Results 5,621-5,640 of 28,255 for speaker:Éamon Ó Cuív

Social Welfare Payments (29 Jun 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I propose to take Question Nos. 37, 44, 45, 58 and 421 together. There are 16,800 people in receipt of mortgage interest supplement, compared to 8,000 recipients in 2008. Expenditure for the year ending December 2009 was €60.7 million and the Estimate for 2010 is €63.9 million. Generally, all applications for mortgage interest supplement are recorded electronically. However, as this...

Social Welfare Payments (29 Jun 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I spoke to the Minister for Finance in a general way about this issue. I also spoke to Mr. Hugh Cooney about it. It is important that the benefit of the mortgage interest supplement is to the mortgage holder. Many parties have a part to play in resolving this; the banks lent the money and in some cases they did less than their homework before doing so. We have all come across such cases....

Social Welfare Payments (29 Jun 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I agree that we need action but it must be taken in a focused way. As I indicated to Deputy Enright, I expect the Cooney report in the next few weeks and the mortgage interest supplement report will be available at the same time because they are linked together inextricably.

Social Welfare Payments (29 Jun 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I do not have a copy but I understand it is almost complete. I hope to have a copy in the next few weeks.

Social Welfare Payments (29 Jun 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: It is getting everything we have. Everything we are looking at in the mortgage interest supplement report will be available to it. It would be a nonsense otherwise.

Social Welfare Payments (29 Jun 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I think the question was on when it will all happen. We have two reports and I hope that-----

Social Welfare Payments (29 Jun 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Two reports are being prepared, which we should have in the next few weeks. The process will be quite simple. We will receive the two reports, the Government will consider them and then make decisions on foot of them. Those decisions, to be made not by me but by the Government, will be made in the next few weeks, once we receive the reports. However, I cannot - which the Deputy wants me...

Social Welfare Payments (29 Jun 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I came to the Department at the end of March and have been there for three months. We hope to have the review completed in the next few weeks.

Social Welfare Payments (29 Jun 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: In the next few weeks.

Social Welfare Payments (29 Jun 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Most people would accept that "the next few weeks" means from two to four or five weeks.

Social Welfare Payments (29 Jun 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I will try to be more specific. I hope it will be in the next month.

Social Welfare Payments (29 Jun 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: In the English I use on the east coast and west coast, "the next few weeks" means "the next month". If Deputy Shortall would find "the next month" more satisfactory, I will say "within the next month". This will mean that within four months of my arrival at the Department, this matter will be brought to finality. Not only are we bringing the mortgage interest supplement review to finality,...

Social Welfare Payments (29 Jun 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: By making decisions on both we will be able to give a comprehensive response. I might be wrong but I do not believe the mortgage interest supplement review on its own would answer the major debt problems that people face because-----

Social Welfare Payments (29 Jun 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Good. I am glad.

Social Welfare Payments (29 Jun 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The simple answer is that we are dealing with it. However, many issues must be examined and that is why the Cooney group and the mortgage interest supplement review were established.

Social Welfare Payments (29 Jun 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Both of these will be brought to a conclusion in the next few weeks, or in other words, in the next month, and we will then make decisions. It is better to tackle a problem by doing a comprehensive review, examining practices in other jurisdictions, making comprehensive proposals-----

Social Welfare Payments (29 Jun 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: -----and making decisions. One can rest assured that those decisions will be made because this is a top priority.

Social Welfare Appeals (29 Jun 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I propose to take Questions Nos. 38 and 67 together. I am informed by the social welfare appeals office that 26,000 appeals were received in 2009. This compares to the average number received over the previous four years of 15,000. At the end of 2009, 16,000 appeals were on hand and that figure has now risen to 20,300. In previous years, that number would have been in the region of 5,000...

Social Welfare Appeals (29 Jun 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I have a lot of information here but unfortunately I do not have information on that aspect. It is available in the appeals office report, a copy of which I am sure the Deputy has seen. I have examined this a few times. Off the top of my head, means tested cases tend to be a large number and are protracted. Medical cases apply to carers allowance, illness benefit and so on. It is fair to...

Social Welfare Appeals (29 Jun 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: If one considers payment types one probably finds that those with the largest case load are assistance payments, carers allowance, unemployment assistance and so on, and illness cases. One could be eligible for illness benefit as well as disability allowance but means testing always applies to assistance cases.