Results 61-80 of 107 for going forward speaker:John Brady

Social Welfare, Pensions and Civil Registration Bill: Report Stage (29 Nov 2018)

John Brady: ...should and could be used as a means of lifting children out of consistent poverty. We know there are major issues relating to maintenance payments and the process involved for parents who have to go court to try to get the payments. I touched on that issue in a previous amendment, which, unfortunately, was ruled out of order. My party and I brought forward proposals on the creation of a...

Microgeneration Support Scheme Bill 2017: Second Stage [Private Members] (27 Nov 2018)

John Brady: ...I commend my colleague, Deputy Stanley, on not just talking about the challenges we face when it comes to our over-reliance on fossil fuels and the need for renewable alternatives but on bringing forward concrete, workable solutions. This Government and previous Governments have failed to grapple with the scourge of fuel poverty. In 2007, a policy paper examining fuel poverty...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Bogus Self-Employment: Discussion (8 Nov 2018)

John Brady: ...well. It is also common in public projects funded by the State, including housing projects, schools and other capital projects throughout the country. People are being forced to register as self-employed and going to work as subcontractors. Not only are they missing out on entitlements such as holiday or sick pay etc., there are some recent examples of developers getting State contracts...

Public Service Superannuation (Age of Retirement) Bill 2018 [Seanad]: Second Stage (Resumed) (7 Nov 2018)

John Brady: ...women. Some changes are now being made and those people await the letters about having their cases reviewed. That is an example of how people have been affected by the measures taken by this Government. If they were allowed to continue working beyond the age of 65 they would be able to continue to pay their contributions and build up their pot for retirement. The State has created...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Pre-Budget Discussion: Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection (25 Sep 2018)

John Brady: ...greatly concerned very many people in the community. The Minister finished her opening statement by saying what would be the most effective way of addressing child poverty. I have spoken to the NGOs, the organisations out dealing with children in poverty, and CSO figures show that 25% of children in lone parent families are in poverty or at risk of poverty. When asked about this,...

Employment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2017: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (12 Jul 2018)

John Brady: -----in this critical legislation where anyone could put forward amendments at Report Stage. Something has to be done about bogus self-employment. The Minister has acknowledged that, even though no legislation has been brought forward to that end. This legislation will go to the Seanad, with or without this amendment. A number of amendments will be made in the Seanad by Sinn Féin and...

Employment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2017: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (12 Jul 2018)

John Brady: It is astonishing that the Minister is now appealing to the Opposition - or friends in government - to withdraw this and bring it forward as stand-alone legislation. The Minister knows quite well, because her Department compiled a report that was published in January 2018, the implications, not only in terms of workers' rights and entitlements to redundancy and holiday pay but all the other...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Barnardos and Society of St. Vincent de Paul: Pre-Budget Discussion (12 Jul 2018)

John Brady: ...be a rudderless boat in this regard. All the evidence and statistics show that poverty levels are increasing. The total money paid out by charities such as the Society of St. Vincent de Paul is going up annually. The evidence shows a rise in fuel poverty because much of the money goes to help families to heat their homes, be it trying to pay electricity bills that increase annually....

Employment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2017: Report Stage (Resumed) (11 Jul 2018)

John Brady: ...actually comes into operation. That is where I have a serious problem. How long before the drafting of these regulations actually takes place? Deputy O'Dea has already said that his party is going to table amendments in the Seanad. That will obviously slow things up. It will inevitably have to come back into this House, so it could be October or November before it comes back in here....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Crosscare Emigrant Support Service: Discussion (28 Jun 2018)

John Brady: ...or information on property they may have been renting or may own. Some deciding officers really do not know what to do and essentially put a red line through it and force that person then to go through a lengthy appeal process. At the same time, there is no referral to community welfare officers or anything like that. It is a real problem. However, the witnesses highlight in their...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: State Pension Reform: Discussion (14 Jun 2018)

John Brady: ...have been forced to leave these shores against their will to find employment elsewhere. What provision will be made for them? The pension age will increase to 67 years in 2021 and it will go up again in 2028. There is a serious anomaly currently where people are forced to resign at 65 years due to the nature of their contracts and then must sign on for jobseeker's payment for a year...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Employment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2017: Committee Stage (17 May 2018)

John Brady: ...to be dealt with for a long time. We know that if-and-when contracts, flexi-hour contracts and zero hour contracts are very common all across the State. Other pieces of legislation were brought forward previously. My colleague, Deputy Cullinane, brought forward legislation in June 2016 on foot of serious concerns that workers have been experiencing and elaborating on over many years....

Select Committee on Social Protection: Employment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2017: Committee Stage (17 May 2018)

John Brady: I take on board the views expressed my colleagues. I am certainly not going to push the amendment. I will seek to amend it and bring it forward again on Report Stage. If it was something along the lines of a provision that the contract would have to be issued before or no later than the day of commencement of employment, I could accommodate it. I will bring forward an amended amendment on...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Employment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2017: Committee Stage (17 May 2018)

John Brady: The issue of bogus self-employment is rife. Different committees have looked at this and there have been different reports. I note that the Department and the Minister have brought forward an awareness campaign which is just paying lip-service to the issue. Bogus self-employment is rife in the construction sector and even in our State broadcaster. In fairness, Mr. Philip Boucher-Hayes has...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Employment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2017: Committee Stage (17 May 2018)

John Brady: I acknowledge the Minister has made some changes but they do not go far enough. The bands are far too wide and sparse. I fundamentally oppose amendments Nos. 37 and 38 for several reasons. First, the bands in amendment No. 37 are too wide. Second, the first band ranges from one hour to seven hours. I have made the argument previously that there should be a minimum of three hours provided...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: EU Employment Legislation and JobPath: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Mar 2018)

John Brady: ...up the LES's response is unbelievable. Once people are referred to Seetec or Turas Nua, they are locked in for 12 months initially. The Department says it has examined this and it will bring forward changes to make it easier for people once they are locked in to go back on to a CE scheme, for example. Have there been conversations or communications with the network in this regard?...

Report on Lone Parents: Motion (15 Feb 2018)

John Brady: ...analysis and detailed questioning of all our expert witnesses, and more importantly, real life witnesses. They are out there dealing with the consequences of the failure of successive Governments to tackle one of the most deprived sectors of our society. I say that with reference to the changes made in 2012 and the consequences those changes have had on lone parent families right across...

Employment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2017: Second Stage (14 Feb 2018)

John Brady: ...in income for a household. The same can be said for someone in the 25 to 34 hours bracket. Mandate has recommended a gap of five hours, at most, between hours per band. The weekly bands put forward in the Bill introduced by my colleague, Deputy David Cullinane, start at 11.5 hours as opposed to the one hour proposed in this Bill. Mandate, which represents many of the workers the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Public Sector Staff Retirements (18 Jan 2018)

John Brady: It was a welcome step in the right direction. I brought forward legislation, which the Government is sitting on, which would ensure that there is no mandated retirement age for any worker, whether in the private or public sector. We are not yet in a position to advance that. It has gone through Second Stage and pre-committee scrutiny, and we are waiting for a money message. There are...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Public Sector Staff Retirements (18 Jan 2018)

John Brady: ...the Minister about the announcement he made last December whereby he decided to increase the retirement age for public service workers from 65 to 70. That must be welcomed, although it does not go far enough. The Minister is aware that I put forward legislation to ensure no worker would be subject to a mandatory retirement age. However, there is some concern on this issue. With whom...