Results 2,481-2,500 of 10,035 for speaker:Martin Cullen

Social Welfare Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: The second point very much concerns the argument about family income supplement which is targeted at people on low incomes. It is to support people on low incomes to get them out of the poverty trap, in other words, the payment is only for parents who are working, not for those on social welfare. It is targeted at getting people back to work in order that there is an incentive to come out...

Social Welfare Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: The evidence is blindingly clear that where the main provider or both partners is or are working, there is a much better atmosphere in the family, a much better ethos and approach to issues. That is what we need to achieve. That is why I say to Deputy Shortall — others whom she has quoted can speak for themselves — that some are vehemently opposed to creating new poverty traps. That is...

Social Welfare Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: I appreciate the tradition in debates on the Social Welfare Bills is to table amendments in the same guise as Deputy Morgan's so as to create debate because Deputies are unable to table amendments that put a charge on the Exchequer. I do not mind this.

Social Welfare Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: The appropriateness of benchmarking social welfare rates has been actively considered for some time. In 2001, the Social Welfare Benchmarking and Indexation Group was established to examine the issues involved in developing a benchmark for the adequacy of adult and child social welfare payments. The group published its final report in September 2001 but did not achieve a consensus position...

Social Welfare Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: I am always in a good humour.

Social Welfare Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: The principle of the Deputy's suggestion is at work. I have given clear indications of how it is occurring, namely, through social partnership, NAPS inclusion and the targets set. I have also given clear indications of the figures at the time of the discussions and the current figures. The debate on the Green Paper on Pensions may provide the Deputy with clarity on the issue. The paper...

Social Welfare Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: As I said in my opening remarks, and Deputy Enright may have been the only Member in the House at the time, I accept that people can highlight different aspects of the social welfare package and look for substantial increases. That is all very well if one did not have to do what I have to do, which is to balance the budget across the spectrum and ensure we use the resources available to us,...

Social Welfare Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: It is in the €900 million additional budget package to the Estimates. It is clearly identified in budget 2008 in the breakdown of the costs of each of the different categories.

Social Welfare Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: I thought I did very well in getting over half the budget package. I cannot be expected to do better than that.

Social Welfare Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: The Deputy himself could get into government and become the Minister for Finance.

Social Welfare Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: It is easy to be imaginative if one has the money. An extra €10 per week payment is very laudable and with which no one will disagree. To implement such a provision would cost €118 million, a significant amount of money. It would have to be taken from another provision which would lead to a reduction in, say, the old age pension or other welfare payments. The balance we struck in...

Social Welfare Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: "Downturn" and "meltdown" do not fairly describe the economy. It is extremely strong and we are able to reflect that strength with this year's social welfare package. I am not referring specifically to Deputy Morgan but to those outside the House who present themselves as experts every day of the week. Some day in their lives they may get it right.

Social Welfare Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: Does the Deputy believe all the properties built over the past ten years should not have been built?

Social Welfare Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: If Sinn Féin did not object to everything at local government level, it would have worked out better.

Social Welfare Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: Typical.

Social Welfare Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: That has been introduced. I have included gas in bottled form in the fuel allowance payment.

Social Welfare Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: The reception and integration agency of the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform is responsible for direct provision. The payment rate of €19.10 for an adult and €9.60 for a child, coupled with direct provision, is acceptable under all the conventions, particularly the UN convention. Asylum seekers and their families are not considered to be at a higher risk of poverty than...

Social Welfare Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: I would agree with the Deputy if people were being asked to live on €19.10 per week but that is not the case.

Social Welfare Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: I will respond to the Deputy's point if she allows me. People are not being asked to live on €19.10 and €9.60 for every child. They receive accommodation and food. I would not suggest we are an ungenerous people and the asylum system has improved with applications being processed faster. I do not have direct responsibility for this area and I am not responsible for the payment, though...

Social Welfare Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: We are dealing with the issue of habitual residence in a very narrow context but other schemes affected by habitual residence include the jobseeker's allowance, the non-contributory State pension, the blind person's pension, widow's and widower's pensions, guardian's payment, one-parent family allowance, carer's allowance and supplementary welfare allowance. There is an issue at the root of...