Results 8,061-8,080 of 10,035 for speaker:Martin Cullen

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2008: Committee and Remaining Stages (6 Mar 2008)

Martin Cullen: There are significant human resources throughout the system and the country in the offices that deal with these people daily. Senator McFadden is correct. I welcome her support. Cross-party support is evident for this scheme which we are trying to finalise. As Senator McFadden is aware, there are different views among stakeholders as to how we achieve our aim. We are trying to use the...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2008: Committee and Remaining Stages (6 Mar 2008)

Martin Cullen: Currently, 40 facilitators are in place and another 30 will be added this year to make a total of 70. This is a gradual process. I will not pretend to the Senator that we can do it all overnight. It is clear there are many people who will not be able to do some of the things at a particular point in time. It is necessary to look at the cohort and see how one can facilitate the movement of...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2008: Committee and Remaining Stages (6 Mar 2008)

Martin Cullen: I appreciate what the Senator said. All colleagues have welcomed the fact that the carers' strategy is under way. We want to get it completed. It is also very much focused on the Towards 2016 agreement and the social partnership process. The Taoiseach's Department is chairing it and it is already sitting and examining the issues. The issues the Senator mentioned, and many more, are...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2008: Committee and Remaining Stages (6 Mar 2008)

Martin Cullen: I cannot put the laying of a report before the House into legislation, however I accept the sentiment. As the Senator knows, the domiciliary care allowance and other changes have been made between my Department and the Department of Health and Children, where we are taking them on board. Yesterday I told the Senator we will take on the customers on an "as is" basis and see how we develop it...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2008: Committee and Remaining Stages (6 Mar 2008)

Martin Cullen: I thank the Senators on all sides of the House for their contributions to the Social Welfare Bill. We have had a very worthwhile discussion on the two Bills, one before Christmas and this second Bill. I sincerely hope some of the changes we have spoken on, particularly on lone parents, will form some of the basis of the legislative changes we will be able to make next year and that we will...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (11 Mar 2008)

Martin Cullen: A child benefit claim was received from the person concerned in October 2006. Following correspondence with the person concerned, it has now been confirmed that the child is residing in Ireland on a permanent basis since September 2007. Child Benefit has been awarded from 1 October 2007 and payment will be lodged to the person's nominated bank account on 1 April 2008. Further...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (11 Mar 2008)

Martin Cullen: The supplementary welfare allowance scheme, which includes mortgage interest supplement, is administered on my behalf by the Community Welfare division of the Health Service Executive. A mortgage interest supplement provides short-term income support to eligible people who are unable to meet their mortgage interest repayments in respect of a house which is their sole place of residence. The...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (11 Mar 2008)

Martin Cullen: Credited contributions, or 'credits' as they are termed, are intended to protect the entitlements, particularly the pension rights, of employees and other persons participating in the social insurance system when they are ill or unemployed. A person who is providing full time care and attention as a carer is awarded credits on the same basis as if they were out of the workforce due to...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Fraud: Social Welfare Fraud (11 Mar 2008)

Martin Cullen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 322 to 328, inclusive, together. The prevention of fraud and abuse of the social welfare system is an integral part of the day-to-day work of my Department. A key objective of my Department's control strategy is to ensure that the right person is paid the right amount of money at the right time. My Department undertakes surveys of the levels of fraud and...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (11 Mar 2008)

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 — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (11 Mar 2008)

Martin Cullen: My Department did not incur any expenditure due to archaeological works/survey in 2007 and to date in 2008.

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (11 Mar 2008)

Martin Cullen: Under the social welfare rules where a person in receipt of a payment dies, the payment may continue to the spouse or partner for a period of six weeks after death. The same applies where a person for whom an increase in payment is being made dies, for example, a spouse/partner or child. In these circumstances, that increase in payment continues to be paid to the main claimant for six weeks....

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (11 Mar 2008)

Martin Cullen: The number of civil servants in my Department who have attended courses on stress management in the workplace between 2005 and 2007 was 1054, broken down as follows: 2005:164 2006: 640 2007: 250 Employee welfare is a high priority for my Department and stress management courses and talks, provided by the Department's Staff Development Unit and its Employee Assistance Service, form part of a...

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

Martin Cullen: The supplementary welfare allowance scheme, which includes rent supplement, is administered on my behalf by the Community Welfare Service (CWS) of the Health Service Executive. The person concerned is in receipt of a reduced One-Parent Family Payment (OFP). The CWS has advised that she also has a maintenance payment in addition to her OFP. Consequently, rent supplement is being paid at a...

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

Martin Cullen: There is no discrimination on grounds of nationality in social welfare legislation and to introduce such a provision would be contrary to the equality principles that Ireland has adopted in our own equality legislation, the Treaties of the European Community and the Charter of Fundamental Rights, and other international conventions. The criteria that have been incorporated into the social...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (13 Mar 2008)

Martin Cullen: Following receipt of further information from the person concerned on 7 March 2008 regarding his self-employment status, a Deciding Officer re-assessed his weekly means as nil from 28 January 2008. This assessment entitles him to a jobseeker's allowance payment at the maximum weekly rate, which in his case, is €425.10 from that date. A first payment, including arrears, will issue to him...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (13 Mar 2008)

Martin Cullen: My Department has consistently publicised the FIS scheme in order to maximise uptake by qualified families. Significant improvements in the qualifying income limits and ongoing awareness campaigns have resulted in a strong upward trend in the level of new claims and, consequently, in claims for renewals. Entitlement to FIS is based on an applicant satisfying a means test and on...

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (13 Mar 2008)

Martin Cullen: Under the current decentralisation programme, the Department's Information and Communications Technology Division (ICT) is designated to relocate to Drogheda. The Office of Public Works (OPW) is charged with securing accommodation in Drogheda for this Department. That Office have advised that they have purchased sites in Drogheda to accommodate the Department's Headquarters Staff, a new...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (13 Mar 2008)

Martin Cullen: The Health Service Executive has advised that the person concerned made an application for a mortgage interest supplement in January 2008. Documentation indicating current employment status was requested from him but has not been provided to date. The person concerned should contact the community welfare officer dealing with the application in question and provide the relevant documentation...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (13 Mar 2008)

Martin Cullen: The Health Service Executive has advised that the persons concerned were refused a mortgage interest supplement on the grounds that their means were in excess of the limits prescribed having regard to their personal circumstances. It is open to them to appeal this decision to the Executive's Appeals Office. The Executive has further advised that it has not received an application from the...