Results 9,381-9,400 of 12,637 for speaker:Willie O'Dea

Social Welfare Bill 2016: Report Stage (24 Nov 2016)

Willie O'Dea: Within our own party this issue has been raised consistently by my colleague from Donegal, Deputy Pat The Cope Gallagher, and he has given us a very good briefing on the situation. It is a problem that particularly affects, but is not exclusive to, Donegal. We put down an amendment on Committee Stage seeking what is being sought here, namely, a report, a study on the situation. It is...

Social Welfare Bill 2016: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (24 Nov 2016)

Willie O'Dea: Usually when amendments or comments on legislation come from the Opposition benches, we are looking for the Government to spend more money. This is a rather unusual situation in which there should be a net gain to the Government. There is a genuine issue here. I realise that the Employment Appeals Tribunal could take up to five years to make a determination, which is appalling. I can see...

Social Welfare Bill 2016: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (24 Nov 2016)

Willie O'Dea: Did I hear the Minister give an undertaking to allow the proposal or something equivalent to it to be subjected to pre-legislative scrutiny before the spring Bill? It seems to me that there would be a fair yield to the Exchequer. It is somewhat strange, to put mildly, that when we are offering a way for the Department of Social Protection to collect extra money, the Department's response is...

Social Welfare Bill 2016: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (24 Nov 2016)

Willie O'Dea: Generally, under criminal law, they can be applied.

Social Welfare Bill 2016: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (24 Nov 2016)

Willie O'Dea: Every piece of criminal law provides for double penalties. It provides for a fine or imprisonment, or both.

Social Welfare Bill 2016: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (24 Nov 2016)

Willie O'Dea: We have all had constituents get in touch with us about the obvious inequality of somebody who has paid fewer stamps potentially getting a higher pension than somebody who has paid more stamps, because it was over a longer period, when it is averaged out. We discussed this at some length on Committee Stage. Deputy Smith wanted to find out why 1994 was the year picked. There is a very...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Programmes (24 Nov 2016)

Willie O'Dea: 129. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the number of persons that transitioned from an activation programme to paid employment in 2015 and to date in 2016; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36622/16]

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Programmes (24 Nov 2016)

Willie O'Dea: 130. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the number of persons that completed an activation programme and subsequently moved to another of his Department's activation programmes in 2015 and to date in 2016; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36623/16]

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Broadband Service Provision (24 Nov 2016)

Willie O'Dea: 242. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he will request the communications regulator to contact a company (details supplied) regarding a broadband connection that has been down for the past month and to deal with the matter as soon as possible; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36669/16]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Access to Higher Education (29 Nov 2016)

Willie O'Dea: 242. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if a commitment given in the programme for Government (details supplied) was published in advance of the budget; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37614/16]

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Staff Recruitment (29 Nov 2016)

Willie O'Dea: 339. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if his attention has been drawn to the fact that there has been no social protection inspector in Tuam since August 2016; if his attention has further been drawn to the difficulty this is causing for staff and customers (details supplied); the measures he will take to address this situation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37443/16]

Written Answers — Department of Health: Medicinal Products Prices (29 Nov 2016)

Willie O'Dea: 505. To ask the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 222 of 17 November 2016, when the HSE intends to enter into negotiations with the manufacturer in an effort to secure significant price reduction for the drug Kalydeco; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36909/16]

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2016
Vote 37 - Social Protection (Supplementary) (1 Dec 2016)

Willie O'Dea: I thank the Minister for his presentation. This Estimate only deals with non-contributory payments as insurance contribution-related payments are dealt with from the Social Insurance Fund and this accounts for just over half of the annual expenditure on social protection. I note that the number in receipt of non-contributory pensions is only 130 over profile, so the big increase in...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2016
Vote 37 - Social Protection (Supplementary) (1 Dec 2016)

Willie O'Dea: Perhaps I am misunderstanding this, and I welcome the Minister's announcement that he intends to relax the rules relating to community employment, but my experience of JobPath has been that if people have been unemployed and in receipt of jobseeker's allowance for a certain period of time, that is sufficient to qualify for the JobPath scheme. However, they have come to me and said they are...

Order of Business (6 Dec 2016)

Willie O'Dea: The policy is centralisation.

Order of Business (6 Dec 2016)

Willie O'Dea: What about what Deputy MacSharry asked the Taoiseach?

Order of Business (6 Dec 2016)

Willie O'Dea: There is implied recognition in the programme for Government that the pension problem in the country needs to be dealt with. Does the Taoiseach find it acceptable that a solvent profitable company can change and close down a defined benefit pension scheme on a whim to the detriment of its pensioners and deferred pensioners and there is no provision in Irish law to deal with it? When will...

Order of Business (6 Dec 2016)

Willie O'Dea: I am not referring to any particular case.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (6 Dec 2016)

Willie O'Dea: 244. To ask the Minister for Social Protection when payment will commence in respect of a carer's allowance application that was awarded after an appeal on the part of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38753/16]

Questions on Proposed Legislation (7 Dec 2016)

Willie O'Dea: I wish to ask the Taoiseach about the progress made in meeting a commitment given in the programme for Government, specifically on page 97, which reads: "We will transfer responsibility for Criminal Legal Aid to the Legal Aid Board who will have new powers to compel criminals to pay a contribution". I presume it is a contribution towards the cost of rectifying the damage they have done....