Results 8,581-8,600 of 9,832 for speaker:Thomas Byrne

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2011: Committee Stage (15 Dec 2011)

Thomas Byrne: That category of people who previously had a benefit under the system where categorised at 14%, but the Minister has now come in at 15% and the benefit is gone. It is a little worrying that the financial exigencies of the country would be used to reform the system, because the reform should have happened a long time ago and the welfare bill was too high in the boom times. There is no...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2011: Committee Stage (15 Dec 2011)

Thomas Byrne: The fact is that we were steering the ship——

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2011: Committee Stage (15 Dec 2011)

Thomas Byrne: ——and there was huge electoral pressure as to why we were not spending enough. It was claimed we were spending too little because we were greedy. Fr. Seán Healy criticised us even after he visited my colleagues in County Cork, claiming that we were not spending enough. However, according to our learned colleague, Senator Barrett, had we saved double what we actually saved in the...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2011: Committee Stage (15 Dec 2011)

Thomas Byrne: Was it an index finger?

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2011: Committee Stage (15 Dec 2011)

Thomas Byrne: It is on the website.

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2011: Committee Stage (15 Dec 2011)

Thomas Byrne: Yes, it is on the Department of Social Protection website.

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2011: Committee Stage (15 Dec 2011)

Thomas Byrne: I got the 14% figure from the Department of Social Protection website. There was a reference to the loss of an index finger as a 14% disablement. A finger for a pianist is different to a finger for a clerk.

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2011: Committee Stage (15 Dec 2011)

Thomas Byrne: Is it with a view to those figures that 15% was used to exclude people who might be considered to have a minor occupational injury, although it could be devastating for certain people? These changes apply to new claimants of the benefit, which is paid for by PRSI. It is not a change to new entrants to PRSI. If the general insurance companies which provide similar schemes to people came up...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2011: Committee Stage (15 Dec 2011)

Thomas Byrne: I am happy to have it clarified.

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2011: Committee Stage (15 Dec 2011)

Thomas Byrne: I am trying to tease this out in order to fully understand the matter before we decide on it. I certainly never claimed this was the disability allowance.

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2011: Committee Stage (15 Dec 2011)

Thomas Byrne: I am worried that such changes will be introduced to the disability allowance next year.

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2011: Committee Stage (15 Dec 2011)

Thomas Byrne: I know, and I am not trying to confuse the issue. I know what disablement benefit is and it is different to the disability allowance. We are clear on that but there are fears that in future the Government will try to do what I describe. There were leaks in the run-up to the budget that the criteria for schemes such as disability allowance would be changed. That was speculated upon in the...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2011: Committee Stage (15 Dec 2011)

Thomas Byrne: One cannot defraud on a finger.

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2011: Committee Stage (15 Dec 2011)

Thomas Byrne: Ba mhaith liom fáilte a chur roimh an Aire freisin. Tá sé tábhachtach go bhfuil an tAire anseo agus nach bhfuil aon teorann ama ar an díospóireacht ar maidin agus ceapaim go cur sin an cás. Like my colleague, I acknowledge the difficult job the Minister has and all our contributions are made with this in mind. Members appreciate that this is one of the most difficult jobs anyone in...

Seanad: Fiscal Responsibility (Statement) Bill 2011: Second Stage (14 Dec 2011)

Thomas Byrne: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Fiscal Responsibility (Statement) Bill 2011: Second Stage (14 Dec 2011)

Thomas Byrne: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Fiscal Responsibility (Statement) Bill 2011: Second Stage (14 Dec 2011)

Thomas Byrne: Before Father Seán Healy told us what to do.

Seanad: Fiscal Responsibility (Statement) Bill 2011: Second Stage (14 Dec 2011)

Thomas Byrne: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Fiscal Responsibility (Statement) Bill 2011: Second Stage (14 Dec 2011)

Thomas Byrne: I do not like the use of bilateral agreements. We did not have any.

Seanad: Fiscal Responsibility (Statement) Bill 2011: Second Stage (14 Dec 2011)

Thomas Byrne: It was in Fine Gael's budget, too.