Results 21,441-21,460 of 28,255 for speaker:Éamon Ó Cuív

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (23 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The supplementary welfare allowance scheme provides for a weekly or monthly supplement to be paid in respect of rent or mortgage interest to any person in the State whose means are insufficient to meet their needs. The supplementary welfare allowance scheme is administered by the community welfare service of the Health Service Executive on behalf of the Department. The purpose of the rent...

Written Answers — Social Insurance: Social Insurance (23 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: In addition, information regarding the scheme was circulated through a number of agencies including Forfás, the Small firms Association and IBEC. Information was also disseminated to the 3,754 people who have subscribed (free of charge) to the Department of Social Protection's PRSI mailing list. This mailing list primarily comprises employers and tax practitioners. Up to 19 November 2010,...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (23 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: My Department provides a number of supports to assist people who find themselves unemployed, which range from primary payments, such as jobseeker's benefit and assistance, to additional supports such as mortgage interest supplement, exceptional needs payments and back to school allowance. The mortgage interest supplement scheme provides short term income support to eligible people who are...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (23 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that the appeal from the person concerned was referred to an Appeals Officer who proposes to hold an oral hearing in this case. The person concerned will be informed when arrangements have been made. In order to be fair to all appellants, oral hearings are arranged in strict chronological order. There was a 46% increase in the number of...

Written Answers — Departmental Schemes: Departmental Schemes (23 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The back to education allowance (BTEA) scheme is a second chance education opportunities scheme designed to remove the barriers to participation in second and third level education by enabling eligible people on social welfare to continue to receive a payment while pursuing an approved full-time education course that leads to a higher qualification than that already held. With effect from...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (23 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The NFS1 application form is used by customers to apply for the national fuel scheme. This scheme is intended to help households that depend on long-term social welfare or Health Service Executive payments and are unable to pay for their own heating. The application form directs customers to send the completed form to the section of the Department that pays them. Customers in receipt of...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (23 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that the appeal from the person concerned was referred to an Appeals Officer who proposes to hold an oral hearing in this case. The person concerned will be informed when arrangements have been made. In order to be fair to all appellants, oral hearings are arranged in strict chronological order. There was a 46% increase in the number of...

Written Answers — Departmental Schemes: Departmental Schemes (23 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: With effect from 19th July 2010, changes have been introduced to back to education allowance (BTEA) to increase flexibility in terms of accessing the scheme. The period for which a person is required to be on a qualifying social welfare payment before accessing BTEA was reduced from 12 months to 9 months (a 2 year qualifying period continues to apply to participants coming from Illness...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (23 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The Health Service Executive (HSE) has advised that the person concerned is in receipt of her full entitlement to rent supplement based on her income from one-parent family payment, jobseekers benefit and maintenance.

Written Answers — EU Directives: EU Directives (23 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The European Parliament proposal to extend maternity leave to 20 weeks and to introduce paternity leave of 2 weeks, both at full pay, falls to be discussed by the Council of Ministers in December 2010. Primary responsibility for this matter rests with the Department of Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs and my Department is liaising with them on an ongoing basis. Ireland has been...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (23 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The Health Service Executive (HSE) has advised that the person concerned was refused rent supplement as her housing needs are being met by the local authority. The person concerned appealed the decision to the HSE Appeals Office and this decision was upheld by the HSE Appeals Office. The Social Welfare Appeals Office has received an appeal from the person concerned and will hold an oral...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (23 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The cost of the free television licence scheme, administered under the household benefit package, was € 55.7 million in 2009 and the projected cost for 2010 is €59 million. The number in receipt of the television allowance in October 2010 was 391,000. Those who participate in the back to education allowance scheme may retain their secondary benefits, which includes the free television...

Written Answers — Departmental Funding: Departmental Funding (23 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The Department has invested significant funding to the organisation concerned over the years in support of the services it provides within the Dublin North-Central and Dublin North-East areas. In 2010, funding of some €386,000 has been approved. The funding is provided under the scheme of grants for the development and promotion of information and welfare rights. Applications for grants...

Written Answers — National Carers Strategy: National Carers Strategy (23 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: During 2008, an interdepartmental group, chaired by the Department of the Taoiseach, undertook work to develop a National Carers' Strategy. The group met at official level with the secretariat provided by this Department. The Departments of Finance, Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Health and Children, the Health Services Executive (HSE) and FÁS were also represented on the group. The...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (23 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The person concerned has been awarded jobseeker's allowance at the weekly rate of €92.10 from 24 September 2010.

Written Answers — Community Development: Community Development (23 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The contracts with all 445 service providers funded by the Community Services Programme will expire at the end of December 2010. Subject to satisfactory performance, provision of resources and continued eligibility of activities, revised contracts for up to three years from the 1st January 2011 are being offered to the service providers as the Department completes the contract renewal...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (23 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an Appeals Officer, having fully considered all the evidence, disallowed the appeal of the person concerned by way of summary decision on 18 November 2010. The person concerned has been notified of the decision. The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Social Protection and of the Department and is...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (23 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Officer that the average time to process a Child Benefit appeal is at present 51.7 weeks. These processing times are calculated from the registration date of the appeal to the date of its finalisation and include all activities during this period including time spent in the Department for comments by the Deciding Officer on the grounds of appeal put...

Written Answers — Social Insurance: Social Insurance (23 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Approved retirement funds or ARFs are funds managed by a qualifying fund manager into which an individual may invest the proceeds of their pension fund when they retire. The income and gains of such funds are exempt from tax within the fund. Any amounts withdrawn from an ARF are referred to as a distribution. A distribution is treated as income from an employment. It is subject to income tax...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (23 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Payment of illness benefit, to the person concerned, was disallowed by a Deciding Officer following an examination by a Medical Assessor of the Department who expressed the opinion that he was capable of work. An appeal was opened on 14 September 2010 and the Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that, in accordance with statutory requirements, the Department was asked for the...