Results 18,601-18,620 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin
- Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (11 Dec 2009)
Mary Hanafin: What are we about here?
- Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (11 Dec 2009)
Mary Hanafin: The choices had everything to do with cutting expenditure. It was about cutting the spending in each Department. Although it was very difficult, we have tried to minimise the impact of it.
- Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (11 Dec 2009)
Mary Hanafin: People, including outsiders, urged us not to cut the rates and to cut the extras. The extras would have imposed more hardship on more people. Let us consider the respite care grant. It has grown from â¬245 to â¬1,700 and a change to that would have had a greater financial impact on thousands more people than simply cutting the rate. As a Minister it would have been easier to stand and...
- Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (11 Dec 2009)
Mary Hanafin: However, it would have had a far more serious impact and it would not have been the right thing to do. These were the types of choices we faced. It is very easy for Opposition parties to call on us to bring in more revenue.
- Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (11 Dec 2009)
Mary Hanafin: That is what the Labour Party stated. It was not simply about bringing in more revenue. It was about reducing expenditure. If we do not stabilise the finances of the country we will not have an economy.
- Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (11 Dec 2009)
Mary Hanafin: If there is not a proper, functioning economy there will not be jobs and, therefore, all the people depending on social welfare will be there for a very long time-----
- Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (11 Dec 2009)
Mary Hanafin: -----but the State would not have the resources to support them. Certain Members may shout across at us that the Government does not have a heart or compassion, but we have heart.
- Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (11 Dec 2009)
Mary Hanafin: The Government has heart, compassion, understanding and sympathy. However, the Government does not have money.
- Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (11 Dec 2009)
Mary Hanafin: That is the difference. When one does not have money one must make difficult choices.
- Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (11 Dec 2009)
Mary Hanafin: Those difficult choices are short-term measures to restore long-term growth to the economy, to help people return to work and to afford the opportunities to some that the rest of us have had, rather than to condemn the next generation to a poor outlook or to bad prospects while the rest of us have seen benefits.
- Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (11 Dec 2009)
Mary Hanafin: The Deputy was not in the Chamber when I answered his point.
- Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (11 Dec 2009)
Mary Hanafin: It is â¬81 million.
- Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (11 Dec 2009)
Mary Hanafin: He is as entitled to speak as anybody.
- Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (11 Dec 2009)
Mary Hanafin: I find it extraordinary that some Members of the House think they are the only people with the right to speak, or that they have the monopoly on care and consideration.
- Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (11 Dec 2009)
Mary Hanafin: We are fortunate because in our democracy every Member of this House has a right to contribute. I appreciate the comments of people coming from various perspectives and taking the time to consider all the elements of this legislation properly, which is what we are here to do this afternoon. People were here until 11 p.m. last night and were not disruptive, and those who were here spoke on...
- Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (11 Dec 2009)
Mary Hanafin: A number of issues have been raised and there is no point in just talking about the overall economic position when we are dealing with specifics. Structural change had to be brought about, which meant expenditure had to be reduced, and that would have a bearing next year and the year after. It is not just a simple case of bringing all this in with revenue. We had to reduce expenditure...
- Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill: Committee and Remaining Stages (Resumed) (11 Dec 2009)
Mary Hanafin: I move amendment No. 2: In page 5, lines 21 to 24, to delete paragraph (b) and substitute the following: "(b) in section 142A (inserted by section 6(c) of the Act of 2009)â (i) in subsection (1)(a), by substituting "22" for "20", (ii) by substituting the following paragraph for subsection (4)(a): "(a) the period of interruption of employment commenced on or before 30 December 2009 and...
- Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill: Committee and Remaining Stages (Resumed) (11 Dec 2009)
Mary Hanafin: I do not understand the question.
- Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill: Committee and Remaining Stages (Resumed) (11 Dec 2009)
Mary Hanafin: The â¬150 payment applies to 22 year olds.
- Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill: Committee and Remaining Stages (Resumed) (11 Dec 2009)
Mary Hanafin: The upshot of this amendment would be that jobseekers aged 18 to 21 would be on â¬100 a week if they were not in education and training and those aged 22 to 24, irrespective of whether they start ab initio at that stage on jobseeker's allowance or whether they are moving on from having been on the â¬100 rate at 21 years of age, would go onto â¬150.