Results 20,701-20,720 of 24,567 for speaker:Róisín Shortall
- Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) (3 Dec 2008)
Róisín Shortall: Neither is the biological parent. The children are being fostered.
- Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) (3 Dec 2008)
Róisín Shortall: What did the Minister mean when she stated that there could not be two payments? On Committee Stage and for a considerable period this evening, she stated that it would not be possible for someone to receive foster and one-parent family payments, but she is now saying that the person would be entitled to it. Which is the case?
- Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) (3 Dec 2008)
Róisín Shortall: Yes.
- Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) (3 Dec 2008)
Róisín Shortall: The case in question involves a foster payment.
- Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) (3 Dec 2008)
Róisín Shortall: No, it is not a separate case. I am referring to aââ
- Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) (3 Dec 2008)
Róisín Shortall: No. I raised two cases.
- Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) (3 Dec 2008)
Róisín Shortall: This is a foster situation wherein the person is not a biological parent.
- Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) (3 Dec 2008)
Róisín Shortall: The Minister should get her facts right and get a briefing.
- Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) (3 Dec 2008)
Róisín Shortall: Two cases.
- Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) (3 Dec 2008)
Róisín Shortall: For clarification, does that include an unmarried personââ
- Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) (3 Dec 2008)
Róisín Shortall: Will the Minister indicate her intentions regarding reforms in respect of one parent family payments? There has been a great deal of discussion with regard to changes in recent years. Those changes were identified some time ago and there are various proposals as to how they might be introduced. I referred earlier to cohabitation and activation, the key issues relating to which are access to...
- Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) (3 Dec 2008)
Róisín Shortall: I agree with the Minister that there is a need for financial institutions to be flexible, particularly in the case of those who were very much encouraged to stretch themselves to the limit in their borrowing and who, in some cases, were advised to overstate their income. I will address those issues later because I have tabled amendments dealing with people who find themselves in those...
- Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) (3 Dec 2008)
Róisín Shortall: This amendment relates specifically to the issue of appealing decisions in respect of supplementary welfare. There are issues of natural justice involved at present and the Minister must address these.
- Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) (3 Dec 2008)
Róisín Shortall: I accept what the Minister said about functions transferring to the Department and the issue being dealt with in that respect. I am concerned about it. The issue is not just that there are delays in the appeals system but that there are definite issues of natural justice involved. The HSE decides the first round appeal. If the appellant must submit a request for the second-level appeal and...
- Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) (3 Dec 2008)
Róisín Shortall: Hear, hear.
- Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) (3 Dec 2008)
Róisín Shortall: The issue of the PRSI ceiling is particularly relevant in the context of a universal insurance-based pension for all. Given the difficulties facing people with private pensions at present and because the feedback from the Green Paper process is overdue, the Minister should indicate to Members whether she is considering the operation of such a general scheme in respect of a State pension that...
- Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) (3 Dec 2008)
Róisín Shortall: Has the Minister any idea of the timescale involved? When should we expect her to bring forward proposals on it?
- Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) (3 Dec 2008)
Róisín Shortall: A rough timescale would do.
- Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) (3 Dec 2008)
Róisín Shortall: I fully accept the complexity of the pensions issue but that is no excuse for prevaricating any further on it. The Government has been talking about this for several years. We cannot afford to stand back and wait much longer. Is the Minister inclined towards an insurance-based universal State pension system, given that the Government has spent over â¬4 billion, by present day standards,...
- Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) (3 Dec 2008)
Róisín Shortall: I support this amendment because it is important that targets are set in respect of social welfare payments and their adequacy. I also put on record my concern about the manner in which this Bill is being dealt with and the restrictive nature of Standing Orders, particularly with regard to the Social Welfare Bill and Finance Bill. There is an archaic ruling that we are not allowed to table...