Results 3,261-3,280 of 26,396 for speaker:David Cullinane

Seanad: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Second Stage (1 Jul 2014)

David Cullinane: I welcome the positive elements in the Bill, most notably the measures on anti-social behaviour. There ought to be strong sanctions for those who engage in anti-social behaviour, be it in a local authority housing estate or rented accommodation attracting the rent supplement or any subsidy from the State. If they are involved in very extreme forms of anti-social behaviour, which...

Seanad: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Second Stage (1 Jul 2014)

David Cullinane: They are deemed to be adequately housed. I have read the legislation and I know what it means. I have seen examples already where those people in the RAS scheme have been told they are adequately housed. They might be on the housing list but have no chance of getting a local authority house. As far as the local authority is concern, the people are adequately housed. That is where this...

Seanad: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Second Stage (1 Jul 2014)

David Cullinane: I will finish on this point. There must be an element of choice. One cannot force people into the private rented sector if that is not their preference. It might suit some people but it does not suit everybody. It certainly suits the developers and the people who want to buy multiple homes to make money, but it does not suit the people who may have to live there temporarily and then are...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Hospital Waiting Lists (1 Jul 2014)

David Cullinane: I have raised this issue several times with the Minister for Health in respect of the orthopaedic unit at University Hospital Waterford, what was Waterford Regional Hospital. There are two issues, the trauma aspect and the matter of elective surgeries. Let us consider trauma first. We have the busiest trauma unit in the State at University Hospital Waterford but we only have one trauma...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Hospital Waiting Lists (1 Jul 2014)

David Cullinane: The response from the Minister of State on behalf of the Minister for Health only reaffirms my fear because the Minister of State accepts that 1,870 patient referrals were sent from Waterford to Cappagh. Furthermore, the Minister of State has accepted that there was an agreement that Cappagh would complete the episode of care. That did not happen. The Minister of State then indicated that...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2014: Committee Stage (2 Jul 2014)

David Cullinane: I move amendment No. 1: In page 6, to delete lines 7 to 9.As they amendments are similar, we have no difficulty with their being grouped. On Second Stage, we flagged the fact that we were opposed to section 3 and outlined the reasons that was the case. We indicated that we would table amendments on Committee Stage and have done so. Earlier in the year the Dáil engaged in a very...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2014: Committee Stage (2 Jul 2014)

David Cullinane: The Minister cannot-----

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2014: Committee Stage (2 Jul 2014)

David Cullinane: In the first instance, the Minister should not pretend to know what I think. Pensioners and other social welfare recipients are more concerned about what she has done to them than anything which my party or I might do to them.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2014: Committee Stage (2 Jul 2014)

David Cullinane: We will see about that. The reality is that Deputy Joan Burton is the Minister who reduced social welfare payments by €1.5 billion and has made the lives of many pensioners and those in receipt of lone parent's and carer's allowance a misery. I do not believe they will be at all touched by her concern for them in the context of anything I might have to say. She has engaged in a...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2014: Committee Stage (2 Jul 2014)

David Cullinane: The Minister can rubbish the Grant Thornton report if she so desires and is entitled to do so. I am merely reciting what was contained in it. It stated there was potential for 557 of the 1,150 post offices to close if the social welfare contract was removed from An Post. The figures in this regard may not be correct, but there is absolutely no doubt that if the contract were to be removed,...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2014: Committee Stage (2 Jul 2014)

David Cullinane: I thank the Minister for her lengthy response and take the opportunity to record my praise for the post office in winning the contract. Hopefully, post offices will benefit from it for a long number of years, not just the six. My concerns and those of my party can be dismissed cheaply by the Minister if she so wishes. That is fair enough. I am not all that interested. However, I am...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2014: Committee Stage (2 Jul 2014)

David Cullinane: I move amendment No. 2: In page 6, lines 11 and 12, to delete "a payment service provider" and substitute "An Post".

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2014: Committee Stage (2 Jul 2014)

David Cullinane: I move amendment No. 3: In page 6, line 15, to delete "the payment service provider" and substitute "An Post".

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2014: Committee Stage (2 Jul 2014)

David Cullinane: I move amendment No. 4: In page 6, to delete lines 17 to 19.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2014: Committee Stage (2 Jul 2014)

David Cullinane: I move amendment No. 5: In page 6, line 23, to delete "a payment service provider" and substitute "An Post".

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2014: Committee Stage (2 Jul 2014)

David Cullinane: I move amendment No. 6: In page 6, lines 35 and 36, to delete "a payment service provider" and substitute "An Post".

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2014: Committee Stage (2 Jul 2014)

David Cullinane: I move amendment No. 7: In page 7, to delete lines 1 to 23 and substitute the following:" "(2B) Information held by the Minister for the purposes of this Act or the control of schemes administered by or on behalf of the Minister or the Department of Social Protection may be transferred by the Minister to An Post, and information held by An Post which is required for those purposes or the...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2014: Committee Stage (2 Jul 2014)

David Cullinane: I move amendment No. 8: In page 7, to delete lines 24 to 28.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2014: Committee Stage (2 Jul 2014)

David Cullinane: I move amendment No. 9: In page 7, to delete lines 31 to 36 and substitute the following: " "289A. The Minister, with the consent of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, may enter into an arrangement with An Post for the provision of services in relation to the functions conferred on the Minister by or under this Act concerning the payment of benefit or assistance.",".

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2014: Committee Stage (2 Jul 2014)

David Cullinane: The Minister, in fairness, has given a comprehensive response and I would agree with a lot of what she said. The problem with this new subsection, as I see it, is that it could end up being a very blunt and crude instrument because, unfortunately, there are and will be situations where some level of discretion would need to be applied. That is what is being contested here, not primarily...