Results 5,541-5,560 of 6,188 for speaker:Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulations and Directive on International Protection, Asylum and Migration: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: I appreciate that, but the Minister was not the Minister for Justice eight years ago. The European Commission was not the same eight years ago. The State perhaps, although it was constitutionally a different Government, had a particular position, but it is not the appropriate approach or a logical or sensible approach to simply assume that we have been working together all this time so we...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulations and Directive on International Protection, Asylum and Migration: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: I appreciate that the Government is entitled to come to whatever conclusion it wishes and if it decides to opt into all the propositions, that is the evaluation the Government has made. However, people would be surprised that no consideration was given to selectively choosing that some might be in Ireland's interest and some might not. Simply, I do not believe that is a wise approach. I...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulations and Directive on International Protection, Asylum and Migration: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: That will not change.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulations and Directive on International Protection, Asylum and Migration: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: We are absolutely competent to do that at domestic level.

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Sentencing Policy (23 Apr 2024)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: 16. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if she has received from the Judicial Council the sentencing guidelines committee's three-year work plan for sentencing guidelines, as committed to in the Judicial Council's 2022 annual report. [15783/24]

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Sentencing Policy (23 Apr 2024)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: 27. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if she has received from the Judicial Council, the sentencing guidelines committee's procedure for developing sentencing guidelines, as committed to in the Judicial Council's 2022 annual report. [15782/24]

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Pensions (23 Apr 2024)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: 62. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform to discuss the differing pension entitlements that exist for members of An Garda Síochána based on joining the force pre- or-post 1995. [7917/24]

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Payments (25 Apr 2024)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: 1. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if, in light of her not proceeding further with the consultation on the Green Paper on disability payments, she intends to examine a cost-of-disability payment; and whether she intends to introduce different reforms to the disability payments. [18467/24]

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Payments (25 Apr 2024)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: I apologise to the Leas-Cheann Comhairle and the Minister for being late. I appreciate the Leas-Cheann Comhairle taking these questions now. I know Deputy Tully has a similar question, namely question No. 6. Many people welcomed the decision not to proceed further with the with consultation on the Green Paper and to walk away from the proposals examined in it. Questions now arise as to...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Payments (25 Apr 2024)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: The question still arises as to what happens next. The Indecon cost of disability report rightly indicated that different people have different costs of disability and that people with higher costs relating to their disability should receive greater support. There were a number of problems with the Green Paper. One was that it conflated severity of disability with the higher cost of...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Payments (25 Apr 2024)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: I agree this may have been what it was intended to do but conflating the cost of disability with severity of disability, when they are not always precisely the same thing, was a problem and there were concerns. I welcome the fact the Minister has listened in that regard but what we do not know is, and this may not be decided yet, if there is a timeline on it. The Minister referred to a...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Citizens Information Services (25 Apr 2024)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: 3. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the steps she and her Department are taking to ensure workers in citizens information companies are provided with a pay increase, given the length of time since their last pay increase; and if she will provide the funding to ensure this happens [18468/24]

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Citizens Information Services (25 Apr 2024)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: More than tens of thousands of people rely on the citizens information service. It is a vitally important, high-quality service. To ensure it remains a high-quality service, we need to ensure quality staff are attracted to it. The pay has not changed for those in the citizens information service in 16 years, since 2008. That is an absolutely extraordinary amount of time considering the...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Citizens Information Services (25 Apr 2024)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: I may take some comfort from that to a small extent. I do not think it helps that there is such a baroque structure here. These are companies but they are not for profit and they are funded exclusively through the public purse. There is the Minister, the Citizens Information Board and then the citizens information service. I do not know why this is the case. Leaving that aside, it is...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Citizens Information Services (25 Apr 2024)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: I have a few other points. The Minister made the point these staff members are not public servants. They were aligned to the public sector pay structure until the previous recession. I also make the point that the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, CCPC, is aligned to public sector pay. Even MABS, which is a sister company of the citizens information service funded through...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: EU Directives (25 Apr 2024)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: 5. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection to clarify whether she intends to taper benefits received by beneficiaries of temporary protection in advance of the ending of the temporary protection directive in 2025. [18469/24]

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: EU Directives (25 Apr 2024)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: This is an area the Minister and I have discussed before. The temporary protection directive ends next spring. It is not fair on anyone, including those in receipt of payments currently who are under temporary protection, that there be a cliff edge and uncertainty as to what will happen after that date. The Minister has made a number of remarks, not always necessarily to the same effect,...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: EU Directives (25 Apr 2024)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: It was absolutely right and necessary that people who were fleeing war and the aggression of the Russian Government would be in a position to receive protection, and the Irish people have responded with great generosity. There is no question about that. The changes that have been made already have in effect created a two-track situation between those who arrive after the date of the passing...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: EU Directives (25 Apr 2024)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: While it is the responsibility of the Minister for Justice, social welfare policy is the responsibility of the Minister opposite. In any event, further clarity is needed at the earliest possible date. It is not very clear what the picture is at this point. I will ask another question. The Minister was involved in devising the new approach in respect of designated accommodation centres....

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: EU Directives (25 Apr 2024)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: Does the Minister wish me to respond?