Results 3,221-3,240 of 6,728 for speaker:John Curran

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Issues Facing Lone Parents: Discussion (Resumed) (12 Jan 2017)

John Curran: That was an interesting concluding point. I thank Mr. Allen.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Issues Facing Lone Parents: Discussion (Resumed) (12 Jan 2017)

John Curran: I will come back to you, Deputy Brady. You have gone over time. I will come back to you if there is time remaining.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Issues Facing Lone Parents: Discussion (Resumed) (12 Jan 2017)

John Curran: I would like to thank Focus Ireland and One Family for their presentations. I do not want to reiterate the points made but Focus Ireland made a very specific point, which the committee was really taken with, and Deputy Brady referred to it. At the outset, we were told that 25% of families are one parent families, whereas 65% of homeless families are one parent families. That is rather...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Issues Facing Lone Parents: Discussion (Resumed) (12 Jan 2017)

John Curran: Who wants to start with those?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Issues Facing Lone Parents: Discussion (Resumed) (12 Jan 2017)

John Curran: I thank Ms Kiernan, Ms Maher, Ms Connolly, Ms O'Reilly and Mr. Allen for attending this meeting and for their positive engagement on and responses to the matters raised, which were informative and appreciated by the committee. This module of our work is near completion. We will suspend for a few minutes to allow the Department officials to take their seats.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Issues Facing Lone Parents: Discussion (Resumed) (12 Jan 2017)

John Curran: I welcome Ms Simonetta Ryan, Mr. Niall Egan, Ms Erika Klein and Ms Fiona Ward from the Department of Social Protection. As they will appreciate, the committee is nearing conclusion of its piece of work on lone parents. The Department officials, as the opening witnesses, set out the issue for committee members. The committee then heard submissions from a number of other witnesses. Before...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Issues Facing Lone Parents: Discussion (Resumed) (12 Jan 2017)

John Curran: I thank the departmental officials for their attendance and for providing an updated report. While it is only a few months since they last appeared, we have moved on a great deal in the meantime. I have a specific request. I presume when the tendering process has successfully concluded that a document will be produced specifying the work of the tender, in other words, the procedure to be...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Issues Facing Lone Parents: Discussion (Resumed) (12 Jan 2017)

John Curran: The committee has a specific interest in this work because the Department will have an independent entity doing research on the matter. The committee would like to see this to help us conclude our work. We would like to see the parallels but we are not looking for the outcome. I fully accept that the Department is precluded from providing details until the tender process is complete.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Issues Facing Lone Parents: Discussion (Resumed) (12 Jan 2017)

John Curran: Deputy John Brady made a point about the report on barriers to entry to third level education for lone parents. The programme for Government committed to publishing the report before the budget was announced. The departmental officials reiterated a line from the Minister for Education and Skills, that there was a draft and that it would have influenced the budgetary process. They are now...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Issues Facing Lone Parents: Discussion (Resumed) (12 Jan 2017)

John Curran: I ask Deputy Brady to be very brief.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Issues Facing Lone Parents: Discussion (Resumed) (12 Jan 2017)

John Curran: I am not disagreeing with Deputy Brady but the Department of Education and Skills is the lead Department in preparation. In fairness, these officials do not have control of that situation. I am not here to defend them, but it is the Department of Education and Skills.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Issues Facing Lone Parents: Discussion (Resumed) (12 Jan 2017)

John Curran: I thank Ms Ryan, Ms Klein, Ms Ward and Mr. Egan for their attendance today and their update on this issue. Finally, as the review is under way, they might keep this committee informed. When somebody is appointed in respect of the tender, I would appreciate it were the structure of the review to be made known to the committee.

Other Questions: Motor Insurance (17 Jan 2017)

John Curran: 40. To ask the Minister for Finance if the cost of insurance working group has completed its deliberations and consultations; if the working group developed an action plan; the details of the plan and its implementation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1604/17]

Other Questions: Motor Insurance (17 Jan 2017)

John Curran: The Minister is aware that the cost of motor insurance has increased significantly in recent years - by 11% in 2014, 13% in 2015 and approximately 28% for the 12 months to August 2016. The Government's response has been the publication of the working group's report with 31 recommendation and more than 70 actions. What are the key recommendations and how soon does the Minister anticipate...

Other Questions: Motor Insurance (17 Jan 2017)

John Curran: I thank the Minister for his reply. I welcome the report which is very similar to the Fianna Fáil policy document that was published last summer and the report from the Finance Committee published in November. My concern is with the urgency of its implementation. I am not going to go through all of the actions contained in the report but will highlight one or two. The very first...

Other Questions: Motor Insurance (17 Jan 2017)

John Curran: I do not disagree with what the Minister is saying but I am concerned that some of the particular actions referred to by the Minister this evening have delivery dates of the end of this year or 2018. As I said already, the Minister referred to uninsured drivers but the actions to deal with that are only going to be put in place at the end of 2017 or in 2018. Some of those actions should be...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Credit Union Lending (17 Jan 2017)

John Curran: 87. To ask the Minister for Finance the progress being made with the Irish League of Credit Unions to develop its proposals to make funding available for social housing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1603/17]

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Court Judgments (17 Jan 2017)

John Curran: 207. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality if she can take the necessary action to ensure that Circuit Courts and county registrars are correctly implementing Irish and EU law with regard to home repossessions (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1863/17]

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Protected Disclosures (17 Jan 2017)

John Curran: 208. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality if she has received advice from the Attorney General on a report (details supplied) and brought the matter to Cabinet; if not, when she expects to do so; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1864/17]

Written Answers — Department of Finance: NAMA Portfolio (17 Jan 2017)

John Curran: 327. To ask the Minister for Finance if he, in conjunction with NAMA, will review the properties offered by NAMA to local authorities for social housing; the reasons given by local authorities for rejecting many of these properties; the number of these properties still available which could now be offered again to local authorities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1871/17]