Results 2,841-2,860 of 10,035 for speaker:Martin Cullen

Written Answers — Data Protection: Data Protection (6 Nov 2007)

Martin Cullen: There are six investigations currently underway in my Department in relation to alleged unauthorised access to and disclosure of personal data. The investigations relate to the records of eleven individuals, as follows; The Department launched an investigation into possible data protection violations following articles in a national newspaper in April 2007 alleging that private investigators...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (1 Nov 2007)

Martin Cullen: The Green Paper on Pensions was published on the 17th October and sets out the key issues and challenges facing the Irish pensions system now and for the future, and some suggestions on how these might be addressed. In addition to the Green Paper, the Actuarial Review of the Social Insurance Fund 2005 was also published and this provided important information and context that informed the...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (1 Nov 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 — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (1 Nov 2007)

Martin Cullen: The scheme of performance-related awards in the civil service applies to Deputy and Assistant Secretaries and equivalent grades. It does not apply to Secretaries General. Details of awards to individual officers under the performance related scheme are not disclosed on the basis that they are confidential to the officer concerned. However, I can say that during 2007 awards totalling €89,000...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Payments: Social Welfare Payments (1 Nov 2007)

Martin Cullen: The current range of payment options offered by my Department to customers includes payment to a bank or building society account, or at a local post office. Customers opt for a particular payment option having regard to their own circumstances. My Department administers a variety of schemes which have weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual payment cycles. For operational and administrative...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (31 Oct 2007)

Martin Cullen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 67, 76, 77 and 112 together. The Programme for Government features a number of commitments in relation to social welfare pensions. These include the commitment to increase the basic State pension to €300 per week by 2012. Over the last number of Budgets, pension increases have been well ahead of inflation ensuring that not only is the real value of pensions...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (31 Oct 2007)

Martin Cullen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 68 and 93 together. I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that statistics on a county basis are not maintained for the number of oral hearings held each year. During 2006, 4,220 oral hearings were conducted by the Social Welfare Appeals Office at 59 venues around the country with a further 1,700 held at its headquarters in Dublin. Overall, Appeals...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (31 Oct 2007)

Martin Cullen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 69 and 70 together. There are currently some 84,400 people, with approximately 137,700 children, in receipt of the one parent family payment. The annual cost of the scheme is €835 million. The Government discussion paper, "Proposals for Supporting Lone Parents," put forward a range of proposals for removing obstacles to employment for lone parents and other...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (31 Oct 2007)

Martin Cullen: My Department through its various social insurance and assistance schemes provides income supports to people to meet their basic living needs, including food, clothing, heat and light. Supplements are also payable in certain circumstances for specific needs, for example fuel allowances, rent supplements, living alone allowance for older people or the household benefits package for pensioners,...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (31 Oct 2007)

Martin Cullen: Widows and widowers can qualify for one of a number of different schemes depending on their particular circumstances. The contributory widow(er)'s pension is available to those who satisfy the necessary PRSI contribution conditions, either on their own record or that of the deceased spouse. Those qualifying for this benefit are not subject to a means test. Those without the necessary PRSI...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (31 Oct 2007)

Martin Cullen: Responsibility for questions relating to entitlement to paternity leave rests with the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform. The question of a social insurance funded payment for paternity leave would be contingent on an underlying entitlement to statutory paternity leave. While male employees are not entitled under Irish law to either paid or unpaid paternity leave, they may be...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (31 Oct 2007)

Martin Cullen: The back to education allowance (BTEA) is a second chance education opportunities scheme designed to encourage and facilitate people on certain social welfare payments to improve their skills and qualifications and, therefore, their prospects of returning to the active work force. The scheme enables people to continue to receive a payment while pursuing an approved full-time course of study....

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (31 Oct 2007)

Martin Cullen: There are no plans to transfer the administration of the rent supplement scheme to local authorities. The supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) scheme, which includes rent supplement, is currently administered on my behalf by the community welfare division (CWS) of the Health Service Executive. As the Deputy will be aware, in February of last year, the Government decided to implement the...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (31 Oct 2007)

Martin Cullen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 79, 127 and 135 together. 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...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (31 Oct 2007)

Martin Cullen: The qualifying criteria for entitlement to Blind Person's Pension are that a person must be over 18 years of age, satisfy a means test and be so blind that he or she cannot perform any work for which eyesight is essential or cannot continue his or her ordinary occupation. In that regard, Blind Person's Pension has always been regarded as a scheme providing income maintenance for persons of...

Written Answers — Social Insurance: Social Insurance (31 Oct 2007)

Martin Cullen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 81, 82, 89, 95 and 111 together. The second Actuarial Review of the Social Insurance Fund, which was required under Section 10 of the Social Welfare (Consolidation) Act, 2005, was received by my Department on the 8th of June, 2007, following its completion by Mercer Human Resources Consulting, and was approved for publication at the Cabinet meeting of July...

Written Answers — Employment Support Services: Employment Support Services (31 Oct 2007)

Martin Cullen: Since the early 1990's my Department has been developing its policy to move from largely passive income support provision to a more active social welfare system. Under the National Employment Action Plan all persons, including the young unemployed, who are approaching 3 months on the Live Register are identified by the Department of Social and Family Affairs and referred to FÁS for...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (31 Oct 2007)

Martin Cullen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 85, 347 and 348 together. The purpose of the rent supplement scheme is to provide short-term income support, in the form of a weekly or monthly payment, 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 from any other source. Rent...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (31 Oct 2007)

Martin Cullen: The decision to transfer certain functions from the Health Service Executive (HSE) to my Department follows on from recommendations made by the Commission on Financial Management and Control Systems in the Health Service. In its report, the Commission noted that over the years, the health system had been assigned responsibility for a number of activities that are non-core in the context of a...

Written Answers — Advocacy Services: Advocacy Services (31 Oct 2007)

Martin Cullen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 87, 117 and 120 together. The development of personal advocacy services is a priority for my Department and in this regard additional funding of €1.9m has been provided for the Citizens Information Board in 2007 for the development of an advocacy service for people with disabilities and for the implementation of the Disability Sectoral Plan. The personal...