Results 4,581-4,600 of 5,914 for speaker:Gerard Craughwell

Seanad: Climate Action and Low Carbon Development: Statements (7 Dec 2016)

Gerard Craughwell: I apologise to Senator Coffey but there is no time left. I call the Minister.

Seanad: Order of Business (6 Dec 2016)

Gerard Craughwell: The question that arises today is, when is a property right a property right? Why is it always the working class that pays? Why do we see the same fat cats always win?I am raising the issue of Independent News and Media, but I may well be talking about Aer Lingus, decent public servants who have seen the abatement of their pension schemes. Was it a property right when they got it? It...

Seanad: Order of Business (6 Dec 2016)

Gerard Craughwell: We need to discuss the abatement issue.

Seanad: Order of Business (6 Dec 2016)

Gerard Craughwell: They always do a great job.

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2016: Committee Stage (6 Dec 2016)

Gerard Craughwell: The Minister has shown tremendous flexibility today on the voluntary contributions. There are some issues with respect to voluntary contributions. I may be wrong but I am of the opinion that most local authorities did not advise their elected members that they had the option to make a voluntary contribution. I know the Minister has ruled my amendment to be out of order. It relates to...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2016: Committee Stage (6 Dec 2016)

Gerard Craughwell: It has been ruled out of order. I apologise to the Minister. Someone ruled it out of order, disgracefully.

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2016: Committee Stage (6 Dec 2016)

Gerard Craughwell: That is worse still.

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2016: Committee Stage (6 Dec 2016)

Gerard Craughwell: I am making that point.

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2016: Committee Stage (6 Dec 2016)

Gerard Craughwell: It would be good if the option to make voluntary contributions were open to those who had been paying class K contributions if they cannot get their class K contributions recognised. Another issue relates to the lacunae that exist between Departments. For example, the Department of Education and Skills recognises that a person not involved in teaching between the period of June and...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2016: Committee Stage (6 Dec 2016)

Gerard Craughwell: I will have to wait until tomorrow.

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2016: Committee Stage (6 Dec 2016)

Gerard Craughwell: Would I dare?

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2016: Committee Stage (6 Dec 2016)

Gerard Craughwell: Would I dare?

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2016: Committee Stage (6 Dec 2016)

Gerard Craughwell: I have one final point on the class S PRSI. I was contacted by a farmer recently who told me he is not being given his contributory old age pension because at some stage during his contributions to class S, he received some form of farm payment which means he is not eligible. It is an interesting situation. The Minister will not have an answer to that straight away but perhaps it is...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2016: Committee Stage (6 Dec 2016)

Gerard Craughwell: I move amendment No. 2:In page 7, to delete lines 17 to 20 and substitute the following:“(a) by the substitution of the following for the definition of “public office holder”:“ ‘public office holder’ means a member of the European Parliament for a constituency in the State, being a member who is in receipt of the salary specified in section 2(2) of...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2016: Committee Stage (6 Dec 2016)

Gerard Craughwell: It is the amendment before this one.

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2016: Committee Stage (6 Dec 2016)

Gerard Craughwell: The other one is section 2, amendment No. 3.

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2016: Committee Stage (6 Dec 2016)

Gerard Craughwell: The Minister is correct.

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2016: Committee Stage (6 Dec 2016)

Gerard Craughwell: Class K PRSI is a tax on public service. That is the long and the short of it. One pays 4% and gets nothing for it. The Minister is on record as saying that nobody should pay for social insurance unless there is a benefit from it. It is a farce to say that Deputies, Senators and other people covered by class K PRSI cannot avail of a contributory old age pension. In my case I can make a...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2016: Committee Stage (6 Dec 2016)

Gerard Craughwell: The social welfare contributions for councillors over 66 years are being repealed. The point I was making was that they had been paying class K contributions for the past five or six years. I appreciate there is a problem with class K contributions. In 2013, class K was extended to all unearned income, which included things such as rental income, income from shareholdings, dividends and so...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2016: Committee Stage (6 Dec 2016)

Gerard Craughwell: I will withdraw my amendment and give the Minister a chance to discuss it with the two Ministers in question. He may come back with a change of mind. I will resubmit it on Report Stage. If the Minister is not in a position to do anything, I will not delay the proceedings and will withdraw it immediately.