Results 24,101-24,120 of 26,610 for speaker:David Cullinane

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2013: Committee Stage (6 Nov 2013)

David Cullinane: With the greatest respect to the Chair, I am talking about trying to get information from the Minister.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2013: Committee Stage (6 Nov 2013)

David Cullinane: The Minister says she is making additional money available for labour activation, education and training measures, but at the same time she is cutting welfare. I am trying to get the figures from her. Let us take the Momentum programme as a good example. The Youth Council of Ireland is asking the same questions as me. The Minister says an additional €6 million is being made...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2013: Committee Stage (6 Nov 2013)

David Cullinane: It is not a concession, but something I believe. I am not saying it because the Minister is here or in response to her. I believe in the young people of Ireland as much as the Minister, but I will not force them to emigrate or implement policies that will force them to emigrate.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2013: Committee Stage (6 Nov 2013)

David Cullinane: I did what?

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2013: Committee Stage (6 Nov 2013)

David Cullinane: What did I do?

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2013: Committee Stage (6 Nov 2013)

David Cullinane: I am doing that but, unfortunately, I am being heckled by the Senator on the other side of the House. I believe there are talented young people who want to work. People in my family who are qualified nurses and teachers have had to leave to get jobs elsewhere. Some left because of what the previous Government did and left before this Government took office, but some have left recently. All...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2013: Committee Stage (6 Nov 2013)

David Cullinane: A number of Independent Senators, Fianna Fáil Senators, one of the Minister's former colleagues and myself all made the same point. The tone of our contributions was similar, namely, nobody wants young people to be unemployed. We want young people to be working, in education places or in training. We all made the point that the jobs are not available. There are not enough jobs,...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2013: Committee Stage (6 Nov 2013)

David Cullinane: The purpose of my opening statement, which the Minister mentioned, was to remind her that when Fianna Fáil first cut the dole for younger people she opposed it. She voted against it, and she was the finance spokesperson for her party at the time. When the Minister voted against that measure that Fianna Fáil introduced, did she believe that she was voting for what she saw as a lack...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2013: Committee Stage (6 Nov 2013)

David Cullinane: -----who voted against the measure when it was introduced by a previous Government is now proposing to cut it even more and is criticising my party for its opposition. She also said that I purport to speak for all young people. I speak for Sinn Féin and the people who vote for Sinn Féin but what I did do was quote to her questions that were put to me by the National Youth Council...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2013: Committee Stage (6 Nov 2013)

David Cullinane: I did not mention JobBridge. The Minister has confused me with someone else.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2013: Committee Stage (6 Nov 2013)

David Cullinane: I did not mention JobBridge.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2013: Committee Stage (6 Nov 2013)

David Cullinane: The Minister has not explained what I said about JobBridge.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2013: Committee Stage (6 Nov 2013)

David Cullinane: I have asked the Minister to explain what I said about JobBridge. She has accused me of making a disparaging comment about people on JobBridge but I never mentioned the scheme.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2013: Committee Stage (6 Nov 2013)

David Cullinane: Please remind me of what I said. What was disparaging?

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2013: Committee Stage (6 Nov 2013)

David Cullinane: The Minister has a nerve.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2013: Committee Stage (6 Nov 2013)

David Cullinane: The discussion of this section dominated many of the Second Stage contributions. Sections 9 and 10 are linked and we have tabled amendments to section 10 that also affect section 9. We will wait until we get to them. Section 9 cuts young people's jobseeker's rates. I reminded the Minister that when the previous Fianna Fáil-led Government cut dole payments for those aged under 25 in...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2013: Committee Stage (6 Nov 2013)

David Cullinane: I agree with a number of important points that have been made by Government Senators. Senator Moloney spoke about the scheme that is run by the credit unions and by SIPTU. As someone who is a member of a trade union and a member of a credit union, I think I am well covered.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2013: Committee Stage (6 Nov 2013)

David Cullinane: In the context of this cut and a number of other cuts we discussed earlier, the Minister has spoken about the exceptional needs payment as an option. The problem with that, as someone mentioned earlier, is that public representatives often have to make representations to community welfare officers about exceptional needs payments. Public representatives obviously must make representations...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2013: Committee Stage (6 Nov 2013)

David Cullinane: We dealt with this issue when dealing with section 4 which covered very similar points. It would not be helpful for any of us to re-hash the arguments. The Minister is aware of my position and that we oppose this section.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2013: Committee Stage (6 Nov 2013)

David Cullinane: I also made this argument on Second Stage. The bereavement grant was only a small assistance to bereaved families towards the cost of funerals. It is for workers who have a solid contributions record which goes back to a point that many of us made when we read through this Bill, that most of these cuts affect people who pay into the social insurance fund, through their pay related social...