Results 2,941-2,960 of 10,035 for speaker:Martin Cullen

Data Protection. (31 Oct 2007)

Martin Cullen: I referred to the fact that the information was in the media. I did not refer to the fact that——

Pension Provisions. (31 Oct 2007)

Martin Cullen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 65, 66, 83, 98 and 104 together. The most recent figures published by the Central Statistics Office for supplementary pensions coverage relate to the fourth quarter of 2005 and showed that 50.6% of women in employment had private or occupational pensions, a significant improvement on 2002 when 44.6% of women had such coverage. Based on these figures, we can...

Pension Provisions. (31 Oct 2007)

Martin Cullen: The Pensions Board has been doing what the Deputy has suggested. She identified a key sector in which pension penetration is poor, namely, general hospitality. Many women are employed in that sector and the awareness and uptake of pensions therein is among the poorest by a long way. The report of the Pensions Board will be the largest and most fundamental of its kind and is due by the end...

Pension Provisions. (31 Oct 2007)

Martin Cullen: The situation is more complex than that and I would not accept that we are putting everything on the long finger. In recent years, investment in the National Pensions Reserve Fund has been significant and innovative. Many European countries would like to do the same. The investment in the social welfare system and the increase in the non-contributory pension in recent years have been...

Pension Provisions. (31 Oct 2007)

Martin Cullen: The Pensions Board has embarked on this campaign. The awareness of pensions has risen dramatically in the past number of years and will continue to do so.

Pension Provisions. (31 Oct 2007)

Martin Cullen: Incentives through the tax system are a legitimate part of a package of measures to encourage people to take up pensions. We need to get many more people to take up pensions, particularly young people joining the jobs market. I have said this publicly and clearly. People must see a pension as an asset and as desirable as owning one's own home. The SSIA scheme was a specific type of...

Pension Provisions. (31 Oct 2007)

Martin Cullen: There are no statistics available on those affected by the public service marriage bar. However, the requirement to leave work on marriage also applied in many private sector areas, where it was customary. The Department estimates that approximately 30,000 women do not receive support through the social welfare system in their own right or as qualified adults. Regarding farming, at the...

Pension Provisions. (31 Oct 2007)

Martin Cullen: All workers, self-employed and PAYE, who join the jobs market at 18, 19 or 22 years of age must participate and be accounted for in the overall context of how we will deal with pensions as a society over the next 30 or 40 years. As we know, the starting age is increasing while the retirement age is decreasing, which means we are being squeezed at both ends of the scale. We are fortunate that...

Data Protection. (31 Oct 2007)

Martin Cullen: My Department, because of the nature of its work, holds extensive and detailed personal information about its customers. Most employees of the Department need and have access to this information to deliver the Department's services. The Department is aware of its obligations to its customers under the Data Protection Acts of 1988 and 2003 to ensure that information is collected...

Data Protection. (31 Oct 2007)

Martin Cullen: There have been only three cases since 2002. Given the scale of the operations of the Department, the number of customers and the number of operations carried out on a daily or weekly basis, that number is relatively small, although they are serious matters. In the first case referred to by the Deputy, the official has been dismissed. In the second case, the official resigned before...

Data Protection. (31 Oct 2007)

Martin Cullen: We need to keep the matter in context. There were only three cases. While I do not minimise the importance of those cases——

Data Protection. (31 Oct 2007)

Martin Cullen: Given the scale of operations the Department deals with, abuse of position does not take place on a large scale. I understand that the number of officials involved in accessing details of the person on file was 74, not 106. I did not say it was a less important matter, I meant it in comparison to giving somebody information for criminal activity, which was the case highlighted by the...

Data Protection. (31 Oct 2007)

Martin Cullen: I am not aware that was the case. My understanding is that the Department knew, but clearly the information came into the public domain as well.

Social Welfare Benefits. (31 Oct 2007)

Martin Cullen: I understand the Deputy is referring specifically to jobseekers' payments. The Government has recognised for some years that it is undesirable for school leavers to receive social welfare payments immediately on leaving school. Their focus should be on accessing employment or further education in the first instance on leaving second level rather than looking towards welfare support. For...

Social Welfare Benefits. (31 Oct 2007)

Martin Cullen: I agree it is not desirable for young people coming out of school to look immediately to the welfare system because that is detrimental to their energy and enthusiasm for work. Of the 7,500 under 20 years of age on the welfare system, 3,800 had been referred to FÁS as of 19 October last. The relationship between the Department and FÁS is crucial to moving people onto schemes as quickly as...

Social Welfare Benefits. (31 Oct 2007)

Martin Cullen: I do not agree this is tokenism. A hell of a lot of good people work in the community to try to get these kids into the workplace. The State has significant resources in the Departments and their agencies.

Social Welfare Benefits. (31 Oct 2007)

Martin Cullen: The Deputy may feel it is unacceptable to have 1,000 on the welfare system for over a year, but if she examined the individual cases she would know how difficult they are.

Social Welfare Benefits. (31 Oct 2007)

Martin Cullen: My target is simple. I would prefer there were no school leavers on the social welfare system but that kids came out of school and into whatever training needed to get into the workforce.

Social Welfare Benefits. (31 Oct 2007)

Martin Cullen: I am. I have told the Deputy about the relationship between FÁS and the Department. The systems at FÁS are available to explain all of that. We have to be fair to these people too.

Social Insurance. (31 Oct 2007)

Martin Cullen: The second actuarial review of the Social Insurance Fund, which was required under section 10 of the Social Welfare (Consolidation) Act 2005, was published on 17 October 2007 in conjunction with the Green Paper on pensions. The focus of the review, which covers the period 2006-61, is the income of the Social Insurance Fund, including the accumulated surplus, the contributory pensions and...