Results 6,201-6,220 of 28,255 for speaker:Éamon Ó Cuív

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (5 Oct 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The Department incurs expenditure on legal and compensation costs/fees from Vote 38 Department of Social Protection and the Social Insurance Fund. The elements of these payments relating solely to legal fees are not recorded separately. The following table sets out expenditure on legal and compensation costs/fees for the period from 2000 to date in 2010. Legal and compensation costs /...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (5 Oct 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Activation and support for those who are unemployed is a key priority for Government. Earlier this year, the Taoiseach announced a number of changes to improve the delivery of employment, training and community services to the public by bringing together related responsibilities in these areas. These changes included the restructuring of Departmental responsibilities with the objective of...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (5 Oct 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I propose to take Questions Nos 343 and 344 together. Since May 2004, all applicants regardless of nationality are required to be habitually resident in the State in order to qualify for the following payments: · Jobseeker's Allowance · State Pension (Non contributory) · Blind Pension · Widow(er)'s Non Contributory Pension · One Parent Family Payment · Guardian's Payment · Carer's...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (5 Oct 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The following is a tabular statement on current recipients of rent supplement by duration. Number of Recipients of Rent Supplement by Claim Duration 1, 1 October 2010 Months Recipients 0 to 3 12,223 3 to 6 14,089 6 to 9 13,045 9 to 12 8,942 12 to 24 27,979 24 to 36 8,772 36 to 48 3,608 48 to 60 2,384 60 to 72 1,615 72 plus 3,443 Total 96,100 Claims with duration of precisely 3...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (5 Oct 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The following is a tabular statement on current recipients of mortgage interest supplement by duration. Number of Recipients of Mortgage Interest Supplement by Claim Duration, 1 October 2010 Months Recipients 0 to 3 1,383 3 to 6 2,301 6 to 9 2,401 9 to 12 1,728 12 to 24 6,617 24 to 36 2028 36 to 48 530 48 to 60 265 60 to 72 109 72 plus 267 Total 17,629 Claims with duration of...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (5 Oct 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The Health Service Executive (HSE) has advised that the mortgage interest supplement of the person concerned has been reduced as the interest payable on her mortgage has reduced. If the person concerned is not satisfied with the decision of the HSE he can appeal the decision to the HSE Appeals Office.

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (5 Oct 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The person concerned does not have a current application for disability allowance or any other social welfare payment lodged with the department. The person concerned originally applied for disability allowance on 26 February 2008. His claim was assessed by a medical assessor who was of the opinion that he was not medically suitable for disability allowance. The deciding officer accepted...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (5 Oct 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that the appeal from the person concerned has been referred to an Appeals Officer who proposes to hold an oral hearing in the case. The person concerned will be informed when arrangements have been made. There was a 46% increase in the number of appeals received by the Social Welfare Appeals Office in 2009 when compared with 2008, which in...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (5 Oct 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: An application for disability allowance was received from the person concerned on 15 September 2010. The application has been assessed by a medical assessor and has recently been sent to a social welfare inspector to report on the person's means and other eligibility criteria. Once the report from the social welfare inspector is completed and received a decision will be made and the person...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (6 Oct 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I propose to take Questions Nos. 263 and 270 together. The Health Service Executive (HSE) has advised that the person concerned was refused basic supplementary welfare allowance and rent supplement as she did not meet the habitual residence condition. The HSE further advised that the person concerned appealed the decision to the HSE Appeals Office but that no decision has been made on her...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (6 Oct 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I propose to take Questions Nos. 264 to 266, inclusive, together. The supplementary welfare allowance scheme provides for a weekly or monthly supplement to be paid in respect of mortgage interest to any person in the State whose means are insufficient to meet their needs. The supplementary welfare allowance scheme is administered by the community welfare service of the Health Service...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (6 Oct 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The introduction of a new auto-enrolment scheme is a key element of the National Pensions Framework. Employees aged 22 or over, who earn above a certain income threshold will be automatically enrolled into this new scheme, unless they are already in a more favourable occupational pension scheme. Self-employed people will not be enrolled into the scheme. For those employees who are included...

Written Answers — Unemployment Levels: Unemployment Levels (6 Oct 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Unemployment figures are released by the Central Statistics Office in their publication "Quarterly National Household Survey". This data is published on a regional and a national level only. I have included a table which shows the unemployment rate both in the South East region, which includes Tipperary south, and on a national level from 2006 to 2010. I have also included a table showing...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (6 Oct 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The average number of weeks taken to decide a disability allowance claim last month (September 2010) was 10.69 weeks. People awaiting a decision on a claim for disability allowance who have urgent income support needs can apply for the means tested supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) from their local Community Welfare Officer in the Health Service Executive. To be eligible for disability...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (6 Oct 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Details of the annualised pensions paid by the public bodies under the remit of the Department are shown in the following tabular statement. TABULAR STATEMENT Highest Annualised Pension Amount Number in Receipt €000 of this Level of Pension Pensions Board 53 1 Citizens Information Board (CIB) 52 1 Office of the Pensions Ombudsman ...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (6 Oct 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Under the Residential Tenancies Act 2004, landlords are legally obliged to register tenancies with the Private Residential Tenancies Board (PRTB). The Department is working closely with the PRTB to ensure that all tenancies where rent supplement is in payment are registered with the PRTB. To that end, the Department provides details of new rent supplement payments to the PRTB to enable them...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (6 Oct 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that the appeal from the person concerned has been referred to an Appeals Officer who proposes to hold an oral hearing in the case. The person concerned will be informed when arrangements have been made. The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Social Protection and of the Department and is responsible for...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (6 Oct 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that as part of one of a number of new initiatives brought in recently to improve the service offered to its customers, a new Phonebank system was installed in the Office from 23 August 2010. Staff training has been provided and the new service is being monitored. Any improvements required will be implemented as feasible.

Written Answers — Departmental Schemes: Departmental Schemes (6 Oct 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The information requested by the Deputy is not readily available within my Department. I can, however, provide the Deputy with data in relation to approvals and refusals for all claims made by customers in the Social Welfare Local and Branch Offices in county Mayo. I have attached a table which breaks down the approvals and refusals by scheme type. I am unable to provide a detailed...

Written Answers — Irish Language: Irish Language (6 Oct 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The provision of a quality customer service in Irish has been a priority of my Department for many years. A range of supports have been made available to staff to facilitate the provision of services through Irish to the Department's customers, including training in spoken and written Irish. The overall objective of these training supports is to equip front line staff with the necessary...