Results 1,821-1,840 of 4,893 for speaker:Séamus Brennan

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (25 Oct 2006)

Séamus Brennan: To qualify for a payment under the national fuel scheme, the total income of a person over age 80 must not exceed EUR 254.30 per week. The person concerned is receiving United States Social Security Pensions and, according to the information in my Department, her income is above the threshold of EUR 254.30 per week. Accordingly her application for the fuel allowance has been disallowed. The...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (25 Oct 2006)

Séamus Brennan: Child Benefit is a universal payment which is payable in respect of all children up to the age of 16 years and continues to be paid up to the age of 19 in the case of children who are still in full-time education and children with disabilities. Government policy over the past number of years has been to substantially increase the amount spent on Child Benefit, to the advantage of all...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Investigations: Social Welfare Investigations (25 Oct 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The current claim processing targets for each scheme are set out in the following table. Performance is measured on a monthly basis by selecting all of the claims awarded during the month and calculating the percentage of claims which were awarded within the performance target for the month. The factors which are taken into account when setting the performance target for a scheme are...

Written Answers — Public Transport: Public Transport (25 Oct 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The administration of support payments including supports for retired, elderly or unemployed persons is a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Social and Family Affairs. There are no funds available to my Department for the reimbursement of taxi fares or other costs associated with the collection of such support payments. However, since 2002, my Department has been operating the Rural...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (24 Oct 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The supplementary welfare allowance scheme is administered on my behalf by the Community Welfare Division of the Health Service Executive. A person who takes up a place on a VTOS course has their entitlement to rent supplement determined in the same way as any other person applying for rent supplement. Where a person's only source of income is their VTOS allowance the rate of rent supplement...

Written Answers — Social Insurance: Social Insurance (24 Oct 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The social security rights of people living and working in the EU are governed by EU Regulations 1408/71 and 574/72 which apply once a country becomes a Member State of the European Union. The social security entitlements of citizens from accession countries i.e prior to full membership would fall to be determined under Irish legislation alone. The EU Regulations co-ordinate the social...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (24 Oct 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The supplementary welfare allowance scheme is administered on my behalf by the Community Welfare division of the Health Service Executive. The Health Service Executive has advised that, according to its available records, it has not received an application for a rent supplement from the person concerned. The person concerned can make an application for rent supplement with the community...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (24 Oct 2006)

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 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 the...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (24 Oct 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The current position in my Department is that 149 or 3.14 % of the total staff of my Department are persons with disabilities. The majority of people with disabilities who are employed in my Department were recruited by way of competitions, conducted by the Public Appointments Service (PAS). There are two competition methods which PAS use to recruit persons with disabilities; the standard...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (24 Oct 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The household benefits package, which comprises the electricity/gas allowance, telephone allowance and television licence schemes, is generally available to people living permanently in the State, aged 66 years or over, who are in receipt of a social welfare type payment or who satisfy a means test. The package is also available to carers and people with disabilities under the age of 66 who...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (24 Oct 2006)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 505 and 506 together. Under Parts 2 and 3 of Schedule 1 of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005, employment by a spouse or self-employment in which the spouse of a self-employed contributor participates or assists in the business but is not a business partner is excluded from social insurance cover. Spouses who operate a business as a partnership and...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (24 Oct 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The setting of waste management charges and the introduction of waivers in respect of waste charges is, as stated by my colleague the Minister for Environment, Heritage and Local Government, a matter for each local authority. The introduction of a national social welfare scheme to address the issue, for example as part of the household budget scheme, would be complex given the wide range of...

Written Answers — Tribunals of Inquiry: Tribunals of Inquiry (24 Oct 2006)

Séamus Brennan: No tribunal of inquiry has been established under the aegis of my Department in the period in question.

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (24 Oct 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The latest information available from the Central Applications Facility (CAF) indicates that 1,526 employees of my Department are seeking to transfer under the Government's Decentralisation Programme. The CAF will remain open for new applications until the full decentralisation programme is complete.

Citizens Information Bill 2006: Order for Second Stage (24 Oct 2006)

Séamus Brennan: I move: "That Second Stage be taken now."

Citizens Information Bill 2006: Second Stage (24 Oct 2006)

Séamus Brennan: I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." The Citizens Information Bill 2006 is a key element of the Government's national disability strategy and is designed to ensure that people with disabilities are supported to enable them, as far as possible, to lead full and independent lives, reach their full potential as individuals and participate fully in society. This Bill, together with...

Written Answers — Adult Education: Adult Education (19 Oct 2006)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 266 and 275 together. My Department through the back to education allowance provides support to long-term social welfare recipients who cannot take up employment because they lack education qualification. It is a second chance education opportunities scheme designed to encourage and facilitate people on certain social welfare payments to improve their skills...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (19 Oct 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The back to school clothing and footwear allowance (BSCFA) Scheme is administered on behalf of my Department by the Community Welfare division of the Health Service Executive. A person may qualify for payment of a back to school clothing and footwear allowance if he or she is in receipt of a social welfare or health service executive payment, is participating in an approved employment scheme...

Written Answers — Freedom of Information: Freedom of Information (19 Oct 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The application fees to which the Deputy refers relate only to Freedom of Information requests for non personal records, and reviews of decisions on such requests. No application fees apply to requests for personal records. An application fee of €15 applies to requests for non-personal records under FOI and a reduced fee of €10 applies for Medical Card holders. For an internal review of...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (19 Oct 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The relevant legislation provides for payment of child benefit to one parent for the benefit of a child or children, where the mother has priority in determining which of the two parents receives the benefit. Prior to 1974, child benefit could be paid directly to a child's mother only on the basis of the father's agreement and signature, which was the case in 80% of payments. The existing...