Results 7,181-7,200 of 11,299 for speaker:Colm Burke

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Third Level Education (1 Dec 2022)

Colm Burke: Regarding socially disadvantaged areas, looking at the work done in the past ten to 15 years, have we identified why we have made very little progress in many of these areas? Do we need to focus at an earlier stage, and I am even talking about primary-school level, on starting people off on the process of long-term ambition in education? Are we doing enough in this regard to encourage...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Health Services Staff (1 Dec 2022)

Colm Burke: This matter relates to the appointment of a consultant ophthalmology surgeon at South Infirmary-Victoria Hospital and the need for funding to be set aside to allow that appointment to proceed. This is extremely important. We have built a new outpatient ophthalmology unit in South Infirmary-Victoria Hospital. We have built two brand-new theatres that are fully equipped and ready to be open...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Health Services Staff (1 Dec 2022)

Colm Burke: I am just concerned about the use of the words "being examined". That is not going to sort my problem out. There is a new unit that has been physically built and is fully equipped, ready to roll, and there will be no use of that facility for at least three months now. We intended to open it in the middle of December. It will now not be opened because this post has not been sanctioned. My...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Health Services Staff (1 Dec 2022)

Colm Burke: In fairness to Gerry O'Dwyer, who retired yesterday as the CEO of the South/Southwest Hospital Group, he wanted to sign off on this before he left. He tried everything to get it signed off but that has to be done at a national level. He has now retired and he is disappointed that this has not been signed off. I ask that I get a response to this within the next seven days.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Accommodation (1 Dec 2022)

Colm Burke: 151. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide an update on the proposal for the inclusion of a provision under the rent-a-room scheme to allow pensioners who are medical card holders to avail of the scheme without the possibility of losing their medical card; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59857/22]

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Social Protection - Social Insurance Fund 2021
Chapter 10: Regularity of social welfare payments
Chapter 11: The recovery of benefit and assistance payments following compensation awards
Chapter 14: Classification of workers for PRSI purposes (1 Dec 2022)

Colm Burke: I thank Mr. McKeon and all his staff for all the work they have done in recent years, dealing with very difficult situations. My first question relates to the total number of PPS numbers issued this year to date. My understanding is that people coming in from abroad as refugees are given PPS numbers, as are children who are born and people who come in to work here.

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Social Protection - Social Insurance Fund 2021
Chapter 10: Regularity of social welfare payments
Chapter 11: The recovery of benefit and assistance payments following compensation awards
Chapter 14: Classification of workers for PRSI purposes (1 Dec 2022)

Colm Burke: Is there a breakdown of that?

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Social Protection - Social Insurance Fund 2021
Chapter 10: Regularity of social welfare payments
Chapter 11: The recovery of benefit and assistance payments following compensation awards
Chapter 14: Classification of workers for PRSI purposes (1 Dec 2022)

Colm Burke: The total is more than 250,000.

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Social Protection - Social Insurance Fund 2021
Chapter 10: Regularity of social welfare payments
Chapter 11: The recovery of benefit and assistance payments following compensation awards
Chapter 14: Classification of workers for PRSI purposes (1 Dec 2022)

Colm Burke: Is it possible to get a breakdown of the 202,000? Mr. McKeon may not be able to give it to me today.

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Social Protection - Social Insurance Fund 2021
Chapter 10: Regularity of social welfare payments
Chapter 11: The recovery of benefit and assistance payments following compensation awards
Chapter 14: Classification of workers for PRSI purposes (1 Dec 2022)

Colm Burke: If the Ukraine issue were taken out of it, would the number we are issuing be far higher than in previous years?

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Social Protection - Social Insurance Fund 2021
Chapter 10: Regularity of social welfare payments
Chapter 11: The recovery of benefit and assistance payments following compensation awards
Chapter 14: Classification of workers for PRSI purposes (1 Dec 2022)

Colm Burke: One problem, which is not really in the remit of the Department, is arising with older people who worked here before 1980 and then went abroad to work. They were given PPS numbers before dates of birth began to be used as a mechanism for identifying people. If they went abroad and came back, their date of birth on the system might be, say, 1 January 1970. We are having problems when we...

