Results 5,221-5,240 of 7,652 for speaker:Joanna Tuffy

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Pre-Budget Consultation Process: Discussion with Minister for Social Protection (10 Jul 2013)

Joanna Tuffy: I welcome the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Joan Burton, and thank her for joining us. On 26 June the select committee considered the Revised Estimates for 2013 for the Department in the context of the existing policy and financial framework. Budget 2014 will be announced at the earlier time of October. The purpose of today's meeting is to engage with the Minister on the financial...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Pre-Budget Consultation Process: Discussion with Minister for Social Protection (10 Jul 2013)

Joanna Tuffy: As the Minister has been speaking for ten minutes, I ask her to wrap up.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Pre-Budget Consultation Process: Discussion with Minister for Social Protection (10 Jul 2013)

Joanna Tuffy: The committee secretariat has prepared a document for us in order that we can structure questions to the Minister. Page 3 contains a suggested meeting timetable. The idea is that we will ask the Minister general questions and then break questions down into topics such as pensions, working age, illness and carer's payments, the social insurance fund and so on. We might also ask her about...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Pre-Budget Consultation Process: Discussion with Minister for Social Protection (10 Jul 2013)

Joanna Tuffy: Deputy Brendan Griffin asked whether the Department could make the cuts of €440 million without touching weekly rates.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Pre-Budget Consultation Process: Discussion with Minister for Social Protection (10 Jul 2013)

Joanna Tuffy: The Deputy has made that point and I wish to bring in other committee members.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Pre-Budget Consultation Process: Discussion with Minister for Social Protection (10 Jul 2013)

Joanna Tuffy: Just to clarify, Jobstart is the local authority social employment scheme.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Pre-Budget Consultation Process: Discussion with Minister for Social Protection (10 Jul 2013)

Joanna Tuffy: If I may intervene-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Pre-Budget Consultation Process: Discussion with Minister for Social Protection (10 Jul 2013)

Joanna Tuffy: There is a vote in the Seanad and three Senators are present.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Pre-Budget Consultation Process: Discussion with Minister for Social Protection (10 Jul 2013)

Joanna Tuffy: I apologise for interrupting the Minister, but I wish to clarify a particular point. Deputy Jim Daly has pointed out that participants in community employment schemes receive an additional €20 per week, the same amount proposed for those partaking in the local authority Jobstart scheme. As I understand it, however, the additional payment under JobBridge is €50 per week.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Pre-Budget Consultation Process: Discussion with Minister for Social Protection (10 Jul 2013)

Joanna Tuffy: Would it not make more sense for these schemes to be aligned by offering the same additional payment? Why should participants in the JobBridge scheme receive an extra €50, while those on community employment schemes and the upcoming local authority employment scheme receive only €20? The anomaly seems especially concerning, given that participants in the latter two schemes are...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Pre-Budget Consultation Process: Discussion with Minister for Social Protection (10 Jul 2013)

Joanna Tuffy: On the general budget, my understanding is that an overall reduction of €610 million is required, but some of this will be accounted for by savings accruing from previous budget changes. The Minister has indicated that she will have to find savings of €440 million next year. Doing a quick calculation, this suggests €170 million will be saved as a result of previous...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Pre-Budget Consultation Process: Discussion with Minister for Social Protection (10 Jul 2013)

Joanna Tuffy: As Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh inquired, does the Department have the facility to sue or pursue people for identity theft?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Pre-Budget Consultation Process: Discussion with Minister for Social Protection (10 Jul 2013)

Joanna Tuffy: Members might want to move on to deal with the programmes. We might not be able to have questions on all of them because we have done a lot of work on the general part already. I will call Deputy Butler and then I have a question on the pensions programme.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Pre-Budget Consultation Process: Discussion with Minister for Social Protection (10 Jul 2013)

Joanna Tuffy: We received a letter from the Minister's Department stating that the report on the entitlements of self-employed people in terms of social protection payments is on her desk and that she is considering it. As a committee we would be anxious to see that report and perhaps make recommendations on it. Will that be available soon?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Pre-Budget Consultation Process: Discussion with Minister for Social Protection (10 Jul 2013)

Joanna Tuffy: Regarding the pensions programme, could the Minister give us a figure for the money saved or anticipated to be saved this year from the changes to social welfare pensions in terms of the number of contributions a person has to make, the bands and so on? How much money has been saved as a result of those changes? Various changes were made, one of which was the number of stamps a person had...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Pre-Budget Consultation Process: Discussion with Minister for Social Protection (10 Jul 2013)

Joanna Tuffy: Some of my constituents who are older women had expected to receive a certain pension payment but, because of the new rules, have found they are getting a lesser amount. They could lose, for example, €30 per week. While I acknowledge the Minister has indicated this was announced many years ago, those people did not see it coming and were very put out about it. I refer to the fact...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Pre-Budget Consultation Process: Discussion with Minister for Social Protection (10 Jul 2013)

Joanna Tuffy: Are there any further questions on pensions or social welfare expenditure on pensions?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Pre-Budget Consultation Process: Discussion with Minister for Social Protection (10 Jul 2013)

Joanna Tuffy: Does the Senator have questions on this particular issue?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Pre-Budget Consultation Process: Discussion with Minister for Social Protection (10 Jul 2013)

Joanna Tuffy: That is a good idea.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Pre-Budget Consultation Process: Discussion with Minister for Social Protection (10 Jul 2013)

Joanna Tuffy: What payment will this be?