Results 1,341-1,360 of 3,777 for speaker:Marc Ó Cathasaigh

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings System Bill: Discussion (7 Dec 2022)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: That concludes our consideration of the matter today. I thank Mr. Berney and Dr. Bambrick. They may have been first up and best dressed, but it meant we had a wide-ranging discussion on issues that may have fallen outside the matters raised in the comprehensive submission to the committee. I thank them both for this submission and for appearing before us today. That concludes the...

Joint Committee on the Irish Language, the Gaeltacht and the Irish Speaking Community: Tuarascálacha an Choimisinéara Teanga agus Cur Chun Cinn na Gaeilge sa tSeirbhís Phoiblí: Plé (30 Nov 2022)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: Is ceist oscailte í, ach caithfidh mé a rá go mbeinn féin oscailte na cumhachtaí sin a thabhairt d’oifig an choimisinéara. Ba mhaith liom díriú isteach ar chúrsaí oideachais ar feadh nóiméad, le toil an choiste. Glacaim leis an méid atá á rá ag an gCoimisinéir Teanga maidir le daoine atá oilte...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings System Bill: Discussion (7 Dec 2022)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: The Irish Congress of Trade Unions has made strong points around bogus self-employment and how that should be brought into the scheme. As I said, we are moving towards the more woolly end of the questioning spectrum here. Platform working, for instance, which is difficult to define, might be most easily understood in terms of the likes of Deliveroo workers. Of course, there are different...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings Scheme Bill: Discussion (Resumed) (14 Dec 2022)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: I thank the witnesses for the presentation. We might have the sequencing a little bit out of order in terms of when we brought the Department in because we still have a lot of work to do. The witnesses will have seen that we had representatives of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, ICTU, in with us last week and it raised a lot of interesting aspects of this Bill. It is a significant...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings Scheme Bill: Discussion (Resumed) (14 Dec 2022)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: Somebody under the age of 23 could opt in.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings Scheme Bill: Discussion (Resumed) (14 Dec 2022)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: It might be interesting for us to see the underpinning research. If we are basing this on college participation, we are expecting people to have at least a level 8 qualification at the age of 23. If we are speaking about the volatility of people in that demographic, many will end up with an occupational pension as opposed to an auto-enrolment pension. I am concerned for people who go...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings Scheme Bill: Discussion (Resumed) (14 Dec 2022)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: I noted a similar concern to that outlined by the Chair. Let us take hospitality for example. If the age limit of 23 is retained, there will be an incentive to employers to employ people under the age of 23 because it will be cheaper. They will not have that contribution to make. I want to examine the figures in the context of people in full-time education or employment in those age...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings Scheme Bill: Discussion (Resumed) (14 Dec 2022)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: We have to figure out whether that means they are in full-time employment-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings Scheme Bill: Discussion (Resumed) (14 Dec 2022)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: Just looking at that, this longitudinal research probably has not been done. As I said earlier, if we are saying that people are in college until the age of 23, we will expect a decent proportion of them to enter higher-paid work, probably into an occupational pension, or to an income point where they will say that the 40% tax relief is going to be a lot more advantageous to them than...

Ábhair Shaincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Matters (18 Jan 2023)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: I wish to advise the House of the following matters in respect of which notice has been given under Standing Order 37 and the name of the Member in each case: Deputy Cathal Crowe - to discuss the transfer of Shannon Heritage sites to Clare County Council. Deputy Kathleen Funchion - to discuss a decision to remove access to a national educational psychological service, NEPS, psychologist...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: General Scheme of the Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings System Bill 2022: Discussion (Resumed) (18 Jan 2023)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: I thank Mr. Bolger for his opening presentation and the much more in-depth document that underpins it. I will raise a number of issues one by one, rather than overwhelming Mr. Bolger with questions. Essentially, Mr. Bolger broke his presentation into three different aspects and my questions will follow each one. On the idea of a central processing agency, CPA, Mr. Bolger said it was "a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: General Scheme of the Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings System Bill 2022: Discussion (Resumed) (18 Jan 2023)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: I understand that point of view but I am not sure that I agree with it. We know that a lot of people who will find themselves in auto-enrolment will find themselves very passively in auto-enrolment. I do not know if I envisage a huge preponderance of those customers sitting down and sorting through different types of pension offerings. Even when I try to renew my own health insurance, for...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: General Scheme of the Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings System Bill 2022: Discussion (Resumed) (18 Jan 2023)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: It is definitely a lacuna in what we have been presented with in the general scheme, as Ms Kelly said, and it is completely silent about these issues on my reading. As for the alignment with occupational pension schemes, it comes back to the central processing agency, CPA, and the fact we envision people moving in and out of this auto-enrolment. It would be hoped, and it will not be the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: General Scheme of the Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings System Bill 2022: Discussion (Resumed) (18 Jan 2023)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: It goes back to the issue of the €20,000 as a threshold point, because very often that will be a second income in the house, and if the primary income is above €49,000, even if a person is earning below €20,000 and wanted to make pension provision, he or she might be far better off going for the 40% tax relief route rather than the top-up. It is one of the issues I would...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: General Scheme of the Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings System Bill 2022: Discussion (Resumed) (18 Jan 2023)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: I thank Dr. Begg. I understand even from his opening statement that what he feels he is able to comment on with respect to this Bill might be quite limited. We had a statement that kind of amounted to Fr. Jack's that would be an ecumenical matter, perhaps, if I understand it properly. I will stay relatively specific in terms of the heads of Bill that actually deal with the Pensions...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: General Scheme of the Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings System Bill 2022: Discussion (Resumed) (18 Jan 2023)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: Dr. Begg is content essentially that the provisions within the draft heads are strong enough for the Pensions Authority to exercise its role.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Public Transport (19 Jan 2023)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: 10. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will outline his engagement with Local Link operators in the context of their increased role in providing rural public transport under Connecting Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1945/23]

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Public Transport (19 Jan 2023)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: Under this Government, with Green Party involvement, there has been investment in public transport and rural public transport in particular, the likes of which has not been seen previously but much of the burden for implementing the Connecting Ireland plan, which is pivotal to providing rural public transport, is falling on Local Link services. Will the Minister outline his engagement with...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Public Transport (19 Jan 2023)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: I thank the Minister. I am glad he has been engaging with them, but I am not sure the answer goes to the crux of the issue. He has had an invitation to go to County Sligo to go surfing; he can come to County Waterford and go surfing as well but I will make him check in with the Local Link operator there if he does. County Waterford provides probably one of the best Local Link services in...