Results 7,201-7,220 of 10,035 for speaker:Martin Cullen
- Written Answers — School Meals: School Meals (6 Nov 2007)
Martin Cullen: The school meals programme operated by my Department gives funding towards provision of food services for disadvantaged school children through two schemes. The first is the long-standing statutory urban school meals scheme, currently operated by 36 local authorities. The second is the school meals (local projects) programme through which funding is provided by my Department to...
- Written Answers — Social Insurance: Social Insurance (6 Nov 2007)
Martin Cullen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 289 and 290 together. In order to qualify for a contributory pension a person must satisfy a range of conditions which include commencing payment of contributions 10 years before pension age, payment of a minimum of 260 contributions at an appropriate rate and reaching a minimum average annual contribution rate of at least 10 contributions paid or credited....
- Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (6 Nov 2007)
Martin Cullen: The Government is anxious to ensure that as many people as possible can be accommodated within the social welfare pensions system, with due regard being paid to the contributory principle underlying entitlement to contributory payments and, in the case of non-contributory payments, the need to ensure that resources are directed to those who are most in need. Over the last 10 years, means...
- Written Answers — Data Protection: Data Protection (6 Nov 2007)
Martin Cullen: There are six investigations currently underway in my Department in relation to alleged unauthorised access to and disclosure of personal data. The investigations relate to the records of eleven individuals, as follows; The Department launched an investigation into possible data protection violations following articles in a national newspaper in April 2007 alleging that private investigators...
- Leaders' Questions (7 Nov 2007)
Martin Cullen: It is not worse.
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (7 Nov 2007)
Martin Cullen: The purpose of the rent supplement scheme is to assist 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. In General, people in full-time employment are not entitled to rent supplement. For this purpose, full-time employment is regarded as 30 hours per week or more....
- Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (7 Nov 2007)
Martin Cullen: The legislative provisions relating to late claims for social welfare benefits are set out in Section 241 of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005, and in Regulations made under that section. These provisions set out the times within which a person must make a claim, the disqualifications which apply where a claim is made late, and the circumstances in which the time limits may be...
- Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (7 Nov 2007)
Martin Cullen: The total expenditure incurred by my Department under the A. 2 Travel and Subsistence Subhead was â¬3,052,880 from 1 st January to 30th September 2007 compared to â¬2,787,448 during the same period in 2006. The increase is as a result of additional activities undertaken in the context of the Modernisation Action Plan, control activities, staff training, corporate development and associated...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (7 Nov 2007)
Martin Cullen: The main income support mechanism for lone parents is currently the one parent family payment (OFP) â a payment for parents (either male or female) who are bringing up a child without the support of a partner. To qualify for payment, a parent must have main care and charge of at least one qualified child, must have earnings under â¬400 per week and satisfy a means test, must not be...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (7 Nov 2007)
Martin Cullen: The living alone increase is an additional payment of â¬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 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 the...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Legislation: Social Welfare Legislation (7 Nov 2007)
Martin Cullen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 191, 192 and 194 to 196, inclusive, together. In the case of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005 , all provisions other than Schedule 6, which comprises four (4) items, have been commenced. All provisions of the Social Welfare Act 2005, the Social Welfare Law Reform and Pensions Act 2006 and the Social Welfare Act 2006 have been commenced. In relation to...
- Written Answers — Citizens Information Legislation: Citizens Information Legislation (7 Nov 2007)
Martin Cullen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 193 and 197 together. Section 3 of the Citizens Information Act, 2007, which changed the name of the statutory body, came into force on 21 February 2007 when the Act was signed into law by the President. Sections 1, 2 and 4 (except insofar as it provides for the insertion of paragraph (bb) in section 7 (1) of the Comhairle Act, 2000), and sections 6, 7, 8, 9...
- Written Answers — Pensions Legislation: Pensions Legislation (7 Nov 2007)
Martin Cullen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 198 to 200, inclusive, together. All sections of the Pensions Act 1990 and the Pensions (Amendment) Act 1996 have been commenced. In relation to the Pensions (Amendment) Act 2002, section 3 of the Act has been commenced in full except in so far as it relates to the insertion of a new section 122 into the Pensions Act 1990. Sections 39 and 43 of the Pensions...
- Written Answers — Family Support Agency Legislation: Family Support Agency Legislation (7 Nov 2007)
Martin Cullen: The provisions of the Family Support Agency Act 2001 were enacted in full by the Family Support Agency Act, 2001 (Establishment Day) Order 2003 (S.I. No. 181 of 2003), which was enacted on 6 May 2003.
- Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (8 Nov 2007)
Martin Cullen: In order to qualify for a contributory pension a person must satisfy a range of conditions which include commencing payment of contributions 10 years before pension age, payment of a minimum of 260 contributions at an appropriate rate and reaching a minimum average annual contribution rate of at least 10 contributions paid or credited. An average of 48 contributions is needed for a full...
- Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (8 Nov 2007)
Martin Cullen: In line with the recommendations of the Final Report of the National Pensions Board, Section 12 of The Social Welfare Act 1997 (now incorporated in the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005) provides for amendments to the contribution conditions for the purposes of State contributory pensions. In accordance with the legislation, from April 2002 the paid contributions requirement was...
- Written Answers — Social Insurance: Social Insurance (8 Nov 2007)
Martin Cullen: An employed contributor is broadly defined as a person over the age of 16 years and under pensionable age who is in insurable employment. Insurable employment means employment in the State under any contract of service or apprenticeship, written or oral, whether expressed or implied. Employment contributions are calculated on employees reckonable earnings. For the purposes of collecting...
- Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (8 Nov 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 rate....
- Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (8 Nov 2007)
Martin Cullen: A new pension scheme, known as State Pension (Non-Contributory) was introduced in September 2006 and incorporated all means-tested schemes for people aged 66 or over. As part of this reform, the basic income disregard for the purposes of the means test for non-contributory pensions was increased to â¬20 per week and a new disregard on earnings from employment of â¬100 per week was...
- Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (8 Nov 2007)
Martin Cullen: Supporting and recognising carers in our society is, and has been, a priority of the Government since 1997. Over that period, weekly payment rates to carers have greatly increased, qualifying conditions for carer's allowance have significantly eased, coverage of the scheme has been extended and new schemes such as carer's benefit and the respite care grant have been introduced and extended....