Results 1,941-1,960 of 10,035 for speaker:Martin Cullen

Social Welfare Benefits. (2 Apr 2008)

Martin Cullen: Responsibility for setting and enforcing housing standards rests with local authorities. Under legislation introduced in October 2006 the HSE, which administers the supplementary welfare allowance scheme on the Department's behalf, may refuse rent supplement where it has been notified by a housing authority that the accommodation concerned does not comply with standards. Where a notification...

Social Welfare Benefits. (2 Apr 2008)

Martin Cullen: As the Deputy well knows, responsibility for setting and enforcing housing standards rests with local authorities. I hope her commitment in this House is the same as that of her colleagues in local authorities throughout the country where the responsibility lies for housing standards. Housing standards are not the responsibility of my Department. What my Department is responsible for are...

Social Welfare Benefits. (2 Apr 2008)

Martin Cullen: I am sure the Deputy heard the point I made earlier that all rent supplement tenancies of more than 18 months duration are notified quarterly to the local authorities and the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government.

Social Welfare Benefits. (2 Apr 2008)

Martin Cullen: I have also stated that the 18 notifications to which the Deputy referred were received and acted upon and that in all cases, rent supplement was terminated. I agree we must ensure none of our clients has to reside in sub-standard accommodation. The Deputy is confused. My role, through the Department, is to support and assist individuals throughout the country in finding suitable...

Social Welfare Benefits. (2 Apr 2008)

Martin Cullen: We support all clients who fulfil the required criteria in sourcing accommodation in this country.

Social Welfare Benefits. (2 Apr 2008)

Martin Cullen: Deputy Shortall is trying to disavow the Labour Party of its responsibility at local government level. They are quick to come into this House to blame me or any other member of the Government——

Social Welfare Benefits. (2 Apr 2008)

Martin Cullen: The Deputy should allow me to answer the question.

Social Welfare Benefits. (2 Apr 2008)

Martin Cullen: As the Deputy well knows, housing standards and the enforcement of housing standards is specifically, in law, a matter for the local authorities. I do not have the resources at central Government level.

Social Welfare Benefits. (2 Apr 2008)

Martin Cullen: Local authorities should do their job and the Deputy's colleagues should ensure they do it.

National Carers Strategy. (2 Apr 2008)

Martin Cullen: The development of a national carers strategy is a key Government commitment in the national partnership agreement, Towards 2016, and the programme for Government. The focus of the strategy is on supporting informal and family carers in the community. While social welfare supports for carers are a key issue in the strategy, other issues such as access to respite and other services,...

National Carers Strategy. (2 Apr 2008)

Martin Cullen: As the Deputy said, there has been a very substantial public engagement on this issue and all the groups informed us that there was no need to repeat that process. There is direct engagement with all of the stakeholders on the development of this process and particularly with those representing the carers, such as the National Carers Association. Those representatives have also made...

National Carers Strategy. (2 Apr 2008)

Martin Cullen: Obviously it is my intention and that of my officials to have as inclusive a process as possible. When one comes to the end of a process, it is clear one is not able to accommodate every single wish of every submission and decisions will need to be made, but they will be made on the basis of what people have said, how the system is working and what is needed for the future development of a...

Anti-Poverty Strategy. (2 Apr 2008)

Martin Cullen: There is a constant balance to be maintained in ensuring that social welfare programmes are developed in ways that are sufficiently responsive to various contingencies, while simultaneously providing opportunities to assist people to become less welfare dependent. In this context, a number of measures have been introduced in recent years to remove disincentives to taking up employment and to...

Anti-Poverty Strategy. (2 Apr 2008)

Martin Cullen: The group the Deputy identified of people at work but living in consistent poverty had fallen to 1.6% of the working population in 2006——

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (13 Mar 2008)

Martin Cullen: Following receipt of further information from the person concerned on 7 March 2008 regarding his self-employment status, a Deciding Officer re-assessed his weekly means as nil from 28 January 2008. This assessment entitles him to a jobseeker's allowance payment at the maximum weekly rate, which in his case, is €425.10 from that date. A first payment, including arrears, will issue to him...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (13 Mar 2008)

Martin Cullen: My Department has consistently publicised the FIS scheme in order to maximise uptake by qualified families. Significant improvements in the qualifying income limits and ongoing awareness campaigns have resulted in a strong upward trend in the level of new claims and, consequently, in claims for renewals. Entitlement to FIS is based on an applicant satisfying a means test and on...

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (13 Mar 2008)

Martin Cullen: Under the current decentralisation programme, the Department's Information and Communications Technology Division (ICT) is designated to relocate to Drogheda. The Office of Public Works (OPW) is charged with securing accommodation in Drogheda for this Department. That Office have advised that they have purchased sites in Drogheda to accommodate the Department's Headquarters Staff, a new...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (13 Mar 2008)

Martin Cullen: The Health Service Executive has advised that the person concerned made an application for a mortgage interest supplement in January 2008. Documentation indicating current employment status was requested from him but has not been provided to date. The person concerned should contact the community welfare officer dealing with the application in question and provide the relevant documentation...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (13 Mar 2008)

Martin Cullen: The Health Service Executive has advised that the persons concerned were refused a mortgage interest supplement on the grounds that their means were in excess of the limits prescribed having regard to their personal circumstances. It is open to them to appeal this decision to the Executive's Appeals Office. The Executive has further advised that it has not received an application from the...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (13 Mar 2008)

Martin Cullen: The supplementary welfare allowance scheme (SWA), including rent supplement, is administered on my behalf by the Community Welfare division of the Health Service Executive (HSE). Under existing arrangements, an appeal against a decision for entitlement to SWA is made in the first instance to the designated appeals office in the HSE. A person may, if they so wish, make a subsequent appeal to...