Results 3,101-3,120 of 10,035 for speaker:Martin Cullen

Written Answers — Debt Issues: Debt Issues (26 Sep 2007)

Martin Cullen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 113, 126, 140, 157 and 173 together. The Money Advice and Budgeting Service (MABS) provides assistance to people who are over-indebted and need help and advice in coping with debt problems. There are 53 independent companies nationwide employing some 230 money advice staff who deliver the service at a local level. Many local voluntary and statutory bodies,...

Written Answers — Advocacy Services: Advocacy Services (26 Sep 2007)

Martin Cullen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 114 and 137. The introduction of a personal advocacy service is provided for in the Citizens Information Act, 2007. The Act has as its primary purpose the amendment of the Comhairle Act, 2000, to assign additional and enhanced functions to the Citizens Information Board, formerly Comhairle, which operates under the aegis of my Department, to enable it to...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (26 Sep 2007)

Martin Cullen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 115, 132 and 153 together. The national fuel allowance scheme assists householders on long-term social welfare or health service executive (HSE) payments with meeting the cost of their heating needs during the winter season. Fuel allowances are paid for 29 weeks from end-September to mid-April. The allowance represents a contribution towards a person's...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (26 Sep 2007)

Martin Cullen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 116, 118, 145, 148, 154, 164, 169 and 571 together. As the House is aware, the Government is committed to producing a Green Paper on pensions policy in accordance with the partnership agreement " Towards 2016". The preparation of the Green Paper follows a period of increased activity in the development of pensions policy, which has seen the publication of two...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (26 Sep 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 — Anti-Poverty Strategy: Anti-Poverty Strategy (26 Sep 2007)

Martin Cullen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 121, 124, 128, 156, 161, 165 and 179 together. Combating poverty and building an inclusive society are key priorities for the Government. The National Action Plan for Social Inclusion (NAPinclusion) and the social inclusion commitments in the National Development Plan were drawn up in consultation with the social partners and after a wide ranging consultation...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (26 Sep 2007)

Martin Cullen: Where a person has social insurance contributions from another EEA country, or a country with which Ireland has a bilateral agreement, these can be combined with Irish social insurance contributions to qualify a person for a pro-rata contributory state pension. The manner in which contributions from EEA countries are to be used is laid down in Regulation (EEC) No 1408/ 71 and the same general...

Written Answers — Community Welfare Service: Community Welfare Service (26 Sep 2007)

Martin Cullen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 123, 142, 565 and 566 together. In February 2006 as part of its reform of the Health Sector, the Government decided that the administration of the supplementary welfare allowance scheme (SWA), as well as certain other functions, would be transferred to my Department. The SWA scheme is currently administered by the Community Welfare Service division of the...

Written Answers — Mortgage Support: Mortgage Support (26 Sep 2007)

Martin Cullen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 125 and 168 together. The purpose of rent supplement, administered under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme, is to provide short-term income support 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. In recent...

Written Answers — Budget Issues: Budget Issues (26 Sep 2007)

Martin Cullen: Improvements in social welfare schemes and services are introduced by way of the Budget. In this regard, I will be developing Budget proposals in relation to the various issues within my own area of responsibility, having regard to a wide range of factors. My priorities will be to make progress in achieving the commitments contained in the Agreed Programme for Government, the Social...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (26 Sep 2007)

Martin Cullen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 129 and 151 together. According to CSO statistics for Q2 2007 there are about 2,194,000 in the workforce including 1,255,000 males and 939,000 females. The most recent statistics available in relation to pensions coverage relate to Q4 2005 and suggest that 58.3% of males and 50.6% of females have a supplementary pension. On that basis, we can estimate that...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (26 Sep 2007)

Martin Cullen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 130, 147 and 149 together. The merging of family income supplement and qualified child increases provides an opportunity to further target income support at the poorest families. However, the issues involved are complex and there are technical and policy challenges to be overcome. Under the terms of an earlier Social Partnership agreement the National Economic...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (26 Sep 2007)

Martin Cullen: EU migrant workers have an entitlement to Child Benefit and other "Family benefits" including Early Childcare Supplement (ECS) under EU Regulation 1408/71. Where a national of an EU State with a family is working in Ireland, the worker is entitled to payment of such benefits, even if the children are resident in the worker's home country. Applications for family benefits from EU migrant...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (26 Sep 2007)

Martin Cullen: One of the key objectives of the 2007 social welfare package was to protect and enhance the value of weekly rates of payment for pensioners in relative terms by giving increases which were well in excess of the projected rate of inflation for this year. The State Pension Non-Contributory was increased by €18 per week or 9.9% in the Budget. This level of increase was more than double the...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (26 Sep 2007)

Martin Cullen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 136, 141 and 610 together. Approximately 76 per cent of workers pay PRSI Class A and Class H at the rate of 4 per cent; their employers pay 10.75%. A further 11 per cent of workers pay social insurance contributions at the Class S rate. These contributions which are subject to various thresholds, allowances and ceilings, accrue entitlement to a range of...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Expenditure: Social Welfare Expenditure (26 Sep 2007)

Martin Cullen: Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the EU, publishes comparisons of social protection expenditure as a percentage of GDP across the EU. This encompasses not only social welfare expenditure but also expenditure in areas such as health care, social housing, employment support programmes and other social inclusion programmes. The latest such statistics were published on 24 July 2007 and cover...

Written Answers — Social Insurance Fund: Social Insurance Fund (26 Sep 2007)

Martin Cullen: The second Actuarial Review of the Social Insurance Fund, which is required under Section 10 of the Social Welfare (Consolidation) Act, 2005, is being finalised. This is in accordance with the requirement that such reviews be carried-out at five-yearly intervals and be completed not later than five years after the date of completion of the previous review. The first Actuarial Review was...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (26 Sep 2007)

Martin Cullen: Support of carers has been a priority of Government since 1997. Payments to carers have been greatly improved over that period and qualifying conditions for carers allowance have been significantly eased, coverage of the scheme has been extended, and new schemes such as carers benefit and the respite care payment have been introduced. The further development of support for carers continues...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (26 Sep 2007)

Martin Cullen: The living alone increase is an additional payment of €7.70 per week made to people aged 66 years or over who are in receipt of certain social welfare payments and who are living alone. It is also available to people who are under 66 years of age who are living alone and who receive payments under one of a number of invalidity type schemes. The increase is intended as a contribution towards...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (26 Sep 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 requirement to be...