Results 1,861-1,880 of 4,893 for speaker:Séamus Brennan

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (17 Oct 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The one-parent family payment is a means tested payment intended to assist a lone parent who is bringing up a child or children without the support of a partner. There is a number of statutory conditions that must be met by a lone parent to qualify for the payment. He or she must have the main care and charge of at least one child, must not be cohabiting, must, if earning, have gross...

Written Answers — Social Insurance: Social Insurance (12 Oct 2006)

Séamus Brennan: In the case of the person in question who is deceased, the PPS Number was confirmed to the solicitors dealing with his affairs. However, the solicitor had used the incorrect name in correspondence with the Department and this name was incorrectly used in the Department's reply. An official of the Department contacted the solicitor on 9 October 2006 to confirm the correct details.

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (12 Oct 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The aim of the national fuel scheme is to assist householders on long-term social welfare or health service executive payments with meeting the cost of their heating needs during the winter season. The scheme runs for 29 weeks of the year. Budget 2006 provided for an increase in the rate of fuel allowance of EUR 5.00 from EUR 9.00 to EUR 14.00 (EUR 17.90 in designated smokeless areas)....

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (12 Oct 2006)

Séamus Brennan: A qualified adult allowance (QAA) is payable in respect of a spouse or partner who is wholly or mainly maintained by the claimant. Account is taken of the spouse or partner's income for the purposes of determining entitlement. A spouse or partner's income includes income from capital, including retirement lump sum payments. Where capital is in the joint names of the claimant and spouse or...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (12 Oct 2006)

Séamus Brennan: Financial contribution schemes are operated by local authorities in order to facilitate older people who wish to move from private accommodation, which may be too large for them, into local authority housing as tenants. The issue for my Department is how the proceeds of such a sale are treated in the means test for social assistance payments. Social assistance payments are designed to...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (12 Oct 2006)

Séamus Brennan: Family income supplement is designed to provide cash support for employees on low earnings with families. FIS is paid on a weekly basis over a period of 52 weeks, taking into account a family's net earnings and the number of children under age 18 or aged between 18 and 22 years and in full time education. Subject to a minimum weekly payment of €20, FIS is calculated at 60% of the...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (12 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 it terminated payment of a weekly supplementary welfare allowance and rent supplement to the person concerned as it was not satisfied as to the household composition in this case. The evidence provided by the...

Order of Business (12 Oct 2006)

Séamus Brennan: It is important to clear it up.

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (11 Oct 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The catchment area for Clondalkin Social Welfare Local Office includes Lucan, Newcastle, Rathcoole and Saggart in addition to Clondalkin. Analysis of the Live Register by age and gender is carried out twice yearly in April and October. Due to the method of collating and analysing data it is not possible to supply a breakdown by each location of the persons claiming Job Seekers payments in the...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (11 Oct 2006)

Séamus Brennan: A working group established under the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness (PPF), with cross-departmental membership which includes my Department and chaired by the Department of Health and Children, has examined the feasibility of the introduction of a cost of disability payment. The National Disability Authority, on behalf of the working group and in line with its own remit, commissioned...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (11 Oct 2006)

Séamus Brennan: Towards 2016, the recently ratified social partnership agreement, includes a commitment to achieve the target of €150 per week, in 2002 terms, for the lowest social welfare rates by 2007 and to maintain the value of these rates at this level over the course of the agreement, subject to available resources. This commitment applies to a wide range of social welfare schemes, including...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (11 Oct 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The aim of the national fuel scheme is to assist householders on long-term social welfare or health service executive payments with meeting the cost of their heating needs during the winter season. Fuel allowances are paid for 29 weeks from end-September to mid-April. The allowance represents a contribution towards a person's normal heating expenses. It is estimated that some 274,000 people...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (11 Oct 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The living alone allowance or living alone increase as it is now known, 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...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (11 Oct 2006)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 187 to 189, inclusive, together. Entitlement to carer's allowance is based on an applicant satisfying medical, means and residency conditions. In determining entitlement to the allowance there are, in certain cases, unavoidable time lags involved in making the necessary investigations and enquiries to enable timely and accurate decision to be made. Delays...

Written Answers — Tribunals of Inquiry: Tribunals of Inquiry (11 Oct 2006)

Séamus Brennan: My Department has not held any tribunal of inquiry, commission of inquiry or investigation since 1997.

Written Answers — Social Welfare Fraud: Social Welfare Fraud (10 Oct 2006)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 109 and 162 together. Operation Gull is a joint control exercise undertaken periodically at Airports and Ports in the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland and Great Britain and the operations involve personnel from the Garda National Immigration Bureau, my Department and the United Kingdom Immigration Service. A Social Welfare Inspector was assigned to the...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (10 Oct 2006)

Séamus Brennan: The social welfare pension rights of those who take time out of the workforce for caring duties are protected by the homemakers scheme which was introduced from 1994. The scheme allows up to 20 years spent caring for children or incapacitated adults to be disregarded when a person's social insurance record is being averaged for pension purposes. However, the scheme will not of itself qualify...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (10 Oct 2006)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 111, 128 and 178 together. The back to school clothing and footwear allowance scheme (BSCFA) operates from the beginning of June to the end of September each year and is administered on behalf of my Department by the Community Welfare division of the Health Service Executive. Applications for the allowance may be made between the beginning of June and the end...

Written Answers — Family Support Services: Family Support Services (10 Oct 2006)

Séamus Brennan: I am aware of the excellent work which has been done for many years by the organisation One Family, formerly known as Cherish, in providing voice, support and action for one-parent families through membership, professional services and campaigning. The organisation works with all types and all members of one-parent families, respecting the realities of family life in Ireland. I received a...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (10 Oct 2006)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 113 and 429 together. Supporting and recognising carers in our society is and has been a priority of the Government since 1997. Over that period, weekly payment rates to carers have been greatly increased, qualifying conditions for carer's allowance have been significantly eased, coverage of the scheme has been extended and new schemes such as carer's benefit...