Results 2,261-2,280 of 10,035 for speaker:Martin Cullen

Written Answers — Data Protection: Data Protection (12 Feb 2008)

Martin Cullen: The only such devices reported lost or stolen in recent years were: 2002 — One Laptop computer — while staff member was on public transport 2004 — One Laptop — house break-in 2006 — Two laptops — one house break-in and one car break-in 2007 — One laptop — house break-in While laptop computers, can be used to remote access customer information, such data is not retained on the...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (12 Feb 2008)

Martin Cullen: The Health Service Executive has advised that it suspended payment of rent supplement when it became aware that the person concerned had commenced full-time employment. Those engaged in employment of 30 hours or more per week are disqualified from payment of rent supplement. However, if a claimant is accepted by a local authority as being in need of accommodation under the rental...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (12 Feb 2008)

Martin Cullen: The person concerned applied for Disability Allowance on 13 April 2006. His claim was refused on 8 June 2006 as it was found that the income derived from his spouse's earnings was in excess of the statutory limit for entitlement to a Disability Allowance. His claim was subsequently reviewed when revised Regulations came into effect on 26 September 2007 amending the rules for assessing...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (12 Feb 2008)

Martin Cullen: From September 2006, a specific additional earnings disregard of €100 per week (now €200 per week) was introduced where the pensioner is in employment, i.e. working for an employer. This disregard is intended as an incentive to non-contributory pensioners to continue working, or to re-enter the workforce after reaching pension age. This disregard does not apply to income from any other...

Written Answers — Data Protection: Data Protection (12 Feb 2008)

Martin Cullen: The five statutory bodies operating under the aegis of my Department are the Pensions Board, the Combat Poverty Agency, the Citizens Information Board (formerly Comhairle), the Family Support Agency and the Social Welfare Tribunal. In addition the Pensions Ombudsman comes under the remit of my Department. The Pensions Ombudsman's Office had a laptop stolen in 2004, there has been no loss of...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (12 Feb 2008)

Martin Cullen: The Health Service Executive has advised that following a review of the means of the person concerned, the amount of rent supplement payable was reduced on foot of income from maintenance payments. The Executive has further advised that this decision was appealed to its designated appeals officer on 21st December 2007 but the original decision of the community welfare office was upheld on...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (12 Feb 2008)

Martin Cullen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 375 and 376 together. The deserted wife's benefit (DWB) scheme was closed off to new applications with effect from 2 January 1997, when one-parent family payment (OFP) was introduced. Thereafter, both lone parents and deserted wives with qualified children are supported under the OFP, with the resultant increases in income limits being focused on the OFP...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (12 Feb 2008)

Martin Cullen: The living alone increase is an additional payment of €7.70 per week made to people aged 66 years or over who are in receipt of certain social welfare payments and who are living alone. It is also available to people who are under 66 years of age who are living alone and receiving payments under one of a number of invalidity type schemes. This additional payment is intended as a...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (12 Feb 2008)

Martin Cullen: The following table sets out the number of recipients and expenditure on mortgage interest supplement in 2007. Recipients and Expenditure(1) on Mortgage Interest Supplement and Local Authority Mortgage Interest Supplement, 2007 Private Mortgage Interest Supplement Local Authority Mortgage Interest Supplement Year Recipients â'¬000 Recipients â'¬000 2007 3,712 11,620 399 575 (1)...

Written Answers — Departmental Programmes: Departmental Programmes (12 Feb 2008)

Martin Cullen: The Document, Record and Information Management (DRIM) programme is a key part of my Department's Modernisation Action Plan. The programme was initiated in 2005 to transform radically the way the business of the Department is carried out. The Department aims to have all documents, records and information easily accessible, usable and managed in a manner that satisfies all stakeholders. The...

Written Answers — Departmental Agencies: Departmental Agencies (12 Feb 2008)

Martin Cullen: During 2007, the Money Advice and Budgeting Service (MABS) provided services to 12,433 new clients. In addition, 2,643 people sought information about budgeting and money management. The MABS National Helpline, which was launched on 4th October 2007, dealt with some 1,700 calls. The majority of clients were on social welfare payments (57%), the highest numbers being 2,455 (20%) who were in...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (12 Feb 2008)

Martin Cullen: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that the statistics requested by the Deputy in respect of 2007 are being processed for inclusion in the annual report of the Chief Appeals Officer which is currently being compiled for publication shortly.

Written Answers — Customer Service Targets: Customer Service Targets (12 Feb 2008)

Martin Cullen: My Department has adopted challenging customer service targets particularly in relation to the timescales for the processing of claims. The following tabular statement sets out the various customer service targets and the performance figures for the 2007 year. The claim processing targets refer only to new and repeat claims and do not reflect the significant amount of work involved in dealing...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (12 Feb 2008)

Martin Cullen: Rent supplement is administered on my behalf by the Health Service Executive (HSE), as part of the supplementary welfare allowance scheme. 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...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (12 Feb 2008)

Martin Cullen: The back to education allowance (BTEA) is an educational opportunities scheme for unemployed people, lone parents and people with disabilities in receipt of particular payments from my Department. It affords them the opportunity to undertake approved second or third level courses of education to improve their skills and qualification and, therefore their prospects of returning to the active...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (12 Feb 2008)

Martin Cullen: The social welfare pension rights of those who take time out of the workforce for caring duties are protected by the Homemaker's scheme which was introduced in and took effect from 1994. The scheme allows up to 20 years spent caring for children or incapacitated adults to be disregarded when a person's social insurance record is being averaged for pension purposes. However, the scheme...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (12 Feb 2008)

Martin Cullen: Ten staff have been dismissed from my Department under the provisions of the Civil Service Regulation Act Amendment 2005 as follows: 2 Service Attendants 1 Service Officer 1 Executive Officer 6 Clerical Officers. Three of the above were officers on probationary contracts.

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (12 Feb 2008)

Martin Cullen: Arising from the dispersed nature of my Department's services based nationwide and the fact that a considerable level of investigative work must be carried out in the course of delivering the Department's services. A relatively high level of travel expenditure is incurred annually in my Department's administrative budget. Details of domestic and foreign travel, subsistence — which includes...

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2008: Second Stage (12 Feb 2008)

Martin Cullen: It is not.

Finance Act 2004 Order: Referral to Select Committee (12 Feb 2008)

Martin Cullen: I move: That the proposal that Dáil Éireann approves the following Order in draft: Finance Act 2004 (Section 91) (Deferred Surrender to the Central Fund) Order 2008, copies of which have been laid in draft form before Dáil Éireann on 28th January, 2008, be referred to the Select Committee on Finance and the Public Service in accordance with paragraph (1) of the Orders of Reference of...