Results 19,781-19,800 of 21,588 for speaker:Denis Naughten

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Flexible Work Practices (9 Feb 2023)

Denis Naughten: 51. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of staff in her Department who are working remotely on a permanent basis; the number working from home; the number working from a remote hub; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2043/23]

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Rates (9 Feb 2023)

Denis Naughten: 52. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she plans to increase the carer's allowance or carer's benefit rates and the income disregard; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2041/23]

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Schemes (9 Feb 2023)

Denis Naughten: 54. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she will review the target processing time for schemes under her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2044/23]

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: General Scheme of the Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings System Bill: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Feb 2023)

Denis Naughten: If the witnesses have any final comments, they can incorporate those.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: General Scheme of the Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings System Bill: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Feb 2023)

Denis Naughten: I thank the representatives of Insurance Ireland for their evidence and their constructive and positive engagement with the committee. They will revert to the committee on a number of matters members raised with them. We will suspend the meeting briefly to allow them to leave and the next witnesses to take their seats. Is that agreed? Agreed.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: General Scheme of the Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings System Bill: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Feb 2023)

Denis Naughten: Our second engagement is a continuation of our pre-legislative scrutiny of the general scheme of the automatic enrolment retirement savings system Bill 2022. I welcome the following officials from the Economic and Social Research Institute, ESRI: Dr. Claire Keane, senior research officer; and Dr. Barra Roantree, research officer. Before we begin, I will explain some limitations to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: General Scheme of the Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings System Bill: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Feb 2023)

Denis Naughten: Dr. Keane will correct me if I am wrong, but that would allow them to pay in at the 40% effective relief rate because they are in higher income households, even though their own income may be lower. Is that correct?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: General Scheme of the Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings System Bill: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Feb 2023)

Denis Naughten: If we take what the ESRI is proposing, which is that we would go with a standard relief across the board-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: General Scheme of the Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings System Bill: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Feb 2023)

Denis Naughten: I accept that auto-enrolment causes great confusion in this regard but, if we maintain the existing system of tax relief, regardless of whether they have an occupational pension or are auto-enrolled, it would allow those people to avail of the higher relief, even though they are on lower incomes and at the moment would theoretically get a 25% top-up, because the vast bulk of them are in...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: General Scheme of the Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings System Bill: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Feb 2023)

Denis Naughten: Again, that disproportionately affects more women, or at least it would have done historically, which is a weakness that has been flagged in the context of auto-enrolment. Women with lower incomes would not benefit to the same extent from auto-enrolment.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: General Scheme of the Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings System Bill: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Feb 2023)

Denis Naughten: Dr. Roantree might answer that point if the Deputy's mathematics are correct. It will probably have a bearing on where the Deputy is going.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: General Scheme of the Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings System Bill: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Feb 2023)

Denis Naughten: I will seek a comment on that point and will allow the Deputy to come in again. This is significant for us all in respect of the operation of the scheme.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: General Scheme of the Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings System Bill: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Feb 2023)

Denis Naughten: Is Deputy Ó Cuív right in his mathematics as they apply to the payments into the scheme? I accept that there is a different tax treatment on the way out. The argument the Deputy is making is that one will have a fund to invest at €100 compared with a fund at €75.

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Healthcare Policy (8 Feb 2023)

Denis Naughten: 55. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he has received a request from the Minister for Social Protection to designate long Covid as an occupational illness; the current status of the request; the timeline for responding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6066/23]

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Broadcasting Sector (8 Feb 2023)

Denis Naughten: 137. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if she will confirm whether she expects to receive the report from the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland on support for the independent radio sector within 100 days of the Report Stage of the Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill 2022, as outlined in Dáil Éireann on 30 November 2022; and if she will make a statement...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Educational Disadvantage (8 Feb 2023)

Denis Naughten: 248. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if DEIS schools are mandated to provide reading recovery and the associated whole class programme literacy lift-off as a condition of accessing extra funds for DEIS and the DEIS scheme in general; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6065/23]

Written Answers — Department of Health: Healthcare Policy (8 Feb 2023)

Denis Naughten: 454. To ask the Minister for Health if he has received a request from the Minister for Social Protection to designate long Covid as an occupational illness; the current status of the request; the timeline for responding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6067/23]

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: General Scheme of the Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings System Bill: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Feb 2023)

Denis Naughten: One of the issues that continually comes up, especially in respect of women, is the ability to top up their pensions. Under the occupational pensions, there is a certain amount of flexibility in that regard. Under the auto-enrolment system, there is not. Part of the problem is this taxation barrier, because they are two very different systems. If we were to address the issue of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: General Scheme of the Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings System Bill: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Feb 2023)

Denis Naughten: Dr. Roantree addressed this earlier.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: General Scheme of the Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings System Bill: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Feb 2023)

Denis Naughten: In fairness, Dr. Roantree has gone through this twice. We are under time pressure.