Results 24,321-24,340 of 28,162 for speaker:Catherine Murphy

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2013: Committee and Remaining Stages (25 Oct 2013)

Catherine Murphy: I wonder sometimes about the economics of this matter. If I remember rightly, the Minister made the point last year that she was not going to be able to avail of the mortgage interest supplement for the first year. She said she was going to try to force the banks to deal with people. They have done that, but very slowly. The Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform examined...

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2013: Committee and Remaining Stages (25 Oct 2013)

Catherine Murphy: One of the things that was very evident during the Celtic tiger era was that there was virtually full employment. There is no real evidence, therefore, that people are lazy or that they will not take up employment. What has always been evident is the fact that a certain percentage of those on the live register were people who were in transition between jobs. In the late 1970s and early...

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2013: Committee and Remaining Stages (25 Oct 2013)

Catherine Murphy: We should implement good public policies. This section will achieve the opposite.

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2013: Committee and Remaining Stages (25 Oct 2013)

Catherine Murphy: Standardisation is a nice, soft term that makes it sound like one is simplifying something or making it easier to understand. The reality is that this measure represents a €32 cut for 96% of mothers, or approximately 27,000 women. For approximately 1,000 women, it will be an increase of €300 over 26 weeks. People may have factored this cut into the costs that they must cover...

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2013: Committee and Remaining Stages (25 Oct 2013)

Catherine Murphy: I mistakenly understood we would deal first with the provisions on pensions. I concur with Deputy O'Dea on the need to include in social welfare legislation any provisions that amend or reduce the household benefits package. The elimination of the telephone allowance is an example of such a reduction. Many of those who claim the household benefits package paid contributions throughout...

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2013: Committee and Remaining Stages (25 Oct 2013)

Catherine Murphy: No.

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2013: Committee and Remaining Stages (25 Oct 2013)

Catherine Murphy: I am unsure about what is the objective of the provision in this section but I assume it is not one that people will find favourable.

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2013: Committee and Remaining Stages (25 Oct 2013)

Catherine Murphy: I have been told it is technical in nature. I have had people come to see me who have the legitimate expectation that they will end up with a pension because they paid many contributions over their working life. These have been mainly women who have taken time out to rear their children and have then returned to the workforce. I have been told that this is a technical change but I do not...

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2013: Second Stage (Resumed) (24 Oct 2013)

Catherine Murphy: The Minister should not be taking up speaking time.

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2013: Second Stage (Resumed) (24 Oct 2013)

Catherine Murphy: It is this disgraceful behaviour that is discrediting politics. There is no reason we could not have completed Second Stage this week and scheduled Committee Stage for the week after next when people would have had time to table considered amendments, leading to proper debate on the sections rather than debate on them being shoe-horned into ridiculously small timeframes.

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2013: Second Stage (Resumed) (24 Oct 2013)

Catherine Murphy: The Minister is likely to sneer at many of the comments from the Opposition. It seems that Ministers have to grin and bear listening to us. I have taken a look at some of the Minister's own reactions to hard budgets when she was an Opposition finance spokesperson. She referred to the 2009 budget as a nightmare on Merrion Street. She said the 2009 supplementary budget was the budget from...

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2013: Second Stage (Resumed) (24 Oct 2013)

Catherine Murphy: From the back of a truck.

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Water Meters Issues (24 Oct 2013)

Catherine Murphy: 172. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he is confident that persons who will be paying for water will have full access to be able to either directly, or through independent verification, access the readings on their new water meters to ascertain their usage and to be able to verify faults; if no such access exists, if he will confirm that only Irish Water...

Topical Issue Debate: IBRC Mortgage Loan Book (23 Oct 2013)

Catherine Murphy: The special liquidators of the Irish Bank Resolution Corporation are moving to sell the loan book as quickly as they can with substantial discounts. Just over 11,000 IBRC mortgage holders are owner-occupiers while just over 2,000 are in the buy-to-let category. I have been hearing from some of them who feel they are affected by this and whose loans are performing. The Minister for Finance...

Topical Issue Debate: IBRC Mortgage Loan Book (23 Oct 2013)

Catherine Murphy: The Minister has said he understands "the anxiety of individual customers". Those who have non-performing loans might be anxious, but those who have performing loans are absolutely furious that large corporate entities will be able to come in and buy those loans at a discount. The loans that are being valued relate to properties that have already been discounted because of negative equity....

Topical Issue Debate: IBRC Mortgage Loan Book (23 Oct 2013)

Catherine Murphy: That is not the point I was making.

Topical Issue Debate: IBRC Mortgage Loan Book (23 Oct 2013)

Catherine Murphy: Yes.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Pyrite Issues (23 Oct 2013)

Catherine Murphy: The Minister and I can both agree on the dire need for the work to happen as quickly as possible in the most damaged ones first. In the absence of being able to pursue the industry, is he confident there will be sufficient money coming from the Exchequer to repair in the first instance the most damaged houses? Will this be a time-limited scheme to deal with the ones that will have problems...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Pyrite Issues (23 Oct 2013)

Catherine Murphy: 5. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the reasons a contribution from industry stakeholders was not ultimately included in the final agreed remediation scheme for pyrite damaged homes; if he has asked the industry for a voluntary contribution; if he will provide an estimate of the total cost to successfully remediate a house in the most seriously affected...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Pyrite Issues (23 Oct 2013)

Catherine Murphy: The Minister did not tell us the legal difficulties that prevented the issue being proceeded with. The industry caused the problem but the Exchequer is picking up the tab. Will the Minister take court action against the industry? Is there any prospect of these levies being brought in? Is there a prospect of forcing a payment on the industry? Will it be time limited, as was envisaged not...