Results 23,481-23,500 of 28,162 for speaker:Catherine Murphy

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Communications (5 Jun 2014)

Catherine Murphy: 91. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality if the PULSE electronic database used by An Garda Síochána contains a tracking function which displays the name or identifier of each user who accesses or makes alterations to data on the system, and the date and time in each case; if not, the reason for same; if the original design of the database contained this feature and if so,...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Services for People with Disabilities (5 Jun 2014)

Catherine Murphy: 106. To ask the Minister for Health the level of State support offered to an organisation (details supplied) in each year from 2007 to date; if he recognises that the organisation is a key service provider in the Kildare and wider area; the discussion he has had with the organisation in terms of future funding requirements; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24012/14]

Other Questions: Public Service Reform Plan Update (4 Jun 2014)

Catherine Murphy: I have raised this issue on a number of previous occasions. On some occasions when the Minister has talked about reform, it is actually a reduction in staff numbers and budgets. In fact, it can be costly. For example, if one has under-provided for local authority staffing and planning sections in some parts of the country where the building industry is starting to ramp up again, there will...

Other Questions: Public Service Reform Plan Update (4 Jun 2014)

Catherine Murphy: Do local authorities or the HSE make an application for a relaxation of an embargo for certain staff cohorts or people with particular skills? If so, how is that managed? Is there a framework against which these requirements are matched? Is it done at departmental level? How is the whole-of-government approach applied to that?

Other Questions: Public Service Reform Plan Update (4 Jun 2014)

Catherine Murphy: 7. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he will provide an update on the progress toward achieving the specific sectoral targets contained in the public service reform plan; if the measures which have been implemented so far have served to address imbalances in the resource-to-population ratio in each of these sectors or if that specific issue has been exacerbated; and if...

Other Questions: Public Service Reform Plan Update (4 Jun 2014)

Catherine Murphy: The question relates to workforce planning and the public service reform plan. On a number of occasions, I have raised with the Minister the fact that an embargo or the number of staff who left the public service on early retirement has left gaps. An embargo can be a crude instrument. It is a matter of how we rebuild the public service where there are gaps and what mechanism is being used...

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (4 Jun 2014)

Catherine Murphy: There appear to be different arrangements depending on the local authority area. Obviously the local authorities are entitled to make their own schemes for letting priorities. I am dealing with a situation in which a person surrendered a three-bedroom house in favour of a one-bedroom apartment under RAS. The landlord has now pulled out of the RAS scheme and finding substitute...

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (4 Jun 2014)

Catherine Murphy: The Department of Social Protection will not deduct property tax on the basis that it would put somebody below the supplementary welfare rate, because that would be deemed as the minimum necessary to live on, but at the same time the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government will deduct amounts of up to 15%.

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (4 Jun 2014)

Catherine Murphy: I was talking about the amount. I think 15% is punitive.

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (4 Jun 2014)

Catherine Murphy: I move amendment No. 40: In page 61, line 8, to delete “15 per cent” and substitute “5 per cent”.

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (4 Jun 2014)

Catherine Murphy: To speak to amendment No. 40, 15% represents a sizeable amount of money and would impact very harshly on families with children in circumstances in which the social welfare payment for dependent children is small anyway. It would bring back a lone parent with one child to the basic social welfare rate applying to an individual. There is a bit of a paradox here. I remember being contacted...

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (4 Jun 2014)

Catherine Murphy: If I heard correctly, rent supplement will continue to be paid in the absence of the availability of another payment. Clearly, only one payment will be made. The Minister of State has also pointed out that there will be a significant change in regard to community welfare offices. Will the rent unit still be there? The Minister of State also suggested that following the changes, a housing...

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (4 Jun 2014)

Catherine Murphy: If there is to be a report to the committee I will withdraw it but I think-----

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (4 Jun 2014)

Catherine Murphy: The Minister of State would accept that it cannot be done without staffing.

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (4 Jun 2014)

Catherine Murphy: Does that mean there could be increases or that they might be treated differently or anything of that nature?

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (4 Jun 2014)

Catherine Murphy: Yes. Sometimes provisions of this nature appear innocuous and it is only when they are implemented that difficulties begin to arise.

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (4 Jun 2014)

Catherine Murphy: I do not have a problem with that.

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (4 Jun 2014)

Catherine Murphy: I move amendment No. 30: In page 59, between lines 2 and 3, to insert the following:“49.(1) The Minister shall, six months after the coming into operation of this Part, cause a review to be conducted which shall assess the effectiveness of the measures contained in this Part under the following categories:(a) the net effect on the numbers of families waiting for accommodation to be...

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (4 Jun 2014)

Catherine Murphy: On implementation, fault lines are already apparent, as I said on Second Stage. There are wide variations throughout the country in the context of the positioning of local authority staff. To highlight the worst-case scenario, Meath County Council has a staff of 620 but is responsible for 20,000 more people than the combined authorities in Limerick, which have a total of 1,075 staff between...

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (4 Jun 2014)

Catherine Murphy: The Chairman is proceeding to finish this Stage, but I have tabled amendments and notified the clerk to the committee yesterday that we had to attend a meeting at 12.30 p.m. which would last half an hour. I have no option but to attend that meeting.