Results 261-280 of 7,024 for speaker:Willie Penrose

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Railway Stations (11 Jun 2019)

Willie Penrose: 792. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport when he will visit Thomastown train station, Killucan, County Westmeath, in view of a commitment given in Dáil Éireann in order to appreciate at first hand the importance of reopening the station in terms of facilitating increased numbers travelling by rail and its contribution to environmental enhancement; and if he will...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Urban Development (11 Jun 2019)

Willie Penrose: 959. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if progress is being made in relation to the provision of the necessary funding to Westmeath County Council to carry out a regeneration and revitalisation programme for western areas of Athlone (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23333/19]

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Turf Cutting Compensation Scheme Applications (11 Jun 2019)

Willie Penrose: 1021. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if steps will be taken to ensure that a person (details supplied) is paid the appropriate compensation for cessation of turf cutting; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24314/19]

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Natural Heritage Areas Designation (11 Jun 2019)

Willie Penrose: 1022. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht when a natural heritage area order will be de-designated as communicated to affected property owners (details supplied) in which a period of over five years has elapsed since the publication of the long-term plan for Ireland’s peatlands on 14 January 2014 and de-designation is still awaited; and if she will make a...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Insurance Fund (30 May 2019)

Willie Penrose: I am very eager to see the self-employed covered. They had an horrendous time in the recession, when this all came into focus. I was advocating for and arguing the case of the self-employed for a long time and I did not make as much progress as I had hoped. Fair play to the Minister; she grabbed this ball, on which I compliment her. I agree with the further extension of benefits to...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Child Poverty (30 May 2019)

Willie Penrose: 15. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of children in poverty; the steps she is taking to tackle the problem; if she has held discussions with the Department of Children and Youth Affairs to address the reported capacity problem within the childcare sector which is regarded as a key driver of childhood poverty; and if she will make a statement on the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Child Poverty (30 May 2019)

Willie Penrose: Child poverty remains a significant challenge. It is clearly an impediment to many children making the progress one would anticipate and hope for them because it has an impact across a wide sphere of activities, including participation in education, health and nourishment. There is a clear obligation for us to act in an holistic and positive way at Government level to address this and, in...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Child Poverty (30 May 2019)

Willie Penrose: The Minister is absolutely correct that lone parents and those with disabilities are certainly vulnerable in this area. They are most susceptible to poverty of the level in question. It is appalling. We all have to adopt policies to address this issue. We all support the objective of reducing the number of children in consistent poverty by two thirds, to 37,000. There are approximately...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Child Poverty (30 May 2019)

Willie Penrose: I look forward to the publication of the national inclusion strategy and all that goes with it. The qualifying child payment was especially welcome this year. Are there plans to increase the payment in the October budget? Child benefit has not been increased in recent budgets. Are there plans to increase it? It is important that we elaborate on and set out our plans for child benefit....

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Child Poverty (30 May 2019)

Willie Penrose: There is a lot of hidden poverty, though.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Insurance Fund (30 May 2019)

Willie Penrose: 14. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection to outline the status of the proposed expansion of the net eligibility for those self-employed persons who account for 14% of workers; her views on whether self-employed persons should contribute more in view of the differential between the 4% self-employed rate and the combined 14.95% for PAYE employees; and if she will...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Insurance Fund (30 May 2019)

Willie Penrose: I acknowledge the developments and improvements that have been made for self-employed people to date. I am one of the self-employed. They provide an important safeguard and safety net for self-employed persons. The extension of a suite of benefits to people who provide thousands of jobs throughout the State and form the backbone of many small and medium-sized enterprises is especially...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Insurance Fund (30 May 2019)

Willie Penrose: The issue will have to be addressed. As someone who would benefit from it, I understand that. Employers may be looking at 14.9% and that will be something of a differential. Certainly a 10% levy could not be imposed. However, there has to be some view on how to extend the benefits. We know 6,500 individuals will benefit in November. The figures are significant and the benefits will be...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Insurance Fund (30 May 2019)

Willie Penrose: It was about assets, as well as things that disappeared like the snow last winter. People were looking for last year's money now. God bless us, asking people to account for last year's money now is crazy. Full access will be provided to the existing range of employment supports. I know the Minister will aim for that and there will be PRSI tests and access to payment. The issue is that in...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Employment Rights (30 May 2019)

Willie Penrose: The misclassification of workers as self-employed is an issue that has exercised those of us in the Labour Party and the wider trade union movement for a considerable period. It costs the State hundreds of millions of euro in lost PRSI revenue and workers are deprived of key rights and benefits, in particular the full range of social welfare benefits and employment rights under Irish and...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Employment Rights (30 May 2019)

Willie Penrose: The 2007 code of practice contained new criteria to help determine whether a worker was an employee or a self-employed contractor. Obviously, the code is inadequate now. That initiative has not served those workers well. This is why Senator Nash's Bill adopted an holistic approach. Surely the approach taken to address the issue should be across government, with the Department of Finance...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Employment Rights (30 May 2019)

Willie Penrose: 5. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the status of her plans to quantify and measure incidences of, and trends in, bogus self-employment; her plans to table new legislation to address the issue; if the proposed new legislation will be published in advance of the Dáil's summer recess; if her Department and other Departments and State agencies plan to bring...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Employment Rights (30 May 2019)

Willie Penrose: Does the Minister agree with the Labour Party's view that, in order to deal with bogus self-employment, robust penalties in law are required in respect of bad employers who force workers into disguised self-employment arrangements when they are, to all intents and purposes, employed? This dodgy practice deprives workers of their rights and their appropriate social welfare payments and cheats...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pensions Reform (30 May 2019)

Willie Penrose: 40. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the consideration that has been given to women, young persons and minorities earning below €20,000 as part of her plans to introduce pension auto-enrolment; if auto-enrolment for this cohort will be considered with the option to opt-out; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22915/19]

Written Answers — Department of Health: Medical Card Eligibility (30 May 2019)

Willie Penrose: 101. To ask the Minister for Health the steps he will take in the course of budgetary negotiations to review the cap imposed in respect of means testing for medical cards for persons over 70 years of age; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23154/19]