Results 2,481-2,500 of 4,363 for speaker:Arthur Morgan

Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) (3 Dec 2008)

Arthur Morgan: I support this amendment. Family income supplement is a welfare-to-work mechanism that can offer families an opportunity to return to work. However, the difficulty pertains to the thresholds involved because they often are not sufficient. I agree with the previous speaker that it is a very useful tool and recipients of family income supplement, FIS, are a category of people with whom many...

Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) (3 Dec 2008)

Arthur Morgan: I move amendment No. 6: In page 7, to delete lines 31 to 38 and substitute the following: "6.—This section shall allow for the abolition of the current PRSI ceiling and will come into operation on 1 January 2009.". I have been making the point for some time that this budget presented the Government with an opportunity to make choices. In respect of poverty issues, it could decide that both...

Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) (3 Dec 2008)

Arthur Morgan: At the time the Government made the decision not to proceed with lifting the ceiling, was the Minister aware of how difficult the situation facing private pension funds was? The Minister has been aware for some time but I do not know for how long. If she was aware then, would she have preferred a different decision and a different outcome? Clearly, if there will be a substantial additional...

Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) (3 Dec 2008)

Arthur Morgan: I take it that the Minister has known for a considerable period of time that a number of private pensions are in serious difficulties. She stated that people should not be surprised by the news. I can tell her, however, that many of the people who made representations to me were shocked by this news. I acknowledge that the markets have experienced difficulties since 11 September 2001 but...

Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) (3 Dec 2008)

Arthur Morgan: I was taken by the case when I first heard it outlined on Committee Stage. It seemed clear there was an anomaly. Such anomalies happen all over the place and there is no big deal about them; the trick is to get them sorted out quickly. I suspect the matter has not been cleared up in this case although I understand the Minister was going to do so from what has been said previously this...

Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) (3 Dec 2008)

Arthur Morgan: I support the amendment. There are many bottlenecks in the journey from welfare to work. Deputy Shortall referred briefly to one of the major issues in this regard, namely, child care. One parent families are often extremely isolated and the fact that they do not have the support of the extended family structure that might apply in the case of other people makes their burden even heavier....

Order of Business (4 Dec 2008)

Arthur Morgan: When will they be sought?

Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stages (4 Dec 2008)

Arthur Morgan: I support the amendment and would be delighted if the Minister would accept it. We need a settled housing situation. The difficulty relates to the large local authority housing waiting list of some 43,000 people. However, local authorities cannot make that provision because they are grossly underfunded. At Government level, upwards of €440 million per year is being spent on a housing...

Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stages (4 Dec 2008)

Arthur Morgan: At least two or three people in that dreadful situation approach me each week. I hope that some Minister will take the matter on board and deal with it.

Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stages (4 Dec 2008)

Arthur Morgan: As Deputy Enright said, it is difficult to punish a family for the activities of one of its members. The conundrum with which we are faced is that it is equally difficult to accept the torture of an entire community by one member of a family.

Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stages (4 Dec 2008)

Arthur Morgan: We must find a balance in terms of dealing with this issue. I wish to address the issue of transition from homelessness to accommodation under the rent supplement scheme. Yesterday, I asked the Minister to request the Minister for Finance to negotiate with the banks to ensure people do not lose their homes by the putting in place of a stay on foreclosures during the period of operation of...

Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stages (4 Dec 2008)

Arthur Morgan: Local authorities are currently required by law to ensure rented accommodation is of an adequate standard. Only a handful of local authorities carry out inspections. Last year, less than 5% of properties were inspected, which is a disgrace. Some 30% of the 5% examined were found to be substandard, yet there were only 11 prosecutions by local authorities. These statistics point to huge...

Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stages (4 Dec 2008)

Arthur Morgan: I support the essence of what Deputy Wall is trying to achieve in this amendment. I agree entirely with what he and previous speakers have said about it. The thing that concerns me most, however, is that there has been complete silence from the Government about home owners who find themselves in this situation. The Government has not said publicly that it will speak to the banks. Under...

Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stages (4 Dec 2008)

Arthur Morgan: ——to people who because of their age, social profile or income were clearly going to have difficulty repaying them. Nonetheless, the banks shovelled such mortgages out anyway, so they have a significant responsibility to recognise their role in preventing a catastrophe from occurring across the land. Within the next 24 hours, the Government should let us know where it stands on this...

Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stages (4 Dec 2008)

Arthur Morgan: The Deputy has a great engine.

Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stages (4 Dec 2008)

Arthur Morgan: I strongly support the amendment. Children are among those who are most at risk in society. The relevant agencies have indicated that the level of child poverty in this State is significant. The evidence in this regard cannot be disputed. I accept that it is not easy to deal with this matter because of the complexities and difficulties involved. However, a resolution must be found and...

Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stages (4 Dec 2008)

Arthur Morgan: The Minister got off lightly.

Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stages (4 Dec 2008)

Arthur Morgan: I support the amendment. Child care is one of the areas of Government failure. I do not merely throw that comment across the floor to score a political point. The critical issue for families is for them to secure a reduction in their child care costs, as this cost is equivalent to a second mortgage. The difficulty is to find a way to achieve a reduction in this cost. There are a number...

Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stages (4 Dec 2008)

Arthur Morgan: The fuel allowance scheme is constructive and excellent, which I appreciate. The additional allowance made available this year, while not enough, is welcome. However, time has moved on. To be fair to local authorities, they are installing central heating systems in an increasing number of homes. They are working their way through their stock at a more reasonable rate than that of recent...

Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stages (4 Dec 2008)

Arthur Morgan: It is regrettable we only have ten minutes left, because we could have done with an extra two days, at least. The Minister's colleague, the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, continually mentions a high knowledge economy, as do the Minister for Finance and the Taoiseach. We have an opportunity with amendment No. 30 to do this and to facilitate people getting back into education,...