Results 5,601-5,620 of 28,255 for speaker:Éamon Ó Cuív

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (24 Jun 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The application for domiciliary care allowance, by the person concerned, was disallowed by a Deciding Officer following an assessment by a Medical Assessor of the Department who was of the opinion that the medical evidence submitted did not indicate a need for substantially more care and attention than a child of the same age who does not have a disability. The Social Welfare Appeals Office...

Pension Provisions (29 Jun 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The pension rights of scheme members are protected through trust law and by provision in the Pensions Act 1990, as amended. The downturn in financial markets has had a significant impact on pension funding and posed major challenges for the trustees of pension schemes in restoring scheme funding. In response to the significant loss in scheme funding, a range of administrative and legislative...

Pension Provisions (29 Jun 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The Government has introduced a range of measures to protect the interests of members of defined benefit schemes. In December 2008 a number of measures were introduced to ease the funding pressures on defined benefit schemes. These measures mean the Pensions Board can now grant additional time for the preparation of funding proposals aimed at restoring pension funds; deal as flexibly as...

Pension Provisions (29 Jun 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The role of the Pensions Board is to ensure that best practice is being followed, which is why the question arises about the plans being approved by the board. There is very strong oversight from the Pensions Board. I was asked a question at the press conference attended by the chief executive and I said it was very important that people's pension funds are protected. If there is need for...

Pension Provisions (29 Jun 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The board has general oversight over the pension funds. Through regulation, it can ensure that the proper mix of investments are made.

Pension Provisions (29 Jun 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The principle of providing an adequate and secure pension is enshrined in pension policy and reinforced in the Government's policy on pensions, as set out in the national pensions framework. A key aim of the framework is to increase pension coverage, particularly among low to middle income groups, and to ensure that State support for pensions is equitable and sustainable. This will be...

Pension Provisions (29 Jun 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The Deputy has asked many good questions. I would like to see the risk profile lowered and I will be talking to the new chairperson of the Pensions Board this week, as I believe that the pensions issue is very important. The first pension for most people is the contributory old age pension, and the objective is to maintain that at 35% of the average industrial wage. That is the first...

Pension Provisions (29 Jun 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Yes I do have confidence in the Pensions Board. We are in the midst of world turmoil and the Government has taken every step to create as much stability as possible in financial institutions here. We have not always had-----

Pension Provisions (29 Jun 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The issue of staff is being discussed with the Department of Finance. I will be discussing that issue with the Pensions Board and its new chairman, who was appointed yesterday.

Pension Provisions (29 Jun 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The board gets its income from a levy, and it had a surplus.

Social Welfare Benefits (29 Jun 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: 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 as an alternative to the other social housing schemes...

Social Welfare Benefits (29 Jun 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: We need to do a number of things. I agree with what the Deputy said. It is not satisfactory that people are in long-term receipt of rent supplement, particularly where there are children involved. Moving from house to house and from school to school can often create great instability. I agree with the Deputy that this issue needs to be tackled. I am sure the Deputy is interested in the...

Social Welfare Benefits (29 Jun 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The Minister of State, Deputy Finneran, is working hard on this question. Some of the issues I examined regarding the scheme in my Department were not focused on the transfer issue, which is important, but on the scheme. The Deputy mentioned the level of rent and dealing with that issue involved a considerable amount of time. I am happy that the level of rent reflects prices in the market....

Social Welfare Benefits (29 Jun 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The Department of Social Protection already 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. Since 2001, increases in social welfare rates, including fuel allowance, have exceeded energy...

Social Welfare Benefits (29 Jun 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The Deputy has asked this question on previous occasions and I have had no difficulty in answering it. I expect to receive the report to which she referred over the summer period. As the Deputy rightly points out, and as I have said from the beginning, the months during which significant heating costs arise are those from October through to spring, that is, the months for which the fuel...

Social Welfare Benefits (29 Jun 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: That is the intention, and I will be pushing to ensure it is done. I have not seen a report from the strategy group, but we will continue pressing for it to be brought forward, after which we will have to make decisions on it. To clarify, from the time I came into the Department it was my understanding that the deadline by which action would have to be taken to implement supports for...

Mortgage Interest Supplement (29 Jun 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: There are 16,800 people in receipt of mortgage interest supplement this month, compared to 8,091 in 2008. Expenditure for the year ending December 2009 was €60.7 million, and the Estimate for 2010 is €63.9 million. The mortgage interest supplement scheme is currently under review. The main purpose of this review is to examine how the scheme can best meet its objective of catering for...

Mortgage Interest Supplement (29 Jun 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Given that there is a significant overlap in departmental representation on both groups, the two reports will have to be brought forward together. As I said, there will be a separate departmental report on the mortgage interest supplement scheme, but that must mesh in with the work of the Cooney group. I expect both reports to be published at approximately the same time, as the same...

Mortgage Interest Supplement (29 Jun 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I am not trying to avoid any questions. I have not seen the Cooney report and, as such, am not aware of what delivery mechanisms are proposed, whether they can be implemented immediately or whether there will be a lead-in time. As I said, both reports should be available in the coming weeks and decisions will be made speedily thereafter. I do not know what the complexities of...

Mortgage Interest Supplement (29 Jun 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: These are the issues that must be examined. This is where MABS has a big role to play in drawing up financial plans after getting all of the information from clients; if a client only gives half of the information, the problem cannot be solved.