Results 3,061-3,080 of 10,035 for speaker:Martin Cullen

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (9 Oct 2007)

Martin Cullen: Under the terms of an earlier Social Partnership agreement the National Economic and Social Council (NESC) was asked to examine the feasibility of merging the family income supplement with qualified child increases and possibly including other child supports such as the back to school clothing and footwear allowance, resulting in a single second tier child income support. Such a payment...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (9 Oct 2007)

Martin Cullen: As part of the Government Expenditure Review Programme a working group chaired by my Department was established to review the expenditure under the back to education allowance scheme. The Group comprised representatives of the Departments of Social & Family Affairs, Enterprise Trade and Employment, Education and Science, Finance and FÁS. The report of the working group was published in...

Written Answers — Adult Education: Adult Education (9 Oct 2007)

Martin Cullen: The Second Chance Education Opportunities Scheme is designed to assist programmes, projects and initiatives which provide second chance education opportunities to long term unemployed and other disadvantaged groups. The overall objective is to encourage those target groups to return to education and training as a means of improving their educational qualifications with a view to returning to...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (9 Oct 2007)

Martin Cullen: The person concerned applied for Carer's Allowance on 9 May 2007. The principal conditions for receipt of this allowance are that full time care and attention is required and being provided and that the means test that applies is satisfied. The person concerned was refused Carer's Allowance on the grounds that full time care and attention as prescribed in regulations is not required in this...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (9 Oct 2007)

Martin Cullen: Appeals are determined by Appeals Officers attached to the Social Welfare Appeals Office of my Department and who are independent in their determinations. I am advised by that Office that oral hearings are held every week at venues around the country as convenient as possible to the appellant. The selection of locations to be visited is based on the number of appeals on hand in a particular...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (9 Oct 2007)

Martin Cullen: The Pre-Retirement Credits Scheme (PRECS) enables credits to be awarded to persons who are aged 55 years or older, who are retired from the workforce and no longer looking for work and who, in the immediately preceding period, were in receipt of either Jobseeker's Benefit/Allowance or credits in respect of 390 days of continuous unemployment. Pre-retirement credits can only be maintained...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (9 Oct 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 (9 Oct 2007)

Martin Cullen: Policy in relation to pensioner's incomes is informed by the wide range of research carried out in this area, both nationally and internationally. Commitments contained in the Programme for Government in relation to social welfare payment rates and the overall targets for retirement income suggested by the Pensions Board in the National Pensions Review are of particular importance. The...

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

Martin Cullen: The supplementary welfare allowance scheme, which includes rent supplement, is administered on my behalf by the community welfare division of the Health Service Executive. The Health Service Executive has advised that the person concerned was awarded rent supplement with effect from 29 January 2007. The current weekly rate is €87. Arrears of rent supplement of €2,436 has issued to the...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (4 Oct 2007)

Martin Cullen: I am advised by the independent Social Welfare Appeals Office that the appeal by the person concerned was successful. The appellant was notified of the outcome on 1 August 2007.

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

Martin Cullen: An application for Family Income Supplement (FIS) was received by my Department from the person concerned on 8 February 2006. One of the principal conditions for receipt of FIS is that a person must work at least 19 hours per week or 38 hours per fortnight. The person concerned was awarded Family Income Supplement (FIS) for a period of 12 months from 29th June 2006 and payment continued to...

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

Martin Cullen: The Family Income Supplement (FIS) is designed to provide cash support for employees on low earnings with families. Family Income Supplement is paid for 52 weeks provided a person continues to meet the qualifying conditions, and a claim for renewal may then be made. Entitlement to FIS is based on an applicant satisfying a means test and on certification of employment by the employer. My...

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

Martin Cullen: The back to school clothing and footwear allowance scheme (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 intended as a contribution towards meeting the full cost of school clothing and footwear. The scheme operates from the beginning of June to the end of September each year and is...

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

Martin Cullen: The back to school clothing and footwear allowance scheme (BSCFA) operates from the beginning of June to the end of September each year and is administered on behalf of my Department by the Community Welfare division of the Health Service Executive. The BSCFA scheme provides a one-off payment to eligible families to assist with the extra costs when their children start school each autumn. The...

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

Martin Cullen: The supplementary welfare allowance scheme, which is administered on my behalf by the community welfare division of the Health Service Executive, provides for the payment of a rent supplement to assist eligible people who are unable to provide for their immediate accommodation needs from their own resources and who do not have accommodation available to them from any other source. Rent...

Written Answers — Ministerial Expenses: Ministerial Expenses (3 Oct 2007)

Martin Cullen: There has been no Minister of State formally assigned to my Department during the period in question. However, Minister of State Ms. Máire Hoctor, who is Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children, with special responsibility for older people, areas of which fall within the remit of my Department. Remuneration is dealt with by the Department of Health and Children.

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (2 Oct 2007)

Martin Cullen: The expenditure on Rent Supplement for 1997 to 2007 is shown in the following tabular statement. Expenditure up to the end of August 2007 was €262 million. Total expenditure in 2007 will be of the order of €400 million The supplementary welfare allowance scheme, which includes rent supplement, is administered on my behalf by the Community Welfare division of the Health Service Executive....

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (2 Oct 2007)

Martin Cullen: The household benefits package, which comprises the electricity/gas allowance, telephone allowance and free television licence schemes, is generally available to people living in the State, aged 66 years or over, who are in receipt of a social welfare type payment or who satisfy a means test. People aged over 70 years of age can qualify for the household benefits package regardless of their...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (2 Oct 2007)

Martin Cullen: Under the terms of the free travel scheme, certain incapacitated people can qualify for a free travel companion pass if they are medically assessed as unfit to travel alone. Where the applicant is under 70 years they must submit a medical certificate completed by their general practitioner providing details of their incapacity. The application for a companion pass by the person concerned...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (2 Oct 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 greatly increased, qualifying conditions for carer's allowance have 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 extended....