Results 20,981-21,000 of 28,255 for speaker:Éamon Ó Cuív

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (15 Dec 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The purpose of rent supplement is to provide short-term support to eligible people living in private rented accommodation, whose means are insufficient to meet their accommodation costs and who do not have accommodation available to them from any other source. Since 2005 the number of individuals in receipt of a rent supplement payment has increased from 60,176 to over 97,000 today. During...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (15 Dec 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The Treatment Benefit Scheme will continue to operate in 2011 as it did in 2010, whereby an annual dental examination and bi-annual optical examination are avail able free of charge to qualified customers. The Medical Appliance scheme remains unchanged. The Department will pay up to half the cost of purchase or repair of a hearing aid on behalf of qualified customers, subject to a fixed...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (15 Dec 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: These savings will be made through enhanced controls including the introduction of the Public Service Card, electronics signing, implementation of the Social Welfare Miscellaneous Act (1) 2010 and other structural reforms largely based on the proposals in the three policy documents published by my department recently. These policy documents are as follows; · A Policy and Value for Money...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2010: Second Stage (15 Dec 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: It is 50%.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2010: Second Stage (15 Dec 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: It is the case that the tenant owns the money. The tenant has the choice and can chose to have the Department pay the landlord directly. We always leave the tenant in control because he or she is the person who identifies and procures the accommodation. The tenant may pay the supplement to the landlord or else the Department can pay it to the landlord. The tenant chooses the method and...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2010: Second Stage (15 Dec 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The Labour Party were looking for tax certificates. We are only looking for PPS numbers.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2010: Second Stage (15 Dec 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Where is the person from?

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2010: Second Stage (15 Dec 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The person is Irish.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2010: Second Stage (15 Dec 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Did the person return for good?

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2010: Second Stage (15 Dec 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Then there is no problem.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2010: Second Stage (15 Dec 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I have asked the Department to conduct an urgent habitual residency claim appeal because there is no supplementary welfare payable. The problem is quite simple. Refusal for habitual residence happens in most cases because the person states he or she is returning temporarily. If the person returns permanently there should be no problem. I will examine the case.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2010: Second Stage (15 Dec 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: We cannot interfere with the appeals office. There is a lot of misinformation. I cannot discriminate between anybody of EU nationality coming here temporarily to care. However, when I invariably look at the Irish cases which are refused it is because they have stated they are returning temporarily to look after a relative. That is the problem with regard to the habitual residence claim as...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2010: Second Stage (15 Dec 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Then the full record must be checked.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2010: Second Stage (15 Dec 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: And they were baptised in the same church on the same day. We do not work on baptism certificates, rather on birth registration, so it is irrelevant if they were baptised 15 times in 15 different churches on the one day. It does not make a blind bit of difference, but we hear this story again and again. And everyone knows the priest who did it and found out who happened to be at the two...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2010: Second Stage (15 Dec 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I think we could write a book on all these.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2010: Second Stage (15 Dec 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: It will not.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2010: Second Stage (15 Dec 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: We are not.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2010: Second Stage (15 Dec 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: That is not the case.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2010: Second Stage (15 Dec 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Gabhaim buíochas leis an Seanadóirí ar fad a labhair ar an mBille. Dúradh go leor rudaí spéisiúla. I thank all the Senators who contributed. I am sure they do not want me to go back over all the points they raised but there are a few issues on which I wish to touch. There is much talk about emigration. I checked outward migration figures, which I do not have with me but which I can...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2010: Second Stage (15 Dec 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: No, as nothing wrong ever happens in County Westmeath, but it happens in the rest of the country. The issue must be dealt with. There is no point in having local authority houses empty and the State paying on the double. We must tackle the problem. The payment of rent supplement interferes with people's ability to take up jobs because of the way the scheme is structured. It should only be...