Results 6,861-6,880 of 10,035 for speaker:Martin Cullen

Written Answers — Mortgage Support: Mortgage Support (26 Sep 2007)

Martin Cullen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 125 and 168 together. The purpose of rent supplement, administered under the supplementary welfare allowance 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. In recent...

Written Answers — Budget Issues: Budget Issues (26 Sep 2007)

Martin Cullen: Improvements in social welfare schemes and services are introduced by way of the Budget. In this regard, I will be developing Budget proposals in relation to the various issues within my own area of responsibility, having regard to a wide range of factors. My priorities will be to make progress in achieving the commitments contained in the Agreed Programme for Government, the Social...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (26 Sep 2007)

Martin Cullen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 129 and 151 together. According to CSO statistics for Q2 2007 there are about 2,194,000 in the workforce including 1,255,000 males and 939,000 females. The most recent statistics available in relation to pensions coverage relate to Q4 2005 and suggest that 58.3% of males and 50.6% of females have a supplementary pension. On that basis, we can estimate that...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (26 Sep 2007)

Martin Cullen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 130, 147 and 149 together. The merging of family income supplement and qualified child increases provides an opportunity to further target income support at the poorest families. However, the issues involved are complex and there are technical and policy challenges to be overcome. Under the terms of an earlier Social Partnership agreement the National Economic...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (26 Sep 2007)

Martin Cullen: EU migrant workers have an entitlement to Child Benefit and other "Family benefits" including Early Childcare Supplement (ECS) under EU Regulation 1408/71. Where a national of an EU State with a family is working in Ireland, the worker is entitled to payment of such benefits, even if the children are resident in the worker's home country. Applications for family benefits from EU migrant...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (26 Sep 2007)

Martin Cullen: One of the key objectives of the 2007 social welfare package was to protect and enhance the value of weekly rates of payment for pensioners in relative terms by giving increases which were well in excess of the projected rate of inflation for this year. The State Pension Non-Contributory was increased by €18 per week or 9.9% in the Budget. This level of increase was more than double the...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (26 Sep 2007)

Martin Cullen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 136, 141 and 610 together. Approximately 76 per cent of workers pay PRSI Class A and Class H at the rate of 4 per cent; their employers pay 10.75%. A further 11 per cent of workers pay social insurance contributions at the Class S rate. These contributions which are subject to various thresholds, allowances and ceilings, accrue entitlement to a range of...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Expenditure: Social Welfare Expenditure (26 Sep 2007)

Martin Cullen: Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the EU, publishes comparisons of social protection expenditure as a percentage of GDP across the EU. This encompasses not only social welfare expenditure but also expenditure in areas such as health care, social housing, employment support programmes and other social inclusion programmes. The latest such statistics were published on 24 July 2007 and cover...

Written Answers — Social Insurance Fund: Social Insurance Fund (26 Sep 2007)

Martin Cullen: The second Actuarial Review of the Social Insurance Fund, which is required under Section 10 of the Social Welfare (Consolidation) Act, 2005, is being finalised. This is in accordance with the requirement that such reviews be carried-out at five-yearly intervals and be completed not later than five years after the date of completion of the previous review. The first Actuarial Review was...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (26 Sep 2007)

Martin Cullen: Support of carers has been a priority of Government since 1997. Payments to carers have been greatly improved over that period and qualifying conditions for carers allowance have been significantly eased, coverage of the scheme has been extended, and new schemes such as carers benefit and the respite care payment have been introduced. The further development of support for carers continues...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (26 Sep 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 Code: Social Welfare Code (26 Sep 2007)

Martin Cullen: Child benefit may be paid in respect of every child under the age of 16 years, who is ordinarily resident in the State. Payment can be extended to the 19th birthday if the child is in education, or incapable of self-support. The benefit is paid to the qualified person with whom the child resides and the qualified person must satisfy the Habitual Residence Condition. The requirement to be...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (26 Sep 2007)

Martin Cullen: The recommendation of the Law Reform Commission arose from one of two important pieces of work regarding different types of partner relationships and how they should be treated and recognised in Irish society. The first report an 'Options Paper, presented by the Working Group on Domestic Partnership to the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, focuses on different types of cohabiting...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (26 Sep 2007)

Martin Cullen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 152, 155 and 613 together. The back to school clothing and footwear allowance (BSCFA) scheme operates from the beginning of June to the end of September each year and is administered on behalf of my Department by the Community Welfare division of the Health Service Executive. As the BSCFA scheme will be running to the end of September, final figures in...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (26 Sep 2007)

Martin Cullen: 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 as well as commentary on other issues which arose during the year. As I previously stated on 29 June 2007, I welcome the continued commitment of the SWAO to provide an accessible...

Written Answers — Social Inclusion: Social Inclusion (26 Sep 2007)

Martin Cullen: The CORI review Addressing Inequality, which was published earlier this year, is currently being examined by my Department. The review analyses the current social and economic position in the country under twelve different headings including income, taxation, work, public services, migration, social participation and sustainability. It sets out a wide range of recommendations under each of...

Written Answers — Anti-Poverty Strategy: Anti-Poverty Strategy (26 Sep 2007)

Martin Cullen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 160 and 182 together. The annual report of the Combat Poverty Agency for 2006 which I launched on 4 September, 2007 contains details of the progress made by the Agency on its strategic plan 'Working for a Poverty-Free Ireland'. It contains inter alia details of its findings in relation to child poverty and it highlights the importance of services such as...

Written Answers — Retirement Age: Retirement Age (26 Sep 2007)

Martin Cullen: It is important that those who wish to continue in employment after normal retirement age should, as far as is possible, be facilitated and supported. Longer working can play an important role in ensuring that our pensions system is sustainable in the future and can be beneficial to the individual. The Green Paper on pensions will include an examination of the issues surrounding retirement...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (26 Sep 2007)

Martin Cullen: A recommendation for the introduction of a new social assistance payment was included in the Government discussion paper, "Proposals for Supporting Lone Parents." The discussion paper also put forward proposals for the expanded availability and range of education and training opportunities for lone parents; the extension of the National Employment Action Plan to focus on lone parents; focused...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Offices: Social Welfare Offices (26 Sep 2007)

Martin Cullen: My Department delivers a front-line service to its customers through a network of 59 Local Offices and 66 Branch Offices countrywide. The services provided from these offices include jobseekers payments, One-parent Family Payment and a customer information service. The 59 Local Offices are staffed by departmental staff. The 66 Branch Offices are run by branch managers who are employed under a...