Results 7,561-7,580 of 10,035 for speaker:Martin Cullen

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

Martin Cullen: It is a fact regardless of one's age. A person does not need to be old for the costs to be different. Throughout life the costs are greater for someone living alone than sharing with others.

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

Martin Cullen: The difference between us is either a policy difference or we are involved in semantics and optics. I will try to put it this way. Either the Opposition Deputies believe we should not have raised old age pensions to the level we have——

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

Martin Cullen: It is not a cheap shot.

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

Martin Cullen: It is not. It is the opposite side——

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

Martin Cullen: The Deputy is the one playing the games, not me.

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

Martin Cullen: I deal with pensioners at clinics, as does the Deputy. The general view among them is that the approach taken of substantially increasing pension rates across the system has been right. The Deputy is suggesting that for the optics we should not have increased them by as much.

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

Martin Cullen: I did not interrupt the Deputy.

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

Martin Cullen: The Deputy is being disingenuous. The correct approach in this regard adopted by Fianna Fáil-led Governments since 1997 has been to look after all pensioners in a very substantive way, which has been of considerable benefit to people living alone. The increase has been far greater by addressing the overall pension position than simply concentrating on the living alone allowance. The...

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

Martin Cullen: The figures are blindingly obvious.

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

Martin Cullen: The Deputy's argument is that we should have kept the overall pension rates down and for optics' sake increased the living alone allowance. As a policy principle——

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

Martin Cullen: I am being honest with the Deputy.

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

Martin Cullen: I am being perfectly straightforward and honest with the Deputy.

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

Martin Cullen: The Deputy is arguing that to have increased the living alone allowance would have been far better than increasing the overall pension position. We took an approach of substantially increasing the overall pension position for both the couple and the individual. The benefit to the individual has been considerably greater than it would have been if we had simply moved the pro rata basis of...

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

Martin Cullen: I disagree.

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

Martin Cullen: I considered this issue and I had a choice. I could have increased the living alone allowance and kept the pension levels at a reduced figure. It was a simple choice in many respects. The Government took the view that overall benefit to all pensioners, including people living on their own, is the best way to achieve the best outcome, which is what we have done.

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

Martin Cullen: I know what the Deputy is talking about.

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

Martin Cullen: As Deputy Enright said, we have discussed this matter at some length in recent weeks. I do not think either of us has much more to add to it. I accept that some issues have arisen. We know this from our dealings with those who come to see us at our clinics. The review of the rent payment system, which runs from January 2007 to June 2008, is up and running. In the next few months we will...

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

Martin Cullen: It will kick in after June 2008. I think the new regime has to come into effect at that time. As the review finishes in June, it might be July by the time we receive the report. I do not want to mislead the House.

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

Martin Cullen: We have discussed this matter at some length. I understand Deputy Enright's point. It is important that we understand the reason for the introduction of the habitual residence condition in May 2004. It was introduced to ensure people who had not worked in Ireland, or had not established habitual residence in Ireland, could not avail of assistance schemes across the system, including the...

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

Martin Cullen: No.