Results 3,861-3,880 of 24,567 for speaker:Róisín Shortall

Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) (3 Dec 2008)

Róisín Shortall: That is not the point.

Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) (3 Dec 2008)

Róisín Shortall: The principle needs to be accepted on these points. I will not repeat them because I have already told the Minister a number of times. Clearly, she is not going to give way on this, so I will press the amendment. I ask the Minister to look at the case file on this matter, where her own senior officials identified the anomaly and are recommending a change to the legislation. I took it on...

Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) (3 Dec 2008)

Róisín Shortall: I move amendment No. 10: In page 9, to delete lines 17 to 35. This amendment is connected to the previous one and concerns the definition of a parent in respect of the lone parent allowance. According to the briefing, this change was being made to cater for scenarios such as the one I outlined in respect of the fostering case. I was advised that this was why the Minister was enabling a...

Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) (3 Dec 2008)

Róisín Shortall: This is a highly unsatisfactory situation because I am being given conflicting information. I was told originally that, in the first part of this, the definition of "parent" for the purpose of qualifying for a one parent family payment was being widened to take into consideration the specific case I raised. As I said, the person in this case was precluded from getting a one parent family...

Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) (3 Dec 2008)

Róisín Shortall: Neither is the biological parent. The children are being fostered.

Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) (3 Dec 2008)

Róisín Shortall: What did the Minister mean when she stated that there could not be two payments? On Committee Stage and for a considerable period this evening, she stated that it would not be possible for someone to receive foster and one-parent family payments, but she is now saying that the person would be entitled to it. Which is the case?

Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) (3 Dec 2008)

Róisín Shortall: Yes.

Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) (3 Dec 2008)

Róisín Shortall: The case in question involves a foster payment.

Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) (3 Dec 2008)

Róisín Shortall: No, it is not a separate case. I am referring to a——

Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) (3 Dec 2008)

Róisín Shortall: No. I raised two cases.

Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) (3 Dec 2008)

Róisín Shortall: This is a foster situation wherein the person is not a biological parent.

Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) (3 Dec 2008)

Róisín Shortall: The Minister should get her facts right and get a briefing.

Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) (3 Dec 2008)

Róisín Shortall: Two cases.

Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) (3 Dec 2008)

Róisín Shortall: For clarification, does that include an unmarried person——

Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) (3 Dec 2008)

Róisín Shortall: Will the Minister indicate her intentions regarding reforms in respect of one parent family payments? There has been a great deal of discussion with regard to changes in recent years. Those changes were identified some time ago and there are various proposals as to how they might be introduced. I referred earlier to cohabitation and activation, the key issues relating to which are access to...

Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) (3 Dec 2008)

Róisín Shortall: It is precisely because children of lone parents are at a much higher risk of poverty that we are asking the Minister to take action. The time for talking is over. As I said earlier, this issue was raised initially by the late Deputy Seamus Brennan who drafted proposals in this regard. He was succeeded by former Minister for Social and Family Affairs, Deputy Martin Cullen, who talked about...

Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) (3 Dec 2008)

Róisín Shortall: The Minister indicated that the regime here is softer than that which prevails in other countries. It is now time for the Minister to act and to address all of the underlying problems in respect of this issue. Let us get on with it; there has been enough talk.

Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) (3 Dec 2008)

Róisín Shortall: What will the Minister do about it? It is time for action.

Written Answers — Public Transport: Public Transport (3 Dec 2008)

Róisín Shortall: Question 176: To ask the Minister for Transport the increases he has sanctioned in Dublin Bus fares for 2009. [44310/08]

Written Answers — Judicial Appointments: Judicial Appointments (3 Dec 2008)

Róisín Shortall: Question 190: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the guidance and direction provided to peace commissioners in respect of their responsibilities; the procedures in place to ensure that this information is updated in line with current legislation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44377/08]