Results 15,921-15,940 of 16,057 for speaker:Mary Coughlan

Written Answers — Family Support Services: Family Support Services (17 Feb 2004)

Mary Coughlan: Apart from the back to work and back to education allowance the only source of funding available to my Department which might apply in this case is the special projects fund. This fund enables my Department's jobs facilitators to provide supports to people who need additional help to progress to further training and employment. The groups who need special help of this nature include the...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (17 Feb 2004)

Mary Coughlan: The position regarding the entitlement of the person concerned to an unemployment payment was fully set out in responses to the Deputy's previous questions. The person concerned has, for some years, been engaged in employment on a part-time basis, five days per week. This has been confirmed once again with his employer. He is also engaged in self-employment, as a tiler. He has an income from...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (17 Feb 2004)

Mary Coughlan: The supplementary welfare allowance scheme, which is administered on behalf of my Department by the health boards, provides for the payment of a weekly or monthly supplement in respect of rent to eligible people in the State whose means are insufficient to meet their accommodation needs. Rent supplements are subject to a means test and are normally calculated to ensure that a person, after...

Written Answers — Child Care Services: Child Care Services (17 Feb 2004)

Mary Coughlan: As advised in my reply to Parliamentary Question No. 606 of 16 December 2003 the Northern Area Health Board agreed to examine the financial support it provides to the crèche in question following the decision to discontinue, with effect from 1 January 2004, payment of crèche supplements under the terms of the supplementary welfare allowance scheme. The board has advised that a formal...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (17 Feb 2004)

Mary Coughlan: Subject to certain conditions, the supplementary welfare allowance scheme provides for the payment of a weekly or monthly supplement in respect of rent to eligible people in the State whose means are insufficient to meet their accommodation needs and who do not have accommodation available from any other source. A person does not have to spend a specified period of time on a housing list in...

Seanad: Civil Registration Bill 2003: Second Stage (Resumed). (11 Feb 2004)

Mary Coughlan: Gabhaim mo bhuíochas leis na Seanadóirí a bhí páirteach sa díospóireacht seo. I mo thuairim, is Bille an-tábhachtach é seo. Beidh díospóireacht níos faide againn ar Chéim an Choiste, agus b'fhéidir go mbeidh níos mó le rá ag na Seanadóirí ansin. Many might have felt that this legislation was simple, but it impinges on everyone in this country. Without a doubt, the Lower...

Seanad: Civil Registration Bill 2003: Second Stage (Resumed). (11 Feb 2004)

Mary Coughlan: As long as I want? We will be here until morn.

Seanad: Civil Registration Bill 2003: Second Stage (Resumed). (11 Feb 2004)

Mary Coughlan: Within reason. I will go over one or two points in particular, perhaps giving answers, before returning to the policy issues. There was a question from the genealogists regarding the death certificate and having information on the place and date of birth. I have agreed to this being included in the legislation, so that should assuage their concerns. Senator Mansergh spoke about the fact that...

Seanad: Civil Registration Bill 2003: Second Stage (Resumed). (11 Feb 2004)

Mary Coughlan: That would be a matter for the coroner. He or she determines the time and place of death and then advises the tArd-Chláraitheoir of those statistics. As the Senator knows, there is much consideration of a new coroner's Bill. We would not have any role in regard to the place and date of death and would be advised accordingly.

Seanad: Civil Registration Bill 2003: Second Stage (Resumed). (11 Feb 2004)

Mary Coughlan: That entry will now be cross tabulated; heretofore, it was not. As a consequence, we have created a number of savings in the health services. A number of dead people were kept well by eminent members of the medical profession who did not advise us that their patients had died. That has created a number of savings within the GMS.

Seanad: Civil Registration Bill 2003: Second Stage (Resumed). (11 Feb 2004)

Mary Coughlan: Yes. It will also facilitate my Department in regard to pensions and pensions policy. As a consequence, it will become a control measure. As this is a great equal opportunities Department, child benefit is paid to the primary carer, whether male or female.

Seanad: Civil Registration Bill 2003: Second Stage (Resumed). (11 Feb 2004)

Mary Coughlan: That is a matter for my Department which would make a determination. It has created much concern, but the primary carer is the rule we use. If a woman or a man is the primary carer, he or she is entitled to child benefit. I thank the Cathaoirleach for facilitating this debate. We have listened to many of the concerns expressed, many of which have been addressed in the revised legislation...

Seanad: Civil Registration Bill 2003: Second Stage. (11 Feb 2004)

Mary Coughlan: Tá lúcháir orm a bheith ar ais arís sa Seanad agus gabhaim buíochas as ucht seans a thabhairt dom an Bille tábhachtach a chur os comhair an Tí. I am pleased to bring the Civil Registration Bill 2003 before the House. The Bill provides a new legislative framework for civil registration, supports and enables the modernisation of the Civil Registration Service and facilitates the...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (10 Feb 2004)

Mary Coughlan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 467, 471, and 473 together. Subject to certain conditions, the supplementary welfare allowance scheme, which is administered on behalf of my Department by the health boards, provides for the payment of a weekly or monthly supplement in respect of rent to eligible people in the State whose means are insufficient to meet their accommodation needs. As the...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (10 Feb 2004)

Mary Coughlan: The person concerned is in receipt of the maximum rate of contributory widow's pension and is not entitled concurrently to unemployment benefit. However, if she is unemployed, available for and genuinely seeking work she should contact her social welfare local office as she may have an entitlement to credited contributions.

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (10 Feb 2004)

Mary Coughlan: A deciding officer disallowed the unemployment assistance claim of the person concerned from 16 January 2001 to 23 September 2003 on the grounds that he was not unemployed for this period. He has been employed on a part-time basis and did not inform the Department of this. He has also failed to supply information regarding his means. A letter outlining the decision and informing him of the...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (10 Feb 2004)

Mary Coughlan: The carer's allowance is a social assistance payment which provides income support to people who are providing certain elderly or incapacitated persons with full time care and attention and whose incomes fall below a certain limit. From January the maximum rate of carer's allowance for a carer under 66 years increased to €139.60 per week while a carer over age 66 years may be entitled to a...

Written Answers — Departmental Funding: Departmental Funding (10 Feb 2004)

Mary Coughlan: The family support agency administers the scheme of grants for voluntary organisations providing marriage, child and bereavement counselling services. I retain final responsibility for approving funding under the scheme. An application form for the 2004 scheme of grants issued recently to Down Syndrome Ireland. The closing date for receipt of applications is Friday, 27 February 2004. Down...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (10 Feb 2004)

Mary Coughlan: The amount spent by my department for media and advertising purposes in the period January 2002 to December 2003 was €1,605,919. This money was spent on advertising in national, daily and Sunday newspapers, provincial papers, television, national, radio and local radio. In this two year period, my department advertised on a broad range of social welfare related issues. Issues covered...

Civil Registration Bill 2003: Report and Final Stages. (10 Feb 2004)

Mary Coughlan: It is, but there are particular sensitivities surrounding this issue. An tArd-Chláraitheoir has advised me that there are approximately 2,000 re-registrations every year arising out of these issues. The trend has changed considerably. In the main, the initial registration is where both parents are registered and that is facilitated through the hospitals and other facilities at the time of...