Results 1,721-1,740 of 10,035 for speaker:Martin Cullen

Written Answers — Official Engagements: Official Engagements (29 Apr 2008)

Martin Cullen: On 17 March 2005 my predecessor Minister Séamus Brennan met the Estonian Minister for Social Affairs, Mr Marko Pomerants, in Tallinn. On 6th April 2005 Minister Brennan met Assistant Minister Zdenka Ninic, of the Croatian Ministry of Family, Veteran's Affairs and Intergenerational Solidarity on the occasion of a conference on family matters in Dublin. No meetings have taken place since...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (29 Apr 2008)

Martin Cullen: The Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme, which is administered on my behalf by the community welfare division of the Health Service Executive (HSE), 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....

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (24 Apr 2008)

Martin Cullen: Rent supplement may be paid by electronic fund transfer. The Health Service Executive has advised that if the person concerned wishes to change the method of payment of his rent supplement, he should contact the community welfare officer at his local health centre to discuss arrangements.

Written Answers — Social Insurance: Social Insurance (24 Apr 2008)

Martin Cullen: The level of the weekly social insurance contribution that is payable is, for the most part, determined by both the level of reckonable earnings in that week and the appropriate PRSI rate. The PRSI exemption on low earnings has now been increased to €352 per week (up from €339 in 2007) — any earnings above this level are liable to an employee PRSI contribution rate of 4%. Above this...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (24 Apr 2008)

Martin Cullen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 158 and 159 together. The estimated full year costs of introducing a Paternity Benefit, on a similar basis to maternity benefit, for one, two and four weeks are €10.5m, €21.1m, and €42.2m, respectively.

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (24 Apr 2008)

Martin Cullen: Disability Allowance is a weekly Allowance paid to people with a specified disability who are aged over 16 and under 66. The disability must be expected to last for at least one year and the allowance is subject to both medical assessment and a means test. The person concerned made an application for Disability Allowance on 12th September, 2007. Following as assessment by a Social Welfare...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (24 Apr 2008)

Martin Cullen: My Department has no record of a current application for farm assist from the person concerned. However, it is open to the person concerned to apply for farm assist and a form for this purpose has been issued to her. The person concerned has been awarded widow's non-contributory pension at the weekly rate of €170.30 from 1 February 2008. Her first payment, including arrears, will issue...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (24 Apr 2008)

Martin Cullen: Persons of a marriage/union who reside at different addresses and who fail to provide evidence that the marriage/union has been dissolved, or irretrievably broken down, are considered to be geographically separated. In order to qualify for one-parent family payment a separated person must demonstrate that the marriage tie between the applicant and his/her spouse is broken. The fact that a...

Written Answers — Social Insurance: Social Insurance (24 Apr 2008)

Martin Cullen: The Social Insurance Fund derives its income mainly from pay-related social insurance contributions from both employers and employees. It provides insured contributors with both long-term pension benefits and short-term benefits such as unemployment and disability payments. The table outlines the Social Insurance Fund receipts, expenditure, annual surplus and cumulative surplus for each year...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (24 Apr 2008)

Martin Cullen: The person concerned applied for One Parent Family Payment in February 2003 and April 2007. On each occasion her application was disallowed by Deciding Officers on the grounds that she failed to establish that she was a separated person within the meaning of the Social Welfare legislation. The person concerned appealed the decisions to the Social Welfare Appeals Office and, following oral...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (24 Apr 2008)

Martin Cullen: Under the terms of the supplementary welfare allowance scheme, which is administered on my behalf by the community welfare division of the Health Service Executive, an exceptional needs payment (ENP) may be made to help meet an essential, once-off cost which the applicant is unable to meet out of his/her own resources. There is no automatic entitlement to this payment. Each application is...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (24 Apr 2008)

Martin Cullen: Invalidity pension is a social insurance based payment paid to people who are permanently incapable of work due to disability or illness. One of the conditions for receipt of the payment is that the recipient does not engage in any form of employment. However, an exemption to this requirement is provided for in very specific circumstances. Such an exemption, which typically lasts for 12...

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (24 Apr 2008)

Martin Cullen: To date, under the current programme, 192 posts have relocated from the Department's Dublin Offices to Carrick-on-Shannon and Sligo. In addition, the Department has decentralised offices in Longford, Sligo, Letterkenny, Waterford, Dundalk and Roscommon and a further 195 employees have transferred to these offices and other offices of the Department, to fill vacancies created by the current...

Order of Business (24 Apr 2008)

Martin Cullen: The Deputy has that clear anyway.

Written Answers — Registration of Deaths: Registration of Deaths (23 Apr 2008)

Martin Cullen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 170 and 171 together. The legislative provisions governing the registration of deaths are contained in the Civil Registration Act 2004. Section 38 of the Act makes provision for the registration in Ireland of the death of an Irish citizen domiciled in the State, which occurs outside the State in the following circumstances: (a) If there was not at the time of...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (23 Apr 2008)

Martin Cullen: Customers in receipt of Job Seekers Allowance can choose to collect their payment using a Social Services Card at the post office or by Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT) at a financial institution such as a Bank, Building Society or Credit Union. In February 2008, some 46,000 (51%) of Job Seekers Allowance recipients were paid using a Social Services Card at the post office. In addition, some...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (23 Apr 2008)

Martin Cullen: The Health Service Executive has advised that payment of rent supplement was suspended in this case pending a review of the financial circumstances of the person concerned. The Executive has further advised that it expects to be in a position shortly to complete its review and issue a written notification of its decision to the person concerned.

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (23 Apr 2008)

Martin Cullen: I have made no policy changes with a view to reducing expenditure this year.

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (22 Apr 2008)

Martin Cullen: The Early Child care Supplement (ECS) scheme is under the remit of the office of the Minister for Children (OMC); the administration of the scheme is undertaken by the Department of Social and Family Affairs on an agency basis for the OMC. Under the relevant legislation the ECS payment is automatically made to the person who receives Child Benefit for the child. Child Benefit section...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (22 Apr 2008)

Martin Cullen: The supplementary welfare allowance scheme, which includes rent supplement, is administered on my behalf by the Community Welfare Service of the Health Service Executive (HSE). The purpose of rent supplement is to provide short-term income support to eligible tenants living in private rented accommodation whose means are insufficient to meet their accommodation costs and who do not have...