Results 21,501-21,520 of 28,255 for speaker:Éamon Ó Cuív

Money Advice and Budgeting Service (23 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The Citizens Information Board, which comes under the aegis of this Department, is responsible for the Money Advice and Budgeting Service, which assists people who are over-indebted and need help and advice in coping with debt problems. The role of money advisers is to help clients to assess their financial situation, make a budget plan and deal with creditors. There are 51 MABS companies...

Money Advice and Budgeting Service (23 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I had been working on this issue prior to the publication of the final report. Immediately it was published, I asked officials to draw up a list of the issues that can be dealt with by circular letter, those that need regulations and those that need legislation. I understand I will have that list this week. I have asked the officials as a matter of priority to come up with a response,...

Money Advice and Budgeting Service (23 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Within MABS, priority is given to those with very urgent cases. Each company operates separately but I am more than aware of the need for people in extreme circumstances to receive urgent attention. The latest survey on waiting times shows that the average waiting time is approximately 4.9 weeks, with waiting times ranging from one week or less to some 18 weeks. Urgent cases are prioritised...

Rental Accommodation Scheme (23 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The purpose of the rent supplement scheme 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. The overall aim is to provide short-term assistance, and not to act as an alternative to the other social housing schemes...

Rental Accommodation Scheme (23 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: In that regard, when a person is approved for RAS, even if she or she is not yet in receipt of the allowance, the rules regarding rent supplement change. That is one solution. The solution I put forward must be applied in conjunction with the Minister with responsibility for housing. We need to reform all of this and rent supplement must again become a short-term scheme and any person who...

Rental Accommodation Scheme (23 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I am providing for-----

Rental Accommodation Scheme (23 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I would love to answer the Deputy's question but I have been overruled by the Chair. I would have no problem talking to NAMA if I thought it would resolve the issue but what the Deputy will find is that rent supplement is being paid on many of the properties already taken into NAMA. That would not change matters. As the Deputy knows, NAMA transfers loans. Only in cases where a receiver is...

Rental Accommodation Scheme (23 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I have been discussing all these issues with the Minister of State with responsibility for housing and, obviously, NAMA comes up in that context. The idea is worth exploring but I do not think there is a simple answer. When a loan is transferred to NAMA it is the loan rather than the property that is transferred. The property is the collateral. Only in cases where NAMA moves in and the...

Social Insurance (23 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Self-employed people pay PRSI class S contributions which provide cover for long-term benefits such as State pension, contributory, and widows-widowers pension, contributory. Employees are covered by PRSI classes A, E, H and P, which provide cover for the above benefits as well as for short-term contingencies such as jobseekers and illness benefits. In 2008 there were 338,187 persons in...

Social Insurance (23 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The statistics on people paying class S insurance are available.

Social Insurance (23 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The total number class S insurance is approximately 300,000. There are currently 9,016 people categorised as self-employed receiving jobseeker's allowance. The weekly average payment for this group is €206. In addition, there are 10,580 farmers receiving farm assist with an average weekly income of €207. However, I must warn the Deputy about those figures. If a self-employed person...

Social Insurance (23 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: No, not necessarily because-----

Social Insurance (23 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Deputy Ring quoted a figure of 426,000 earlier. That is the live register figure which includes 60,000 people who are in part-time employment every week. The unemployment figure, as measured by the Central Statistics Office, is much lower than the figure the Deputy gave.

Social Insurance (23 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I understand it is approximately 300,000.

Social Insurance (23 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Yes, it does.

Social Insurance (23 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: All of the 9,016.

Social Insurance (23 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: If a person became unemployed and does not claim a payment and sign for a credit, of course it does not include such a person. The people who were self-employed and become unemployed and would not be entitled to payment are those who have other means, for example they might own properties, have capital assets, have money in the bank or have a spouse's earnings taken into account, and...

Social Insurance (23 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: It is not that simple. Some people who were self-employed give it up for many reasons and might decide they had enough income in the household to live on without being self-employed. That is a personal choice. It is very important that the social welfare code is a safety net for those whose income drops beneath a certain threshold. One of the concerns I have had for a long time is the...

Social Welfare Code (23 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Self-employed people pay PRSI class S contributions which provide cover for long-term benefits such as State contributory pensions and contributory widows pension. Unfortunately, this is the same answer I gave before.

Social Welfare Code (23 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Does Deputy Shortall want me to read it again?