Results 6,821-6,840 of 10,035 for speaker:Martin Cullen

Anti-Poverty Strategy. (26 Sep 2007)

Martin Cullen: I do not agree that people are unable to access services. A large number of voluntary groups, principally the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, work in this area. We work with those groups. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to persuade individuals to work with the services. It is part of our role to ensure that people can get into a secure environment where we can work with them and...

Anti-Poverty Strategy. (26 Sep 2007)

Martin Cullen: The problem has reduced. Certain issues have compounded the problem in recent times. The population has expanded, for obvious reasons. Nevertheless a clear strategy has been agreed by the social partners and the stakeholders working at the coalface to eliminate this problem over the next few years. I wish the Deputy well in her appointment as spokesperson for Fine Gael.

Social Welfare Appeals. (26 Sep 2007)

Martin Cullen: Deputy Shortall shadowed me when I was the Minister for Transport and now she is the Opposition spokesperson on Social and Family Affairs. I congratulate her and wish her well. The report to which the Deputy refers was produced by the Social Welfare Appeals Office, SWAO, of my Department in accordance with legislative requirements. It contains details of the activities of the office in 2006...

Social Welfare Appeals. (26 Sep 2007)

Martin Cullen: When the number of appeals is put in context of the 1 million payments per week, I think the system is working extremely well. We can always learn from the issues that arise. There is constant contact between the officials from my Department and the Social Welfare Appeals Office to see how to improve and get consistency in the decision making process throughout the country. While there...

Social Welfare Appeals. (26 Sep 2007)

Martin Cullen: This issue is encountered by all Members when we deal with people who have serious medical problems and are going through an appeals process. While the vast majority of appeals are dealt with satisfactorily, there are always some which are more complex. As a non-medical person, I find it difficult when one medical opinion gives one outcome and a second opinion gives a different outcome.

Social Welfare Appeals. (26 Sep 2007)

Martin Cullen: I am glad the Oireachtas appointed an independent body to make these assessments. I agree that it can be difficult for people who have serious medical conditions. I would like to see consistency wherever possible and I have raised this issue in the Department. We can achieve this by talking to the Social Welfare Appeals Office and I have done so. I would like consistency in the parameters...

Pension Provisions. (26 Sep 2007)

Martin Cullen: The case in question relates to a customer who had requested a pension forecast from my Department on two separate occasions in 1989 and 1995. On both occasions the forecasts provided made reference to 260 contributions, which led the customer to believe he had sufficient contributions to qualify for a pension. In October 2003, the customer applied to my Department for a retirement pension....

Pension Provisions. (26 Sep 2007)

Martin Cullen: The Social Welfare Appeals Office upheld the decision of the Department. Officials provided the information in good faith in 1989 and 1995, confirming that 260 contributions were required. However, it was not made clear that these should be at the full rate, which they were not, and therefore did not qualify as payments towards a full pension. That should have been made clear when the...

Pension Provisions. (26 Sep 2007)

Martin Cullen: We must consider the context. Given the scale of involvement and the customer base with which the Department deals — over 1 million people per week, benefiting 1.5 million individuals — the number of errors is small. Nevertheless, I would like to reduce it further. Most would say the quality of the information provided by the Department over the past years and long before I came to it...

Financial Services Regulation. (26 Sep 2007)

Martin Cullen: The Money Advice and Budgeting Service, MABS, is the main Government funded service which provides assistance to people who are over-indebted and need help and advice in coping with debt problems. There are 53 independent companies nationwide with over 230 money advice staff operating the service. Many voluntary and statutory bodies such as the Society of St. Vincent de Paul and the credit...

Financial Services Regulation. (26 Sep 2007)

Martin Cullen: I would like to achieve a scenario in which people have no need to go to moneylenders in the first instance and can instead access legitimately the main stream of financial services to which most of us have access. The difficulty is that people on very low incomes get themselves into debt and find it very difficult to access credit from the normal institutions with which most of us deal on a...

Financial Services Regulation. (26 Sep 2007)

Martin Cullen: I will be very straight with the Deputy. I do not find it acceptable that people are charged up to 188% interest.

Financial Services Regulation. (26 Sep 2007)

Martin Cullen: I have just outlined to the Deputy that I wish to ensure that vulnerable people — the small but important cohort who are caught in this situation — have broader credit options and access to the legitimate system. I wish to ensure at the same time that if we take action in the financial market, the benefit is felt directly by those for whom we are making the changes. There is no point in...

Financial Services Regulation. (26 Sep 2007)

Martin Cullen: It has not been demonstrated that even if one places a cap on interest, the game will not change dramatically again. I wish to ensure that if I move, as I would like to, in conjunction with the Minister for Finance and the Financial Regulator, the outcome of our action works. It is easy to pick things out of the sky, but we must ensure that they deliver.

Waste Management. (26 Sep 2007)

Martin Cullen: The setting of waste management charges and the introduction of waivers in respect of waste charges is, as has been stated in this House on many occasions, a matter for each local authority. Local authorities operate under the auspices of the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. Since taking office as Minister for Social and Family Affairs I have not been in contact...

Waste Management. (26 Sep 2007)

Martin Cullen: I do not disagree with the Deputy's last point. Everybody is aware that this issue can be difficult for some people. I have some experience with the matter because I dealt with it when I was Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. This is a matter for the local authorities. Some local authorities operate good waiver schemes, and not simply where the authorities...

Waste Management. (26 Sep 2007)

Martin Cullen: The Deputy asked where the authority lay and I gave a straight answer. When the Deputy reads the full reply, she will see that the matter of how this issue could be managed best was considered in some detail during recent discussions between this Department and the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government and it was clear it was managed best at local authority level. It...

Pension Provisions. (26 Sep 2007)

Martin Cullen: My Department is committed to providing a quality service for all of its customers. Claims and applications are processed and decisions on entitlement issued as quickly as possible, having regard to the eligibility conditions which apply and the available resources. The State pension transition, SPT, and State pension contributory, SPC, schemes, which are insurance based schemes, require...

Pension Provisions. (26 Sep 2007)

Martin Cullen: The Deputy's first question is one I also asked. All of the issues have been resolved. There were some technical issues but they have been resolved. I have provided the information to the Deputy. About 40% of the staff turnover was related to decentralisation where staff transferred to another area. I certainly do not want any issues relating to decentralisation, which is substantial...

Pension Provisions. (26 Sep 2007)

Martin Cullen: I do not have that information with me but I will raise the issue in the Department.