Results 6,981-7,000 of 10,035 for speaker:Martin Cullen

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (9 Oct 2007)

Martin Cullen: The average time for deciding an application for carer's allowance is currently 10.64 weeks. During 2006 the average was just over ten weeks. My Department's claim processing target for Carers Allowance is for 70% of claims to be decided within nine weeks of submission. The number of claims for Carers Allowance submitted in 2006 at nearly 11,000 was more than 20% higher than the total for...

Written Answers — Departmental Agencies: Departmental Agencies (9 Oct 2007)

Martin Cullen: The Reach Board was reconstituted earlier this year so that Departments and Agencies making use of Reach services would be involved more closely in relation to current Reach operations. This new Board, together with the Departments of the Taoiseach and Finance, are overseeing a review of the new role and operations of the Reach project including that of the public service broker. The review...

Written Answers — Carer's Strategy: Carer's Strategy (9 Oct 2007)

Martin Cullen: One of the key Government commitments in the national partnership agreement " Towards 2016 " is the development of a national carer's strategy and this commitment is reiterated in the Programme for Government. The strategy will focus on supporting informal and family carers in the community. While social welfare supports for carers will clearly be a key issue in the strategy, other issues...

Written Answers — Anti-Poverty Strategy: Anti-Poverty Strategy (9 Oct 2007)

Martin Cullen: Poverty proofing was introduced in 1998 on foot of a commitment in the first National Anti-Poverty Strategy. It is defined as "the process whereby Government policies and programmes are assessed at design, implementation and review stages in relation to their impact on poverty and on inequalities which are likely to lead to poverty, with a view to poverty reduction". Since 1998 it has been a...

Written Answers — Memorandum of Understanding: Memorandum of Understanding (9 Oct 2007)

Martin Cullen: The Department and the Revenue Commissioners are, at present, negotiating a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). The new MOU is designed to build on the close co-operation that already exists between this Department and the Revenue Commissioners by improving and intensifying the levels and scope of existing administrative and operational arrangements between the two organisations. To that...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (9 Oct 2007)

Martin Cullen: The back to school clothing and footwear allowance scheme (BSCFA) 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. (HSE) The BSCFA scheme provides a one-off payment to eligible families to assist with the extra costs when their children start school each...

Written Answers — Child Support: Child Support (9 Oct 2007)

Martin Cullen: The Early Childcare Supplement (ECS), which is payable in respect of children under the age of 6 years is automatically awarded when Child Benefit is awarded. The majority of Child Benefit and ECS awards are processed either automatically or in a partially automated fashion for children born in Ireland once their birth details are registered with the General Registrar's Office. Parents are...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (9 Oct 2007)

Martin Cullen: Under the terms of an earlier Social Partnership agreement the National Economic and Social Council (NESC) was asked to examine the feasibility of merging the family income supplement with qualified child increases and possibly including other child supports such as the back to school clothing and footwear allowance, resulting in a single second tier child income support. Such a payment...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (9 Oct 2007)

Martin Cullen: As part of the Government Expenditure Review Programme a working group chaired by my Department was established to review the expenditure under the back to education allowance scheme. The Group comprised representatives of the Departments of Social & Family Affairs, Enterprise Trade and Employment, Education and Science, Finance and FÁS. The report of the working group was published in...

Written Answers — Adult Education: Adult Education (9 Oct 2007)

Martin Cullen: The Second Chance Education Opportunities Scheme is designed to assist programmes, projects and initiatives which provide second chance education opportunities to long term unemployed and other disadvantaged groups. The overall objective is to encourage those target groups to return to education and training as a means of improving their educational qualifications with a view to returning to...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (9 Oct 2007)

Martin Cullen: The person concerned applied for Carer's Allowance on 9 May 2007. The principal conditions for receipt of this allowance are that full time care and attention is required and being provided and that the means test that applies is satisfied. The person concerned was refused Carer's Allowance on the grounds that full time care and attention as prescribed in regulations is not required in this...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (9 Oct 2007)

Martin Cullen: Appeals are determined by Appeals Officers attached to the Social Welfare Appeals Office of my Department and who are independent in their determinations. I am advised by that Office that oral hearings are held every week at venues around the country as convenient as possible to the appellant. The selection of locations to be visited is based on the number of appeals on hand in a particular...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (9 Oct 2007)

Martin Cullen: The Pre-Retirement Credits Scheme (PRECS) enables credits to be awarded to persons who are aged 55 years or older, who are retired from the workforce and no longer looking for work and who, in the immediately preceding period, were in receipt of either Jobseeker's Benefit/Allowance or credits in respect of 390 days of continuous unemployment. Pre-retirement credits can only be maintained...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (9 Oct 2007)

Martin Cullen: The back to school clothing and footwear allowance (BSCFA) scheme provides a one-off payment to eligible families to assist with the extra costs when their children start school each autumn. The allowance is not intended to meet the full cost of school clothing and footwear but only to provide assistance towards these costs. A person may qualify for payment of an allowance if they are in...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (9 Oct 2007)

Martin Cullen: Policy in relation to pensioner's incomes is informed by the wide range of research carried out in this area, both nationally and internationally. Commitments contained in the Programme for Government in relation to social welfare payment rates and the overall targets for retirement income suggested by the Pensions Board in the National Pensions Review are of particular importance. The...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (10 Oct 2007)

Martin Cullen: The Pensions Board has responsibility under the Pensions Act to monitor and supervise the operation of pension schemes. The Pensions Act includes provision for the disclosure of a range of information to scheme members in relation to pension benefits. The issues in this case relate to the sale of financial products, which is regulated by the Financial Regulator, who comes under the aegis of...

Written Answers — Departmental Properties: Departmental Properties (10 Oct 2007)

Martin Cullen: The information requested is currently being compiled within my Department and will be made available to the Deputy as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Departmental Properties: Departmental Properties (10 Oct 2007)

Martin Cullen: My Department has not entered into any leasing arrangements for properties for its use. This responsibility is vested in the Office of Public Works. The office accommodation currently used by my Department includes: 13 Headquarter buildings in Dublin (3 of which are used by agencies of the Department); 7 Decentralised Offices (two in Sligo and one each in Longford, Letterkenny, Waterford,...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (10 Oct 2007)

Martin Cullen: The back to school clothing and footwear allowance (BSCFA) scheme provides a one-off payment to assist eligible families with the extra costs when their children start school each autumn. The allowance is not intended to meet the full cost of school clothing and footwear but only to provide assistance towards these costs. Lone parents or couples may qualify for payment of an allowance if...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (10 Oct 2007)

Martin Cullen: Due to the level of detail required it has not been possible to collate the information in the limited time available. The data requested are currently being prepared and will be forwarded directly to the Deputy when they become available.