Results 2,261-2,280 of 4,810 for speaker:Liam Twomey

Seanad: Enforcement of Court Orders (Amendment) Bill 2009: Committee Stage (7 Jul 2009)

Liam Twomey: In his reply the Minister of State referred to the legal difficulties of enforcing instalment plans. He also mentioned difficulties with social welfare payments in trying to get instalment plans. Are those difficulties administrative difficulties regarding social welfare? Are there also legal difficulties with regard to instalment plans? I do not have Senator Regan's level of skill in...

Seanad: Health Insurance (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Committee and Remaining Stages (7 Jul 2009)

Liam Twomey: Is the Minister of State saying the 31-day limit is in place to prevent people from being misled?

Seanad: Health Insurance (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Committee and Remaining Stages (7 Jul 2009)

Liam Twomey: What is the normal timespan for most financial products?

Seanad: Health Insurance (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Committee and Remaining Stages (7 Jul 2009)

Liam Twomey: Will the Minister of State confirm that no change has been made to the minimum requirements for health insurance?

Seanad: Health Insurance (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Committee and Remaining Stages (7 Jul 2009)

Liam Twomey: Will the Minister of State also confirm there are no plans to change the minimum requirements for health insurance plans?

Seanad: Health Insurance (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Committee and Remaining Stages (7 Jul 2009)

Liam Twomey: The Minister, Deputy Harney, must be gone to bed.

Seanad: Health Insurance (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Committee and Remaining Stages (7 Jul 2009)

Liam Twomey: What was the situation prior to this legislation? The Minister has been getting bucketloads of advice on risk equalisation and community rating and the Government has been up and down to the High Court for the past five years dealing with the issue. It is difficult to comprehend the necessity for the inclusion of this subsection. I do not wish to tax the Minister of State. As he said,...

Seanad: Health Insurance (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Committee and Remaining Stages (7 Jul 2009)

Liam Twomey: On Second Stage I asked the Minister of State what was the position in a case where someone pays another person's health insurance premiums and he indicated that such persons could claim tax credits. Does a limit apply in such cases? Senator Feeney, for instance, pointed out that she pays the cost of private health insurance for five adults. If the Senator was paying the premiums for five...

Seanad: Health Insurance (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Committee and Remaining Stages (7 Jul 2009)

Liam Twomey: I made the point that an elderly person was paying for her private health insurance out of her own resources. The basis is that one will put a levy on people under 50 and will give a tax credit to those over 50. If elderly people aged 70 are paying for their own private health insurance, they will be expecting a tax credit of around €950 back per year. If they are not earning enough to...

Seanad: Health Insurance (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Committee and Remaining Stages (7 Jul 2009)

Liam Twomey: Which means they could pass it on.

Seanad: Health Insurance (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Committee and Remaining Stages (7 Jul 2009)

Liam Twomey: They do not have to pass it on.

Seanad: Health Insurance (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Committee and Remaining Stages (7 Jul 2009)

Liam Twomey: When we were debating this on Second Stage, I spoke about these levies that are being applied. The Minister of State may say that the same levies may have come into play if risk equalisation were in place, but I do not know whether that is true. It is a significant levy on young families. If we take a mother, father and three children, there will be an additional tax on young families of...

Seanad: Health Insurance (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Committee and Remaining Stages (7 Jul 2009)

Liam Twomey: That is a quick fix.

Seanad: Health Insurance (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Committee and Remaining Stages (7 Jul 2009)

Liam Twomey: When the Minister of State is looking into the issues raised by Senators Feeney and Prendergast, perhaps he will also examine another matter I would like to highlight. When some private hospitals do an MRI or CAT scan, the patient in question does not have to do anything other than present his or her VHI card. In other private hospitals, however, patients have to pay in advance of the scan...

Seanad: Oireachtas (Allowances to Members) and Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices Bill 2009: Second Stage (7 Jul 2009)

Liam Twomey: We would all welcome many of the changes proposed in the legislation and support the reasons for them. These are changing economic times and everyone must play their part. People who hold positions as Chairmen of committees have had their allowances cut in half and Vice Chairmen, Whips and convenors have had their allowances abolished. Members' travel expenses have been massively reduced....

Seanad: Oireachtas (Allowances to Members) and Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices Bill 2009: Second Stage (7 Jul 2009)

Liam Twomey: It reflects the fact that one can find oneself out on one's ear fairly quickly. It is said that one is not a real politician until one has won and lost an election. I managed to achieve that fairly quickly. However, continuing to pay a ministerial pension to a sitting TD on a substantial salary was not right and needed to be addressed. That is the sort of thing that gives the public a bad...

Seanad: Enforcement of Court Orders (Amendment) Bill 2009: Report and Final Stages (8 Jul 2009)

Liam Twomey: The failure of the Government to challenge the High Court judgment amounts to an acceptance of Ms Justice Laffoy's ruling in the McCann case. If a similar case arises following the enactment of the legislation, it could go before the High Court and the McCann judgment will serve as the precedent. The Minister of State referred to the possibility that a stake could be placed on goods. Goods...

Seanad: Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (8 Jul 2009)

Liam Twomey: It is a little bit like Government.

Seanad: Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (8 Jul 2009)

Liam Twomey: It is important to recognise that this is an interim measure and that there will be proper protocols in the area when the Mental Health Act is reviewed. Psychiatric nurses from institutions can participate in bringing in patients at present, not all of the work must be done by this team. The problem has often been that gardaí are not anxious to get involved with this type of work because no...

Seanad: Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (8 Jul 2009)

Liam Twomey: Keep going. The Acting Chairman is doing great.