Results 7,301-7,320 of 28,255 for speaker:Éamon Ó Cuív

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

Éamon Ó Cuív: My Department is currently engaged in an extensive multi-year programme of modernisation, involving fundamental redesign of its business processes and the supporting ICT infrastructure. This has already led to efficiencies and service improvements and also entails the enhancement of measures to further embed the implementation of a performance culture based on achieving outcomes. The...

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

Éamon Ó Cuív: Temporary staff are recruited by this Department to cover absences of permanent staff on maternity leave, long term sick leave, other statutory leave and also to provide cover for some staff availing of the shorter working year scheme. They are also recruited to alleviate work pressure in certain areas. Temporary contracts are offered for a fixed purpose and the term can vary according to the...

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

Éamon Ó Cuív: The Office of Public Works (OPW) has responsibility for the acquisition and maintenance of office accommodation for the Department of Social Protection. The Department has requested the OPW to give a high priority to the provision of a new local office to serve the Lucan area. Jobseeker claims for people living in the Lucan area are administered by the Social Welfare Local Office in...

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 25 August 2010. It is a statutory requirement of the appeals process that the relevant Departmental papers and comments by or on behalf of the Deciding Officer on the grounds of appeal be sought. These papers were received back in the Social Welfare Appeals Office on 23...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2010: Committee and Remaining Stages (17 Dec 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: We are providing for the technical feasibility to use electronic means for signing on. There are many technologies that could be used but a simple proposal we are likely to use is an electronic signing pad, where a person would physically come into the social welfare office to sign on a pad. If the machine is satisfied with the signature it will register that the person has signed. This...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2010: Committee and Remaining Stages (17 Dec 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The trial is to commence in 2011 with between 150 and 200 people; with approximately 300,000 people signing on in one form or another, the number is very small. We will select clients considered low risk. If we are to combat fraud we should consider people who are low and high risk, and we know from experience that perennially putting effort into low-risk people disperses efforts against...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2010: Committee and Remaining Stages (17 Dec 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The card will come into use.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2010: Committee and Remaining Stages (17 Dec 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I saw one of the new cards yesterday and they are basically of the same standard as a passport. To believe that one can get duplicate cards with the same face and signature registered electronically is like saying three or four passports can be obtained by one person at the passport office. Significant controls have been introduced with electronic issuing of passports to ensure that is not...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2010: Committee and Remaining Stages (17 Dec 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: As I explained in the Dáil, we are making provision to ensure every landlord will have to provide a PPS number. I have been very anxious to achieve this since I entered the Department. Other issues would arise if we were to take the step of requiring the presentation of a tax clearance certificate. The Minister of State, Deputy Finneran, and I are examining the rent supplement scheme as a...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2010: Committee and Remaining Stages (17 Dec 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Many issues were raised which I will try to address. The responsibility for setting and enforcing household standards rests with local authorities. If, however, a property is occupied by rent supplement tenants, it must meet the minimum standards. Regulations were introduced that allowed the HSE to refuse rent supplement for a property that does not reach the required standard. There is,...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2010: Committee and Remaining Stages (17 Dec 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I remember introducing a scheme in the Gaeltacht to include central heating in houses for older people. I would go into a house where there was a roaring fire but there was no thermal quality to the house and it would be perishing cold. There would be plenty of turf, probably enough to heat a much bigger house, but the heat all escaped. It is all about energy regulations. Our relationship...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2010: Committee and Remaining Stages (17 Dec 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: A good deal of what I want to address relates to the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government. Some of these changes will require legislative change. For example, the change to pay a landlord directly if that is the tenant's choice was made by writing an instruction to that effect to the community welfare officer. That option depends on each individual's circumstances....

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2010: Committee and Remaining Stages (17 Dec 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: All that legislation involves is writing rules through the Houses for the good of the people. If legislation is required, we should introduce it and if that has to be done on an incremental basis, so be it.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2010: Committee and Remaining Stages (17 Dec 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Yes, absolutely.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2010: Committee and Remaining Stages (17 Dec 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The issue of anti-social behaviour will have to be examined and it is part of what we will discuss. I will not accept the Deputy's amendment today but I would like to return to this matter as an issue that must be dealt with.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2010: Committee and Remaining Stages (17 Dec 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Existing legislation provides the HSE with the authority to refuse, suspend or terminate payment of a rent supplement in the case of a person who has been required to deliver up possession of a dwelling provided by a housing authority or an approved body where the reasons for that requirement include anti-social behaviour or the interests of good estate management. In regard to private rented...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2010: Committee and Remaining Stages (17 Dec 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The purpose of this section is to provide for certain circumstances. For example, as we discussed previously, certain people such as babies cannot provide signatures to register for a PPS number. Neither signatures nor photographs can be provided in respect of deceased persons. The section is to provide a facility to the Department whereby it is not required to obtain such information in...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2010: Committee and Remaining Stages (17 Dec 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Different organisations assess for different purposes. We discussed this point before. There is not a direct correlation between a specific disability and a person's ability to work. The scheme is based on ability to work. I gave the very simple example of one of our Oireachtas colleagues in the other House who has a very obvious disability but who can perfectly perform his function as a...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2010: Committee and Remaining Stages (17 Dec 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I do not wish to be too leadránach on this point. It is often the case that a person sends in medical certification only to be refused a benefit. The person will argue he or she has the medical condition but the point in the legislation is being missed. I do not mean to say the Department disputes the person's medical condition but it disputes whether that condition prevents the person...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2010: Committee and Remaining Stages (17 Dec 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The Deputy's amendment provides that An Foras Áiseanna Saothair would provide a strategy, but given that it will be subsumed into the Department, it will not be able to publish such a strategy.