Results 7,061-7,080 of 10,035 for speaker:Martin Cullen

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (25 Oct 2007)

Martin Cullen: The profile of pension members is provided by regular CSO surveys on pension coverage, which are part of the Quarterly National Household Survey. Results were published in 2006 in respect of Quarter 4 2005, and another coverage survey can be expected in 2009. Further information on the relationship between employer characteristics (detailed sector, size of employer, etc.) and pension coverage...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (25 Oct 2007)

Martin Cullen: The statistics requested by the Deputy are contained in the following tabular statement. Farm assist is open to any person aged between 18 and 66 years who is engaged in farming. The scheme is means-tested, taking into account both farm income and off-farm income of the farmer and his/her spouse/partner. The Family Income Supplement (FIS) is designed to provide cash support for employees on...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (25 Oct 2007)

Martin Cullen: Spouses working for self-employed contributors are specifically excepted from social insurance contributions. This exclusion recognises the practical difficulties in establishing the nature of a genuine employment relationship in circumstances such as when a person employed under a contract of service (i.e. as an employee) by his or her spouse is classed as an "excepted" contributor under...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (25 Oct 2007)

Martin Cullen: It is a fundamental principle of our social insurance system that those qualifying for benefits must satisfy a range of contribution and other conditions. In the case of contributory pensions, this involves commencing payment of contributions 10 years before pension age, payment of a minimum number of contributions at an appropriate rate and reaching a minimum average annual contribution...

Written Answers — School Meals: School Meals (25 Oct 2007)

Martin Cullen: The school meals programme operated by my Department gives funding through two schemes towards provision of food services for disadvantaged school children. The first is the long-standing statutory urban school meals scheme, currently operated by 36 local authorities. The second is the school meals community (local projects) programme through which funding is provided by my Department to...

Data Protection. (31 Oct 2007)

Martin Cullen: My Department, because of the nature of its work, holds extensive and detailed personal information about its customers. Most employees of the Department need and have access to this information to deliver the Department's services. The Department is aware of its obligations to its customers under the Data Protection Acts of 1988 and 2003 to ensure that information is collected...

Data Protection. (31 Oct 2007)

Martin Cullen: There have been only three cases since 2002. Given the scale of the operations of the Department, the number of customers and the number of operations carried out on a daily or weekly basis, that number is relatively small, although they are serious matters. In the first case referred to by the Deputy, the official has been dismissed. In the second case, the official resigned before...

Data Protection. (31 Oct 2007)

Martin Cullen: We need to keep the matter in context. There were only three cases. While I do not minimise the importance of those cases——

Data Protection. (31 Oct 2007)

Martin Cullen: Given the scale of operations the Department deals with, abuse of position does not take place on a large scale. I understand that the number of officials involved in accessing details of the person on file was 74, not 106. I did not say it was a less important matter, I meant it in comparison to giving somebody information for criminal activity, which was the case highlighted by the...

Data Protection. (31 Oct 2007)

Martin Cullen: I am not aware that was the case. My understanding is that the Department knew, but clearly the information came into the public domain as well.

Social Welfare Benefits. (31 Oct 2007)

Martin Cullen: I understand the Deputy is referring specifically to jobseekers' payments. The Government has recognised for some years that it is undesirable for school leavers to receive social welfare payments immediately on leaving school. Their focus should be on accessing employment or further education in the first instance on leaving second level rather than looking towards welfare support. For...

Social Welfare Benefits. (31 Oct 2007)

Martin Cullen: I agree it is not desirable for young people coming out of school to look immediately to the welfare system because that is detrimental to their energy and enthusiasm for work. Of the 7,500 under 20 years of age on the welfare system, 3,800 had been referred to FÁS as of 19 October last. The relationship between the Department and FÁS is crucial to moving people onto schemes as quickly as...

Social Welfare Benefits. (31 Oct 2007)

Martin Cullen: I do not agree this is tokenism. A hell of a lot of good people work in the community to try to get these kids into the workplace. The State has significant resources in the Departments and their agencies.

Social Welfare Benefits. (31 Oct 2007)

Martin Cullen: The Deputy may feel it is unacceptable to have 1,000 on the welfare system for over a year, but if she examined the individual cases she would know how difficult they are.

Social Welfare Benefits. (31 Oct 2007)

Martin Cullen: My target is simple. I would prefer there were no school leavers on the social welfare system but that kids came out of school and into whatever training needed to get into the workforce.

Social Welfare Benefits. (31 Oct 2007)

Martin Cullen: I am. I have told the Deputy about the relationship between FÁS and the Department. The systems at FÁS are available to explain all of that. We have to be fair to these people too.

Social Insurance. (31 Oct 2007)

Martin Cullen: The second actuarial review of the Social Insurance Fund, which was required under section 10 of the Social Welfare (Consolidation) Act 2005, was published on 17 October 2007 in conjunction with the Green Paper on pensions. The focus of the review, which covers the period 2006-61, is the income of the Social Insurance Fund, including the accumulated surplus, the contributory pensions and...

Social Insurance. (31 Oct 2007)

Martin Cullen: The best way to deal with all these matters is to keep employment very high, as we have done successfully in the last few years.

Social Insurance. (31 Oct 2007)

Martin Cullen: Of course, because we have developed new policies that were unheard of five or six years ago.

Social Insurance. (31 Oct 2007)

Martin Cullen: There are many different areas, such as disability and care. This has been made possible because we have such a strong economy and because we have such high employment. The debate has started — I welcome the Deputy's views on it — because I published the report and the other report along with the Green Paper on pensions. That is a very important debate that we will have to hold as a...