Results 10,481-10,500 of 21,588 for speaker:Denis Naughten

Topical Issue Debate: HSE Agency Staff Expenditure (25 Mar 2015)

Denis Naughten: I thank the Minister for his reply. My difficulty is that arrears have been paid in sections 38 and 39 organisations in Dublin, namely, Home Again Traveller, Families Care and Cottage Home for Little Children. Why are we treating staff in Galway and Roscommon differently than staff in Dublin where the same liability applies and the latter had not traditionally been receiving the twilight...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Flood Relief Schemes Status (25 Mar 2015)

Denis Naughten: 14. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the current status of flood relief works on the River Suck; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11650/15]

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Property Tax Collection (25 Mar 2015)

Denis Naughten: 54. To ask the Minister for Finance the reason direct debits for paying local property tax only last for two years, after which persons have to set up new direct debits to continue paying the tax; if persons paying the tax by direct debit have been notified of this; the steps that were taken to inform the general public of same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12296/15]

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Social Protection: Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) 2015: Committee Stage (25 Mar 2015)

Denis Naughten: On section 4, I wish to mention an issue that relates to the entitlement to jobseeker's allowance and that of the one-parent family payment. Unusually, the Department has built-in flexibility which ensures a person can work five days yet still receive a part payment or payment of jobseeker's allowance. However, anomalies exist, particularly in regard to the one-parent family payment. Let...

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Social Protection: Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) 2015: Committee Stage (25 Mar 2015)

Denis Naughten: No, it is specifically what I am talking about.

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Social Protection: Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) 2015: Committee Stage (25 Mar 2015)

Denis Naughten: Yes.

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Social Protection: Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) 2015: Committee Stage (25 Mar 2015)

Denis Naughten: It is not the jobseeker's transitional.

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Social Protection: Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) 2015: Committee Stage (25 Mar 2015)

Denis Naughten: A solution might be something like the SWA where a person receives the SWA and then any moneys that are due to them are recouped via that. In circumstances like that, could it be the case that the Department of Social Protection would not take the deduction but wait for the refund to come through from the Revenue Commissioners? We need to bend over backwards to facilitate people regardless...

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Social Protection: Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) 2015: Committee Stage (25 Mar 2015)

Denis Naughten: I have one contribution to make on the section. It relates to a point I made earlier but I will not repeat it, which you also raised, Chairman, namely, what safety nets are being put in place to ensure that people do not fall through the cracks while in the transition from one set of payments to the other. The family income supplement is of concern to me. The Minister of State is aware...

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Social Protection: Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) 2015: Committee Stage (25 Mar 2015)

Denis Naughten: I have two issues to raise in respect of this section. First, Deputy O'Dea, whether he realises it or not, has opened up a can of worms. There is a case currently before the appeals office on the specific issue he raised. When the Department official in that case was asked to explain at oral hearing why the office had found against the client, this person was unable to give an answer....

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Social Protection: Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) 2015: Committee Stage (25 Mar 2015)

Denis Naughten: Will the Minister of State ensure those who have been written to will be given the facts? People in Dublin may not realise that many of the banks in rural Ireland will only issue cash on certain days of the week. Many will not take in coin any day of the week. That the Department should write to a pensioner stating he or she can get a better service in the local bank is not true. They...

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Social Protection: Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) 2015: Committee Stage (25 Mar 2015)

Denis Naughten: What has been reported is misleading. With all due respect, there may be some vulnerable pensioners who attached their bank statement and sent it back - they get their money every week in the post office - not realising there are only certain days of the week in many of the smaller banks' branches throughout the country where one can get cash. Otherwise one has to use the machine. For many...

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Social Protection: Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) 2015: Committee Stage (25 Mar 2015)

Denis Naughten: I have a comment and a question. Does subsection (1)(b) state that one cannot appeal the liability to the payment until one has paid the compensation back? In his contribution to section 8, the Minister of State stated in some instances it could take 70 years to pay the liability back. As he will be aware, one has 21 days in which to appeal a decision of the Department. How does the...

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Social Protection: Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) 2015: Committee Stage (25 Mar 2015)

Denis Naughten: All right, fair enough. Second, where there was a case of institutional abuse and compensation was paid, under the Social Welfare Acts that is exempt from all calculations. There have been a handful of cases where there has been gross negligence on behalf of the HSE in relation to vulnerable children. Previously, I have brought this issue up, both publicly and privately, with the...

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Social Protection: Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) 2015: Committee Stage (25 Mar 2015)

Denis Naughten: I accept that. The problem is that I have tabled such an amendment to previous social welfare Bills, I have raised it on Committee Stage and it has been ruled out of order on Report Stage because there is a potential cost on the Exchequer. Committee Stage of a social welfare Bill is the only mechanism that is open to me to raise this.

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Social Protection: Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) 2015: Committee Stage (25 Mar 2015)

Denis Naughten: It is-----

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Social Protection: Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) 2015: Committee Stage (25 Mar 2015)

Denis Naughten: -----because it is a lump sum payment.

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Social Protection: Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) 2015: Committee Stage (25 Mar 2015)

Denis Naughten: It is a lump sum payment. We are talking about the recovery of those payments where there is social welfare. It is relevant.

Other Questions: Scientific Research (26 Mar 2015)

Denis Naughten: 9. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the steps he is taking to ensure Science Foundation Ireland continues to fund basic fundamental scientific research; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11963/15]

Other Questions: Scientific Research (26 Mar 2015)

Denis Naughten: This is round three in dealing with this issue. We will take the Minister's response as read. He has said it is no good having ivory tower research - research for the sake of it. That is the fundamental flaw. I put to him that he needs to take off his economics hat and look at the other aspects because scientific research is not just about producing a clear economic return. It is about...