Results 21,381-21,400 of 21,588 for speaker:Denis Naughten

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Public Service Performance Report: Discussion (26 Jun 2024)

Denis Naughten: Apologies have been received from Senator Garvey. Members who participate in the meeting remotely are required to do so from within the Leinster House precincts only. I welcome the witnesses. They are protected by absolute privilege in respect of the presentation they make to the committee. This means they have an absolute defence against any defamation action in respect of anything...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Public Service Performance Report: Discussion (26 Jun 2024)

Denis Naughten: I thank Mr. Jordan for his opening statement. One of the frustrating things we have seen relates to the delivery of projects under the rural regeneration scheme and the urban regeneration scheme. The Department focus is very much on the rural regeneration scheme. The way this has been structured is in such a manner that it is done through the local authorities or some other sponsoring...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Public Service Performance Report: Discussion (26 Jun 2024)

Denis Naughten: Would the intention then be to look at potentially putting this funding stream in place for 2025?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Public Service Performance Report: Discussion (26 Jun 2024)

Denis Naughten: Is that the timeline the Department is working towards?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Public Service Performance Report: Discussion (26 Jun 2024)

Denis Naughten: There is a challenge at local authority level. The other side of it relates to community capacity. Some communities are very good at doing this. Deputy Ó Cuív and I have spoken about this previously. Some communities, particularly more disadvantaged urban communities, may not have the capacity and the community leadership is not there. As a result of that, these communities get...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Public Service Performance Report: Discussion (26 Jun 2024)

Denis Naughten: I accept that, but while the funding is coming from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, it is very much on the community side as well. I know this is more Mr. Moylan's area and he will come in on it in a minute. It is important that those communities are not left behind. There is still that problem in rural communities, some of which also do not have the capacity.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Public Service Performance Report: Discussion (26 Jun 2024)

Denis Naughten: Before Mr. Moylan comes in, I have one other supplementary point. Mr. Jordan is correct that this has to go through the local authorities and there is absolutely no point in setting up any other structure or mechanism. However, it comes back to my original point. The capacity is there in some local authorities, and maybe to a certain extent the willingness as well - I do not know - which...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Public Service Performance Report: Discussion (26 Jun 2024)

Denis Naughten: Before Deputy Ó Cuív comes back in, we have had this out with the Department of Social Protection on a number of occasions. The PSPR is supposed to assist Parliament in its scrutiny of expenditure. However, the rules are being set by the Department of public expenditure and reform on it. We have a very thorough engagement with the Department of Social Protection on this and it...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Public Service Performance Report: Discussion (26 Jun 2024)

Denis Naughten: I think the objective behind this process is to look at what has already been spent. I understand the point Deputy Ó Cuív is making and I do not disagree with it but it is also important that there be a level of engagement between Parliament and the officials with regard to the money that has already been spent. The Deputy is right. Ministers in particular are focused on what is...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Public Service Performance Report: Discussion (26 Jun 2024)

Denis Naughten: I thank Mr. Jordan and his team for coming in this morning and for his broader engagement with this committee. This will be the last performance report presented to this particular committee. Our successor committee will be dealing with the next. I thank each and every staff member within the Department for that engagement over the last four years of this committee. Every single member of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Public Service Performance Report: Discussion (26 Jun 2024)

Denis Naughten: The committee will now consider the public service performance report with officials from the Department of Social Protection. From the Department, I welcome: Mr. Niall Egan, assistant secretary general of corporate affairs; Mr. Alan Flynn, principal officer for budget and estimates; Ms Michelle Reilly, principal officer in the Department’s statistics unit; and Mr. Hugh Cronin,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Public Service Performance Report: Discussion (26 Jun 2024)

Denis Naughten: I thank Mr. Egan. I am smiling at the last part of his statement. The committee has raised in the past the issue of the performance report not reflecting our needs, even though the purpose of its generation is for parliamentary use. This is a criticism of the Department of public expenditure and reform. We have had this engagement with Mr. Egan previously. I will not go over it again....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Public Service Performance Report: Discussion (26 Jun 2024)

Denis Naughten: That is a matter for departments in the GAA rather than the referees' committee. It is a budget matter and the committee is looking at that. I apologise for interrupting Mr Egan.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Public Service Performance Report: Discussion (26 Jun 2024)

Denis Naughten: The statistical bell curve would provide that. If that could be provided to the committee, it would be appreciated.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Public Service Performance Report: Discussion (26 Jun 2024)

Denis Naughten: For the three of them.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Public Service Performance Report: Discussion (26 Jun 2024)

Denis Naughten: To take up the point that Deputy Ó Cuív is making, at the start of the form there would be two to three sentences explaining what full-time care or full-time attention is. The difficulty is each of the schemes is different and illness benefit is not the one we have the problem with. If you look through the statistics from the Social Welfare Appeals Office, a substantial amount of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Public Service Performance Report: Discussion (26 Jun 2024)

Denis Naughten: I fully accept that and, in fairness, I have to say on the engagement with the Department's team in relation to data, they have been more than helpful and accommodating to the committee. That is not the point we are making. The point we are trying to make in regard to this performance report and all the time and effort that is going into it is that its specific purpose is to facilitate us...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Public Service Performance Report: Discussion (26 Jun 2024)

Denis Naughten: This is the last public service performance report the Department will present to the committee. There will be a new formulation of the committee by the time it comes back again. I wish to take this opportunity, on behalf of the committee, to thank each and every one of you and the team in the Department for their engagement with this committee over the past four years. I thank you for...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Schemes (2 Jul 2024)

Denis Naughten: 346. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when a payment will issue to a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28007/24]

Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) (No. 2) Bill 2024: Report and Final Stages (3 Jul 2024)

Denis Naughten: I wish to speak about amendment No. 4, in my name, and also the amendments of the Minister of State. I thank the Minister of State for her engagement on this issue. It dates back nearly to the time of the original nursing home support scheme, which dates from 2009. Very soon after the enactment of the legislation on the nursing home support scheme, we found an anomaly concerning family...