Results 21,661-21,680 of 28,255 for speaker:Éamon Ó Cuív

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (2 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I propose to take Questions Nos. 56, 61, 67 and 83 together. Between 1997 and 2009, overall expenditure on Child Income Supports (Child Benefit, Family Income Supplement, Qualified Child Increases, Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance) grew from just below €900 million to approximately €3.5 billion per year. Clearly social welfare spending and specifically Child Benefit, is a...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (2 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Activation and support for those who are unemployed is a key priority for Government. Earlier this year, the Taoiseach announced a number of changes to improve the delivery of employment, training and community services to the public by bringing together related responsibilities in these areas. These changes included the restructuring of Departmental responsibilities with the objective of...

Written Answers — Marriages of Convenience: Marriages of Convenience (2 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Marriages of convenience, or "sham marriages" are marriages which are entered into for the purpose of one of the parties gaining an automatic right of residency based on marriage to a person who already has a right of residency. These marriages exploit Directive 2004/38/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council which deals with the right of citizens of the Union and their family...

Written Answers — Public Services Card: Public Services Card (2 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I propose to take Questions Nos. 59, 76, 95 and 96 together. The Department has developed, in conjunction with a number of other Government Departments, the specifications for a Public Services Card (PSC) under the Standard Authentication Framework Environment, or SAFE, programme. The specification provides for identification features, including a photograph. The aim is to develop a card...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (2 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I propose to take Questions Nos. 60 and 69 together. The determination of a person's habitual residence is made in accordance with Section 246 of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005, as amended. Subsection (4) specifically directs the deciding officer to "take into consideration all the circumstances of the case, including, in particular, the following: (a) the length and continuity of...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (2 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The One-Parent Family Payment, by its nature, is not payable where the lone parent is cohabiting with the other parent of the child or with someone else as husband and wife. The Government discussion paper, "Proposals for Supporting Lone Parents", which was published in 2006, proposed that the category of lone parenthood would be abolished. Instead, a parental allowance would be made to all...

Written Answers — Money Advice and Budgeting Service: Money Advice and Budgeting Service (2 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The Money Advice and Budgeting Service (MABS) 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. It is important that people coping with debt difficulties take early action and approach MABS for help and guidance. This can...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (2 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I propose to take Questions Nos. 64 and 74 together. There are approximately 18,000 persons currently in receipt of mortgage interest supplement (MIS). This represents a 120% increase since the end of 2008 when there were 8,100 recipients. The Department's review of the administrative, policy and legal aspects of the mortgage interest supplement scheme was published in July 2010 in...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (2 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I understand that the Deputy is referring to the research report of the Vincentian Partnership for Social Justice, titled "Minimum Essential Budgets for Six Household Types in Rural Areas" which was published in October 2010. The report has been furnished to my Department and is being studied by my officials. Social welfare expenditure for 2011 will be considered in the context of the...

Written Answers — Employment Support Services: Employment Support Services (2 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The number of interviews or consultations that a jobseeker will attend over the course of his or her claim will vary from person to person. Customers claiming jobseeker's allowance may have to be interviewed by an inspector at the beginning of their claim and at any subsequent review of their means. Once a customer is three months on the Live Register, he or she will be selected for...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (2 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I propose to take Questions Nos. 68 and 100 together. There are currently some 27,228 people in receipt of a weekly Family Income Supplement (FIS) payment of which 3,074 are public servants. The number of serving members of the Permanent Defence Forces who are receiving family income supplement is included in the figure for Public Servants. A separate breakdown is not currently available.

Written Answers — Employment Support Services: Employment Support Services (2 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I propose to take Questions Nos. 70 and 82 together. The Taoiseach announced on 23rd March 2010 that the Department of Social and Family Affairs would be reconfigured as the Department of Social Protection with the transfer to it of a number of functions including the employment and community services programmes of FÁS and the transfer from it of functions relating to social inclusion and...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (2 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: My Department operates a range of means tested schemes and these schemes, including the means testing elements, are administered through a network of local offices, central offices and, in the case of supplementary welfare allowance, through the offices of community welfare officers. My Department is not currently considering the centralising of means testing of social welfare payments....

Written Answers — Social Welfare Fraud: Social Welfare Fraud (2 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The Department processes in excess of two million claims each year and it makes payments to over one million people every week. It is important to emphasise that the vast majority of people are receiving the entitlement due to them. The Department has a broad-ranging and comprehensive control strategy, which aims to keep fraud and abuse to a minimum. The emphasis is to minimise risks of...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (2 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I propose to take Questions Nos. 75 and 81 together. Under the Pensions Act, defined benefit pension schemes must meet a minimum Funding Standard which requires that schemes maintain sufficient assets to enable them discharge their accrued liabilities in the event of the scheme winding up. Where schemes do not satisfy the Funding Standard, the sponsors/trustees must submit a funding proposal...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (2 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: 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 accommodation available to them from any other source. Rent supplement is not payable where a person or their spouse or partner is in full-time employment, that is for 30...

Written Answers — Employment Support Services: Employment Support Services (2 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The Government is currently examining ways of providing further support to graduate retention in the economy, with policy matters in this area being primarily the responsibility of the Minister for Education and Skills. The main existing employment support mechanism for graduates is the work placement programme administered by FÁS. A key element of the programme is that the customer retains...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (2 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 Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (2 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I propose to take Questions Nos. 80, 91 and 357 together. The Department is committed to delivering the best possible service to its customers. To this end, operational processes and procedures and the organisation of work are reviewed in all areas of the Department. These reviews are supported by modern technology, the potential of which is continuously harnessed. Claims are processed in...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (2 Nov 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Social welfare legislation does not currently provide for reimbursement to the Department by insurance companies in cases where adjustments may have been made to special damages awards on foot of social welfare payments received by plaintiffs. Preliminary work has been undertaken by my Department in relation to the issues involved. These issues are complex, not least insofar as there could...