Results 901-920 of 4,893 for speaker:Séamus Brennan

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (3 Apr 2007)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 440 and 441 together. The person concerned has been in receipt of a back to education allowance since September 2005. His weekly rate of payment is €371.10. This includes an increase of €123.30 for a qualified adult allowance and €44.00 for child allowance in respect of two qualifying children. The person concerned was sent an application form to claim...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (3 Apr 2007)

Séamus Brennan: The National Pensions Review, published in January 2006, includes recommendations from the Pensions Board designed to encourage people to continue working after normal retirement age. The measures suggested involve allowing people to defer receiving their social welfare pension at normal pension age and to grant them an actuarially enhanced payment when they claim. The Pensions Board also...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (3 Apr 2007)

Séamus Brennan: The estimated cost of increasing all weekly contributory and non-contributory payments to pensioners to €300 per week is €2,019 million in a full year. This includes the cost of increasing payments to qualified adults to maintain their current proportionate relationship to the personal weekly rates of payment.

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (3 Apr 2007)

Séamus Brennan: The estimated cost of Child Benefit for 2007 is €2.258 billion. The estimated cost of Early Childhood Supplement is €406m.

Written Answers — Anti-Poverty Strategy: Anti-Poverty Strategy (3 Apr 2007)

Séamus Brennan: The 'at risk of poverty' indicator, also referred to as the rate of relative poverty, measures all those who fall below a certain income threshold, which in the EU has been set at 60 per cent of median income, adjusted for family size. The latest comparative figures from Eurostat refer to 2005 when Ireland had an 'at risk of poverty' rate of 20 per cent compared to an average of 16 per cent...

Written Answers — Social Insurance: Social Insurance (3 Apr 2007)

Séamus Brennan: The second actuarial review of the social insurance fund will address the position of the Fund at the end of 2005. The period covered by the review will be 55 years (from 2006 to 2061). Following an evaluation process during 2006, Mercer Human Resources Consulting was selected to carry out the actuarial review. Work on the review is on schedule and the report is expected to be submitted over...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (3 Apr 2007)

Séamus Brennan: The living alone increase is an additional payment of €7.70 per week made to people aged 66 years or over who are in receipt of certain social welfare payments and who are living alone. It is also available to people who are under 66 years of age who are living alone and who receive payments under one of a number of invalidity type schemes. The increase is intended as a contribution towards...

Written Answers — Departmental Reports: Departmental Reports (3 Apr 2007)

Séamus Brennan: The information requested is currently being compiled within the Department and will be made available to the Deputy as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Family Support Services: Family Support Services (3 Apr 2007)

Séamus Brennan: In September 2006 my Department provided funding under the Family Services Project (FSP) for the first year of a personal development, parenting and pre-employment programme for young lone parents being developed by the group in question. As part of the programme the participants developed a useful local guide for young lone parents. My Department provides funding under the Family Services...

Written Answers — Social Insurance: Social Insurance (3 Apr 2007)

Séamus Brennan: The Social Welfare Consolidation Act, 2005, requires that an actuarial review of the financial condition of the social insurance fund at five-year intervals. The first actuarial review of the social insurance fund was published in October, 2002, and reflected the position of the social insurance fund at the end of 2000. The 2 nd actuarial review will update that report to address the position...

Written Answers — Social Insurance: Social Insurance (3 Apr 2007)

Séamus Brennan: The following figures are estimates of the numbers paying full rate PRSI contributions at different earnings levels. Income Band Insured Persons € 48,000 or less 1,612,990 48,800–60,000 96,060 60,000–80,000 69,020 80,000–100,000 24,438 100,000–120,000 11,520 120,000–150,000 8,150 150,000–200,000 5,020 200,000 and above 4,780

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (3 Apr 2007)

Séamus Brennan: The person concerned was refused a carer's allowance on the grounds that the care recipient was not so invalided or disabled as to require full time care and attention. The person appealed against that decision. I am advised that the case has been considered by the Appeals Officer who proposes to hold an oral hearing. A date for the hearing will be set as possible. Under social welfare...

Written Answers — Departmental Funding: Departmental Funding (3 Apr 2007)

Séamus Brennan: My Department administers a scheme of grants for the development and promotion of information and welfare rights. Under the scheme grants are awarded to assist organisations in the provision of information on social services and in particular social welfare services. Organisations wishing to be considered for funding under this scheme should apply to my Department for that purpose.

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (3 Apr 2007)

Séamus Brennan: My Department provides remote access for critical staff (technical, administrative and management) where it is required to provide continuity of services to our clients. This is achieved through a number of mechanisms, for example secure remote on-line access and/or provision of mobile phones. There is no record of the provision of two or more phones lines at the home of any staff.

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (3 Apr 2007)

Séamus Brennan: The amount of money paid to training officers in the Staff Development Unit of my Department in respect of travel and subsistence allowances for the three-year period 2004 to 2006 inclusive, was €87,010.95. The number of training days delivered by these training officers for this three-year period was 756. Year Travel and Subsistence Training Days € 2004 22,615.53 260 2005...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (3 Apr 2007)

Séamus Brennan: The average amount of travel and subsistence allowances paid by my Department in 2006 in respect of attendance at pre-retirement planning courses in Dublin prior to the relocation of the Civil Service Training Centre to Tullamore was €404.77 per person. The average amount paid in 2006 in respect of attendance at pre-retirement planning courses since the centre was relocated to Tullamore in...

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (3 Apr 2007)

Séamus Brennan: Under the programme of decentralisation, 96 people have transferred into my Department to date. Some have already moved to their designated locations, while others have moved into Department headquarters and are awaiting a move to their chosen location in due course. In some cases staff are currently by necessity working in a section other than the section to be decentralised to their chosen...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (29 Mar 2007)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 193 and 194 together. The supplementary welfare allowance scheme provides for an exceptional needs payment (ENP) to be made to assist with essential, once-off costs which the applicant is unable to meet from his/her own resources. Each application is determined by the Executive based on the particular circumstances of the case. The HSE West has advised that...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (29 Mar 2007)

Séamus Brennan: Farmers, and self-employed people in general, who were already retired when compulsory social insurance was introduced for this group in 1988 cannot benefit from contributory pensions. However, it is open to those who do not qualify for a contributory pension to apply for the state pension (non-contributory). The new enhanced state pension (non-contributory) for those over 66 years, which I...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (29 Mar 2007)

Séamus Brennan: In order to qualify for state pension (contributory), a person must satisfy a number of qualifying conditions, namely:- have entered into insurable employment before age 56, have paid at least 260 weeks full-rate contributions paid and have a yearly average of at least 10 contributions recorded (taking paid and credited PRSI Contributions into account) from 1953 or from the date of entry into...