Results 22,521-22,540 of 28,255 for speaker:Éamon Ó Cuív

Written Answers — Social Welfare Fraud: Social Welfare Fraud (29 Jun 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I propose to take Questions Nos. 46 and 54 together. The prevention of fraud and abuse of the social welfare system is an integral part of the day-to-day work of the Department. A key objective of the Department's control strategy is to ensure that the right person is paid the right amount of money at the right time. A four-pronged control strategy has been adopted by the Department, namely...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (29 Jun 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: In 2009, 16,574 new claims for carer's allowance were received. Of those, 10, 798 (or just over 65%) were awarded and 5776 (or just under 35%) were rejected. In 2010 to date, 8,959 new carer's allowance claims have been received of which 5,806 (almost 65%) have been awarded and 3,153 (just over 35%) rejected. Accurate statistics relating specifically to the outcome of appeals against...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (29 Jun 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I propose to take Questions Nos. 48, 55, 66, 71 and 85 together. The national average processing times for jobseeker claims decided during May was 2.43 weeks for jobseeker's benefit and 6.58 weeks for jobseeker's allowance. Processing times can be affected by the requirements of the schemes such as the necessity for a means assessment or it may be necessary to ascertain details of foreign...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (29 Jun 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I propose to take Questions Nos. 49, 69 and 79 together. The Government discussion paper, "Proposals for Supporting Lone Parents", was published in 2006 and can be viewed at http://www.welfare.ie/EN/Policy/PolicyPublications/Families/ Documents/prop_lp.pdf. It put forward proposals for the expanded availability and range of education and training opportunities for lone parents, the extension...

Written Answers — National Carer's Strategy: National Carer's Strategy (29 Jun 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: During 2008, an interdepartmental group, chaired by the Department of the Taoiseach, with secretariat support provided by my Department, undertook work, including a public consultation process, to develop a National Carers' Strategy. However, because of the prevailing economic situation, it was not possible to set targets or time limits which could be achieved. In that context, rather than...

Written Answers — Money Advice and Budgeting Service: Money Advice and Budgeting Service (29 Jun 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I propose to take Questions Nos. 51 and 64 together. The Money Advice and Budgeting Service (MABS) assists people who are over-indebted and need help and advice in coping with debt problems. The role of money advisers is to help clients to assess their financial situation, make a budget plan and deal with creditors. MABS is now dealing with increasingly complex debt situations in respect...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (29 Jun 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I propose to take Questions Nos. 52, 63 and 70 together. The purpose of the rent supplement scheme is to provide short-term support to eligible people living in private rented accommodation whose means are insufficient to meet their accommodation costs and who do not have accommodation available to them from any other source. The overall aim is to provide short term assistance, and not to act...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (29 Jun 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Facilitators work closely with FÁS and other agencies, at national and local level, to identify appropriate training and developmental programmes for social welfare recipients of working age to enhance the skills those individuals have and, ultimately, improve their employments chances as well as helping them to develop personally. The facilitator service is available to social welfare...

Written Answers — Public Service Card: Public Service Card (29 Jun 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The Department has developed, in conjunction with a number of other Government Departments, the specifications for a Public Service Card (PSC) under the Standard Authentication Framework Environment, or SAFE, programme. The specification provides for identification features, including a photograph. The aim is to develop a card that acts as a key for access to public services in general,...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (29 Jun 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The back to education allowance (BTEA) scheme is a second chance education opportunities scheme designed to remove the barriers to participation in second and third level education by enabling eligible people on social welfare to continue to receive a payment while pursuing an approved full-time education course that leads to a higher qualification than that already held. The back to...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (29 Jun 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The back to school clothing and footwear allowance (BSCFA) scheme provides a one-off payment to eligible families to assist with the extra costs when their children start school each autumn. The allowance is not intended to meet the full cost of school clothing and footwear but only to provide assistance towards these costs. A person may qualify for payment of an allowance if they are in...

Written Answers — Carbon Levy: Carbon Levy (29 Jun 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I propose to take Questions Nos. 61 and 68 together. The Department of Social Protection assists low income households with heating costs through their basic payments, through the fuel allowance scheme and through the household benefits package of electricity and gas allowances. These schemes have been improved significantly in recent years. The fuel allowance is paid for 32 weeks each year...

Written Answers — Price Inflation: Price Inflation (29 Jun 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Budget 2009, announced in October 2008, provided for increases of between 3% and 3.8% in weekly welfare rates of payment. At that time, it was expected that inflation for 2009 would be 2.5%. However, in 2009, prices declined by an average of 4.5%. Budget 2010 provided for reductions in weekly welfare rates of between 3.5% and 4.2% for persons of working age. I fully appreciate that changes...

Written Answers — Money Advice and Budgeting Service: Money Advice and Budgeting Service (29 Jun 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The money advisers working with MABS companies throughout the country focus on providing assistance, advice and intense support to people who have financial difficulties. The money adviser works out a budget and negotiates on behalf of the client with all creditors, including financial institutions and sub-prime lenders, to secure better terms for the clients in managing the repayment of...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (29 Jun 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The Pensions Board is a regulatory body operating under the aegis of the Department of Social Protection. The statutory role of the Board is to monitor and supervise the operation of the Pensions Act 1990. This involves the regulation of occupational pension schemes and Personal Retirement Savings Accounts and the provision of advice to the Minister for Social Protection on pension matters...

Written Answers — Proposed Legislation: Proposed Legislation (29 Jun 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: "Whistleblowing" is usually interpreted to mean the reporting in good faith of a breach or potential breach of the law and the protection of the person concerned against penalisation by the entity about which the report has been made. In the context of social welfare, the Central Control Section of the Department accepts reports of possible fraud offered by members of the public in relation...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (29 Jun 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: In order to qualify for jobseeker's allowance, a person must satisfy certain conditions, including being available for and genuinely seeking work. In determining whether a customer has refused an offer of suitable employment, Deciding Officers of the Department have regard to these availability and genuinely seeking work conditions particularly. The steps which people are expected to take...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (29 Jun 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The challenges facing the Irish pension system are significant. In particular, the task of financing increasing pension spending will fall to a diminishing share of the population. There are currently six workers for every pensioner and this ratio is expected to decrease to less than two to one by 2050. Increasing State pension age is one of the ways in which we can sustain the pensions...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (29 Jun 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The determination of a person's habitual residence is made in accordance with Section 246 of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005, as amended. The most recent amendment was introduced by Section 15 of the Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Act 2009 which provided that only persons who have a right to reside in Ireland can be regarded as being habitually resident in the State. ...

Written Answers — National Carer's Strategy: National Carer's Strategy (29 Jun 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: In response to a commitment given in the Towards 2016 partnership agreement, the Office of the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs in 2008 commissioned Dr Allyn Fives and colleagues from the Child and Family Research Centre, National University of Galway, to carry out a study on young carers. The research took place during 2009 and a final draft was presented to the Minister for Health...