Results 3,761-3,780 of 7,404 for speaker:Mick Wallace

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Land Issues (24 May 2016)

Mick Wallace: 47. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government to discuss enacting compulsory purchase orders to recover property from investment funds which may be land-banking sites which have the potential for development with the Department of Finance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11183/16]

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: NAMA Social Housing Provision (24 May 2016)

Mick Wallace: 50. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government to discuss immediately transferring land from the National Asset Management Agency to local authorities to increase the supply of social housing with the Department of Finance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11182/16]

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme Eligibility (24 May 2016)

Mick Wallace: 287. To ask the Minister for Social Protection his plans to raise limits under the rent supplement scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11469/16]

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Application Forms (24 May 2016)

Mick Wallace: 285. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if he is considering measures to provide financial assistance to applicants for social welfare payments who are currently required to provide a valuation of any unused land they may have; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11467/16]

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: State Pensions (24 May 2016)

Mick Wallace: 286. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if he will consider lowering the starting age for the State pension to 65 years of age to bring it in line with the general age of retirement; if his Department has carried out a financial impact assessment of such a measure; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11468/16]

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: National Internship Scheme (24 May 2016)

Mick Wallace: 288. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if he will abolish the JobBridge scheme and replace it with targeted programmes aimed at specific groups, as advocated for by groups such as Impact; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11470/16]

Committee on Housing and Homelessness: Threshold (24 May 2016)

Mick Wallace: I thank Mr. Jordan for attending. What I am going to ask has been influenced by what the other Deputies have said. Everyone agrees we need to build more social housing through local authorities but we must also accept that there will always be people who want to live in the private rental sector. The lack of regulation and leaving the sector to the markets to regulate have been a failure....

Committee on Housing and Homelessness: Irish Property Owners Association (24 May 2016)

Mick Wallace: I apologise for being late and perhaps some of the points I will raise have already been addressed. Has the IPOA expressed opposition to the proposal that apartments should be sold with tenants in place, as would happen in most of Europe? If the situation here was different and if it was difficult to rent a residential unit, it would be of benefit to have a tenant in place if a person was...

Committee on Housing and Homelessness: Housing Finance Agency (24 May 2016)

Mick Wallace: My question relates to the same issue. Mr. O'Leary said that Europe puts up barriers monthly to prevent off-balance-sheet borrowing, yet we see that Spain, France, Italy, Lithuania and Austria will all break that rule this year and it does not appear that they will suffer any penalties for doing so. It seems as if Europe will give France permission to borrow off-balance sheet without any of...

Other Questions: Social Welfare Benefits (25 May 2016)

Mick Wallace: 34. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if he will restore the social protection payments which have been cut over the past seven years, given the impact of rising inflation during this period; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11650/16]

Other Questions: Social Welfare Benefits (25 May 2016)

Mick Wallace: The Minister said inflation had been low in the past year or two. That is true, but there has been inflation since 2010 and basic social protection payments have been cut by 8% since then. There have also been cuts to secondary welfare supports for people of all ages and family types, along with a tightening of the conditions for accessing jobseeker's benefit. In addition, between 2008 and...

Other Questions: Social Welfare Benefits (25 May 2016)

Mick Wallace: -----but the reality is very different on the ground.

Other Questions: Social Welfare Benefits (25 May 2016)

Mick Wallace: I too wish the Minister well in his job, and I hope he takes a more rational approach to dealing with issues than what we have seen in the past five years. The argument has been made that the Minister is almost trying to protect young people, and people in general, from welfare dependancy. The Minister said we could all come up with research results that suited us. Most research shows that...

Other Questions: Jobseeker's Allowance (25 May 2016)

Mick Wallace: 36. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if he will restore the jobseeker's allowance for persons under 26 years of age to pre-2014 levels, given calls from a number of groups such as the Free Legal Advice Centres, which has stated that this cut in particular is pushing people into homelessness; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11649/16]

Other Questions: Jobseeker's Allowance (25 May 2016)

Mick Wallace: The Minister mentioned the unemployment figure. The national figure is approximately 17% for those under 25, while the national figure for general workers is at the 8% mark. Sadly, in Wexford, the rate is over 20% for the general workforce and over 30% for those under 25, which is absolutely frightening. I do not want to go on a parish pump rant, but I must say this. People were talking...

Other Questions: Jobseeker's Allowance (25 May 2016)

Mick Wallace: The core point is that the maximum rate for those aged between 18 and 24 with no dependant children is currently €100. Those who are 25 are getting €144, down from €188. The poverty line is around the €200 mark per adult per week, and expecting people to survive on half of that is not a runner. As we are discussing youth unemployment, I will add that I met a...

Other Questions: Jobseeker's Allowance (25 May 2016)

Mick Wallace: Exactly. They are not going to get welfare payments.

Commission of Investigation (Certain Matters Relative to the Cavan-Monaghan Division of An Garda Síochána) Report: Statements (25 May 2016)

Mick Wallace: I am sharing my time with Deputy Clare Daly. We will take 15 minutes each. Both Deputy Daly and I have read the reports in full and it would have been nice to have an hour each to address the many issues in them. However, to bring it back home first for a while, in the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality's press statement on the publication of the O'Higgins report, she...

Other Questions: Trade Data (26 May 2016)

Mick Wallace: My question is next. Deputy Durkan broke two rules and let someone else in. He went back on Question No. 6 and let a different person take it, which we have not seen happen in the past five years. I am being denied my question.

Other Questions: Trade Data (26 May 2016)

Mick Wallace: No one agreed.