Results 5,561-5,580 of 12,701 for speaker:Willie O'Dea

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: RAPID Programme (12 Jun 2013)

Willie O'Dea: 49. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the number of RAPID AITs that have full time co-ordinators; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28054/13]

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Expenditure (12 Jun 2013)

Willie O'Dea: 111. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the current cost of administration for all universal payments made by her Department in tabular form; the current cost of administration for all means tested payments made by her Department in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28132/13]

Social Welfare and Pensions (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (11 Jun 2013)

Willie O'Dea: I move amendment No. 12:In page 16, between lines 34 and 35, to insert the following: "11. (1) Section 178B of the Principal Act (as amended by section 5 of the Social Welfare and Pensions Act 2012) is amended by inserting the following new subsection (5)--"(5) Subsection (2)(b) and (c) shall be introduced at a time of the Minister's discretion.".(2) Section 178C of the Principal Act (as...

Social Welfare and Pensions (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (11 Jun 2013)

Willie O'Dea: I recognise that this amendment simply represents an extension of an existing provision, but it also comprises a substantial strengthening of the sanctions. Why was this significant change not included in the original legislation? The Minister will no doubt say it had not been cleared by the Attorney General's office but, if that is the case, why not hold the Bill until such time as...

Social Welfare and Pensions (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (11 Jun 2013)

Willie O'Dea: I seek clarification on my amendment, No. 12. Does that inevitably result in deferring the change the Minister is proposing? Essentially, I am proposing that the arrangement the Minister is proposing to change should be put on ice, as it were. How does that imply that I am delaying it?

Social Welfare and Pensions (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (11 Jun 2013)

Willie O'Dea: No, I am just talking about the amendment.

Social Welfare and Pensions (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (11 Jun 2013)

Willie O'Dea: No, I am suggesting that we do not start to implement it until the economy improves, because of the extent of poverty among lone parents in particular. However, if the effect of the amendment is to defer the change, which is better than what was there previously, I will be happy to withdraw it. I must take issue with the Minister on a number of points. She argues that the spend on lone...

Social Welfare and Pensions (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (11 Jun 2013)

Willie O'Dea: I welcome the change which represents a substantial improvement on what went before, although I am bound to say I am a little confused at the idea that someone with a child up to the age of 14 years who has to transfer from lone parent's allowance to jobseeker's allowance because his or her child has passed the 12 years of age threshold will not be compelled to prove that he or she is looking...

Social Welfare and Pensions (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (11 Jun 2013)

Willie O'Dea: When does the Minister hope to commence this section?

Social Welfare and Pensions (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (11 Jun 2013)

Willie O'Dea: I move amendment No. 6:In page 14, between lines 21 and 22, to insert the following: “9. Section 311 of the Principal Act is amended by inserting the following subsection after subsection (3):“(4) (a) An appeals officer shall decide an appeal within a prescribed time of 60 working days from the date of receipt of the appeal. (b) Where notice of a decision under section 311 is...

Social Welfare and Pensions (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (11 Jun 2013)

Willie O'Dea: The general principle on which the Government seems to be operating in regard to pensions and the recommendations, as I understand them, of the OECD in its recent pensions report suggest that we will have to secure the pension base in this country and that the only way this can be done is by people contributing more, although certainly getting more benefits. However, this is a situation...

Social Welfare and Pensions (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (11 Jun 2013)

Willie O'Dea: The Minister said that the appeals system is a quasi-judicial process, and I am aware of that. She said that the process takes time, and I am very much aware of that. In my amendment I am providing for a period of time in this respect, namely, up to three months - 12 weeks or 60 working days. The Minister pointed to the new resources that have been put in place and the changes that have...

Social Welfare and Pensions (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (11 Jun 2013)

Willie O'Dea: That is beside the point.

Social Welfare and Pensions (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (11 Jun 2013)

Willie O'Dea: I also have an amendment to the section but I note it will be reached later.

Social Welfare and Pensions (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (11 Jun 2013)

Willie O'Dea: Amendment No. 6 reads: In page 14, between lines 21 and 22, to insert the following:“9. Section 311 of the Principal Act is amended by inserting the following subsection after subsection (3): “(4) (a) An appeals officer shall decide an appeal within a prescribed time of 60 working days from the date of receipt of the appeal. (b) Where notice of a decision under section 311 is...

Social Welfare and Pensions (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (11 Jun 2013)

Willie O'Dea: I cannot understand what the Minister is saying about fraud. Nobody here objects to robust recovery measures in the case of fraud. The official statistics showed 32% of cases involved fraud, while the remaining 68% were not fraudulent. The Minister seems to be saying those figures are wrong and a lot of people designated as non-fraudulent are actually fraudulent. That is the gist of what...

Social Welfare and Pensions (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (11 Jun 2013)

Willie O'Dea: Everybody agrees that it is desirable to recover social welfare overpayments. However, we also realise that the vast majority of overpayments made by the Department of Social Protection are as a result of honest mistakes made by the claimants and sometimes by the Department. Fraud accounts for a very small part of it. I have the percentages, but I do not have them to hand. The Minister...

Other Questions: Broadband Services Charges (11 Jun 2013)

Willie O'Dea: 58. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the way the EU Commission’s proposals for reducing the cost of broadband will be transposed here; his views on the way Irish broadband costs for both business and personal customers compare to other EU countries and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27846/13]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Services Provision (11 Jun 2013)

Willie O'Dea: 272. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 91 of 22 May 2013, if he will clarify his reply regarding the subject of the July provision scheme for families of autistic children as regards those with more than one child where he states the note accompanying the application forms provides this clarity, which it has been pointed out to this Deputy is...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Insurance Yield (11 Jun 2013)

Willie O'Dea: 379. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if she will set out in tabular form the income and expenditure to or from the social insurance for each of the past five years, the breakdown of income between the classes of PRSI contribution; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27121/13]