Results 101-120 of 27,997 for speaker:Éamon Ó Cuív

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Schemes (3 Jul 2024)

Éamon Ó Cuív: 158. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when participants in ACRES 1 will be informed of the measures available to choose from in order to receive the ACRES top-up grant; the reason for the delay in this matter; if, in view of inflation, farmers can buy materials for this scheme and use them after the approved date; if they will be entitled in time to a reimbursement of...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Seirbhísí Oileán (3 Jul 2024)

Éamon Ó Cuív: 218. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development cén dul chun cinn atá déanta chun comhairleoirí a cheapadh le staidéar a dhéanamh ar riachtanais maidir le cúrsaí calaidh in Inis Meáin sa todhchaí; agus an ndéanfaidh sí ráiteas ina thaobh. [28570/24]

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: General Scheme of the Social Welfare (Bereaved Partner's Pension) Bill 2024: Discussion (2 Jul 2024)

Éamon Ó Cuív: It is interesting that the figures involved are very small. For widow's, widower's or surviving civil partner's contributory pension, the headline figure is 124,896 recipients. However, it is important to look at the age breakdown. Everybody over the age of 66 has a right to some kind of pension, either a contributory pension or, if they do not have that, a non-contributory pension. The...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: General Scheme of the Social Welfare (Bereaved Partner's Pension) Bill 2024: Discussion (2 Jul 2024)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Ms Lucey seems to be missing my point. All public officials have a computer in their head for figures and costs. Disaggregating the figures, the cost of the widow's and widower's pensions for people under 66 is relatively small, surprisingly so. I knew it would be small but the figures show it is a very modest number. If we take that very modest figure, the cost implication of extending...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: General Scheme of the Social Welfare (Bereaved Partner's Pension) Bill 2024: Discussion (2 Jul 2024)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The other point is that it seems to be the case that payment will not be automatically backdated. Some people might get it backdated if they applied at the time. I would have thought that could not be done in that there was no way of applying. Nobody has issued any formal statement saying people can apply for widow's pension retrospectively and they should put in an application. I am...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: General Scheme of the Social Welfare (Bereaved Partner's Pension) Bill 2024: Discussion (2 Jul 2024)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Normally, a claim for a back payment goes back six months, with the possibility to go back further in exceptional circumstances. If an announcement were to be made tomorrow, we would be talking peanuts, as I said. It is the maddest thing I have ever heard that we would not go back in this case. If we are going back for one, we should go back for all. Does Ms Lucey agree this could be...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: General Scheme of the Social Welfare (Bereaved Partner's Pension) Bill 2024: Discussion (2 Jul 2024)

Éamon Ó Cuív: There are about 30,000 potentially eligible people under 66, give or take. I cannot get an accurate figure because it goes to 65, but it is not hundreds of thousands. There are 30,000 people on contributory pension, while the figures for non-contributory pension are tiny. They only exceed 100 in the 70-year age bracket. We then have the issue of entitlement because people may get the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: General Scheme of the Social Welfare (Bereaved Partner's Pension) Bill 2024: Discussion (2 Jul 2024)

Éamon Ó Cuív: At the end of the day there is a balance between what is practical and what is not. I accept the Department's challenge in trying to strike a fair balance in this one. It looks simple but there is always a case. I am curious as to whether we have any statistics or idea on the number of divorced people getting widow's contributory pension.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: General Scheme of the Social Welfare (Bereaved Partner's Pension) Bill 2024: Discussion (2 Jul 2024)

Éamon Ó Cuív: That is what I would have thought. I was looking at the statistics. If I take everybody over 66 out, there are approximately 30,000. That is for contributory; with non-contributory they would be entitled to something else. The number of widows and widowers is not enormous up to the mid-60s, based on the statistics. I did a quick tot on them.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: General Scheme of the Social Welfare (Bereaved Partner's Pension) Bill 2024: Discussion (2 Jul 2024)

Éamon Ó Cuív: It is growing, despite the fantastic healthcare in the country and everybody living longer?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: General Scheme of the Social Welfare (Bereaved Partner's Pension) Bill 2024: Discussion (2 Jul 2024)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I am not talking about that. I take the gross number of people who get widow's pensions, and take out the people over 66, because most of those would have an underlying payment of a contributory pension. Normally, when you get to 66 you are entitled to a State pension.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: General Scheme of the Social Welfare (Bereaved Partner's Pension) Bill 2024: Discussion (2 Jul 2024)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The number of widows under 66, as you would expect, is quite small in the total. It is likely that the subset of those who are divorced is very small. It would be useful to get a measure of that because it is always good to know.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: General Scheme of the Social Welfare (Bereaved Partner's Pension) Bill 2024: Discussion (2 Jul 2024)

Éamon Ó Cuív: It would be great to have the figure for this.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: General Scheme of the Social Welfare (Bereaved Partner's Pension) Bill 2024: Discussion (2 Jul 2024)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Can we get something for that? You know yourself. The Department thinks about cost. We think about the number of people coming into the constituency clinics - the hard luck cases.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: General Scheme of the Social Welfare (Bereaved Partner's Pension) Bill 2024: Discussion (2 Jul 2024)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I know, but Mr. Duggan gets my point.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: General Scheme of the Social Welfare (Bereaved Partner's Pension) Bill 2024: Discussion (2 Jul 2024)

Éamon Ó Cuív: We have to think of cost this side as well because we have to vote the money through.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: General Scheme of the Social Welfare (Bereaved Partner's Pension) Bill 2024: Discussion (2 Jul 2024)

Éamon Ó Cuív: What about adopted children?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: General Scheme of the Social Welfare (Bereaved Partner's Pension) Bill 2024: Discussion (2 Jul 2024)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The two years, yes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: General Scheme of the Social Welfare (Bereaved Partner's Pension) Bill 2024: Discussion (2 Jul 2024)

Éamon Ó Cuív: What if they were adopted by a single person who then started cohabiting?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: General Scheme of the Social Welfare (Bereaved Partner's Pension) Bill 2024: Discussion (2 Jul 2024)

Éamon Ó Cuív: If they did, would they be considered?