Results 2,641-2,660 of 10,035 for speaker:Martin Cullen

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (4 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: People in receipt of short-term social welfare payments such as jobseeker's benefit, illness benefit or occupational injuries benefit are not normally eligible to receive a fuel allowance. People in receipt of short-term jobseeker's allowance (i.e. less than 13 weeks) do not qualify for fuel allowance. After 13 weeks, they may be eligible to receive the allowance and to retain it while on a...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (4 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: Child benefit may be paid in respect of every child under the age of 16 years, who is ordinarily resident in the State. Payment can be extended to the 19th birthday if the child is in education, or incapable of self-support. The benefit is paid to the qualified person with whom the child resides and the qualified person must satisfy the Habitual Residence Condition. The purpose of the...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (4 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: My Department is committed to providing a quality customer service to all its customers. This includes ensuring that applications are processed and that decisions on entitlement are issued as expeditiously as possible having regard to the eligibility conditions which apply. These conditions vary from scheme to scheme and may involve, among other things, the need to establish the customer's...

Written Answers — Departmental Records: Departmental Records (4 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: My department has a contract in place with a licensed disposal company for the destruction of all redundant computer equipment in a secure manner. As part of these arrangements, it is standard policy that all media containing stored information is removed and crushed separately under the supervision of departmental staff. A certificate is provided by the contract company in respect of all...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (4 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: The details sought by the Deputy are as shown in the table. the number of staff serving in the posts in question in 2002 and now are the same. None of the Agencies under the aegis of my Department has designated Press Officers.

Written Answers — Departmental Websites: Departmental Websites (4 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: The facility to download podcasts, or digital media files used for playback on portable media players , is not available on my Department's website or on the websites of the agencies under my remit. My Department's website is currently being redesigned and this will facilitate the development of additional services including expanding the range of formats, such as podcasts, in which...

Written Answers — Departmental Properties: Departmental Properties (4 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: My Department relies on the Office of Public Works for the design, construction or refurbishment of its offices and is guided by them in achieving improvements in environmental conditions. While overall responsibility for such technical matters and energy audits are a matter for the OPW, the Department is conscious of the need to reduce energy usage, both for economic and environmental...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (4 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 allowance is not intended to meet the full cost of school clothing and footwear but only to provide assistance towards these costs. A person may qualify for payment of an allowance if they are in...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (4 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: People in receipt of Disability Allowance may work while in receipt of the allowance, however income earned is assessable as means. The first €120 of weekly earnings and 50% of earnings between €120 and €350 from employment or self-employment of a rehabilitative nature are disregarded in any means test. Any earnings in excess of this amount are assessed as income and entitlement to...

Written Answers — Social Insurance: Social Insurance (4 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: The Invalidity Pension is a payment for persons who are permanently incapable of work because of illness or incapacity and who satisfy certain medical and social insurance conditions, namely: have been incapable of work for at least 12 months and be likely to be incapable of work for at least another 12 months, or be permanently incapable of work (in certain cases of very serious incapacity,...

Written Answers — Social Insurance: Social Insurance (4 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: With very few exceptions, a person aged 16 years or over who is either a part-time employee, a full-time employee or a self-employed individual with a minimum annual income must pay Pay-Related Social Insurance (PRSI) contributions. In general, PRSI contribution classes are decided by the nature of the employment and the amount of the employee's reckonable earnings in any week. Employees who...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (4 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: It has not been possible to provide the information requested in the time available. The data is currently being prepared and will be forwarded directly to the Deputy when it becomes available.

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (4 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: In the past 12 month period a total of 348 Invalidity Pension applications were refused on the grounds of insufficient insurance contributions. The PRSI contribution conditions for Invalidity Pension require that the claimant must have a total of 260 contributions paid at the appropriate rate (class A, E or H) since entry into insurable employment and 48 paid or credited contributions in the...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (4 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: Access to the Dental Benefit Scheme is available to insured people and their dependent spouses who satisfy the PRSI contribution conditions. Services carried out under the Dental Benefit Scheme are delivered by a panel of private practitioners under agreements entered into with the Minister. There are approximately 1,400 Dental practitioners on the Department's panel. In addition, since 5...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (4 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: The Optical Benefit Scheme is available to insured people and their dependent spouses who satisfy the PRSI contribution conditions. Services carried out under the Optical Benefit Scheme are delivered by a panel of private practitioners under agreement entered into with the Minister. There are approximately 460 optical practitioners on the Department's panel. In addition, since 5 April 2005,...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (4 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: As outlined to the Deputy in the reply to his parliamentary Question No. 352 on Wednesday, 31st October, 2007, my Department provides a wide range of second chance education opportunities to facilitate people on certain social welfare payments to improve their skills and qualifications and, therefore, their prospects of returning to the active work force. My Department's employment support...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (4 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: Improvements in the rates of these payments are normally announced on Budget Day. Budget 2008 will be announced tomorrow, Wednesday, December 5.

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (4 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: The Family Income Supplement (FIS) provides income support for employees on low earnings with families. This preserves the incentive to remain in employment in circumstances where the employee might only be marginally better off than if he or she were claiming other social welfare payments. The position regarding FIS, for families described by the Deputy, varies depending on the family...

Social Welfare Code. (4 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: Child benefit may be paid in respect of every child under the age of 16 who is ordinarily resident in the State. Payment can be extended to the 19th birthday if the child is in education or incapable of self-support. The benefit is paid to the qualified person with whom the child resides and the qualified person must satisfy the habitual residence condition. The requirement to be habitually...

Social Welfare Code. (4 Dec 2007)

Martin Cullen: Prior to the introduction of the habitual residence condition in 2004, full examination was given by my Department to the question of whether it was consistent with a number of international conventions to which Ireland was party, including the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The convention allows national legislation to prescribe the manner of provision of that benefit. The...