Results 6,301-6,320 of 10,591 for speaker:Patrick O'Donovan

Data Sharing and Governance Bill 2018 [Seanad]: Report Stage (18 Dec 2018)

Patrick O'Donovan: I am simply looking for Fifth Stage to be taken in the first week back to seek advice from my officials, the Office of the Attorney General and to engage further with representatives of the Opposition, once the opportunity arises.

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Beef Industry Irregularities (18 Dec 2018)

Patrick O'Donovan: 474. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of beef processors that have been identified as having been excessively trimming carcases in the past three years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52914/18]

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Beef Industry Irregularities (18 Dec 2018)

Patrick O'Donovan: 475. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if carcases have been included in the detection of beef processors that have been excessively trimming carcases (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52915/18]

Written Answers — Department of Health: Medical Card Applications (19 Dec 2018)

Patrick O'Donovan: 317. To ask the Minister for Health the status of a discretionary medical card for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53606/18]

Seanad: Appropriation Bill 2018: Second and Subsequent Stages (19 Dec 2018)

Patrick O'Donovan: The Bill is an essential element of financial housekeeping that must be concluded by both Houses of the Oireachtas before the end of the year. The Bill serves two primary purposes. First, it is necessary to authorise in law all of the expenditure that has been undertaken in 2018 on the basis of the Estimates that have been voted on by the Dáil during the year. Section 1 and Schedule 1...

Seanad: Appropriation Bill 2018: Second and Subsequent Stages (19 Dec 2018)

Patrick O'Donovan: I thank the Members who expressed their support for the Bill. I will respond to a few points that have been made. Senator Ned O'Sullivan is dead right that the Shannon Foynes Port Company is a great example for everyone in our area of north Kerry and mid-west region. It is a semi-State company that has the power, capability and drive to deliver to a region, and in this case it has...

Seanad: Appropriation Bill 2018: Second and Subsequent Stages (19 Dec 2018)

Patrick O'Donovan: In terms of Senator Paddy Burke's proposal for the overspend, he is absolutely right. The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform and I are very conscious of the fact that as we embark on Project Ireland 2040, and so are about to spend €116 billion, we do not want to have the situation that we had in previous national development plans where projects came in over cost and, in many...

Seanad: Houses of the Oireachtas Commission (Amendment) Bill 2018: Second and Subsequent Stages (19 Dec 2018)

Patrick O'Donovan: I am pleased to present 2018 to the House. It passed all Stages in the Dáil yesterday. The Houses of the Oireachtas Commission came into existence on 1 January 2004 under the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission Act 2003. The founding commission legislation in 2003 led, in summary, to two consequences: (1) that the commission became the sanctioning authority for expenditure, staff...

Seanad: Houses of the Oireachtas Commission (Amendment) Bill 2018: Second and Subsequent Stages (19 Dec 2018)

Patrick O'Donovan: I welcome the support of the Senators. It is important to remember that the commission is a separate entity from the Executive, as is right and proper. Senator Ned O'Sullivan said that the role of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform is to make sure that money becomes available. As a Member, I avail of the services provided by the commission, and it is in my interest, as much as...

Seanad: Houses of the Oireachtas Commission (Amendment) Bill 2018: Second and Subsequent Stages (19 Dec 2018)

Patrick O'Donovan: I will put the acting Chair down for a song.

Seanad: Public Service Superannuation (Age of Retirement) Bill 2018: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (20 Dec 2018)

Patrick O'Donovan: I thank the Seanad for facilitating the Bill. It will allow, hopefully by the end of the year, the enactment of very important legislation. The first group is amendments Nos. 1 and 7. Amendment No. 1 is a technical amendment which is necessary in order to reflect the insertion of a new section into the Bill, the subject matter of which was not previously reflected in the Long Title....

Seanad: Public Service Superannuation (Age of Retirement) Bill 2018: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (20 Dec 2018)

Patrick O'Donovan: The purpose of ministerial amendment No. 2 is to exempt the staff of the Central Bank from the provisions of the Bill. The Government has agreed that the creation of a compulsory retirement age under primary legislation for the staff of the Central Bank is not appropriate in light of the bank's autonomy in setting pay and conditions for its staff as set down in the Central Bank Act 1942....

Seanad: Public Service Superannuation (Age of Retirement) Bill 2018: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (20 Dec 2018)

Patrick O'Donovan: The intention of the Central Bank has been communicated to Government because it works in conjunction with rules set out by the European banks. Its intention is to bring in its own rules to reflect the Government's wish to allow for staff to continue until aged 70.

Seanad: Public Service Superannuation (Age of Retirement) Bill 2018: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (20 Dec 2018)

Patrick O'Donovan: Amendment No. 3 was tabled by Deputy Jonathan O'Brien on Committee Stage in the Dáil. The amendment, which I accepted, relates to the Minister's power to increase the compulsory retirement again in the future, by order, in certain circumstances. Section 3A(2) of the Bill provides a power for the Minister to increase the compulsory retirement age further in the future, up to a maximum...

Seanad: Public Service Superannuation (Age of Retirement) Bill 2018: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (20 Dec 2018)

Patrick O'Donovan: It is.

Seanad: Public Service Superannuation (Age of Retirement) Bill 2018: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (20 Dec 2018)

Patrick O'Donovan: The name of the Bill is the Public Service Superannuation (Age of Retirement) Bill, and it refers to pensions. The Government has to have an age set so that we can forecast how much public service pension will cost. Section 3A(2) states that subject to subsection (3), the Minister may, by order, prescribe an age being higher than 70 years but not higher than 75. This amendment takes out...

Seanad: Public Service Superannuation (Age of Retirement) Bill 2018: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (20 Dec 2018)

Patrick O'Donovan: Amendment No. 4, from Deputy Barry Cowen, was accepted in the Dáil. I pointed out that any potential remedies that related to the cohort of workers to which he referred would be likely to require further legislative change, which would be a matter for the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. The amendment inserts a new section 3A(6) and requires a report to be prepared by the...

Seanad: Public Service Superannuation (Age of Retirement) Bill 2018: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (20 Dec 2018)

Patrick O'Donovan: A number of points have been raised, and I concur with a lot of what has been said, but we have a legal bind. The Bill has gone through a fairly arduous process. Senator Horkan is right that if this had been done more quickly, we would not be in the situation we are in with a lot of people. We have people even in the interim arrangements who availed of this and who have fallen out of it...

Seanad: Public Service Superannuation (Age of Retirement) Bill 2018: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (20 Dec 2018)

Patrick O'Donovan: I have already engaged with many Members.

Seanad: Public Service Superannuation (Age of Retirement) Bill 2018: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (20 Dec 2018)

Patrick O'Donovan: Yes, if somebody wishes to bring forward another Bill which takes into account everything I said about the legality of the public service pension scheme. The advice I have been given is that for many people who are currently drawing down pensions and who are in the interim situation, we would have to start looking for pension contributions back. At what scale would they re-enter? What...