Results 7,621-7,640 of 10,035 for speaker:Martin Cullen

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (13 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: My Department, and the agencies under the aegis of the Department, i.e. the Citizens Information Board, Combat Poverty Agency, Family Support Agency, Pensions Ombudsman and Pensions Board, have not paid in advance for any works or services that will not be commenced before the end of the 2007 financial year (i.e. 31 December 2007). All procurements are carried out in accordance with EU...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (13 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: In order to qualify for a range of Social Welfare payments, including Child Benefit, applicants are required to satisfy the Habitual Residence condition (HRC), which was introduced on 1st May 2004. Since 1st January 2007, when Romania and Bulgaria joined the EU, nationals of those countries, who were not previously registered with the Department of Justice, Equality & Law Reform, are required...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (18 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: The social welfare system is designed to provide income supports and access to relevant services in a timely manner to all our customers. The system is neutral with regard to how it treats men and women; receipt of payment is generally dependent on contingency and other conditions being met. A person in receipt of a social welfare payment may claim an increase, known as a qualified adult...

Written Answers — Social Insurance: Social Insurance (18 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: I propose to take Question Nos. 313 and 330 together. The social welfare pension rights of those who take time out of the workforce for caring duties are protected by the Homemakers scheme which was introduced in and took effect from 1994. The scheme allows up to 20 years spent caring for children or incapacitated adults to be disregarded when a person's social insurance record is being...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (18 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 314 and 315 together. The concept of a parental allowance referred to by the Deputy was proposed in the Government discussion paper "Proposals for Supporting Lone Parents". The discussion paper put forward proposals for the introduction of a new social assistance payment for lone parents and other low income families with young children. It also proposed a...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (18 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: Where both members of a couple are claiming social welfare payments and one or both of the claimants is in receipt of jobseekers allowance (JA), farm assist or pre-retirement allowance their combined payments cannot exceed the amount which would be payable if only one person was being paid with an increase for a qualified adult dependant, where appropriate. In this situation one or both of...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (18 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: The Health Service Executive has advised that it has not received an application for rent supplement from the person concerned. It has further advised that the person concerned should contact the community welfare officer if he wishes to discuss his entitlement to rent supplement.

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (18 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: The person concerned applied for carer's allowance on 9 October 2007. The medical criteria for award of Carer's Allowance have been satisfied, and the case is being examined to determine that all other conditions for receipt of the allowance are satisfied. On completion of the necessary investigations a decision will be made and the person concerned will be notified directly of the outcome....

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (18 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: The person concerned applied for half rate carer's allowance on 5 October 2007. The case has been referred to my Department's Medical Assessor to determine if the medical criteria are satisfied; in addition the case is being examined to determine that all other conditions for receipt of the allowance are satisfied. On completion of the necessary investigations a decision will be made and the...

Written Answers — Pensions Ombudsman: Pensions Ombudsman (18 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: The establishment of a statutory agency to oversee the provision of services to families was first suggested in the report of the Commission on the Family in 1998, with the recommendation that the Family Mediation Service be established on a statutory footing. The Family Support Agency was established, with a wider remit, in 2003 under the terms of the Family Support Agency Act, 2001 to bring...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (18 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: Waiting days have been a feature of the illness benefit and jobseeker's payment schemes since their inception and are a feature of similar social security schemes in many countries. The application of a three-day waiting period avoids the disproportionately high administrative costs involved in processing large numbers of claims of a very short duration. However, the waiting day rule is not...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (18 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: The Health Service Executive (HSE) has advised that it has refused a payment of rent supplement in this case, in December 2006, on the grounds that the local housing authority has not certified that the person concerned has a genuine housing need. This decision was not appealed. It is open to the person concerned to lodge a new application for rent supplement with their local community...

Written Answers — Departmental Estimates: Departmental Estimates (18 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: The information requested is as follows: SUBHEAD X. – APPROPRIATIONS-IN-AID 2007 Estimate 2008 Estimate €000 €000 1. Recovery of administration expenses from the Social Insurance Fund 160,500 178,000 2. Recoveries of Social Assistance overpaid 9,400 9,000 3. Repayment from the Social Insurance Fund of amounts paid initially as Social Assistance 5,600 5,600 4. Receipts...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (18 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: Under the terms of the Free Travel scheme, a married or cohabiting pass holder may get a free travel pass that allows their spouse or partner to accompany them for free on public transport. The person concerned was in receipt of a single type pass since September 2004. This represented his correct entitlement until his recent marriage. A married type free travel pass issued to the customer...

Written Answers — Departmental Funding: Departmental Funding (18 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: The scheme of grants to voluntary organisations providing marriage, child and bereavement counselling and related supports is administered by the Family Support Agency. The focus of the scheme of grants is on the development of support services in the community for families, to enhance stability in family life and to assist families and their members deal with difficult periods which they...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (18 Dec 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 been greatly increased, qualifying conditions for carer's allowance have been 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...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (18 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: The back to school clothing and footwear allowance (BSCFA) scheme provides a one-off payment to eligible families to assist with the extra costs when their children start school each autumn. The Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance scheme was introduced in 1990. This scheme superseded the arrangements which had been in place since 1977 whereby child clothing and footwear payments...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (18 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: Family income supplement is the principal in-work income support for people in low-income employment. It is designed to provide an incentive to people with children, to remain in, or take up, employment rather than be fully welfare dependent. To qualify for payment, family income must be below the threshold applicable to the family size, which varies according to the number of qualified child...

Written Answers — Departmental Records: Departmental Records (18 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: Records of this nature are not maintained in my Department.

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (18 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: My Department provides a range of supports to parents, in particular mothers, which may impact on decisions regarding motherhood. In the context of measures to provide income support to mothers, child benefit and maternity benefit are the most direct financial provisions within the remit of my department. Child benefit, a universal payment, is paid in respect of children up to the age of 16...