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Social Protection - Social Insurance Fund 2021
Chapter 10: Regularity of social welfare payments
Chapter 11: The recovery of benefit and assistance payments following compensation awards
Chapter 14: Classification of workers for PRSI purposes (1 Dec 2022)

Colm Burke: These are people who historically had a PPS number, went abroad, came back and are now in Ireland, and the system was not amended when they came back to work in Ireland. I have come across it on a few occasions. I am dealing with one case where somebody has been in a nursing home for the past 18 months------

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Social Protection - Social Insurance Fund 2021
Chapter 10: Regularity of social welfare payments
Chapter 11: The recovery of benefit and assistance payments following compensation awards
Chapter 14: Classification of workers for PRSI purposes (1 Dec 2022)

Colm Burke: I would appreciate that.

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Social Protection - Social Insurance Fund 2021
Chapter 10: Regularity of social welfare payments
Chapter 11: The recovery of benefit and assistance payments following compensation awards
Chapter 14: Classification of workers for PRSI purposes (1 Dec 2022)

Colm Burke: The problem is not with the Department but with the medical cards department-----

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Social Protection - Social Insurance Fund 2021
Chapter 10: Regularity of social welfare payments
Chapter 11: The recovery of benefit and assistance payments following compensation awards
Chapter 14: Classification of workers for PRSI purposes (1 Dec 2022)

Colm Burke: I am not blaming the witnesses' Department at all. The failure is on the other side. Turning to the level of support available in Ireland in respect of social welfare across the board, a recent study shows Ireland is 60% ahead of the UK in the level of support for people on social welfare schemes. Do we have a comparable with other countries, outside of the UK, on that issue?

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Social Protection - Social Insurance Fund 2021
Chapter 10: Regularity of social welfare payments
Chapter 11: The recovery of benefit and assistance payments following compensation awards
Chapter 14: Classification of workers for PRSI purposes (1 Dec 2022)

Colm Burke: I am raising this because, while I know Mr. McKeon said a person on social welfare here is 60% better than off than a person in the UK, there are glitches in the system too. Do we look at other systems to see where we can introduce improvements to provide support?

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Social Protection - Social Insurance Fund 2021
Chapter 10: Regularity of social welfare payments
Chapter 11: The recovery of benefit and assistance payments following compensation awards
Chapter 14: Classification of workers for PRSI purposes (1 Dec 2022)

Colm Burke: Does Mr. McKeon think we could make further improvements in the area of disabilities? Many people who have a disability are restricted in what they can work at. At the same time, many want to make a contribution and they find that, in certain cases, they are quite restricted in trying to make that contribution. Do we have an ongoing review of that in order that we can allow people to work...

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Social Protection - Social Insurance Fund 2021
Chapter 10: Regularity of social welfare payments
Chapter 11: The recovery of benefit and assistance payments following compensation awards
Chapter 14: Classification of workers for PRSI purposes (1 Dec 2022)

Colm Burke: I will move on to rent supplement. The figure for 2021 is €122 million. The estimated figure for this year seems to be reduced. Is there a particular reason for that?

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Social Protection - Social Insurance Fund 2021
Chapter 10: Regularity of social welfare payments
Chapter 11: The recovery of benefit and assistance payments following compensation awards
Chapter 14: Classification of workers for PRSI purposes (1 Dec 2022)

Colm Burke: There is a substantial drop from €122 million to the estimated outturn for this year of €74 million.

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Social Protection - Social Insurance Fund 2021
Chapter 10: Regularity of social welfare payments
Chapter 11: The recovery of benefit and assistance payments following compensation awards
Chapter 14: Classification of workers for PRSI purposes (1 Dec 2022)

Colm Burke: Finally, I raise the issue of pensions. Mr. McKeon referred to over €450 million extra being paid out on pensions. I know the number of people aged over 66 is about 760,000. That will increase to over 1 million by 2030. For the next five years, even if the level of payment stayed static, what increase in expenditure do we expect per annum?