has been increased on a number of occasions since the transfer of the then Disabled Person's Maintenance Allowance (DPMA) from the Health Boards to my Department as Disability Allowance in 1996. At that time the disregard was £35.20 (equivalent to €44.69), increased to £36.30...

Written Answers — Ministerial Staff: Ministerial Staff (24 Apr 2007)

Séamus Brennan: I have appointed, on a contract basis for my term of office, a Press Adviser, Mr. Tom Rowley, and a Special Adviser, Mr. Frank Lahiffe. The duties carried out by the Press Adviser and Special Adviser are as set out in Section 11 of the Public Service Management Act, 1997 i.e. to assist the Minister by providing advice, on a wide range of issues, by monitoring, facilitating and securing the...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (24 Apr 2007)

Séamus Brennan: The person concerned made an application for jobseeker's allowance on 23 February 2007. She was awarded jobseeker's allowance in respect of herself and qualified child dependants. As her spouse's income is in excess of the current cut-off point of €280.00 per week for full rate qualified child allowance, she is entitled to a half rate qualified child payment. Her weekly jobseeker's...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (24 Apr 2007)

Séamus Brennan: In the Social Welfare and Pensions Act 2007 I have provided for new arrangements whereby people in receipt of a social welfare payment, who are also providing full time care and attention, will be able to retain their main welfare payment and receive another payment, depending on their means, the maximum of which will be equivalent to a half rate carer's allowance. A person currently in...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (24 Apr 2007)

Séamus Brennan: Since taking office this Government has made the needs of older people a priority with the inclusion of several commitments in the Programme for Government aimed specifically at this group. I am very pleased to say that we have delivered on the most recent of these commitments which was to increase the state pension (non-contributory) to €200 per week by 2007. The State pension...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (24 Apr 2007)

Séamus Brennan: The supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) scheme is administered on behalf of my Department by the community welfare division of the Health Service Executive. The Executive's Community Welfare Officer (CWO) dealing with this case has advised that the person concerned applied for Illness Benefit in January 2007. However, the application was refused as she did not satisfy the conditions of the...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (24 Apr 2007)

Séamus Brennan: A person in receipt of Disability Allowance who engages in employment or training of a rehabilitative nature, such as those participating in the National Learning Network Scheme, may avail of a disregard of the first €120 per week of their income for the purpose of assessment of means for the Disability Allowance scheme. Prior to June last year, once a person exceeded earnings of €120...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (24 Apr 2007)

Séamus Brennan: The person concerned applied for farm assist on 3 April 2007. His details have been forwarded to a Social Welfare Inspector for investigation. On completion of enquiries a decision will be made and the person concerned will be notified of the outcome. Under Social Welfare legislation decisions in relation to claims must be made by Deciding Officers and Appeals Officers. These officers are...

Written Answers — Departmental Offices: Departmental Offices (24 Apr 2007)

Séamus Brennan: My Department's website www.welfare.ie contains a list of every Local and Branch Office together with their address, telephone number and opening and closing times. This detailed listing can be found under the section entitled 'Contact Us' which appears on the Home Page. My Department endeavours to ensure that customers who make contact by telephone speak directly to a telephonist or an...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (24 Apr 2007)

Séamus Brennan: The supplementary welfare allowance scheme, which includes rent supplement, is administered on my behalf by the Community Welfare Division of the Health Service Executive. The objective of rent supplement is to provide short-term income support to assist with reasonable accommodation costs of an eligible person living in private rented accommodation who is unable to provide for his or her...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (24 Apr 2007)

Séamus Brennan: The State Pension (Non-Contributory) is a means tested payment for people aged 66 and over which was introduced in September 2006 to replace the Old Age Pension. All income including cash income, private pensions, foreign pensions, the value of any property (excluding the claimant's own home) and the value of any investments and capital which the claimant may have is assessable as means for...

Written Answers — Departmental Offices: Departmental Offices (24 Apr 2007)

Séamus Brennan: The normal opening hours in Finglas Local Office are 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. but the office is closed to the public from 9.30 a.m. to 10.30 a.m. every Thursday morning for staff training, meetings and briefing sessions. Signs to this effect are on prominent display in the Local Office. These weekly meetings are essential to ensure staff receive regular training and are fully briefed so as to...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (24 Apr 2007)

Séamus Brennan: The person concerned was in receipt of a disability allowance from September 2001. In June 2006 he applied for and was awarded an invalidity pension. It subsequently transpired that, in this case, the pension was awarded in error. A decision was made to disallow his invalidity pension and to resume his disability allowance claim. The person concerned appealed the decision and following a...

Written Answers — Health and Safety Issues: Health and Safety Issues (24 Apr 2007)

Séamus Brennan: The compensation scheme to which the Deputy refers is operated by the UK Department of Trade and Industry and is not part of the UK social security system. I understand that the scheme was put in place in response to that state's role as an employer. Prior to privatisation in the 1980s, virtually all coal mines in the UK were owned by the British Coal Corporation (BCC) and the State was in...