Results 6,501-6,520 of 28,255 for speaker:Éamon Ó Cuív

Employment Support Services (2 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Approximately 270,000 people are getting payment for a full week; in other words, many people on the live register are working part-time. It is intended to focus particularly on people on jobseeker's allowance who have been in receipt of unemployment payment for more than a year. It will be done using the model of the rural social scheme but extending eligibility to people who have been on...

Employment Support Services (2 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: There are two questions there. I said that we would make the names available to the various community groups. The Deputy has been working with the community sector for long enough to know that a community group will try to place people in jobs that suit them. I am astounded that the question of whether community groups would force people with qualifications to do jobs that do not suit them...

Pension Provisions (2 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Under the Pensions Act, defined benefit pension schemes must meet a minimum funding standard which requires that schemes maintain sufficient assets to enable them discharge their accrued liabilities in the event of the scheme winding up. Where schemes do not satisfy the funding standard, the sponsors or trustees must submit a funding proposal to the Pensions Board to restore full funding...

Pension Provisions (2 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: As I announced recently, it is our intention to bring forward a new defined benefit model, the idea of which is to have core benefits and then to have top-up benefits, depending on the market. It will not be mandatory for schemes that are properly funded to transfer to this scheme but it will be available for schemes with funding difficulties. There is a tight timeframe for introducing all...

Pension Provisions (2 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: An implementation group has been set up and four sub-committees are working on various aspects of the framework. I have expedited the work on the defined benefit scheme, which is important, because I agree with the Deputy that this is an urgent issue. I am dealing with it as an urgent issue and will continue to do so.

Pension Provisions (2 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I have. I said I will bring forward new proposals, which include legislation, and I will have them implemented by 1 July 2011. I have expedited the process because of its urgency. What happened subsequently was the Pensions Board decided to defer the date to give schemes the opportunity to avail of the new scheme. That makes a great deal of common sense. The National Pensions Reserve Fund...

Social Welfare Appeals (2 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: There has been a significant increase in the number of appeals received by the social welfare appeals office in recent years, largely as a result of increased unemployment during the economic downturn. The number of appeals received by the office in 2009 increased by 46% compared to 2008, which, in turn, was 27% greater than the numbers received in 2007. In response, my Department assigned...

Social Welfare Appeals (2 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I have outlined considerable actions that have been taken and the results can be seen. Up to the end of September 2009, 12,873 appeals were heard while the figure up to the end of September 2010 increased to 20,171. The challenge we face is that up to 2007 the average number of appeals per annum was 15,000 but that has jumped-----

Social Welfare Appeals (2 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: -----and it is expected that upwards of 33,000 appeals will be received this year. The number of appeals, therefore, has more than doubled. We are taking many steps to streamline the process and to make sure, for example, where further information is provided that the case does not go through the appeals process and is referred back to the Department where the decision can be revised....

Social Welfare Appeals (2 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: No, it is not.

Social Welfare Appeals (2 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I attach a huge degree of urgency to this. The Deputy is wrong on a number of points, she is adding the number of appeals that will come in this year and the full backlog but there will always be some appeals on hand and because it takes time to deal with appeals, they will never reach zero. The Deputy has added the number of appeals on hand and the expected number.

Social Welfare Appeals (2 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: There will always be carry over of appeals into the following year, which the Deputy totally ignores in her mathematics. It takes time to deal with appeals because this is a quasi-judicial situation. I outlined the time taken in the answer to the priority question; it is needed because when an appeal is made, it is examined, if there is new information it is sent back for an opportunity for...

Social Welfare Appeals (2 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The other thing wrong with the Deputy's mathematics is that supplementary welfare is paid but if the appeal is awarded, the money paid in supplementary welfare is taken into account.

Social Welfare Appeals (2 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: In many cases supplementary welfare is not paid. Supplementary welfare is only paid where the community welfare officer, having done his own means test, believes there is a prima facie case for the payment of supplementary welfare.

Social Welfare Appeals (2 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Therefore, the figure the Deputy gave for the cost of supplementary welfare is wrong.

Social Welfare Appeals (2 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The first thing I paid attention to when I entered the Department was the length of the appeals process. As a constituency politician, I am more than aware of the problem. In fairness to the appeals office, which is independent, it has taken a huge number of steps to deal with the large increase in the number of applications. It is obvious that many decisions are now being revised before...

Social Welfare Benefits (2 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The back to education allowance 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. With effect from 19 July...

Social Welfare Benefits (2 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Since 22 October, 21,500 participants were approved for the back to education scheme. This compares with 20,808 in 2009-10, which was a 79% increase on the previous year. The scheme has been broadened and increased dramatically. We must be careful in drawing up terms for this scheme not to create dead weight. It is clear we should focus much of the effort on second level qualifications...

Social Welfare Benefits (2 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: If the Deputy passes me on the details of this case, I will have it investigated.

Social Welfare Benefits (2 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: It comes down to using the limited resources available. A large number of people who lose a job regain other employment in the first six months. This figure then tails off-----