Results 161-180 of 265 for speaker:Michael Brennan

Seanad: Social Welfare Benefits: Motion. (9 Nov 2005)

Michael Brennan: I acknowledge the points made about the role of women in the welfare system, the requirement to reform the pension system, the lone parent system and particularly child poverty. I also acknowledge the work of carers. We introduced a €1,000 respite grant to help make the jobs of carers easier and enable them to become more professionally involved, on which I have had a number of meetings...

Seanad: Social Welfare Consolidation Bill 2005: Report and Final Stages. (16 Nov 2005)

Michael Brennan: I thank the Seanad for passing this legislation. The Senators opposite conducted a good debate on Second Stage and I accepted a number of the issues they raised. I hope to reflect as many of them as I can by means of the budget or in subsequent legislation. I remind the House of the unique nature of this legislation. The last consolidation legislation was enacted in 1993 and the Bill before...

Seanad: Housing Policy: Statements. (23 Nov 2005)

Michael Brennan: I also welcome the Minister of State and I acknowledge the contribution of the Minister, who has now left the House. Affordable housing is an important issue throughout the country, as is flexibility and the implementation of Part V housing. I wish to make a point to the Minister and local authorities that there must be flexibility if affordable housing is to be a success. This is a golden...

Seanad: Schools Building Projects. (23 Nov 2005)

Michael Brennan: I welcome the Minister of State to the House and acknowledge the capital spending on schools in County Limerick, especially the fine building works completed in Adare, in Shountrade national school and Our Lady's Abbey national school. The Minister of State and her officials are well aware of the special circumstances of the application by the board of management of St. Nicholas's Church of...

Seanad: Order of Business. (7 Dec 2005)

Michael Brennan: I, too, want to ask the Leader about the study on Shannon Airport mentioned yesterday morning. I also wish to raise the concerns of the people in the locality about the future of Shannon Airport and the effect open skies would have on the airport. There are many American multinational companies operating in the Shannon-Limerick region. We want to see the Shannon Airport study broadened to...

Seanad: WTO Negotiations: Statements. (7 Dec 2005)

Michael Brennan: I wish to share time with Senator Kieran Phelan.

Seanad: WTO Negotiations: Statements. (7 Dec 2005)

Michael Brennan: I, too, welcome the Minister and her officials to the House and thank her for her detailed contribution. It is important that we make time to discuss issues such as the one before us for a number of reasons. First, there can be a tendency to consider negotiations such as those held at the World Trade Organisation as far off and of little everyday significance to ordinary people but what are...

Seanad: Care of the Elderly: Motion. (14 Dec 2005)

Michael Brennan: I wish to share time with Senator Lydon. I support the motion and welcome the Minister of State to the House. I am delighted to have close experience and evidence of the determination of the Tánaiste and Minister of State to provide the best services for elderly people. Recent examples of this determination and of what it can deliver in my own area of Limerick include approval under the...

Seanad: Care of the Elderly: Motion. (14 Dec 2005)

Michael Brennan: Especially the white ones.

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2005: Second Stage. (15 Dec 2005)

Michael Brennan: I am very pleased to introduce this, the first of two Bills intended to implement the €1.12 billion social welfare package announced in the budget. This substantial investment represents an almost 28% increase on the 2005 package of €874 million. It brings the projected level of social welfare expenditure in 2006 to more than €13.5 billion, which is double what was spent in 2000. Behind...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2005: Second Stage. (15 Dec 2005)

Michael Brennan: It would be a brave Minister who would interfere with the lunch of a Senator.

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2005: Second Stage. (15 Dec 2005)

Michael Brennan: I will not detain the Senators for too long. I thank Senators for responding to my request for a constructive debate and I value being in Seanad Éireann to listen to the discussions. I formed the view when I started this job that if I wanted experts in social welfare I needed not look much further than Members of Dáil Éireann, Seanad Éireann and councillors, because public representatives...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2005: Committee and Remaining Stages. (16 Dec 2005)

Michael Brennan: I indicated yesterday that I am interested in this subject and that I have held a number of meetings in my Department with a view to progressing it. The Senator will recall that, in 2002, a working group recommended the introduction of arrangements that would pay for the splitting of payments on a consensual basis. That is now up and running. Measures have been introduced over a number of...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2005: Committee and Remaining Stages. (16 Dec 2005)

Michael Brennan: There would obviously be substantial financial implications in adding 20 years to the scheme. I will examine the matter but I do not want to make any commitments at this point in time. The scheme was established in 1994 and has been welcomed. Any changes made in these areas tend to be like pulling a string because the whole garment can follow and, as many schemes are interrelated, unintended...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2005: Committee and Remaining Stages. (16 Dec 2005)

Michael Brennan: The family income supplement is an important measure to help people on low incomes. This year, we spent an extra €25 million on it. Whereas previously it was paid evenly, we changed the rules so larger amounts went to the larger families. That was a substantial change. Not enough people are aware of the FIS and in view of this I plan a substantial campaign to bring it to the attention of...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2005: Committee and Remaining Stages. (16 Dec 2005)

Michael Brennan: The Senator knows these amendments are pro forma; the standard wording requires a Minister to lay a report, so while I cannot formally accept the amendment a simple motion or request will bring me before this House to report on that matter at any time. While for technical reasons the wording of the amendment would cause me all sorts of problems, I have no problem reporting on the progress of...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2005: Committee and Remaining Stages. (16 Dec 2005)

Michael Brennan: The Senator has raised this a number of times, I know her commitment to child care and this area and she exhorts the Government to make it easier for employers to introduce work-friendly and flexible child care systems. The present budget arithmetic is based on starting this in March. I have listened carefully to the Senator's suggestion that it be implemented in January. I have asked my...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2005: Committee and Remaining Stages. (16 Dec 2005)

Michael Brennan: The entitlement to maternity benefit is contingent on entitlement to maternity leave and the legislation on it is the preserve of the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform. The maternity benefit scheme has been significantly improved over the past four years in terms of both the duration and level of payment. In 2001, improvements were made to increase the core maternity leave which...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2005: Committee and Remaining Stages. (16 Dec 2005)

Michael Brennan: Almost 80,000 people were in receipt of one-parent family benefits at the end of last year. It is a significant sector. The changes in the Bill are twofold. It increases the upper earnings threshold by €82 per week to €375, the first change in the threshold for many years, and the rates being paid will be €16 and €17 per week. That will help considerably. In January the Cabinet will...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2005: Committee and Remaining Stages. (16 Dec 2005)

Michael Brennan: I will have to get back to Senator Terry on the precise figure in this regard. I understand some 14% of fathers are making payments, an alarmingly low figure. We only deal with those persons on welfare because there are many private arrangements about which we know nothing, involving people who are not customers of the Department. One of the reasons this figure is so low is that many of the...