Results 3,361-3,380 of 28,162 for speaker:Catherine Murphy

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government: Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (30 May 2013)

Catherine Murphy: One cannot apply for rent assistance until one gets on the waiting list, which may take three months. One must then apply for rent assistance, but it can take up to three months to receive it. It is only after this three month period that one qualifies for rent assistance. Therefore, the tenant may not have been able to pay rent for a period of six months. The State has a responsibility...

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government: Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (30 May 2013)

Catherine Murphy: Yes.

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government: Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (30 May 2013)

Catherine Murphy: I agree with Deputy Ellis concerning the difficulties he has outlined. If a person cannot get their deposit back and the community welfare officer will not grant a deposit, they can very easily end up homeless. The average deposit is approximately €1,000, but for somebody on social welfare payments that is a fortune. There is no way they will be able to make that up if it is not...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Energy Schemes (11 Jun 2013)

Catherine Murphy: 54. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he will provide an update on the expected delivery of a functioning pay as you save scheme to allow for home energy retrofit; when the first applications may be made under this scheme; the reason for the delays in establishing this scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27093/13]

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Energy Schemes (11 Jun 2013)

Catherine Murphy: I thank the Minister. We all know the price of heating people's homes is increasing. The very long winter we have had has put additional pressure on people and this links into the question asked earlier about the number of disconnections. However, that may not be the initial target group for this scheme. There is much to be done before the scheme is developed and in place. Does the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Energy Schemes (11 Jun 2013)

Catherine Murphy: There is much the Minister and I would agree on with regard to the switchover to energy efficiency and refurbishing people's homes so they can save energy. However, people are not foolish. They will take up the option if they see they can get a reasonable return on it. The last time I asked the Minister this question, he spoke about evangelising and recruiting people to this scheme....

Social Welfare and Pensions (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (11 Jun 2013)

Catherine Murphy: I welcome the Minister's comment that this is a tiny fraction of the overall budget and that the majority of those who claim social welfare do so honestly and live very frugally if they are wholly dependent on social welfare. It is important to put it in that context, and it was only right and proper that the Minister did so. One of my concerns is that once something has been written down...

Finance (Local Property Tax Repeal) Bill 2013 [Private Members]: Second Stage (11 Jun 2013)

Catherine Murphy: I welcome the opportunity to speak on the Bill. I put my concerns on record when the amending legislation was going through. These included the issue of people who have paid stamp duty. People will be paying property tax on a debt. The Government did not take account of a person's ability to pay and there is a lack of meaningful local government reform. I am being asked time and again...

Social Welfare and Pensions (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (11 Jun 2013)

Catherine Murphy: I support the amendment. The 60 day is proposal is reasonable and should allow the vast majority of decisions to be made. A high number of decisions are overturned; I understand it is in the region of 30%. One has to ask if a bad decision was made in the first place which requires cases to go to appeal. Could administrative time be better used? A cohort of decisions could be reviewed to...

Social Welfare and Pensions (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (11 Jun 2013)

Catherine Murphy: There are 450,000 people who do not want to be customers. People come to me to ask how they can get onto a community employment scheme, if there is a vacancy anywhere, how they can get on a Tús scheme and I have to tell them that is not how it works, that a list is generated and if they are on that list, they will be called for interview. There is a willingness and a desire to work...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Strategic Investment Bank Establishment (11 Jun 2013)

Catherine Murphy: 160. To ask the Minister for Finance if he plans to establish a Government-backed strategic development bank similar to the KfW in Germany and the Spanish Instituto de Crédito Oficial in order to avail of any planned low-interest bilateral lending which may be forthcoming from such institutions in the near future; if he will confirm the process by which such loans could be drawn on by...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Croke Park Agreement Savings (11 Jun 2013)

Catherine Murphy: 302. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will outline the savings made by all the institutes of technology here by the additional two teaching hours that lecturers were obliged to give under the Croke Park agreement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27616/13]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Admissions Entry Requirements (11 Jun 2013)

Catherine Murphy: 331. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if it is possible for a State examinations student to be assessed under the disability access route to education for an academic year in which the application deadline has passed in cases where a medical diagnosis is delayed but ongoing, or is obtained just after the deadline; if not, if he intends to introduce a late registration facility to...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: National Lottery Funding Disbursement (11 Jun 2013)

Catherine Murphy: 337. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he will itemise the recipients, including their location, of National Lottery grants for this year to date and for each of the past five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26779/13]

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: National Energy Efficiency Action Plan (11 Jun 2013)

Catherine Murphy: 504. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the processes involved in conducting the national building inventory as laid out in the Energy Efficiency Action Plan published by his Department in February 2013; when the inventory will get underway; the staffing and financial commitment involved; the expected completion date; and if he will make a statement on the...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Library Projects (11 Jun 2013)

Catherine Murphy: 575. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he will outline the funds which have been made available from his Department for public libraries in each of the past five years; if he will list the libraries that are currently on the waiting list for funding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26778/13]

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Traveller Accommodation (11 Jun 2013)

Catherine Murphy: 576. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide the amounts allocated to each local authority for traveller specific accommodation in each of the past four years; if he will provide figures for the money that was actually spent in each case; if moneys not spent were rolled over into the next financial year; if this is counted as part of the annual...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Traveller Accommodation (11 Jun 2013)

Catherine Murphy: 577. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he will consider expanding the traveller accommodation scheme to cover traditional housing in the event that more members of the travelling community opt for such accommodation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26781/13]

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Taxi Regulation Review Report Implementation (11 Jun 2013)

Catherine Murphy: 1079. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will indicate the extra provisions that have been made for the enhanced enforcement function of the Taxi Regulator in view of the proposed legislative changes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26777/13]

Order of Business (12 Jun 2013)

Catherine Murphy: The programme for Government commits to enhancing the democratic process by involving public representatives at an earlier stage in the legislative process. It also refers to the over-use of the guillotine with regard to legislation. Under the last Government, 74% of all the legislation was scheduled for the guillotine. Last night there was a guillotine and we did not get to discuss all of...