Results 26,601-26,620 of 28,255 for speaker:Éamon Ó Cuív

Joint Committee on the Irish Language, the Gaeltacht and the Irish Speaking Community: Soláthar Seirbhísí Poiblí trí mheán na Gaeilge: An Coiste Comhairleach um Sheirbhísí Gaeilge (22 Nov 2023)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Níl a fhios agam. Faighimse an daonáireamh agus tá an fhianaise ann. Nuair a bhainim na daoine atá os cionn 80 agus 70 bliain d'aois amach, agus mar sin de, feicfear go bhfuil fíorbheagán díobh ann.

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Service 2023
Vote 37 - Social Protection (Supplementary) (22 Nov 2023)

Éamon Ó Cuív: First, I would like to join the others in thanking the staff and the Minister. There are a number of issues that I would like to raise with her. The overspends are easily explained. If we had not had these one-off packages or they had been included in the original Estimate, there would have been an overall saving. Am I correct that the Minister had an overall saving?

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Service 2023
Vote 37 - Social Protection (Supplementary) (22 Nov 2023)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Taking everything into consideration, on devoted money, the Minister came in within budget. The other things were conscious decisions of the Government to give out more money. That is a different issue. That is a sign of good budgeting. They are massive figures. I see small overruns and then I look at the figure and it is €2 billion or whatever for pensions and there is a small...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Service 2023
Vote 37 - Social Protection (Supplementary) (22 Nov 2023)

Éamon Ó Cuív: How many in total?

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Service 2023
Vote 37 - Social Protection (Supplementary) (22 Nov 2023)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The Minister's officials might confirm whether I have read this right. To take those on one-parent family payment and jobseeker’s allowance, the number is about 30,000.

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Service 2023
Vote 37 - Social Protection (Supplementary) (22 Nov 2023)

Éamon Ó Cuív: And 16,000 are working. That means the ratio is about 2:1 and 33% are working. It is important that we stress that this is the reality and that many are engaging quickly with the workforce and making a contribution. It is bad enough trying to get labour at the moment but if we took those 16,000 out, it would be a huge loss to our society.

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Service 2023
Vote 37 - Social Protection (Supplementary) (22 Nov 2023)

Éamon Ó Cuív: It is amazing that once they have the money, people make it back fairly fast.

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Service 2023
Vote 37 - Social Protection (Supplementary) (22 Nov 2023)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I want to raise one issue that has arisen, certainly with businesses, but I am sure it will arise with households too. Instead of saying there will be no insurance, companies have put very large excesses in place. In other words, the person pays the first €10,000 or whatever. In that event, would consideration be given to the humanitarian aid on the amount that would not be covered...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Service 2023
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development (Supplementary) (22 Nov 2023)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I am sure it takes a total mental adjustment for the Minister to move from the billions in the Department of Social Protection. When she looks at this Supplementary Estimate, she might think there are a whole lot of figures missing because we are dealing with €2 million here and €1 million there, or €10 million and €16 million, whereas the other Supplementary...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Service 2023
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development (Supplementary) (22 Nov 2023)

Éamon Ó Cuív: My final question or issue regards the rural regeneration fund. My understanding was that this fund was introduced to do totemic projects around rural Ireland, and that the fund was €500 million. Is that correct?

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Service 2023
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development (Supplementary) (22 Nov 2023)

Éamon Ó Cuív: A billion? Better still. One was €500 million and the other was €1 billion or something. In hard cash paid out, what have we spent to date? How many years has the scheme been up and running? Ultimately, it is the payout that counts. Should we be opening it up more quickly in order to get more projects into the pipeline? Projects are very slow to get off the ground. There...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Service 2023
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development (Supplementary) (22 Nov 2023)

Éamon Ó Cuív: If Galway and Mayo county councils came to the Department with a proposal to do all of the engineering studies on the railway line between Athenry and Claremorris, would it consider that for the rural regeneration and development fund? It would be a bold statement for the west. It is a rural area that is not in my constituency, but it is a totemic project that the west badly needs. We need...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Service 2023
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development (Supplementary) (22 Nov 2023)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Has the Department studied the most recent census? Has it ascertained which parts of the country have, despite a huge rise in overall population, a declining population? I thank the Cathaoirleach for his indulgence.

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Service 2023
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development (Supplementary) (22 Nov 2023)

Éamon Ó Cuív: CLÁR funding made that possible because we topped it up.

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Service 2023
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development (Supplementary) (22 Nov 2023)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Yes, but what we are finding, taking my constituency and Connemara, is that there are growing populations in the parts from which it is possible to commute to Galway. My understanding is that beyond a place called Camas, in Rosmuck, which the Minister will have heard of, Kilkieran, Carna, Roundstone and Ballyconneely, around that big circle, in Recess and around Clifden, populations are in...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Service 2023
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development (Supplementary) (22 Nov 2023)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Yes, but-----

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Service 2023
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development (Supplementary) (22 Nov 2023)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Very briefly,-----

Select Committee on the Irish Language, the Gaeltacht and the Irish Speaking Community: Meastacháin le haghaidh Seirbhísí Poiblí 2023
Vóta 33 - Roinn Turasóireachta, Cultúir, Ealaíon, Gaeltachta, Spóirt agus na Meán (23 Nov 2023)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Táimid i seomra coiste 2.