Results 2,161-2,180 of 4,555 for speaker:Claire Kerrane

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

Claire Kerrane: I thank the witnesses for coming in and for their opening statements and submissions. They have examined this in great detail so I thank them for that. A number of my questions have been asked and, therefore, I will not repeat them. In her opening statement, Ms Murdock referred to the significant input from taxpayers. We are in a situation now, particularly for young people starting out,...

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

Claire Kerrane: I thank our witnesses for coming in and for their opening statements. What has been said about the rate of relief is really important. It is not something that has been raised to date, certainly not in any major way. We will need to look at that. It is important to examine international best practice, because this is new to us. We are unique in that an awful lot of countries have a second...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (8 Feb 2023)

Claire Kerrane: 260. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of additional families that will be eligible for the working family payment as a result of the €40 income increase announced in budget 2023; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5722/23]

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Parental Leave (2 Feb 2023)

Claire Kerrane: 339. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if foster parents can avail of parental leave and benefit or parental leave where a newborn baby or child under stage age of two years is placed with a foster parent or family; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5478/23]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Facilities (1 Feb 2023)

Claire Kerrane: 133. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if her Department has any plans to dispose of a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4975/23]

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 37 - Social Protection (Revised) (1 Feb 2023)

Claire Kerrane: I thank the Minister, the Minister of State and their officials for attending. The work of the Pensions Commission is obviously very important. It has made a recommendation on the abolition of mandatory retirement. Will the Minister introduce legislation in that regard? I agree with Deputy Ó Cuív's comments on the means test and the €20,000 amount really needs to...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 37 - Social Protection (Revised) (1 Feb 2023)

Claire Kerrane: The exceptional needs payments have obviously been really important last year and this year. Additional staff were to be taken on by the Department. Will the Minister give us an update on those additional staff? Is it possible to apply for exceptional needs payments and additional needs payments online? This is something I raised with the Minister last year. It would be helpful to a...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 37 - Social Protection (Revised) (1 Feb 2023)

Claire Kerrane: I welcome the review of the RSS. I presume there will be widespread consultation on it because that would be really important. It is the people on the ground who are well placed when it comes to a review of the scheme. Could the Minister provide us with an update on the ongoing issues involving the pay and conditions of CE supervisors and assistant supervisors? This has been a...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 37 - Social Protection (Revised) (1 Feb 2023)

Claire Kerrane: Will there be a review of JobPath because €322 million has been spent on it? If we take the figures just given by the Minister, 32,000 people are still active on it. That means that 318,488 people completed the programme and of that figure, 29,000 have a job that lasted a year. Those 318,488 people have finished, of which 29,000 have a job, so you are looking at a success rate of...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 37 - Social Protection (Revised) (1 Feb 2023)

Claire Kerrane: To come back on the straw man in relation to disability and those additional payments that have been discussed, has the Minister any timeline for that work and when she hopes to have it completed? Are we looking towards the next budget or after it? Particularly when it comes to the cost of disability and the introduction of such a payment, it would be helpful to know what kind of timeline...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 37 - Social Protection (Revised) (1 Feb 2023)

Claire Kerrane: Will the Minister confirm whether the Department is looking at the means test for carer's allowance? Will that be done? We all agree there is an issue in relation to the means test and it has been raised by the organisations many times.

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 37 - Social Protection (Revised) (1 Feb 2023)

Claire Kerrane: I will be very brief. I welcome the changes that have been made to the fuel allowance for the over-70s. They are really positive and will help an awful lot of people. As regards the processing, a few people who had their applications in have not yet heard anything. I appreciate that many applications have been made and that everyone will get it where they are supposed to get it; that is...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 42 – Rural and Community Development and the Islands (Further Revised) (1 Feb 2023)

Claire Kerrane: The local improvement scheme, LIS, has been important in many rural areas, including the Minister's, mine and those of other members. Will the Minister provide an update on efforts to secure an allocation to the LIS from the Department of Transport? That would make perfect sense to many of us. Work was under way in the Department of Rural and Community Development to identify the number of...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 42 – Rural and Community Development and the Islands (Further Revised) (1 Feb 2023)

Claire Kerrane: Is the Minister aware of sheds outside of the association? I was not but I have been made aware of this. This is to make sure every shed will get that funding because it is so important.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Maternity Leave (31 Jan 2023)

Claire Kerrane: 479. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if consideration has been given to providing 39 weeks of maternity benefit to persons living in Northern Ireland and working in the State, in consideration of the provision made for maternity allowance in the North and in recognition of cross-Border provisions; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4076/23]

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (31 Jan 2023)

Claire Kerrane: 492. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she will provide an update on plans to bring forward legislation as per the recommendations by the child maintenance review group, especially around the inclusion of child maintenance as household means in means tests for social welfare supports; when this legislation will be introduced; and if she will make a statement...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Animal Welfare (31 Jan 2023)

Claire Kerrane: 807. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the action being taken to provide County Roscommon with additional resources to support animal welfare in the county; the number of dog wardens available in County Roscommon; if there are plans to introduce additional wardens in 2023; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4075/23]

Interim Report on Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services: Statements (26 Jan 2023)

Claire Kerrane: It is an appalling indictment to think that in 2023 so many children are in need of support throughout the State. This includes various levels of support, whether it is therapy or supports through CAMHS. They are being so severely failed. Of course, this is not a new issue. In my constituency, there are 247 children in CHO 2 across counties Roscommon, Galway and Mayo who are all on CAMHS...

Forestry Sector: Motion [Private Members] (24 Jan 2023)

Claire Kerrane: If this Government had dealt with the forestry licensing crisis that has been ongoing for some time now and treated existing forestry owners, including those with ash dieback, fairly, more farmers and landowners would plant forestry. Targets set by the Government would actually be met and we would not be in a situation where there is now an attempt to sell off rural communities. ...