Results 6,741-6,760 of 28,255 for speaker:Éamon Ó Cuív

Social Welfare Benefits (23 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: It is an important point.

Social Welfare Benefits (23 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I am only trying to be helpful.

Social Welfare Benefits (23 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I would not like to give the impression that the majority of unemployed people are unwilling to take up employment. I have repeatedly seen throughout a long career of creating employment that the majority of unemployed people will always take up reasonable employment. Only a small minority would not do so.

Social Welfare Benefits (23 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The purpose of the rent supplement scheme is to provide short-term income 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. Currently more than 96,400 tenants benefit from rent supplement payments, an increase of 62% since the end of 2007....

Social Welfare Benefits (23 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Yes, I agree the scheme needs reform in a number of areas. First, it was never intended to be a long-term scheme and, therefore, there are anomalies in that people are on it in the long term. As the Deputy knows, one of the problems with the scheme is that the €24 is paid irrespective of the make-up of the household. One will find people who are much better off on rent supplement than...

Social Welfare Benefits (23 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I assure the Deputy I am tackling this whole issue. I have had a number of meetings in regard to the rent supplement scheme. I have met all of the relevant bodies and I will consider the suggestions the Deputy has made. I have been considering suggestions such as that and I am working on a number of other issues in regard to the rent supplement scheme, one of which will be dealt with in...

Social Welfare Benefits (23 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The most fundamental change we need is to go back to where the scheme started. This was meant to be a scheme of short duration. It was never intended to be-----

Social Welfare Benefits (23 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The most fundamental thing we must do is to get back to that situation. I am working with the Minister of State with responsibility for housing to get back to a situation where this scheme is of limited duration and does not become a semi-permanent arrangement. It was never designed-----

Social Welfare Benefits (23 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: It is a major part of the solution.

Money Advice and Budgeting Service (23 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The Citizens Information Board, which comes under the aegis of this Department, is responsible for the Money Advice and Budgeting Service, which 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. There are 51 MABS companies...

Money Advice and Budgeting Service (23 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I had been working on this issue prior to the publication of the final report. Immediately it was published, I asked officials to draw up a list of the issues that can be dealt with by circular letter, those that need regulations and those that need legislation. I understand I will have that list this week. I have asked the officials as a matter of priority to come up with a response,...

Money Advice and Budgeting Service (23 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Within MABS, priority is given to those with very urgent cases. Each company operates separately but I am more than aware of the need for people in extreme circumstances to receive urgent attention. The latest survey on waiting times shows that the average waiting time is approximately 4.9 weeks, with waiting times ranging from one week or less to some 18 weeks. Urgent cases are prioritised...

Rental Accommodation Scheme (23 Nov 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...

Rental Accommodation Scheme (23 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: In that regard, when a person is approved for RAS, even if she or she is not yet in receipt of the allowance, the rules regarding rent supplement change. That is one solution. The solution I put forward must be applied in conjunction with the Minister with responsibility for housing. We need to reform all of this and rent supplement must again become a short-term scheme and any person who...

Rental Accommodation Scheme (23 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I am providing for-----

Rental Accommodation Scheme (23 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I would love to answer the Deputy's question but I have been overruled by the Chair. I would have no problem talking to NAMA if I thought it would resolve the issue but what the Deputy will find is that rent supplement is being paid on many of the properties already taken into NAMA. That would not change matters. As the Deputy knows, NAMA transfers loans. Only in cases where a receiver is...

Rental Accommodation Scheme (23 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I have been discussing all these issues with the Minister of State with responsibility for housing and, obviously, NAMA comes up in that context. The idea is worth exploring but I do not think there is a simple answer. When a loan is transferred to NAMA it is the loan rather than the property that is transferred. The property is the collateral. Only in cases where NAMA moves in and the...

Social Insurance (23 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Self-employed people pay PRSI class S contributions which provide cover for long-term benefits such as State pension, contributory, and widows-widowers pension, contributory. Employees are covered by PRSI classes A, E, H and P, which provide cover for the above benefits as well as for short-term contingencies such as jobseekers and illness benefits. In 2008 there were 338,187 persons in...

Social Insurance (23 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The statistics on people paying class S insurance are available.

Social Insurance (23 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The total number class S insurance is approximately 300,000. There are currently 9,016 people categorised as self-employed receiving jobseeker's allowance. The weekly average payment for this group is €206. In addition, there are 10,580 farmers receiving farm assist with an average weekly income of €207. However, I must warn the Deputy about those figures. If a self-employed person...