Results 4,001-4,020 of 5,046 for speaker:Paschal Mooney

Seanad: Order of Business (11 Dec 2014)

Paschal Mooney: I am asking the Deputy Leader to make direct contact with the Government on the issue.

Seanad: Order of Business (11 Dec 2014)

Paschal Mooney: The Deputy Leader is very good at informing Members about what she does.

Seanad: Order of Business (11 Dec 2014)

Paschal Mooney: Yes. I have every faith in the Deputy Leader doing what she said she would do.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2014: Second Stage (11 Dec 2014)

Paschal Mooney: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Kevin Humphreys. The Fianna Fáil Party supports the Bill which provides for a 50% correction in the €10 cut in child benefit introduced in 2012. We also support the legislative provisions which finally settle the long-running Waterford Crystal pensions dispute. I regret, however, that the Bill does not disguise the fact that the...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (16 Dec 2014)

Paschal Mooney: Our preference would have been to table a proposal seeking a restoration of the cuts that took place since 2011, but such a provision would most likely be ruled out of order. This recommendation represents our attempt to go at it from a different direction. I look forward to the Minister of State taking the opportunity in his reply to outline what the indications and sentiments are within...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (16 Dec 2014)

Paschal Mooney: I am grateful to the Minister of State for his reply. I have great empathy with the Minister of State at a political as well as a personal level, because I could not help but be reminded, as I was listening to him talking about the decisions taken by this Government in the national interest, of the exact same rhetoric, which I listened to in the dying months of the last Fianna Fáil-led...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (16 Dec 2014)

Paschal Mooney: I move recommendation No. 4: In page 4, between lines 7 and 8, to insert the following: “Amendment of Social Welfare (Consolidation) Act 2005 3. The Social Welfare (Consolidation) Act 2005 is amended by inserting the following after subsection (4) of section 311: “(5)(a) An Appeals Officer shall decide an appeal within a prescribed time of 60 working days from the date of...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (16 Dec 2014)

Paschal Mooney: I thank the Minister of State for providing the information. I am somewhat reassured by his continuing commitment and that of the Department to try to reduce the appeal time. I am interested to know whether the appointment of the 15 new appeals officers is coming from within the Department or if they are new employees. I am aware that a public service embargo is in place. I ask the...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (16 Dec 2014)

Paschal Mooney: No.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (16 Dec 2014)

Paschal Mooney: I support this recommendation as outlined by Senator Cullinane, The respected commentator in The Irish Times, Noel Whelan - I mean that sincerely as he is a very respected political commentator and I declare an interest in that I have known him for many years - wrote a column at the height of the Irish Water controversy when it first started some months back and outlined that I was the only...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (16 Dec 2014)

Paschal Mooney: In the context of Senator Cullinane's recommendation about the deletion of Irish Water form this legislation, this is a matter that seems to have exercised the nation far more than any other issue of which I am aware. It is therefore incumbent on the Government to ensure there are no traces of Irish Water in a social welfare Bill.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (16 Dec 2014)

Paschal Mooney: It should take it out and get rid of it, in the same way as I believe it should get rid of Irish Water. An issue was raised by my colleague and our environment spokesman, Deputy Barry Cowen, in the Dáil when he said that based on the information provided by the Minister, Deputy Kelly, last week, the water charges issue has been considerably more muddied because of the €100...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (16 Dec 2014)

Paschal Mooney: I was not questioning that in any way. I agree with it.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (16 Dec 2014)

Paschal Mooney: He is in the Minister of State's constituency.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (16 Dec 2014)

Paschal Mooney: This is a very specific recommendation. Will the Minister of State be deleting references to Irish Water in the Bill? That is in the context of the recommendation.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (16 Dec 2014)

Paschal Mooney: I have a simple question. Why is the Minister retaining the references to Irish Water in the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005, which is referred to in the Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill under the definitions in section 1, which specifies that the “Principal Act” means the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005? Why is the Minister leaving that in if it will have...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (16 Dec 2014)

Paschal Mooney: On a point of order, I asked the Minister a very simple question and she has gone around the houses telling me a load of things I already know and the public already know. All I asked is why-----

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (16 Dec 2014)

Paschal Mooney: -----the Minister is retaining a reference to Irish Water. The PPS numbers will be with the Department of Social Protection and not with Irish Water, or is she inferring that as a result of this legislation-----

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (16 Dec 2014)

Paschal Mooney: -----the PPS number will be held by Irish Water? I ask her to clarify and not muddy the waters, with all due respect.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (16 Dec 2014)

Paschal Mooney: What has that to do with Irish Water?