Results 2,401-2,420 of 10,035 for speaker:Martin Cullen

Written Answers — Pensions Ombudsman: Pensions Ombudsman (18 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: The establishment of a statutory agency to oversee the provision of services to families was first suggested in the report of the Commission on the Family in 1998, with the recommendation that the Family Mediation Service be established on a statutory footing. The Family Support Agency was established, with a wider remit, in 2003 under the terms of the Family Support Agency Act, 2001 to bring...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (18 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: Waiting days have been a feature of the illness benefit and jobseeker's payment schemes since their inception and are a feature of similar social security schemes in many countries. The application of a three-day waiting period avoids the disproportionately high administrative costs involved in processing large numbers of claims of a very short duration. However, the waiting day rule is not...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (18 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: The Health Service Executive (HSE) has advised that it has refused a payment of rent supplement in this case, in December 2006, on the grounds that the local housing authority has not certified that the person concerned has a genuine housing need. This decision was not appealed. It is open to the person concerned to lodge a new application for rent supplement with their local community...

Written Answers — Departmental Estimates: Departmental Estimates (18 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: The information requested is as follows: SUBHEAD X. – APPROPRIATIONS-IN-AID 2007 Estimate 2008 Estimate €000 €000 1. Recovery of administration expenses from the Social Insurance Fund 160,500 178,000 2. Recoveries of Social Assistance overpaid 9,400 9,000 3. Repayment from the Social Insurance Fund of amounts paid initially as Social Assistance 5,600 5,600 4. Receipts...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (18 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: Under the terms of the Free Travel scheme, a married or cohabiting pass holder may get a free travel pass that allows their spouse or partner to accompany them for free on public transport. The person concerned was in receipt of a single type pass since September 2004. This represented his correct entitlement until his recent marriage. A married type free travel pass issued to the customer...

Written Answers — Departmental Funding: Departmental Funding (18 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: The scheme of grants to voluntary organisations providing marriage, child and bereavement counselling and related supports is administered by the Family Support Agency. The focus of the scheme of grants is on the development of support services in the community for families, to enhance stability in family life and to assist families and their members deal with difficult periods which they...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (18 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: Supporting and recognising carers in our society is and has been a priority of the Government since 1997. Over that period, weekly payment rates to carers have been greatly increased, qualifying conditions for carer's allowance have been significantly eased, coverage of the scheme has been extended and new schemes such as carer's benefit and the respite care grant have been introduced and...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (18 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: The back to school clothing and footwear allowance (BSCFA) scheme provides a one-off payment to eligible families to assist with the extra costs when their children start school each autumn. The Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance scheme was introduced in 1990. This scheme superseded the arrangements which had been in place since 1977 whereby child clothing and footwear payments...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (18 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: Family income supplement is the principal in-work income support for people in low-income employment. It is designed to provide an incentive to people with children, to remain in, or take up, employment rather than be fully welfare dependent. To qualify for payment, family income must be below the threshold applicable to the family size, which varies according to the number of qualified child...

Written Answers — Departmental Records: Departmental Records (18 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: Records of this nature are not maintained in my Department.

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (18 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: My Department provides a range of supports to parents, in particular mothers, which may impact on decisions regarding motherhood. In the context of measures to provide income support to mothers, child benefit and maternity benefit are the most direct financial provisions within the remit of my department. Child benefit, a universal payment, is paid in respect of children up to the age of 16...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (18 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 332 and 334 together. The free travel scheme is available to all people living in the State aged 66 years or over. This includes people aged 66 or over, such as missionaries, returning from abroad to live in Ireland. All carers in receipt of carer's allowance and carers of people in receipt of constant attendance or prescribed relative's allowance,...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (18 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: The aim of the national fuel scheme is to assist householders on long-term social welfare or health service executive payments with meeting the cost of their additional heating needs during the winter season. Fuel allowances are paid from end-September to mid-April. The allowance represents a contribution towards a person's normal heating expenses. A detailed review of the fuel allowance...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (13 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: The provision of support to people who are not in receipt of a social welfare payment to return to education is addressed through the education system, I understand that the Department of Education and Science has a range of programmes for people wishing to return to education and provides supports for people participating in certain education programmes funded by VECs. This Department...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (13 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: The aim of the national fuel scheme is to assist householders on long-term social welfare or health service executive payments with meeting the cost of their additional heating needs during the winter season. Fuel allowances are paid from end-September to mid-April. The allowance represents a contribution towards a person's normal heating expenses. A detailed review of the fuel allowance was...

Written Answers — Live Register: Live Register (13 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: Based on the economic analysis provided by the Department of Finance the live register forecast underpinning the recently published Budget 2008 estimates for Jobseeker's Allowance and Jobseeker's Benefit is 170,000. This is 10,000 higher than the figure of 160,000 underpinning the 2007 estimates. The provision made in the 2008 estimates for the increase of 10,000 in the live register is...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (13 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 150 and 151 together. Illness Benefit, which was known as Disability Benefit prior to 2nd October 2006, is a payment for insured people who cannot work due to illness. Annual Statistics in relation to the number of recipients of Illness Benefit are published annually by my Department in the form of a report entitled Statistical Information on Social Welfare...

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (13 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: Under the decentralisation programme announced by the Minister for Finance on 3 December 2003, my Department has, to date, relocated 111 posts (118 people) to Carrick-on-Shannon and 66 posts (67 people) to Sligo. Given the number of posts involved and the fact that they have been relocated at various stages since mid 2006, the information concerning overtime and mileage costs is not readily...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (13 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: My Department, and the agencies under the aegis of the Department, i.e. the Citizens Information Board, Combat Poverty Agency, Family Support Agency, Pensions Ombudsman and Pensions Board, have not paid in advance for any works or services that will not be commenced before the end of the 2007 financial year (i.e. 31 December 2007). All procurements are carried out in accordance with EU...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (13 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: In order to qualify for a range of Social Welfare payments, including Child Benefit, applicants are required to satisfy the Habitual Residence condition (HRC), which was introduced on 1st May 2004. Since 1st January 2007, when Romania and Bulgaria joined the EU, nationals of those countries, who were not previously registered with the Department of Justice, Equality & Law Reform, are required...