Results 7,521-7,540 of 10,035 for speaker:Martin Cullen

Social Welfare Bill 2007: Second Stage (Resumed) (12 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: Get the councillors to oppose their estimates.

Social Welfare Bill 2007: Second Stage (Resumed) (12 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: I know it happens. Councillors should have a little more courage and say they will not to agree to it.

Social Welfare Bill 2007: Second Stage (Resumed) (12 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: That is no excuse. One makes choices, just as anybody in Government does.

Social Welfare Bill 2007: Second Stage (Resumed) (12 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: It is up to €17 billion.

Social Welfare Bill 2007: Second Stage (Resumed). (12 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: I thank all colleagues for their contributions to the debate on the first of the two social welfare Bills. There is a general welcome on all sides of the House for many of the proposed measures. This is important, as we seek to ensure those in society who need support are given that support and that we target resources to the less well-off. In recent years the Government has done...

Social Welfare Bill 2007: Second Stage (Resumed). (12 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: I will not argue the point, but I would like to see the ceilings change and will continue to consider this. As the Deputy can appreciate, because the base is already so high in many areas, even marginal movement can impose a huge cost on the taxpayer. However, I recognise the value of carers, as care in the home has a positive impact from the point of view of the State. I would like to see...

Social Welfare Bill 2007: Second Stage (Resumed). (12 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: No, it is more complex than that. Many issues come into play in that regard. Most seem to be happy with the current arrangement, although there are a few who are not. However, if they want to change the arrangement, we can facilitate them.

Social Welfare Bill 2007: Second Stage (Resumed). (12 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: There must be agreement, yes. There are historically complex issues involved.

Social Welfare Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: I appreciate the tradition in debates on the Social Welfare Bills is to table amendments in the same guise as Deputy Morgan's so as to create debate because Deputies are unable to table amendments that put a charge on the Exchequer. I do not mind this.

Social Welfare Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: The appropriateness of benchmarking social welfare rates has been actively considered for some time. In 2001, the Social Welfare Benchmarking and Indexation Group was established to examine the issues involved in developing a benchmark for the adequacy of adult and child social welfare payments. The group published its final report in September 2001 but did not achieve a consensus position...

Social Welfare Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: I am always in a good humour.

Social Welfare Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: The principle of the Deputy's suggestion is at work. I have given clear indications of how it is occurring, namely, through social partnership, NAPS inclusion and the targets set. I have also given clear indications of the figures at the time of the discussions and the current figures. The debate on the Green Paper on Pensions may provide the Deputy with clarity on the issue. The paper...

Social Welfare Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: As I said in my opening remarks, and Deputy Enright may have been the only Member in the House at the time, I accept that people can highlight different aspects of the social welfare package and look for substantial increases. That is all very well if one did not have to do what I have to do, which is to balance the budget across the spectrum and ensure we use the resources available to us,...

Social Welfare Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: It is in the €900 million additional budget package to the Estimates. It is clearly identified in budget 2008 in the breakdown of the costs of each of the different categories.

Social Welfare Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: I thought I did very well in getting over half the budget package. I cannot be expected to do better than that.

Social Welfare Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: The Deputy himself could get into government and become the Minister for Finance.

Social Welfare Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: It is easy to be imaginative if one has the money. An extra €10 per week payment is very laudable and with which no one will disagree. To implement such a provision would cost €118 million, a significant amount of money. It would have to be taken from another provision which would lead to a reduction in, say, the old age pension or other welfare payments. The balance we struck in...

Social Welfare Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: "Downturn" and "meltdown" do not fairly describe the economy. It is extremely strong and we are able to reflect that strength with this year's social welfare package. I am not referring specifically to Deputy Morgan but to those outside the House who present themselves as experts every day of the week. Some day in their lives they may get it right.

Social Welfare Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: Does the Deputy believe all the properties built over the past ten years should not have been built?

Social Welfare Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: If Sinn Féin did not object to everything at local government level, it would have worked out better.