Results 8,281-8,300 of 10,035 for speaker:Martin Cullen

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (17 Apr 2008)

Martin Cullen: The social welfare appeals system is quasi- judicial and the procedures involved are designed to ensure that every appellant gets full and satisfactory consideration. Accordingly, there is no time limit within which an appeal must be determined by that Office or within which an oral hearing must be heard. During 2007 the average time taken to process all appeals (i.e. those decided summarily...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (17 Apr 2008)

Martin Cullen: In order to qualify for a State Pension (Contributory) at the minimum rate payable, a yearly average of at least 10 contributions is needed. The person concerned has a yearly average of 8 contributions which is insufficient for a minimum payment of a State Pension (Contributory). As she worked for some time in the United States, the insurance records of both countries can be combined to...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (22 Apr 2008)

Martin Cullen: The Early Child care Supplement (ECS) scheme is under the remit of the office of the Minister for Children (OMC); the administration of the scheme is undertaken by the Department of Social and Family Affairs on an agency basis for the OMC. Under the relevant legislation the ECS payment is automatically made to the person who receives Child Benefit for the child. Child Benefit section...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (22 Apr 2008)

Martin Cullen: The supplementary welfare allowance scheme, which includes rent supplement, is administered on my behalf by the Community Welfare Service of the Health Service Executive (HSE). The purpose of rent supplement is to provide short-term income support to eligible tenants living in private rented accommodation whose means are insufficient to meet their accommodation costs and who do not have...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (22 Apr 2008)

Martin Cullen: The Health Service Executive (HSE) has advised that the position remains unchanged from that advised in my reply to Parliamentary Question No. 126 on 27th February 2008. The HSE advised at that time that no formal decision has been made on entitlement. The person concerned had been informed that she was unlikely to qualify for rent supplement as her rent was substantially in excess of the...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (22 Apr 2008)

Martin Cullen: The household benefits package, which comprises the electricity/gas allowance, telephone allowance and television licence schemes, is generally available to people living permanently in the State, aged 66 years or over, who are in receipt of a social welfare type payment or who satisfy a means test. The package is also available to carers in receipt of a carer's allowance and to people with...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (22 Apr 2008)

Martin Cullen: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that the appeal from the person concerned has been referred to an Appeals Officer who proposes to hold an oral hearing. The person concerned will be informed when arrangements have been made. The Social Welfare Appeals Office is an office of my Department that is independently responsible for determining appeals against decisions on social...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (22 Apr 2008)

Martin Cullen: It is government policy to facilitate the greater use of electronic payment systems in the economy in the interest of developing a world class payment environment in Ireland. In this context, the National Payments Implementation Program Advisory Group, under the aegis of the Department of An Taoiseach, monitors the growth in electronic payments, the reduction in cash transactions and any new...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (22 Apr 2008)

Martin Cullen: The principal child-centred income support is child benefit (CB). Others include the increase for a qualified child (IQC), paid in addition to social welfare payments and family income supplement, paid to low-income employees with children. In addition, the early child care supplement also makes a significant contribution to recipient families. For a number of years, government policy has...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (22 Apr 2008)

Martin Cullen: Rent supplement, which is administered on my behalf by the Health Service Executive (HSE) as part of the supplementary welfare allowance scheme, is subject to a limit on the amount of rent that an applicant may incur. Rent limits are set at levels per county that enable different eligible household types to secure and retain basic suitable rented accommodation, having regard to the different...

Written Answers — Legislative Programme: Legislative Programme (22 Apr 2008)

Martin Cullen: The material the Deputy seeks is available on the Oireachtas website. The website provides chronological information on the presentation and consideration by the Dáil and Seanad of all Bills and Acts, including those introduced by the Department from 1997 to date. The link to the information is www.oireachtas.ie and then continue to the legislation link. The names of the Ministers who have...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (22 Apr 2008)

Martin Cullen: The Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme, which is administered on my behalf by the community welfare division of the Health Service Executive (HSE), provides for the payment of a rent supplement to assist eligible people who are unable to provide for their immediate accommodation needs from their own resources and who do not have accommodation available to them from any other source....

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (22 Apr 2008)

Martin Cullen: The Department received notification from the surviving pensioner on 2nd April 2008, via her Solicitor, stating that there had been a change in her circumstances and notifying the Department that she no longer wished to claim or receive State Pension (Non Contributory). Following receipt of this notification her entitlement to Pension has been revoked and in the circumstances it has not been...

Written Answers — Departmental Advertising: Departmental Advertising (22 Apr 2008)

Martin Cullen: My Department uses a mix of advertising media including national and provincial newspapers, radio and television, information leaflets, fact sheets, posters and direct mailshots to ensure that people are aware of their social welfare entitlements and are notified about improvements and changes affecting their payments and services. The amount spent on advertising in any one year is...

Written Answers — Departmental Transport: Departmental Transport (22 Apr 2008)

Martin Cullen: The information requested by the Deputy in the earlier Parliamentary Question referred to the number of car park spaces available nationally to those working in my Department and in the bodies and agencies under the aegis of my Department; the annual cost of car park spaces rented by the Department and the bodies and agencies in question and for a statement on the matter. Staff of my...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (22 Apr 2008)

Martin Cullen: There are currently 246,000 customers in receipt of a State Pension (Contributory). Of these, some 37, 000 (15%) reside outside the State in some 63 countries. It is my Department's experience that the death of a State Pension (Contributory) recipient residing abroad is generally notified to the pension section, without delay, either by a spouse, a surviving relative or by a financial...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (22 Apr 2008)

Martin Cullen: The Department of Social and Family Affairs administers a scheme of grants under the general title of "Grants for the Development and Promotion of Information and Welfare Rights". The purpose of the scheme is to enable the Department to contribute towards the funding of a number of nationally-based information organisations, including those involved with advice to emigrants, and also to...

Written Answers — Registration of Deaths: Registration of Deaths (23 Apr 2008)

Martin Cullen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 170 and 171 together. The legislative provisions governing the registration of deaths are contained in the Civil Registration Act 2004. Section 38 of the Act makes provision for the registration in Ireland of the death of an Irish citizen domiciled in the State, which occurs outside the State in the following circumstances: (a) If there was not at the time of...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (23 Apr 2008)

Martin Cullen: Customers in receipt of Job Seekers Allowance can choose to collect their payment using a Social Services Card at the post office or by Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT) at a financial institution such as a Bank, Building Society or Credit Union. In February 2008, some 46,000 (51%) of Job Seekers Allowance recipients were paid using a Social Services Card at the post office. In addition, some...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (23 Apr 2008)

Martin Cullen: The Health Service Executive has advised that payment of rent supplement was suspended in this case pending a review of the financial circumstances of the person concerned. The Executive has further advised that it expects to be in a position shortly to complete its review and issue a written notification of its decision to the person concerned.