Results 6,801-6,820 of 10,035 for speaker:Martin Cullen

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (3 Jul 2007)

Martin Cullen: Over the period since 1997, the Government has made the needs of older people a priority with the inclusion of several commitments in successive programmes for Government aimed specifically at the group. This included achieving the commitment to increase the basic State pension to €200 per week by 2007 in the last Budget. Increases in both contributory and non-contributory pensions have...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (3 Jul 2007)

Martin Cullen: The Department makes annual reports on compliance with the European Code of Social Security to the Council of Europe, summarising changes to the social welfare system. These reports are then referred to the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Committee of Experts for their examination. The Department's 1999 report included details of the self-employed provisions which are now the...

Written Answers — Appointments to State Boards: Appointments to State Boards (3 Jul 2007)

Martin Cullen: The five statutory agencies operating under the aegis of my Department are the Pensions Board, the Combat Poverty Agency, the Citizens Information Board (formerly Comhairle), the Family Support Agency and the Social Welfare Tribunal. In addition the Pensions Ombudsman comes under the remit of my Department. In the period 1st July to 31st December 2007 I will be in a position to make four...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (3 Jul 2007)

Martin Cullen: The supplementary welfare allowance scheme, which is administered on my behalf by the community welfare division of the Health Service Executive, provides for the payment of a rent supplement to assist eligible people who are unable to provide for their immediate accommodation needs from their own resources and who do not have accommodation available to them from any other source. Rent...

Written Answers — Family Support Services: Family Support Services (4 Jul 2007)

Martin Cullen: The national fuel scheme, administered by my Department, is aimed at assisting householders on long-term social welfare or health service executive payments with meeting the cost of their additional heating needs during the winter season. Fuel allowances are paid for 29 weeks from end-September to mid-April and are not intended to meet the full cost of heating. Some 274,000 people benefited...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (4 Jul 2007)

Martin Cullen: The majority of Irish citizens now have a PPS number and since the modernisation of civil registration in 2003, all children born in the Republic of Ireland are automatically issued with a PPS number following the registration of the birth. Foreign nationals coming to live and work in Ireland are allocated PPS numbers on application to the Department which is conducted through the network of...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (5 Jul 2007)

Martin Cullen: The Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance (BSCFA) Scheme is administered on behalf of my Department by the Community Welfare division of the Health Service Executive (HSE). Applications for the allowance may be made between the beginning of June and the end of September each year. A person may qualify for payment of a back to school clothing and footwear allowance if he or she is in...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (5 Jul 2007)

Martin Cullen: The back to education allowance (BTEA) is a second chance education opportunities scheme designed to encourage and facilitate people on certain social welfare payments to improve their skills and qualifications and, therefore, their prospects of returning to the active work force. It is paid at a standard weekly rate equivalent to the maximum rate of the relevant social welfare payment that...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (5 Jul 2007)

Martin Cullen: The person concerned applied for supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) in June 2007. The scheme is administered on my behalf by the Community Welfare division of the Health Service Executive (HSE). Apart from a number of excluded categories, anyone in the State who satisfies a means test, has applied for any other benefit or allowances to which they maybe entitled, has registered for work...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (5 Jul 2007)

Martin Cullen: An integrated occupational pension scheme is one where the pension payable, or the design of the benefit promise made, takes into account the state pension (contributory), or other similar contributory benefits payable by the State. In the public sector, these schemes are usually referred to as "coordinated" schemes. Integrating occupational and social welfare pensions is a common practice...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (5 Jul 2007)

Martin Cullen: The back to education allowance (BTEA) facilitates people on certain social welfare payments to improve their skills and qualifications and, therefore, their prospects of returning to the active work force. The scheme enables qualified people who have been getting a social welfare payment to continue to receive a payment while pursuing an approved full-time education course. The scheme also...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (5 Jul 2007)

Martin Cullen: The following tables detail the increases in the weekly personal and qualified adult rates of social welfare payment across a range of social welfare schemes over the past ten years: Table 1: Long-Term Jobseeker's Allowance & Jobseeker's Benefit — Increases in personal and qualified adult rates of payment 1998-2007 Long-Term Jobseeker's Allowance & Jobseeker's Benefit Personal Rate...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (5 Jul 2007)

Martin Cullen: There is no record in the Department of a current jobseeker's allowance or benefit claim from the person concerned. An application form has been issued to him.

Written Answers — Tax and Social Welfare Codes: Tax and Social Welfare Codes (5 Jul 2007)

Martin Cullen: The majority of Irish citizens now have a PPS number and since the modernisation of civil registration in 2003, all children born in the Republic of Ireland are automatically issued with a PPS number following the registration of the birth. Foreign nationals coming to live and work in Ireland are allocated PPS numbers on application to the Department through the network of Local and Branch...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (5 Jul 2007)

Martin Cullen: The living alone increase is an additional payment of €7.70 per week made to people aged 66 years or over who are in receipt of certain social welfare payments and who are living alone. It is also available to people who are under 66 years of age who are living alone and who receive payments under one of a number of invalidity type schemes. The increase is intended as a contribution towards...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (5 Jul 2007)

Martin Cullen: My Department is responsible for developing specific social welfare schemes for people with disabilities to ensure that they have an adequate, secure and sustainable income and related supports so as to ensure their full participation in society. This is achieved principally through the contribution based Illness Benefit and Invalidity Pension, and the non-contributory Disability Allowance. A...

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (5 Jul 2007)

Martin Cullen: To date, under the Government's programme of decentralisation, 128 posts have relocated from the Department's Dublin offices. 66 posts have decentralised to Sligo and 62 posts to Carrick-on-Shannon. All 128 posts have relocated from Dublin with their respective business units to either Sligo or Carrick-on-Shannon, thus decreasing the number of posts in the Department's Dublin offices by 128....

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (5 Jul 2007)

Martin Cullen: Under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme, which is administered on my behalf by the community welfare division of the Health Service Executive, an exceptional needs payment (ENP) may be made to help meet an essential, once-off cost which the applicant is unable to meet out of his/her own resources. There is no automatic entitlement to this payment. Each application is determined by...

Anti-Poverty Strategy. (26 Sep 2007)

Martin Cullen: People who are homeless are among the most vulnerable in society. There are a variety of reasons people end up homeless including, poverty, unemployment, poor health, loss of contact with family and friends, alcohol and drug dependence and leaving institutional care. The variety of causes of homelessness and of services required to address them underlines the need for a co-ordinated,...

Anti-Poverty Strategy. (26 Sep 2007)

Martin Cullen: There is a huge range of services available which all people in society but specifically homeless people can access. The issue of homelessness is complex. There are various reasons why people end up homeless in different parts of the country. There are issues in Dublin currently, to which the Deputy referred, that affect not only homeless people but also people returning to college. There...