Results 41-60 of 79 for going forward speaker:Claire Kerrane

Regulations for the Sale and Distribution of Turf: Motion [Private Members] (5 May 2022)

Claire Kerrane: I welcome this motion and commend my constituency colleague, Deputy Fitzmaurice, and his colleagues on bringing it forward. They have put forward, as has widely been agreed here this evening, reasonable asks of Government with regard to the turf-sale ban initially proposed by the Minister, Deputy Ryan. One of the first things the Minister, Deputy Ryan, said when he stood up was about the...

Home Heating Fuels: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members] (26 Apr 2022)

Claire Kerrane: As Sinn Féin has acknowledged previously, and acknowledges in the motion, the Government cannot do everything when it comes to the cost of living and, in particular, the energy crisis that households right across this State face. However, there is a glaring anomaly in relation to rural households, the vast majority of which rely on home heating oil and nothing else to heat their homes,...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Departmental Policies (5 Apr 2022)

Claire Kerrane: ...through it? She said the final draft that will follow is imminent. What does she expect the next steps will be? This will be an important piece of Our Rural Future and an important mechanism going forward when it comes to policies right across government as, before they are introduced, they will be looked at through that rural lens. It will also be important in order to avoid any...

Flexible and Remote Work: Motion [Private Members] (9 Mar 2022)

Claire Kerrane: I too want to commend the Labour Party on bringing forward this motion. I cannot stress enough the importance of remote working to our rural towns and villages. While it is hard to see anything positive in relation to Covid, it has been life-changing for rural Ireland in allowing people to work from home, to reduce commute times and to remain in their communities, which is of huge benefit...

Assessment of Needs for Children with Special Education Requirements: Motion [Private Members] (8 Mar 2022)

Claire Kerrane: I too commend my colleague Deputy Tully on the work she has done in bringing forward this motion. For a parent with a child who has additional needs, the battle for services and supports is constant. A parent may notice something when the child is only two or three years of age: their balance, their eye contact or their inability to do things children of the same age can do. That is just...

Social Welfare (Payment Order) (Amendment) Bill 2021: Second Stage [Private Members] (24 Feb 2022)

Claire Kerrane: ...longer liable to make a contribution. This pushes the lone parent into court to seek maintenance. The way this typically works is that the lone parent will wait for a while to eventually get a court date and will go to court potentially several times. Eventually, once his or her case is heard, a maintenance order can be granted but that does not mean maintenance is actually paid....

Supplementary Budget for Rural Communities and Farmers: Motion [Private Members] (23 Feb 2022)

Claire Kerrane: It is clear that the cost of living package that was announced a number of weeks ago is not enough. It was interesting that the €505 million that was announced was lumped in with the budget. We have raised the cost of living for a number of months, particularly after the survey we conducted last October to which more than 14,000 people responded. At that stage, it was clear that the...

Carbon Tax: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members] (22 Feb 2022)

Claire Kerrane: ...energy cost hikes. I would have thought that was quite obvious. However, what we are saying quite clearly is that heaping additional costs from 1 May, when people are already struggling and going cold in their homes, is not the right thing to do. Whatever way it is put, including the package and the measures from the budget last year, people's energy bills are going to increase from 1...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Departmental Reports (3 Feb 2022)

Claire Kerrane: ...the right place for child maintenance to be agreed. We know that where a court order is made for maintenance, it does not necessarily mean payments are made. It falls on the lone parent again to go back to court. The court is not the right setting for sorting out child maintenance. It does not work. Once the maintenance is agreed, it is not necessarily paid. It is automatically...

Gender-based Violence: Motion [Private Members] (19 Jan 2022)

Claire Kerrane: ...and it is still happening. That tells us everything done up to now has not worked. It is not enough just to remember these women, we must instead act and act right now. Much has been put forward here this evening, in the form of reports, policy, data and legislation. All of it is important but moving forward we must have accountability for every single action we now put forward on...

Social Welfare Bill 2021: Committee and Remaining Stages (15 Dec 2021)

Claire Kerrane: ...Committee on Social Protection within six months of the passing of this Act.”. Again, I have raised this issue previously with the Minister on a couple of occasions. It is also a measure I had brought forward in Sinn Féin's alternative budget. It should be considered. This has become available in the North of Ireland. Amendments were recently brought forward by my party...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (15 Dec 2021)

Claire Kerrane: ...one waiting list to another. The Minister mentioned the additional funding and 24 million home support hours. Again, that is welcome but not if we have nobody to provide those hours. Who is going to provide them? I put forward one example regarding community employment. This would be particularly helpful in rural areas in counties Roscommon, Galway and Mayo where we have 660 people...

Social Welfare Bill 2021: Second Stage (3 Dec 2021)

Claire Kerrane: ...some restrictions. As I always do, I welcome any increase in social welfare payments, but the Minister will not be surprised to hear me say that I would like to see us get to a point where we are going with the minimum essential standard of living, MESL, when it comes to social welfare rates. It is unfair that we have the same debate every year prior to the budget about a €5...

Employment Support Services: Motion [Private Members] (30 Nov 2021)

Claire Kerrane: ...getting rid of the current services that exist in the local employment services and the job clubs. The Minister said my reference to the Indecon report was selective. Yes, the Indecon report put forward open procurement, but where did it refer to the change in model? That is the problem. If the legal advice and the EU procurement laws are correct and the Minister is right, that does...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Report of the Commission on Pensions: Discussion (Resumed) (17 Nov 2021)

Claire Kerrane: ...ages in contracts and to establish a body that will recommend increases in respect of the State pension, similar to the Low Pay Commission, as has been suggested. The remit of that body should go beyond the State pension and we should require a body to recommend increases across the board for social protection payments overall every year before budget time because we have this issue, as...

Financial Resolutions 2021 - Financial Resolution No. 2: General (Resumed) (13 Oct 2021)

Claire Kerrane: ..., workers in particular, who will not be able to access the fuel allowance. We proposed €30 million to widen eligibility to the fuel allowance in our alternative budget. The measure brought forward by Government to increase it from €100 to €120 is an allocation of €1.9 million. I am not sure how many people are going to get access to the fuel allowance, given...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: National Action Plan on the Development of the Islands: Discussion (6 Oct 2021)

Claire Kerrane: ...we are almost coming into 2022 now so when it is published it will not be a ten-year plan. A recent reply to a parliamentary question from the Minister indicated that the plan is not actually going to be published this year. That does not seem to be the indication. In regard to consultation, all are agreed it is important to listen to people who live on the islands, who have that first...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Pensions Council and Citizens Information Board: Chairpersons Designate (7 Jul 2021)

Claire Kerrane: ...to in a pension pot. That is really encouraging for people. You can be paying off bits and pieces through your wages, various taxes and everything else; you do not really know where they are going. It is really important we can see where our pension contributions are going, see throughout our working life where we are with our pension pots and see the fees and charges we are paying....

Select Committee on Social Protection: Proposed Regional Employment Service: Discussion (16 Jun 2021)

Claire Kerrane: ...This proposal would erode the community ethos and the not-for-profit model so well fostered by the likes of the LES and job clubs for so many years. I am disappointed about how this has been put forward. The LES and job clubs were led to believe that they would be pleasantly surprised and now they may not even be in a position to tender for what has been put forward, if they would even...