Results 3,601-3,620 of 3,777 for speaker:Marc Ó Cathasaigh

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Rail Network (17 Oct 2024)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: 86. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his views on the delivery of a Waterford metropolitan rail network; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42073/24]

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Airport Policy (17 Oct 2024)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: 103. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his views on the business case submitted by Waterford Airport following the completion of his Department’s review of same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42072/24]

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 37 - Social Protection (Supplementary) (16 Oct 2024)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: I thank the Minister. Flattery gets you everywhere, as they say. I will now invite members to discuss the Supplementary Estimate.

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 37 - Social Protection (Supplementary) (16 Oct 2024)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: I thank the Minister. I invite Deputy Collins to come in.

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 37 - Social Protection (Supplementary) (16 Oct 2024)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: Minister, I will put a few questions. First, I will extemporise a little. It is worth bearing in mind the five budgets when they are put together. I think when we came into office, €203 was the basic rate of payment for jobseekers.

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 37 - Social Protection (Supplementary) (16 Oct 2024)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: The one-parent family payment. It is A.5. It tells me here that it is offset by €7 million less due to fewer recipients than estimated. On A.10, additional needs payments, there is a jump in expenditure which is, I am told, related to the increased price of accommodation and fit-outs. The Minister might mention some specifics on that. Disability allowance is a peculiar one....

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 37 - Social Protection (Supplementary) (16 Oct 2024)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: I asked about the job initiative as well. It is a relatively small number of people - 308 participants, I think - who work in 37 JI schemes. This is according to the answer to the parliamentary question that I received from the Department. They are on very low pay. It would take very little money to close the gap on that.

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 37 - Social Protection (Supplementary) (16 Oct 2024)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: I wanted to ask a couple of broader questions as well. As regards the issue of a second-tier means test for child benefit, I know Deputy Ó Cuív has particular views on means testing, but the ESRI has strong views on this and how effective it would be in tackling child poverty. It is probably not something a Minister can do in the last budget of a Government, but I want to know...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 37 - Social Protection (Supplementary) (16 Oct 2024)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: I thank the Minister. Do any members want to come back in? Deputy Ó Cuív is indicating.

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 37 - Social Protection (Supplementary) (16 Oct 2024)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: That is quite some movement. Similarly, on the IQC - I still call it the IQC; I cannot get used to the new name - there has been really significant movement and significant movement on the working family payment. I will go through a couple of line-by-line questions on cost. I might come back to more general questions. I am looking here at the makeup of administration under the...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 37 - Social Protection (Supplementary) (16 Oct 2024)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: Are there any further questions? No. Go raibh míle maith agaibh go léir. That concludes the committee's business in public session. The joint committee will meet in private session at 11.45 a.m. I thank members for participating in today's meeting.

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2023 - Charities Regulatory Authority (17 Oct 2024)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: To pick up on Ms Delaney's final point, it highlights the importance of the Charities Regulator and its role. When people donate to a charity, they understand that there are administrative costs and staffing costs but they like to think that the money, or a large percentage of it, is doing what it says on the tin. The Charities Regulator is incredibly important in that. We have had a...

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2023 - Charities Regulatory Authority (17 Oct 2024)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: It is the one thing that jumped out from the Comptroller and Auditor General's report. I would like to be able to see that money a little more clearly. I am not making any suggestion that there is anything untoward there, but we have seen at this committee other funds that were maybe less than transparent being used for all sorts of interesting items like flip-flops and so on. I do not...

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2023 - Charities Regulatory Authority (17 Oct 2024)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: I thank Ms Drinan. I was involved in the Charities (Amendment) Act, which was passed by the select committee on rural and community development, of which I am a member. Ms Delaney said that some parts of this important Act are not commenced yet. I was going to say "Bill", but it was signed into law on, I think, 10 July. There were earlier questions about staffing and resourcing for the...

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2023 - Charities Regulatory Authority (17 Oct 2024)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: Are the ICT system changes likely to be contracted out in the way Ms Delaney was describing earlier?

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2023 - Charities Regulatory Authority (17 Oct 2024)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: Very good. I suppose that is more a future-facing question so perhaps it is not really properly a question for this committee. The atomic bomb the regulator can deploy is to have somebody removed from the charities register. Is that a power that is often invoked?

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2023 - Charities Regulatory Authority (17 Oct 2024)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: Are many more charities being considered? Are there more prosecutions on the way?

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2023 - Charities Regulatory Authority (17 Oct 2024)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: This is an unusual question for the committee but is the regulator under-resourced in that area? I am surprised the regulator has only one dedicated staff member working on this.

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2023 - Charities Regulatory Authority (17 Oct 2024)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: That is very good. I will ask a very big question in two minutes and I do not suppose we will get to the bottom of it. Approved housing bodies are becoming a bigger part of housing provision and they are going to become difficult. There are encumbered assets with loans against them. There are unencumbered assets where some of these houses are being bought through fund-raising and have no...

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2023 - Charities Regulatory Authority (17 Oct 2024)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: Is it open to AHBs to change from charitable status? One of my concerns is that AHBs with charitable status may decide to change their status, which would lead to a complicated question about assets.