Results 1,821-1,840 of 10,035 for speaker:Martin Cullen

Written Answers — Private Rented Accommodation: Private Rented Accommodation (2 Apr 2008)

Martin Cullen: Rent supplement is administered on my behalf by the Health Service Executive (HSE) as part of the supplementary welfare allowance scheme. Rent supplement is subject to a limit on the amount of rent that an applicant may incur. Rent limits are set at levels that enable the different eligible household types to secure and retain basic suitable rented accommodation, having regard to the...

Written Answers — Employment Support Services: Employment Support Services (2 Apr 2008)

Martin Cullen: Persons in receipt of carer's allowance, carer's benefit and the respite care grant may engage in employment, self employment, training or education outside the home for up to 15 hours per week and still be considered to be providing full-time care and attention for the purposes of the schemes. This enables carers to retain an attachment to the labour market while they are caring if their...

Written Answers — Private Rented Accommodation: Private Rented Accommodation (2 Apr 2008)

Martin Cullen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 92, 117 and 145 together. Rent Supplement is administered on my behalf by the community welfare division of the Health Service Executive. The purpose of the rent supplement scheme 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...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Fraud: Social Welfare Fraud (2 Apr 2008)

Martin Cullen: A key objective of my Department's control strategy is to ensure that the right person is paid the right amount of money at the right time. As part of this strategy, my Department undertakes surveys of the levels of fraud and error to identify the types of claims which should be prioritised for review. The process involves a review of a random sample of cases, generally in the region of...

Written Answers — Child Support: Child Support (2 Apr 2008)

Martin Cullen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 94 and 102 together. The principal child-centred income support is child benefit, payable in respect of children up to the age of 16 years and to age 19 in the case of children who are in full time education or suffering from a long-term disability. Payment is not affected by parental means or employment status. The Department's other main child income...

Written Answers — Industrial Relations Issues: Industrial Relations Issues (2 Apr 2008)

Martin Cullen: The transfer of certain functions from the HSE to my Department is a major programme that has implications for important services and also affects, on a personal level, the staff delivering these services. Accordingly, the programme to implement the transfer is being managed in a careful and comprehensive manner. In relation to the Industrial Relations considerations associated with this...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Reviews: Social Welfare Reviews (2 Apr 2008)

Martin Cullen: The prevention of fraud and abuse of the social welfare system is an integral part of the day-to-day work of my Department. A key objective of my Department's control strategy is to ensure that we pay the right person the right amount of money at the right time. Systematic risk analysis is a key element of the control strategy. This entails the identification, of areas of high risk of...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (2 Apr 2008)

Martin Cullen: Responsibility for questions relating to entitlement to paternity leave rests with the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform. The question of a social insurance funded payment for paternity leave would be contingent on an underlying entitlement to statutory parental leave.

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (2 Apr 2008)

Martin Cullen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 98, 100 and 122 together. The Government discussion paper, "Proposals for Supporting Lone Parents," put forward proposals for the expanded availability and range of education and training opportunities for lone parents; the extension of the National Employment Action Plan to focus on lone parents; focused provision of childcare; improved information services...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (2 Apr 2008)

Martin Cullen: I propose to take Question Nos. 99 and 561 together. The free travel scheme is available to all people living in the State aged 66 years or over. All carers in receipt of carer's allowance and carers of people in receipt of constant attendance or prescribed relative's allowance, regardless of their age, receive a free travel pass. It is also available to people under age 66 who are in...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (2 Apr 2008)

Martin Cullen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 101 and 138 together. The purpose of the Maintenance Recovery Unit (MRU) is to recover some or all of the moneys being expended on social welfare payments for lone parents. In every case where a one-parent family payment is awarded, the Maintenance Recovery Unit seeks to trace the other parent (liable relative) in order to ascertain whether he or she is in a...

Written Answers — Private Rented Accommodation: Private Rented Accommodation (2 Apr 2008)

Martin Cullen: The programme for Government includes commitments to reduce long-term reliance on rent supplement. This is being done mainly by providing enhanced financial incentives for people taking up employment and by providing long-term housing solutions under the rental assistance scheme. Significant changes to the means test were implemented in 2007 specifically to facilitate people returning to...

Written Answers — Private Rented Accommodation: Private Rented Accommodation (2 Apr 2008)

Martin Cullen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 104 and 546 together. The supplementary welfare allowance scheme, which includes rent supplement, is administered on my behalf by the Community Welfare division of the HSE. Enforcement of housing standards regulations is a matter for Local Authorities and the Community Welfare Service of the HSE is not qualified to undertake this work. However, under...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Budget: Social Welfare Budget (2 Apr 2008)

Martin Cullen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 105, 136, 142 and 144 together. The Estimates allocation for jobseeker's allowance in 2008 is €1,019.8 million while the provision for jobseeker's benefit is €614.52 million. Expenditure on these schemes amounted to €875 million and €545.6 million respectively in 2007. This year's allocations are based on an underlying live register forecast of an...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (2 Apr 2008)

Martin Cullen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 106 and 129 together. At the beginning of January 2008, there were 90,063 people signing for Jobseeker's Allowance. The number has increased by 8,574 to 98,637 at 21st March 2008. The comparative figures for 2007 were 84,122 at the beginning of January increasing by 991 to 85,113 at 23rd March 2007. At the beginning of January 2008, there were 70,647 people...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Fraud: Social Welfare Fraud (2 Apr 2008)

Martin Cullen: The prevention of fraud and abuse of the social welfare system is an integral part of the day-to-day work of my Department. A key objective of my Department's control strategy is to ensure that we pay the right person the right amount of money at the right time. My Department includes surveys of the levels of fraud and error as part of its control strategy to identify the types of claims,...

Written Answers — National Carers Strategy: National Carers Strategy (2 Apr 2008)

Martin Cullen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 108, 128, 146 and 545 together. The development of a national carers' strategy is a key Government commitment in both the national partnership agreement "Towards 2016" and the Programme for Government. A working group, chaired by the Department of An Taoiseach, has begun work on developing the strategy. My Department provides the secretariat to the working...

Written Answers — Social Insurance: Social Insurance (2 Apr 2008)

Martin Cullen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 109, 114, 143 and 150 together. Estimated costings were agreed between the Department of Social and Family Affairs and the Department of Finance in relation to the PRSI commitments in the Programme for Government. These suggest that, were the commitments to be implemented in full, the cost to the Social Insurance Fund (SIF) would be €645 million, in 2006...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (2 Apr 2008)

Martin Cullen: The purpose of the review of the social welfare code, which is currently being undertaken in my Department, is to examine its compatibility with the Equal Status Act, 2000 (as amended). The review will examine all the schemes and services provided for both in social welfare legislation and the administrative schemes operated by the Department. It will identify any instances of direct or...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (2 Apr 2008)

Martin Cullen: The habitual residence condition currently applies to the following schemes: Jobseeker's allowance, one parent family payment, disability allowance, old age non-contributory pension, widow's non-contributory pension, guardian's non-contributory payment, carer's allowance, blind person's pension, child benefit and supplementary welfare allowance. It does not apply to exceptional or urgent...