Results 21,281-21,300 of 28,162 for speaker:Catherine Murphy

Written Answers — Department of Health: Blood Donations (25 Oct 2016)

Catherine Murphy: 465. To ask the Minister for Health the date the new policies on men who have sex with men, MSM, blood donors will come into effect; if the media reports of an implementation date of 16 January 2017 are accurate; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31906/16]

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Workplace Relations Commission (25 Oct 2016)

Catherine Murphy: 593. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the number of workplace inspections by sector in 2015 and in the latest period in 2016 for which figures are available; the total amount of wages recovered by sector in these periods; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31743/16]

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Workplace Relations Commission (25 Oct 2016)

Catherine Murphy: 594. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the penalties applying to employers for the non-payment of wages; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31744/16]

Public Accounts Committee: 2015 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Department of Social Protection
Chapter 9 - Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 10 - Roll-out of the Public Services Card
Social Insurance Fund 2015 (20 Oct 2016)

Catherine Murphy: I would like to ask about the big €60 million investment in the public service card. Was that unique to the Department? Was it from the Department's Vote?

Public Accounts Committee: 2015 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Department of Social Protection
Chapter 9 - Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 10 - Roll-out of the Public Services Card
Social Insurance Fund 2015 (20 Oct 2016)

Catherine Murphy: I would also like to ask about a sum of €3 million. There was an additional €3 million relating to some contractual changes.

Public Accounts Committee: 2015 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Department of Social Protection
Chapter 9 - Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 10 - Roll-out of the Public Services Card
Social Insurance Fund 2015 (20 Oct 2016)

Catherine Murphy: What specific contractual changes were they?

Public Accounts Committee: 2015 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Department of Social Protection
Chapter 9 - Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 10 - Roll-out of the Public Services Card
Social Insurance Fund 2015 (20 Oct 2016)

Catherine Murphy: The Leap card relates to the provisions of public transport. What is the function of the Department of Social Protection in respect of that?

Public Accounts Committee: 2015 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Department of Social Protection
Chapter 9 - Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 10 - Roll-out of the Public Services Card
Social Insurance Fund 2015 (20 Oct 2016)

Catherine Murphy: In respect of the lack of an overall business case to begin with, I take Ms O'Donoghue's point that this was cross-departmental but was there a cross-department business case in advance of it, is there a plan and has that plan been updated?

Public Accounts Committee: 2015 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Department of Social Protection
Chapter 9 - Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 10 - Roll-out of the Public Services Card
Social Insurance Fund 2015 (20 Oct 2016)

Catherine Murphy: I was surprised that the Department did not consider an online function in 2005 if we are talking about future proofing in terms of what the card might be used for in the future. In respect of the tendering process, the company had to build a plant. I would have thought the capacity of the company would have been one of the key issues in awarding the tender.

Public Accounts Committee: 2015 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Department of Social Protection
Chapter 9 - Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 10 - Roll-out of the Public Services Card
Social Insurance Fund 2015 (20 Oct 2016)

Catherine Murphy: I asked about the online function.

Public Accounts Committee: 2015 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Department of Social Protection
Chapter 9 - Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 10 - Roll-out of the Public Services Card
Social Insurance Fund 2015 (20 Oct 2016)

Catherine Murphy: A total of 3 million cards were due to be issued by 2017. A little over 2 million have been issued but only 1.2 million have been activated.

Public Accounts Committee: 2015 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Department of Social Protection
Chapter 9 - Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 10 - Roll-out of the Public Services Card
Social Insurance Fund 2015 (20 Oct 2016)

Catherine Murphy: A total of 800,000 people have not rung to say they have received the card. Does market research or a public information campaign exist? It seems very wasteful not to activate a card if someone has it because it could easily go out in the bin and the Department would have to reissue it.

Public Accounts Committee: 2015 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Department of Social Protection
Chapter 9 - Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 10 - Roll-out of the Public Services Card
Social Insurance Fund 2015 (20 Oct 2016)

Catherine Murphy: So they use them but they have not been activated?

Public Accounts Committee: 2015 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Department of Social Protection
Chapter 9 - Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 10 - Roll-out of the Public Services Card
Social Insurance Fund 2015 (20 Oct 2016)

Catherine Murphy: What about the lifespan of the cards?

Public Accounts Committee: 2015 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Department of Social Protection
Chapter 9 - Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 10 - Roll-out of the Public Services Card
Social Insurance Fund 2015 (20 Oct 2016)

Catherine Murphy: Turning to how the Department's functions, there is a very different narrative. I take the point made by Deputy Connolly. I must say that it jars with me as well. It is very difficult when one hears the narrative about people not being tax compliant. It is called aggressive tax planning and there is talk of loopholes. Even the Government refuses to take an appeal involving a large amount...

Public Accounts Committee: 2015 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Department of Social Protection
Chapter 9 - Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 10 - Roll-out of the Public Services Card
Social Insurance Fund 2015 (20 Oct 2016)

Catherine Murphy: I personally have not seen that it is an improvement but I will come back to Ms O'Donoghue on that more directly.

Public Accounts Committee: 2015 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Department of Social Protection
Chapter 9 - Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 10 - Roll-out of the Public Services Card
Social Insurance Fund 2015 (20 Oct 2016)

Catherine Murphy: Constituency offices of politicians might be a good target for finding out more because we know what additional work is generated and people tell us that calls to the Department are not being answered. The housing assistant payment, previously rent assistance, is another function that has transferred to the local authorities in large parts of the country. This transfer will have freed up...

Public Accounts Committee: 2015 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Department of Social Protection
Chapter 9 - Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 10 - Roll-out of the Public Services Card
Social Insurance Fund 2015 (20 Oct 2016)

Catherine Murphy: On working with the local authorities, increasingly one meets people who are unable to obtain a letter from the Department of Social Protection to give to the local authority to verify rent or to change rents. We are talking about citizens - I have a problem with the Department's practice of calling them "customers" - and while there is co-operation, sometimes it is not at citizen level. I...

Public Accounts Committee: 2015 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Department of Social Protection
Chapter 9 - Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 10 - Roll-out of the Public Services Card
Social Insurance Fund 2015 (20 Oct 2016)

Catherine Murphy: On delays in payments, some contributors have placed emphasis on fraud and so on. I have noticed six-month delays in having a pension application turned around. That is the kind of timeline involved in cases I am dealing with.

Public Accounts Committee: 2015 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Department of Social Protection
Chapter 9 - Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 10 - Roll-out of the Public Services Card
Social Insurance Fund 2015 (20 Oct 2016)

Catherine Murphy: It is a contributory pension.