Results 1,981-2,000 of 7,652 for speaker:Joanna Tuffy

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 37 - Department of Social Protection (Revised) (23 Jan 2014)

Joanna Tuffy: Yes.

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 37 - Department of Social Protection (Revised) (23 Jan 2014)

Joanna Tuffy: We will move to the first programme, which deals with pensions. That is on page 4 of the Department's brief and page 8 of the committee secretariat's briefing. I call Deputy O'Dea.

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 37 - Department of Social Protection (Revised) (23 Jan 2014)

Joanna Tuffy: I welcome the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Burton, and her officials to the meeting. The purpose of today's meeting is to consider the 2014 Revised Estimates for public services, Vote 37 - Social Protection. The Revised Estimate contains information on how money allocated for each programme in 2014 is to be spent, along with the Estimate for 2013; the number of staff connected...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Universal Social Charge Application (23 Jan 2014)

Joanna Tuffy: 64. To ask the Minister for Finance if he will provide an update on the special USC rate applied to bonuses for those working for banks; the number of persons that tax that has been collected from to date; if it would be possible to extend bonuses to any person paid a salary from public funds including State enterprise profits; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3438/14]

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (Revised) (22 Jan 2014)

Joanna Tuffy: Are members happy to move on? We are obliged to vacate the room by 3.45 p.m. at the latest. There are two further short programmes remaining - appropriations-in-aid and administration - and I propose that we take them together. In the Department's briefing material, they are dealt with from page 41 onwards. In the committee secretariat's notes, they are dealt with from page 19 onwards....

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (Revised) (22 Jan 2014)

Joanna Tuffy: Are there any questions on comments? If not, we will wrap-up proceedings. Before I call on the Minister to make his closing remarks, does anyone else wish to comment on the process or the overall picture?

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (Revised) (22 Jan 2014)

Joanna Tuffy: If there are no further comments or questions, I will call on the Minister to make his closing remarks.

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (Revised) (22 Jan 2014)

Joanna Tuffy: That is fair enough. I thank the Minister, his officials and members for attending. I also thank the staff of the secretariat for their work in respect of preparing briefing material for this meeting.

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Message to Dáil (22 Jan 2014)

Joanna Tuffy: In accordance with Standing Order 87, the following message will be sent to the Dáil: The Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills has completed its consideration of the following Estimates for public services for the year ending 31 December 2014: Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (Revised).

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (Revised) (22 Jan 2014)

Joanna Tuffy: I urge the Minister to exercise caution on that issue in general. Specifically, I have concerns regarding the agendas that might be at play on the part of particular movements within the patronage sector. I am not referring only to the Irish language movement here. In fact, I am on record as having criticised the ways in which Educate Together, to give another example, has sometimes pushed...

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (Revised) (22 Jan 2014)

Joanna Tuffy: I accept there is another side to the argument on the particular local issue to which I referred. I am also aware, however, of schools that have been set up recently and have hardly any pupils. One has to wonder what happened to all the demand that was predicted in those cases. I accept there is a need for additional school places. In Lucan some years ago we experienced a crisis in this...

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (Revised) (22 Jan 2014)

Joanna Tuffy: I am very willing to accommodate that.

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (Revised) (22 Jan 2014)

Joanna Tuffy: We will deal with programme D - capital services.

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (Revised) (22 Jan 2014)

Joanna Tuffy: We will take that advice on board.

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (Revised) (22 Jan 2014)

Joanna Tuffy: The Minister has visited the Young Scientist Exhibition. I go every year and visit the stands for the local schools and discuss their projects. It is very evident that this is a great opportunity for young people to learn how to work as a team and to be inventive and innovative and so on. I have noticed over the past couple of years that projects have come only from the Lucan side of my...

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (Revised) (22 Jan 2014)

Joanna Tuffy: The Minister mentioned Synge Street. It has a tradition, which is a factor but I think it is more complex than that. Many of the communities the Minister mentioned are present in Lucan too. There is disadvantage, many immigrants, and DEIS schools. I do not like to single Clondalkin out but there is a problem. Much of Clondalkin has a Revitalising Areas through Planning, Investment and...

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (Revised) (22 Jan 2014)

Joanna Tuffy: We will probably arrange a meeting on the issue.

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (Revised) (22 Jan 2014)

Joanna Tuffy: The issue is that Quality and Qualifications Ireland will certify courses for for-profit operators and institutions that are well established and perhaps fully funded by the Department. The community sector, however, seeks grants from various sources as it cobbles together the funding required to provide a course. As its clients are very often not well off, the community sector is not in a...

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (Revised) (22 Jan 2014)

Joanna Tuffy: We will move on to programme C, higher education, details of which can be found in the briefing material and secretariat's notes.

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (Revised) (22 Jan 2014)

Joanna Tuffy: We have the issue raised by the Deputies listed as one of the items the committee would look at in the context of the review. The Minister announced he would bring that to Government. Will he make a decision straight away or will he await the response to the report?