Results 7,281-7,300 of 28,255 for speaker:Éamon Ó Cuív

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2010: Second Stage (15 Dec 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: We are not.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2010: Second Stage (15 Dec 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: That is not the case.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2010: Second Stage (15 Dec 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Gabhaim buíochas leis an Seanadóirí ar fad a labhair ar an mBille. Dúradh go leor rudaí spéisiúla. I thank all the Senators who contributed. I am sure they do not want me to go back over all the points they raised but there are a few issues on which I wish to touch. There is much talk about emigration. I checked outward migration figures, which I do not have with me but which I can...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2010: Second Stage (15 Dec 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: No, as nothing wrong ever happens in County Westmeath, but it happens in the rest of the country. The issue must be dealt with. There is no point in having local authority houses empty and the State paying on the double. We must tackle the problem. The payment of rent supplement interferes with people's ability to take up jobs because of the way the scheme is structured. It should only be...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2010: Second Stage (15 Dec 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: There is a lot of potential for reform and the Minister of State, Deputy Finneran, and I are dealing with the issue. We hope to produce a headline agenda. I hope the House will consider the small changes to be made with regard to PPS numbers as one small step in introducing a comprehensive set of reforms. I have always believed in the jigsaw approach, with many small pieces forming a...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2010: Second Stage (15 Dec 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: If we have a system that makes such practices nearly impossible, we can be almost sure they will not be followed. Assisting people to get back to work and return to education in order that they will not sit on jobseeker's payments is very important to me. All of the medical and sociological evidence indicates that unemployment is very bad for people, for whom it is not a natural state. In...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2010: Second Stage (15 Dec 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: If he did, he did not speak to me about it. I thought I mentioned in September the approximately 10,000 places which many believed had disappeared. People said I had forgotton about them, had not succeeded or was in trouble. I love to say when people have given up that I have got something. We should now fill these places. I was a little surprised by the comments made on the disability...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2010: Second Stage (15 Dec 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: These are the circumstances experienced by real people, those who visit our clinics, and they do not conform to some sociological theory. Under the proposal, a person will be able to avail of an exemption for one year for training and so forth. If, at some point during this year, he or she wishes to work, a medical assessment as opposed to a social or other form of assessment will be done....

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2010: Second Stage (15 Dec 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: It will be done by the Department. I have asked the Joint Committee on Social Protection to invite the chief medical officer of the Department, who is an expert on occupational medicine, to come before it to explain in detail how the medical assessment is carried out. Senator McFadden should note, however, that the Department already makes a fine call when deciding whether an applicant is...

Written Answers — Departmental Programmes: Departmental Programmes (16 Dec 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The contracts with all 445 service providers funded by the Community Services Programme will expire at the end of December 2010. Contracts for up to three years from the 1st January 2011 are being offered to the service providers approved. These contracts are subject to satisfactory performance of the contract holders and the continued eligibility of services provided and the annual...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (16 Dec 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 22 September 2010 together with the relevant Departmental papers and comments by or on behalf of the Deciding Officer and have since been referred to an Appeals Officer who will decide whether the case can be decided on a summary basis or whether to list it for oral...

Written Answers — Ministerial Appointments: Ministerial Appointments (16 Dec 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The three statutory bodies operating under the aegis of the Department are the Social Welfare Tribunal, the Citizens Information Board and the Pensions Board. In addition, the Pensions Ombudsman comes under the remit of the Department. As Minister for Social Protection, I appointed the chairperson of the Pensions Board on 28 June 2010. This is the only appointment to the boards of any of the...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (16 Dec 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I propose to take Questions Nos. 274 and 275 together. The information requested by the Deputy in not available on a county basis.

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (16 Dec 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I am informed by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an appeal, for the person concerned, has not been received by that office. A form for the opening of an appeal has been forwarded to the person concerned and requesting him to state the grounds for his appeal. On receipt of his reply the appeal will be opened and processed in the normal manner. The Social Welfare Appeals Office...

Written Answers — Departmental Funding: Departmental Funding (16 Dec 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The total estimated budget allocation for the Free Travel scheme for 2010 was €77 million. This includes an allocation to Pobal of € 1.5 million for funding to Rural Transport Programmes throughout Ireland. The estimated provision for 2011 is also €77 million and the apportionment of this funding will not be available until early in the New Year. Participation in the Free Travel...

Written Answers — Community Development: Community Development (16 Dec 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I have in recent days approved the offer of funding for this co-operative to contribute to the cost of employing a manager and four and a half full-time equivalent staff members for three years from the 1st January 2011. As indicated in my reply of 30th November 2010, the contract is subject to satisfactory performance of the services, continued provision of resources for the Community...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (16 Dec 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The Department has been accepting new claims for Domiciliary Care Allowance (DCA) since the 1 st of April 2009. This follows the transfer of the scheme from the Health Service Executive on foot of a Government decision to reallocate certain functions between Departments and Agencies as part of the health service reform programme. In the period 1st April 2009 to 31st December 2009 a total...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (16 Dec 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The Health Service Executive (HSE) has advised that they have requested additional information in relation to the application for mortgage interest supplement from the person in question. A decision will be made on this application when the information has been provided.

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (16 Dec 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The purpose of the rent supplement scheme is to provide short-term 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. Details of expenditure on rent supplement are not available on a county basis.

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (16 Dec 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I propose to take Questions Nos. 283 to 285, inclusive, together. Expenditure on illness benefit and injury benefit under the scheme of occupational injuries benefits is not recorded on a geographic basis. Accordingly, the information requested by the Deputy is not available.