Results 1-20 of 27,778 for speaker:Éamon Ó Cuív

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (29 May 2024)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Over the years we have had the refusal of the Galway bypass, the refusal of planning permission for the road from Maam Cross to Clifden, massive delays relating to the road from Maam Cross to Oughterard, the refusal of Páirc na Mara, which was a development by Údarás na Gaeltachta, and recently a court case about Ros an Mhíl. It is beginning to become evident that it is...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Impact of Means Testing on Carer’s Allowance and Other Social Welfare Schemes: Discussion (29 May 2024)

Éamon Ó Cuív: We have two challenges here in the long term and the short term. The question is how you get to a long-term aim in the short term. What we are trying to do on this committee is to balance both. We will make a submission for the budget. The budget is finite. One of the challenges in the budget, if you are Minister for Social Protection, is that you are given a wad of money. Then you have...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Impact of Means Testing on Carer’s Allowance and Other Social Welfare Schemes: Discussion (29 May 2024)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Yes, that is fine, but how would it be done? What would be the changes to social welfare?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Impact of Means Testing on Carer’s Allowance and Other Social Welfare Schemes: Discussion (29 May 2024)

Éamon Ó Cuív: That presumes that someone who is a full-time carer in a house, works as a carer outside the house doing more caring.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Impact of Means Testing on Carer’s Allowance and Other Social Welfare Schemes: Discussion (29 May 2024)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Does Ms Maher have any idea how many people who provide professional care outside the home are also carers within the home taking care of others?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Impact of Means Testing on Carer’s Allowance and Other Social Welfare Schemes: Discussion (29 May 2024)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Yes, but how many get carer's allowance?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Impact of Means Testing on Carer’s Allowance and Other Social Welfare Schemes: Discussion (29 May 2024)

Éamon Ó Cuív: That is fine. If the witnesses do not know, they do not know.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Impact of Means Testing on Carer’s Allowance and Other Social Welfare Schemes: Discussion (29 May 2024)

Éamon Ó Cuív: When you look at the literature, one thing that becomes absolutely obvious is that single parent families are the poorest in the State. Again and again that comes out in all the literature. This committee is conscious of that. General rates of social welfare are important but also anything that inhibits additional income - you start climbing out you get clawed back - has to be absolutely...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Impact of Means Testing on Carer’s Allowance and Other Social Welfare Schemes: Discussion (29 May 2024)

Éamon Ó Cuív: May I ask a few questions?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Impact of Means Testing on Carer’s Allowance and Other Social Welfare Schemes: Discussion (29 May 2024)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Would it be a help were we to abolish the transitional payment and went back to the one-parent family payment and made it payable up to the 13th birthday?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Impact of Means Testing on Carer’s Allowance and Other Social Welfare Schemes: Discussion (29 May 2024)

Éamon Ó Cuív: We could abolish it and cut the messing on it.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Impact of Means Testing on Carer’s Allowance and Other Social Welfare Schemes: Discussion (29 May 2024)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The old argument of "the sun versus the wind" comes to mind for this problem. The sun follows the wind.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Impact of Means Testing on Carer’s Allowance and Other Social Welfare Schemes: Discussion (29 May 2024)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Will Ms Porter repeat the exact wording concerning those percentages?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Impact of Means Testing on Carer’s Allowance and Other Social Welfare Schemes: Discussion (29 May 2024)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Does that mean 4% extra?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Impact of Means Testing on Carer’s Allowance and Other Social Welfare Schemes: Discussion (29 May 2024)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The wording, as Ms Porter reads it out, is débhríoch or ambiguous. It seems to be saying 54% of applications but it does not say 58% of appeals. That would bring it to 75% whereas if it is 58%, it has only gone up 4%. It is 8% of appeals, if they were all appealed, but it is only 4% extra in total.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Impact of Means Testing on Carer’s Allowance and Other Social Welfare Schemes: Discussion (29 May 2024)

Éamon Ó Cuív: One of the issues raised in some of the proposals is individualisation. My view on that is that it would be hard to individualise one mean-tested payment and not them all because that would lead to migration. However, there is a simple solution for many people who worked, albeit not for all. We have discussed it in the committee. I am talking about bringing the conditions for getting...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Impact of Means Testing on Carer’s Allowance and Other Social Welfare Schemes: Discussion (29 May 2024)

Éamon Ó Cuív: However, I think we would all agree that it is a major barrier. I would have much preferred it if the income limits for the medical card rather than those for the GP card had gone up. If you have a fixed sum of money, you have to make choices in this arrangement. The medical card guidelines are absolutely ridiculous. I am interested in a wider issue. Other than medical assessment for...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Impact of Means Testing on Carer’s Allowance and Other Social Welfare Schemes: Discussion (29 May 2024)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Can claimants not seek, at any time, a periodic review? If their circumstances change, they can.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Impact of Means Testing on Carer’s Allowance and Other Social Welfare Schemes: Discussion (29 May 2024)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Yes, but just as a matter of record they can.