Results 2,081-2,100 of 10,035 for speaker:Martin Cullen

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (27 Feb 2008)

Martin Cullen: Where people on low incomes have particular medical conditions or dietary requirements, diet supplements are available through the supplementary welfare allowance scheme which is administered on my behalf by the Community Welfare division of the Health Service Executive. Expenditure on diet supplements in 2007 amounted to €5.5m with over 10,000 people benefiting. In that regard, the...

Written Answers — Anti-Poverty Strategy: Anti-Poverty Strategy (27 Feb 2008)

Martin Cullen: Access to a healthy diet and tackling food poverty is a clear priority for this Government and the approach being adopted is linked to a wide range of policy initiatives which are reinforced in the Agreed Programme for Government. Towards 2016 contains targets relating to the development of the Schools Meals Programme, a new Health Promotion Policy and action on children's food poverty and...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (26 Feb 2008)

Martin Cullen: My Department operates 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 ferry services provided by companies such as Bus Átha Cliath, Bus Éireann and Iarnród Éireann, as well as Luas and services provided by over 80 private transport operators. Airlink Services are not...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (26 Feb 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. The purpose of the rent supplement scheme is to provide short-term income support to eligible people living in private rented accommodation whose means are insufficient to meet their accommodation costs and who do not have...

Written Answers — General Register Office: General Register Office (26 Feb 2008)

Martin Cullen: I presume that the Deputy is referring to the clearance of foreign divorces in respect of persons who are proposing to remarry in this country. Statistics of the kind referred to by the Deputy are not routinely maintained. However, the statistics sought are currently being compiled in the General Register Office and these will be made available to the Deputy as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (26 Feb 2008)

Martin Cullen: It is a fundamental principle of our social insurance system that those qualifying for benefits must satisfy a range of contribution and other conditions. In the case of contributory pensions, this involves commencing payment of contributions 10 years before pension age, payment of a minimum number of contributions at an appropriate rate and reaching a minimum average annual contribution...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Offices: Social Welfare Offices (26 Feb 2008)

Martin Cullen: As provided for in my Department's Modernisation Action Plan, a strategic review of customer facing services is being undertaken this year. The terms of reference for this review provide, inter alia, for recommendations in relation to the criteria to be used to determine the locations in which my Department should have a Local Office or Branch Office presence. The position in relation to...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (26 Feb 2008)

Martin Cullen: The person concerned applied for carer's allowance on 12 October 2007. The case has been referred to an Investigative Officer of my Department to determine that all the conditions for receipt of the allowance are satisfied. On 22 February 2008, an interim decision issued, refusing the claim on the grounds that full time care and attention is not required in this case. The person concerned...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (26 Feb 2008)

Martin Cullen: My Department assists and encourages the unemployed, particularly the long term unemployed, lone parents and other social welfare recipients to return to training or education through a range of measures administered by my Department's social and family support service. These measures include the payment of income support through the back to education allowance scheme, the back to work...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (26 Feb 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 that enable eligible household types to secure and retain basic suitable rented accommodation, having regard to the different rental market...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (26 Feb 2008)

Martin Cullen: The supplementary welfare allowance scheme (SWA), which includes rent supplement, is administered on my behalf by the community welfare division of the Health Service Executive. The table below shows the administration cost of the SWA scheme for 2005, 2006 and 2007. Year Amount â'¬m 2005 47.3 2006 51.4 2007 57.2 Payment is made in respect of the total cost incurred in administering...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Fraud: Social Welfare Fraud (26 Feb 2008)

Martin Cullen: Rent Supplement is administered on my behalf by the community welfare service of the Health Service Executive (HSE), as part of the supplementary welfare allowance scheme. Where the HSE becomes aware that a person receiving a supplementary allowance is not entitled to that allowance, the payment may be stopped and an overpayment may be raised. Any overpayment of allowance incurred in...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (26 Feb 2008)

Martin Cullen: The following table shows the number of recipients of rent supplement at the end of the years 2005, 2006 and 2007. Recipients of Rent Supplement — 2005, 2006 and 2007 Year Recipients 2005 60,176 2006 59,861 2007 59,726

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (26 Feb 2008)

Martin Cullen: The Department of Education and Science has a range of programmes for people wishing to return to education which provide supports for people participating in certain education programmes funded by VECs. That Department has overall responsibility for coordination of the expansion of adult education provided for in the Programme for Government. The back to education allowance (BTEA),...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (26 Feb 2008)

Martin Cullen: It is government policy to facilitate the greater use of electronic payment systems in the economy in the interests of developing a world class payments 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...

Written Answers — Departmental Transport: Departmental Transport (26 Feb 2008)

Martin Cullen: My Department has a contract with National Radio Cabs for the provision of a taxi service in the Dublin area. This company has 780 taxis in its fleet, 80 of which are wheelchair accessible. I understand this company encourages its drivers when changing vehicles to take accessibility issues into consideration. It operates a waiting list for those wishing to join the company and gives...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (26 Feb 2008)

Martin Cullen: I am advised that the Social Welfare Appeals Office receives in excess of 14,000 appeals each year and that the provision of a prompt service remains a major customer service objective of that Office. Available resources are prioritized to the greatest possible extent so as to achieve the best possible standard of service to its customers. At the same time, however, it is necessary to ensure...

Written Answers — Social Insurance: Social Insurance (26 Feb 2008)

Martin Cullen: The majority of Irish citizens now have a PPS number and since the modernisation of civil registration in 2003, all children born in the Republic of Ireland are automatically issued with a PPS number following the registration of the birth. The Department has, for some time, been encountering attempted abuses of the PPS registration process. In order to combat fraudulent activity of this...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (21 Feb 2008)

Martin Cullen: Credited contributions, or credits as they are termed, are social insurance contributions which are awarded to an insured person without a Pay Related Social Insurance (PRSI) payment being received from that person. Credits are awarded in circumstances such as unemployment or illness, and their purpose is to help protect the social insurance entitlement of insured persons during periods when...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (21 Feb 2008)

Martin Cullen: The Department is implementing a three year strategy to change paper based payment instruments to electronic payments at post offices and financial institutions. The programme is being implemented on a phased basis to coincide with book renewal production schedules and as personalised payable order books expire. Concerns have been raised about the position of customers who use "agents" to...