Results 7,801-7,820 of 12,637 for speaker:Willie O'Dea

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: National Internship Scheme Eligibility (25 Mar 2014)

Willie O'Dea: 519. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the reason a recipient of a widow's pension would be excluded from taking part in the JobBridge scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13532/14]

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Youth Guarantee (25 Mar 2014)

Willie O'Dea: 520. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the progress of the implementation of the youth guarantee scheme; the amount that has been pledged to this scheme; the number of participants that have taken part in this scheme to date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13533/14]

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Unemployment Data (25 Mar 2014)

Willie O'Dea: 521. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the number of under 25s that have been out of work for four months or more; the number of under 25s that are classified as underemployed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13534/14]

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Staff Data (25 Mar 2014)

Willie O'Dea: 522. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the number of employment service officers and or advisors currently employed in her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13535/14]

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Private Rented Accommodation Provision (25 Mar 2014)

Willie O'Dea: 523. To ask the Minister for Social Protection her views on the number of landlords who will not accept tenants in receipt of rent allowance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13536/14]

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Offices (25 Mar 2014)

Willie O'Dea: 524. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if she will provide an update on the roll out of the Intreo offices; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13537/14]

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Social Welfare Entitlements for Self-Employed: ISME, SEA and SFA (26 Mar 2014)

Willie O'Dea: I thank the people for their presentations, which were very clear and coherent. For means-tested payments such as jobseeker's allowance and disability allowance there is no justification for a difference in treatment between calculating the means of a person who has been employed or a person who has been self-employed. I note the differences Mr. Dolan has pointed out - I come across them...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Social Welfare Entitlements for Self-Employed: ISME, SEA and SFA (26 Mar 2014)

Willie O'Dea: Deputy Butler said there is a wrong situation here which needs to be addressed and that we need unity in our approach, and I agree with him on that. Unfortunately, before we can jointly get together to make a push to achieve something we need to have some clarity as to what exactly we are trying to achieve. Mr. Fielding said the figure for the extra social insurance benefit to qualify would...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Social Welfare Entitlements for Self-Employed: ISME, SEA and SFA (26 Mar 2014)

Willie O'Dea: That is what I am saying. That is a crucial issue because the solution to this, if everybody agreed on a compulsory system, is a 1.5% increase, which can be done gradually. However, if we are talking about a voluntary, opt-in, opt-out system, we have to work out what extra contribution we are talking about for people who want to opt in.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Social Welfare Entitlements for Self-Employed: ISME, SEA and SFA (26 Mar 2014)

Willie O'Dea: I have a quick calculation based on the actuarial review of the Social Insurance Fund. The current cost to the taxpayer of extending the scheme to illness benefit and jobseeker's benefit without paying any extra contribution would be €175 million.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Social Welfare Entitlements for Self-Employed: ISME, SEA and SFA (26 Mar 2014)

Willie O'Dea: I am obviously very sympathetic toward Deputy Butler’s point of view but if he says we should increase the contribution by a quarter of 1%, rather than 1.5%, it means the State will be out by €155 million per annum for as long as that arrangement is in place. Perhaps it would be a good idea to invite the Minister for Finance to come to our next meeting. We could discuss this...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Social Welfare Entitlements for Self-Employed: ISME, SEA and SFA (26 Mar 2014)

Willie O'Dea: I would say only half the population is covered. That includes all civil servants, etc. There would be a very small percentage.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Social Welfare Entitlements for Self-Employed: ISME, SEA and SFA (26 Mar 2014)

Willie O'Dea: Yes, but I am counting the public sector pension as a-----

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Pensions Reform (27 Mar 2014)

Willie O'Dea: 114. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the level of demand to date for amortising bonds used to underwrite sovereign annuities; her views on the operation of sovereign annuities; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14647/14]

Confidence in the Minister for Justice and Equality; and Defence: Motion [Private Members] (1 Apr 2014)

Willie O'Dea: I do not wish to travel over ground which has been comprehensively covered by my colleagues. Last Wednesday, after two weeks of uncharacteristic silence during which he studiously avoided the media, the Minister addressed the House on two occasions. He devoted a great deal of his first speech to lavishing praise on the former Garda Commissioner, the very man he had colluded with the...

Confidence in the Minister for Justice and Equality; and Defence: Motion [Private Members] (1 Apr 2014)

Willie O'Dea: -----telling us there was nothing to see and we should move on? Why are there now no less than four inquiries into alleged maladministration, all centring on how the Minister handled these vital issues? Perhaps the clue can be found in an article in last Saturday's Irish Independent by Fionnan Sheehan in which he stated that not a member of the Opposition, a journalist or other outside...

Confidence in the Minister for Justice and Equality; and Defence: Motion [Private Members] (1 Apr 2014)

Willie O'Dea: The problem is that the Minister, Deputy Shatter, does not deal with people on an equal basis. He sees everybody at a distance from the towering heights of his own regard.

Confidence in the Minister for Justice and Equality; and Defence: Motion [Private Members] (1 Apr 2014)

Willie O'Dea: The Minister's name has become a watch word for hubris, arrogance, intellectual superiority and the inability to admit even the slightest mistake.

Confidence in the Minister for Justice and Equality; and Defence: Motion [Private Members] (1 Apr 2014)

Willie O'Dea: The history books tell us that Joan of Arc was influenced by voices. The only voice to which the Minister, Deputy Shatter, ever listens is his own.

Confidence in the Minister for Justice and Equality; and Defence: Motion [Private Members] (1 Apr 2014)

Willie O'Dea: He does not do humility either. He cannot even fake that. Having refused for six months to apologise for the slurs on the characters of two honourable men, which he deliberately cast across the floor of this House and repeated elsewhere, an apology was dragged out of him by his colleagues in Government of both parties, who made it clear to him that he apologise or else. Reluctantly, the...