Results 23,501-23,520 of 28,255 for speaker:Éamon Ó Cuív

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (20 Apr 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The Family Income Supplement is designed to provide support for people with families who are on low earnings. This preserves the incentive for them to remain in employment in circumstances where they might only be marginally better off than if they were claiming other social welfare payments. FIS is a central element of a programme of reforms targeted specifically at addressing child poverty....

Written Answers — Departmental Services: Departmental Services (20 Apr 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The income and support services provided by the Department impact on the lives of almost every person in the State. Over the course of the last three years, the administration of services by the Department of Social and Family Affairs has changed significantly arising from changes in both the economic environment and decisions of Government. In summary, some 1.4 million people each week...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (20 Apr 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Since the 1st April 2009 this Department has been accepting new claims for Domiciliary Care Allowance (DCA). This follows the transfer of the scheme from the Health Service Executive on foot of a Government decision to reallocate certain functions between Departments and Agencies as part of the health service reform programme. In the period 1st April 2009 to 31st March 2010 a total of 4575...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (20 Apr 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The respite care grant is an annual payment made to all persons providing full-time care, regardless of means or PRSI contributions, but subject to certain conditions. The grant is payable from the first Thursday in June of the year in question. The grant was extended to all carers in Budget 2005. Prior to this, only those in receipt of certain qualifying payments received the grant. Details...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (20 Apr 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The person concerned applied for jobseeker's allowance on 01 December 2009. His claim was disallowed on 25 March 2010 as he was deemed to be not habitually resident in the State. Following the lodgement of an appeal by the person concerned, a review of the case was carried out by the Local Office. The claim has now been awarded and payment will issue this week.

Flood Relief. (20 Apr 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: There seem to be crossed wires between the Deputy and ourselves in that the subject matter of the Adjournment debate was "the humanitarian support provided to date three months after the major flooding of 2009". That was thought to refer to the humanitarian funds being administered by my Department. I do not have any details on OPW works, because it was not considered to be what the Deputy...

Flood Relief. (20 Apr 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: -----which was about humanitarian aid. The wording was ambiguous.

Flood Relief. (20 Apr 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: All I can talk about is the humanitarian aid. If the Deputy is interested I can read that. The bulk of the overall cost of repairing the damage caused to individuals' homes by last November's flooding is being met through insurance policies held by the people affected. The insurance industry is currently in the course of discharging its financial obligations to its policyholders. However,...

Flood Relief. (20 Apr 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The €10 million is there, if there is a legitimate case for it. The largest payment to an individual was in excess of €20,000. Most of these payments have been in respect of immediate needs, such as clothing, food, bedding and emergency accommodation. The community welfare service will continue to make these payments as long as they are needed. Such emergency payments under the...

Flood Relief. (20 Apr 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: A house that is not safe is not habitable. The Deputy would agree with that.

Flood Relief. (20 Apr 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: In conclusion, from meeting people who have been flooded, including many in my own constituency, I believe the income limits imposed are very generous and have not caused any major difficulty.

Flood Relief. (20 Apr 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I assume so.

Social Welfare Benefits. (20 Apr 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: There was talk about putting it into legislation, starting from the beginning of next year. I have not seen the detail; the devil is always in the detail of these things. The concept is fine. I am not going to commit myself here to doing that because I will not introduce a scheme unless I believe it is robust. I understand the idea of the scheme is to facilitate participation in the...

Social Welfare Benefits. (20 Apr 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The family income supplement is designed to provide support for people with families who are on low earnings. This preserves the incentive for them to remain in employment in circumstances where they might only be marginally better off than if they were claiming other social welfare payments. FIS is a central element of a strategy targeted specifically at addressing child poverty. The...

Social Welfare Benefits. (20 Apr 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: In 2006, some €272,000 was spent on an advertising campaign.

Social Welfare Benefits. (20 Apr 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I can never get my head around this matter. I do not know how many people are eligible. I do not know if there is any way to find that out. Presumably the nearest we would get to it would be through an assessment through, for example, a labour force survey. It depends on household income which requires knowing both incomes of a couple to do the calculation. We must try to ensure that...

Social Welfare Benefits. (20 Apr 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: For existing recipients the supplement increased and potentially more people should have become eligible.

Social Welfare Benefits. (20 Apr 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: If my memory serves me right, the amount of money was increased by increasing the level. It is 60% of the difference between a person's income as assessed and the guide income. The way to increase FIS is by increasing the guide income. Therefore, it should have potentially made more people eligible for FIS. That is a fact.

Social Welfare Benefits. (20 Apr 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: In addition, for people already in receipt of FIS, following the increase in the threshold income, if their incomes stay the same, 60% of a higher threshold also increases by the same amount.

Social Welfare Benefits. (20 Apr 2010)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Moving people from welfare to work has been a life's mission with me, and I have done quite a bit of it in my time, long before I entered this House during which I got a very good knowledge of the social welfare system. As a young person going to work and creating employment in a community co-operative, I was appalled to find out how penal the social welfare system was given that, growing...