Results 2,781-2,800 of 5,587 for speaker:Kevin Humphreys

Seanad: Civil Registration (Amendment) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (17 Sep 2014)

Kevin Humphreys: The questions came out of left field and I am happy to discuss these matters with the Senator at a later date.

Seanad: Civil Registration (Amendment) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (17 Sep 2014)

Kevin Humphreys: I thank Senator Moloney for the warning. Only when discussing this today did I remember that I knew my childhood next-door neighbour as Mr. O'Toole but, on his death, learned his name was actually John McCormack. In case people are concerned, I have not used real names. Everyone knew him by his wife's name. When I ran for election in 1999 I introduced myself as Humphreys but everyone...

Seanad: Civil Registration (Amendment) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (17 Sep 2014)

Kevin Humphreys: I thank the Senator and I sympathise with the family involved. Deputy Ciara Conway also spoke to me today on this matter. The circumstances are very tragic. I do not want to say anything during this debate that would add to the family’s distress. The photograph the Senator showed me before I came into the House will stay with me for a long time. I can well understand the...

Seanad: Civil Registration (Amendment) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (17 Sep 2014)

Kevin Humphreys: I thank both Senators for their good wishes. Go raibh míle maith agaibh. This is an important and detailed Bill. Of course I will tread carefully. There is a need to tread carefully. I want to be extremely sensitive to the family members who are here. I understand why Senator Walsh is probably being a little emotional. If one is a father, one cannot help being emotional when an...

Seanad: Civil Registration (Amendment) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (17 Sep 2014)

Kevin Humphreys: Recently, there has been some uncertainty about the definition of a "place that is open to the public" with regard to where marriages and civil partnerships may take place. Legal advice has clarified that outdoor venues are not included under the current Act. The Department conducted a consultation process with the relevant stakeholders. The opinions put forward have been considered in the...

Seanad: Civil Registration (Amendment) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (17 Sep 2014)

Kevin Humphreys: I compliment Senator van Turnhout on the constructive manner in which she has dealt with this matter with my officials. While I do not propose to accept this amendment on this Stage, I will engage further with the Senator on it for Report Stage to ensure we do the right thing in this regard.

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Departmental Staff Redeployment (17 Sep 2014)

Kevin Humphreys: I thank the Senator for bringing this matter to my attention. I was not aware of it earlier. The Department of Social Protection has ten staff based in Government buildings on Teeling Street. Is the figure of 101 the total figure?

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Departmental Staff Redeployment (17 Sep 2014)

Kevin Humphreys: There are only ten departmental staff working there. The Department office in Teeling Street is not a public office, and the Senator is probably aware of this. It administrates the Gateway scheme, the rural social scheme, Tús and the community services programme. With 20% occupancy, the Department of Social Protection is the minor tenant in the building on Teeling Street and the...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Departmental Staff Redeployment (17 Sep 2014)

Kevin Humphreys: I thank Senator Mooney for raising this issue. As I outlined in my initial response we are quite the minor tenant in the building. I will do my best to take on board the Senator's questions on whether there is a possibility and how far the decision-making process has gone. My concern is that the service provided by the staff would maintained and that the current staff are treated in a...

Seanad: Civil Registration (Amendment) Bill 2014: Report and Final Stages (24 Sep 2014)

Kevin Humphreys: I acknowledge Senator Walsh and thank him for the engagement that took place during the week. We tried to work in a co-operative manner to move things forward. I would like to address amendments Nos. 1 and 3 in the first instance. The registration of stillbirth was first provided for in the Stillbirths Registration Act 1994. The definition of stillbirth contained in that Act was carried...

Seanad: Civil Registration (Amendment) Bill 2014: Report and Final Stages (24 Sep 2014)

Kevin Humphreys: The debate this afternoon outlines the problems very clearly. There is unanimity on the matter. If we made this amendment now, people would see change out of the blue without having had an opportunity to discuss the matter and engage in proper consultation. The adoption (information and tracing) Bill is a priority, not only for me but also for the Tánaiste. We will certainly consider...

Seanad: Civil Registration (Amendment) Bill 2014: Report and Final Stages (24 Sep 2014)

Kevin Humphreys: I just wanted to mark that as the Senator entered the Chamber.

Order of Business (25 Sep 2014)

Kevin Humphreys: Deputy Higgins should sit down. He is out of touch.

Topical Issue Debate: Property Taxation Collection (25 Sep 2014)

Kevin Humphreys: I thank Deputy Lawlor for his kind words. I am sure we will see him down in these low elevations as well at some stage. The Deputy will be aware that the Finance (Local Property Tax) Bill 2012 allows for a person who is liable for the local property tax, and who is in receipt of certain social protection payments, to have local property tax deducted from their payments. The Revenue...

Topical Issue Debate: Property Taxation Collection (25 Sep 2014)

Kevin Humphreys: I thank Deputy Lawlor. I am happy to engage further with him on this after the debate to see can we come to some resolution. As I outlined in the reply, it is quite complex and there are clear guidelines in relation to it. We will have to look at it extremely carefully because we do not want to push recipients below a minimum rate. As I stated, the Minister indicated that she will review...

Civil Registration (Amendment) Bill 2014 [Seanad]: Second Stage (7 Oct 2014)

Kevin Humphreys: I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." I am pleased to bring this very important and progressive legislation to the House. The Civil Registration Act 2004 represented a significant development in the provisions governing civil registration in Ireland. It was a major overhaul of legislation dating back to 1844. However, the decade since 2004 has seen extensive changes in Irish...

Civil Registration (Amendment) Bill 2014 [Seanad]: Second Stage (7 Oct 2014)

Kevin Humphreys: I will bring forward an amendment on Committee Stage where it is more appropriate.

Civil Registration (Amendment) Bill 2014 [Seanad]: Second Stage (Resumed) (9 Oct 2014)

Kevin Humphreys: I think the Deputies for their well thought out contributions today and last Tuesday, which are very much appreciated. There will be time to broaden and extend the discussion further on Committee Stage. The Civil Registration (Amendment) Bill 2014 is part of a suite of Bills introduced to modernise our civil registration service. The first of these was the Civil Registration (Amendment)...

Civil Registration (Amendment) Bill 2014 [Seanad]: Referral to Select Committee (9 Oct 2014)

Kevin Humphreys: I move:That the Bill be referred to the Select Sub-Committee on Social Protection pursuant to Standing Orders 82A(3)(a) and (6)(a) and 126(1) of the Standing Orders relative to Public Business.

Topical Issue Debate: Budget 2015 (9 Oct 2014)

Kevin Humphreys: I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. The priority of the Government since entering office has been to maintain fully the core weekly rates of payment for pensioners and it has done that successfully over the past three budgets. The Irish pensions system is made up of a number of schemes, based on a number of criteria such as contributions paid, income need and other factors. These...