Results 6,601-6,620 of 19,409 for speaker:Aengus Ó Snodaigh

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2011: Committee Stage (Resumed) (15 Jun 2011)

Aengus Ó Snodaigh: I have one or two queries, although I have no problem with this section but rather with the next section. Section 17 states that "an officer of the Minister authorised by him or her for this purpose, or ... the Executive ... may, subject to the conditions and in the circumstances that shall be prescribed, defer, suspend, reduce or cancel repayment of any such amount". When is it intended to...

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2011: Committee Stage (Resumed) (15 Jun 2011)

Aengus Ó Snodaigh: My question relates to the repayment of amounts due. Section 17 states that when a person is required to repay a certain amount, the repayment may, subject to conditions, be deferred or suspended in circumstances that shall be prescribed. It states there will be conditions or circumstances under which the repayment can be reduced or suspended. Is it intended to prescribe these shortly...

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2011: Committee Stage (Resumed) (15 Jun 2011)

Aengus Ó Snodaigh: I move amendment No. 10: In page 21, line 33, after "payment" to insert "obtained as a result of conscious fraud". This is an important change to the way the Department goes about recovering overpayments. The section deals with fraud, although it is not even fraud, as it states: "Repayment of amounts due arising from false or misleading statements or wilful concealment of facts." To date,...

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2011: Committee Stage (Resumed) (15 Jun 2011)

Aengus Ó Snodaigh: I have not denied that social welfare fraud exists, nor have I ever condoned it. On various occasions I have taken the opportunity in this House to encourage the Department to use its existing powers and to train its staff to pursue those who defraud the system. No one in this Chamber opposes the other measures in the Bill which are, I hope, designed to tackle some of the elements of fraud....

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2011: Committee Stage (Resumed) (15 Jun 2011)

Aengus Ó Snodaigh: I move amendment No. 11: In page 22, paragraph (b), line 24, after "Ireland" to insert "and the Local Authority Franchise Offices". This amendment is to facilitate, hopefully in the near future, the franchise office in local authorities to use the PPS number to register electors. Currently, somebody must fill in a registration form and the registers are continuously out of date as a result...

Written Answers — Programme for Government: Programme for Government (15 Jun 2011)

Aengus Ó Snodaigh: Question 342: To ask the Minister for Social Protection the steps taken to date to deliver on the programme for Government promise to tightly regulate debt collecters. [15289/11]

Written Answers — Consumer Protection: Consumer Protection (15 Jun 2011)

Aengus Ó Snodaigh: Question 106: To ask the Minister for Finance the steps taken to date to deliver on the programme for Government promise to tightly regulate moneylenders. [15289/11]

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (15 Jun 2011)

Aengus Ó Snodaigh: Question 174: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the steps he will take to ensure that building work on a school (details supplied) in Dublin 8, which has stalled due to the contractor going into receivership, will recommence quickly to ensure that the new school building is ready in time for the new school term; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15826/11]

Written Answers — Training and Education Programmes: Training and Education Programmes (15 Jun 2011)

Aengus Ó Snodaigh: Question 191: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of places in training and education opportunities that were in place in February 2011; and the number in place now. [15285/11]

Written Answers — Training and Education Programmes: Training and Education Programmes (15 Jun 2011)

Aengus Ó Snodaigh: Question 192: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of the additional 15,000 places in training and education opportunities promised in the programme for Government that are currently on stream with a participant in place. [15286/11]

Written Answers — Training and Education Programmes: Training and Education Programmes (15 Jun 2011)

Aengus Ó Snodaigh: Question 341: To ask the Minister for Social Protection the number of the additional 15,000 places in work experience opportunities promised in the programme for Government that are currently on stream with a participant in place. [15286/11]

Written Answers — Water Charges: Water Charges (15 Jun 2011)

Aengus Ó Snodaigh: Question 409: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the outcome of the cost-benefit analysis of the funding options for the metering programme carried out by him. [15290/11]

Written Answers — Water Quality: Water Quality (15 Jun 2011)

Aengus Ó Snodaigh: Question 412: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government his plans to harmonise water pressure and quality for all domestic users across the country. [15411/11]

Written Answers — Water Charges: Water Charges (15 Jun 2011)

Aengus Ó Snodaigh: Question 420: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the percentage and total value of non-domestic water charges that were outstanding for each of the years 2007 to 2010, inclusive, and had not been collected by the local authorities at the end of those years. [15499/11]

Written Answers — Proposed Legislation: Proposed Legislation (15 Jun 2011)

Aengus Ó Snodaigh: Question 476: To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the date on which legislation will be published to give effect to the programme for Government commitment to require all public bodies to take due note of equality and human rights in the carrying out of their functions. [15291/11]

Order of Business (16 Jun 2011)

Aengus Ó Snodaigh: It is not agreed. I fundamentally oppose guillotines and the progress made on this Bill last night suggests there is no need for a guillotine for the taking of remaining amendments on the Social Welfare and Pensions Bill, or the taking of a Report Stage. Many matters have been teased out and most of what is remaining in the Bill is not contentious, although the Bill itself is. It is wrong...

Order of Business (16 Jun 2011)

Aengus Ó Snodaigh: The Tánaiste may want to reply.

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2011: Committee Stage (Resumed). (16 Jun 2011)

Aengus Ó Snodaigh: This amendment deals with the changes to the various bodies and groups authorised to use a personal public service, PPS, number for the purposes of carrying out transactions with members of the public and for sharing personal data and information among themselves. I propose the provision be extended to local authority franchise officers to ensure everyone's PPS number rather than address is...

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2011: Committee Stage (Resumed). (16 Jun 2011)

Aengus Ó Snodaigh: This section is tied to the reduction in employers' PRSI. What is proposed is very strange, particularly in view of the fact that activation measures such as education, training, etc., are required and in light of the constraints on the public purse. It is bizarre that we are reducing the national training fund levy. The amount involved - a reduction from 0.7% to 0.35% - is minuscule in...

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2011: Committee Stage (Resumed). (16 Jun 2011)

Aengus Ó Snodaigh: I thank the Minister for her reply. However, what she said has made me even more dubious about this section. The fact that there is a surplus in a training fund when almost 500,000 people are unemployed is not acceptable. We are three years into a recession and there should not be a surplus at this stage. The funding in question should have immediately been pumped into retraining and...