Results 1,361-1,380 of 4,893 for speaker:Séamus Brennan

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (31 Jan 2007)

Séamus Brennan: Carer's allowance is a means tested payment for people who are providing full time care and attention to a person who is in need of such care. Although recipients of carer's allowance themselves are not eligible for the national fuel scheme they do qualify for the household benefits package and the free travel scheme. In addition, the person to whom the care is being provided may be in...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (31 Jan 2007)

Séamus Brennan: The supplementary welfare allowance scheme, which is administered on my behalf by the community welfare division of the Health Service Executive, provides for the payment of a rent supplement to assist eligible people who are unable to provide for their immediate accommodation needs from their own resources and who do not have accommodation available to them from any other source. The...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (31 Jan 2007)

Séamus Brennan: On 5 January 2007, there were 21,800 people with some 44,000 Qualifying Children in receipt of Family Income Supplement with the following family sizes: Family Size Number of Recipients 1 child 9,433 2 children 6,500 3 children 3,327 4 children 1,609 5 children 625 6 children 204 7 children 73 8 (or more) children 29

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (31 Jan 2007)

Séamus Brennan: My Department conducted an internal review of payments to carers during the period 2004 to 2006. The review was designed as a vehicle to build on the review of the carer's allowance which was published in 1998 and to develop proposals for improvements in the schemes. The review examined all aspects of carer's allowance, carer's benefit and the respite care grant and made a broad range of...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (31 Jan 2007)

Séamus Brennan: The function of the Medical Review and Assessment Service (MRAS) unit is to confirm the eligibility for illness, disability and carer schemes, based on medical certification and reports provided by the claimant's medical practitioner, or based on medical examination undertaken by departmental Medical Assessors. An organisation review of the service commenced in October 2005 and was concluded...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (31 Jan 2007)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1193 and 1194 together. Where a person has social insurance contributions from another EEA country, or a country with which Ireland has a bilateral agreement, these can also be used to qualify a person for a payment. The manner in which contributions from EEA countries are to be used is laid down in Regulation (EEC) No 1408/ 71 and the same general principles...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (31 Jan 2007)

Séamus Brennan: The information requested is contained in the following tabular statement. Scheme No. in receipt (December 2006) Illness Benefit 65,744 Invalidity Pension 51,954 Disability Allowance 83,697 Blind Pension 1,476 Injury Benefit 924 Incapacity Supplement 928 Constant Attendance Allowance 76 Disablement Pension 12,646

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (31 Jan 2007)

Séamus Brennan: The person concerned applied for One Parent Family Payment (OPFP) in November 2006 and her claim was sent to an inspector for examination. A number of calls, some void, have been made in this case and further information is required to enable a Deciding Officer to make a decision on the claim. The person concerned has been requested to submit further information regarding her circumstances....

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (31 Jan 2007)

Séamus Brennan: My Department has a range of supports available for project managers covering all relevant stages including a knowledge database containing guidelines and templates which draws on best practice nationally and internationally. Project management information seminars are provided to Project Managers on an on-going basis to increase awareness of the guidelines and supports available. There...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2006: Committee and Remaining Stages (15 Dec 2006)

Séamus Brennan: Two working groups of the social partners established under the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness examined this issue in reviewing the Parental Leave Act 1998, the report of the working group on the review of the improvement of the maternity protection legislation of 2001 and considered a proposal from the ICTU, the Equality Authority and the National Women's Council of Ireland that...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2006: Committee and Remaining Stages (15 Dec 2006)

Séamus Brennan: Probably not.

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2006: Committee and Remaining Stages (15 Dec 2006)

Séamus Brennan: In Spain, the Netherlands and Portugal two days is transferred and in Greece one day. In most cases there is not a cash benefit but some other kind of benefit or allowance. The picture is somewhat unclear around Europe. We will keep the matter under review. We would need to ask that group to consider again what is possible because all the issues I mentioned, including the costs, would be...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2006: Committee and Remaining Stages (15 Dec 2006)

Séamus Brennan: I thank all Senators who took part in the debate yesterday and today. I also thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach and his staff. I extend a special word of thanks to my officials in the Department of Social and Family Affairs as the Social Welfare Bill goes for presidential signature. An enormous effort was required to get from the stage many months ago when we first examined what we might do in...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2006: Committee and Remaining Stages (15 Dec 2006)

Séamus Brennan: It is not possible.

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2006: Committee and Remaining Stages (15 Dec 2006)

Séamus Brennan: We are dealing with section 3, which concerns pensions. The contributory State pension cost us €2.4 billion this year. This is up 57% on the previous year's expenditure, which was €1.5 billion, so the cost of paying the State pension is quite significant. The cost of the non-contributory State pension next year will be €810 million. I do not have the figure for tax forgone, but it...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2006: Committee and Remaining Stages (15 Dec 2006)

Séamus Brennan: I thank Senator Cox for her remarks. I accept Senator Terry's concerns in respect of this matter. However, I am obliged to face the reality that there are 900,000 people who do not have occupational pensions. Of these, 500,000 are women who work. It behoves all of us to find some way to move these people to a position where they can look forward, when they retire, to income that will be...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2006: Committee and Remaining Stages (15 Dec 2006)

Séamus Brennan: Many of the modern schemes, particularly the PRSAs, are finely tuned. If people begin making contributions when they are sufficiently young and in light of tax relief and the purchasing of annuities, there is quite an amount of scope involved. The alternative would be to go completely down the State-funded road and give everyone in the country a State pension. That is a major philosophical...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2006: Committee and Remaining Stages (15 Dec 2006)

Séamus Brennan: A number of them are outside the tax net and some are on the minimum wage.

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2006: Committee and Remaining Stages (15 Dec 2006)

Séamus Brennan: If we moved to an SSIA-type of contribution system, it would take account of that argument. Tax relief would not be needed because a matching amount would be paid. That is why the Pensions Board made its relevant recommendation, which has a great deal going for it. The Senator's point is interesting because if a person on €30,000 per year cannot afford a pension, someone on €15,000...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2006: Committee and Remaining Stages (15 Dec 2006)

Séamus Brennan: I reassure the Senator on the last point. Employers are not obliged to grant male employees special paternity leave, paid or unpaid, following the birth of a child. Unpaid parental leave is available. Paternity leave for three days at 80% of wages subject to a minimum of €207.80 and a maximum of €280 per week would cost €6 million rising to approximately €10 million for five days'...