Results 7,761-7,780 of 10,035 for speaker:Martin Cullen

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (12 Feb 2008)

Martin Cullen: The Health Service Executive has confirmed that the person concerned was advised that payment of rent supplement would be suspended on the grounds that it had been unable to establish to its satisfaction the household income or household composition. The Executive has advised that the person concerned has asked that her claim be reviewed by another officer, and if appropriate an Appeals...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (12 Feb 2008)

Martin Cullen: The Health Service Executive has advised that the person concerned was initially awarded a rent supplement in excess of the rent limits appropriate to her family size. The payment was made as an exceptional measure and on a temporary basis to allow the opportunity of securing alternative accommodation. The person concerned was advised of the decision to terminate rent supplement with effect...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (12 Feb 2008)

Martin Cullen: The Health Service Executive has advised that an application for assistance under the supplementary allowance scheme has not been received from the person concerned. However, the person was advised informally that in order to process a rent supplement claim, an assessment of housing need by her local housing authority would be required. It is open to the person concerned to make an...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (12 Feb 2008)

Martin Cullen: The Department of Social and Family Affairs has no role with regard to the concessionary fares schemes which ferry companies or any other transport operators may choose to extend to their customers. The Department does operate the free travel scheme which provides free travel on the main public and private transport services for those eligible under the scheme. These include road, rail and...

Written Answers — General Register Office: General Register Office (12 Feb 2008)

Martin Cullen: The General Register Office (GRO) is the central repository for records of life events in the State, including records relating to legal domestic adoption. The primary function of the Civil Registration Service is to facilitate the civil registration of life events and to provide certified copies of entries in registers of such life events on application from clients. The GRO also provides...

Written Answers — Official Languages: Official Languages (12 Feb 2008)

Martin Cullen: There are no plans to recognise sign language as an official language of the State. However, sign language has formal recognition in the Education Act 1998. Under the Act, it is a function of the Minister for Education and Science to ensure, subject to the provisions of the Act, that there is made available to each person resident in the State, including a person with a disability or who...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (12 Feb 2008)

Martin Cullen: At the end of 2007 there were 59,726 persons in receipt of rent supplement. This includes 20,498 recipients in Dublin. Expenditure on rent supplement in 2007 was €391.2 million.

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (12 Feb 2008)

Martin Cullen: REACH, the Unit established in my Department to provide e-services across the public service, currently employs 20 agency workers to provide various services on a short-term contract basis. The Citizens Information Board currently employs 2 agency workers for the purpose of filling short-term vacancies.

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (12 Feb 2008)

Martin Cullen: The Health Service Executive has confirmed that it has received an application for rent supplement from the persons concerned on 23rd January 2008. The Executive has advised that it has requested documentation indicating the employment status of the members of the household but this has not been received to date. If the persons concerned contact the community welfare officer dealing with the...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (12 Feb 2008)

Martin Cullen: Any person who is receiving a Social Welfare or Health Service Executive payment and who has been prescribed a special diet as a result of a specified medical condition, and whose means are insufficient to meet his/her needs, may qualify for a diet supplement under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme. The amount of diet supplement payable in individual cases is calculated by assessing...

Written Answers — Data Protection: Data Protection (12 Feb 2008)

Martin Cullen: The only such devices reported lost or stolen in recent years were: 2002 — One Laptop computer — while staff member was on public transport 2004 — One Laptop — house break-in 2006 — Two laptops — one house break-in and one car break-in 2007 — One laptop — house break-in While laptop computers, can be used to remote access customer information, such data is not retained on the...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (12 Feb 2008)

Martin Cullen: The Health Service Executive has advised that it suspended payment of rent supplement when it became aware that the person concerned had commenced full-time employment. Those engaged in employment of 30 hours or more per week are disqualified from payment of rent supplement. However, if a claimant is accepted by a local authority as being in need of accommodation under the rental...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (12 Feb 2008)

Martin Cullen: The person concerned applied for Disability Allowance on 13 April 2006. His claim was refused on 8 June 2006 as it was found that the income derived from his spouse's earnings was in excess of the statutory limit for entitlement to a Disability Allowance. His claim was subsequently reviewed when revised Regulations came into effect on 26 September 2007 amending the rules for assessing...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (12 Feb 2008)

Martin Cullen: From September 2006, a specific additional earnings disregard of €100 per week (now €200 per week) was introduced where the pensioner is in employment, i.e. working for an employer. This disregard is intended as an incentive to non-contributory pensioners to continue working, or to re-enter the workforce after reaching pension age. This disregard does not apply to income from any other...

Written Answers — Data Protection: Data Protection (12 Feb 2008)

Martin Cullen: The five statutory bodies operating under the aegis of my Department are the Pensions Board, the Combat Poverty Agency, the Citizens Information Board (formerly Comhairle), the Family Support Agency and the Social Welfare Tribunal. In addition the Pensions Ombudsman comes under the remit of my Department. The Pensions Ombudsman's Office had a laptop stolen in 2004, there has been no loss of...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (12 Feb 2008)

Martin Cullen: The Health Service Executive has advised that following a review of the means of the person concerned, the amount of rent supplement payable was reduced on foot of income from maintenance payments. The Executive has further advised that this decision was appealed to its designated appeals officer on 21st December 2007 but the original decision of the community welfare office was upheld on...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (12 Feb 2008)

Martin Cullen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 375 and 376 together. The deserted wife's benefit (DWB) scheme was closed off to new applications with effect from 2 January 1997, when one-parent family payment (OFP) was introduced. Thereafter, both lone parents and deserted wives with qualified children are supported under the OFP, with the resultant increases in income limits being focused on the OFP...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (12 Feb 2008)

Martin Cullen: The living alone increase is an additional payment of €7.70 per week made to people aged 66 years or over who are in receipt of certain social welfare payments and who are living alone. It is also available to people who are under 66 years of age who are living alone and receiving payments under one of a number of invalidity type schemes. This additional payment is intended as a...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (12 Feb 2008)

Martin Cullen: The following table sets out the number of recipients and expenditure on mortgage interest supplement in 2007. Recipients and Expenditure(1) on Mortgage Interest Supplement and Local Authority Mortgage Interest Supplement, 2007 Private Mortgage Interest Supplement Local Authority Mortgage Interest Supplement Year Recipients â'¬000 Recipients â'¬000 2007 3,712 11,620 399 575 (1)...

Written Answers — Departmental Programmes: Departmental Programmes (12 Feb 2008)

Martin Cullen: The Document, Record and Information Management (DRIM) programme is a key part of my Department's Modernisation Action Plan. The programme was initiated in 2005 to transform radically the way the business of the Department is carried out. The Department aims to have all documents, records and information easily accessible, usable and managed in a manner that satisfies all stakeholders. The...