Results 24,341-24,360 of 28,162 for speaker:Catherine Murphy

Local Government Bill 2013: Second Stage (Resumed) (23 Oct 2013)

Catherine Murphy: It is very disappointing that the Minister is not here but most of us were here last night to hear his contribution. He stated last night that this is the most comprehensive programme of local government reform ever undertaken in the history of the State.

Local Government Bill 2013: Second Stage (Resumed) (23 Oct 2013)

Catherine Murphy: He said that this was to be the most comprehensive programme of local Government reform ever undertaken in the history of the State. The same was said about the reforms of the late 1990s which introduced county development boards, strategic policy committees and area committees. The fact that we are now making the same claim shows the reform then was not radical enough. There is no doubt...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Housing Finance Agency Issues (23 Oct 2013)

Catherine Murphy: 20. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the specific criteria and rationale used to determine the advancement of loans by the Housing Finance Agency which can adequately account for the extremely wide variance in total amounts advanced across local authorities; if he will account for the large increase in total loans advanced to County Mayo in 2012 compared...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Shared Ownership Scheme (23 Oct 2013)

Catherine Murphy: 53. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government in respect of the Housing and Sustainable Communities Agency's review of the shard ownership housing scheme if he will indicate the main recommendations; the specific difficulties that have been identified; the potential financial exposures to local authorities that have been identified; and if he will make a statement on...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Recycling Policy (23 Oct 2013)

Catherine Murphy: 151. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he will consider the introduction of a deposit retention tax for certain metal cans and plastic bottles with the specific focus of reducing littering and environmental pollution; if not, the reason for same; if he has conducted a feasibility study in relation to same; if he will share the findings; and if he will make...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Deployment (23 Oct 2013)

Catherine Murphy: 186. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality further to Parliamentary Question No. 64 of 20 September 2011, the way the minimum establishment required for each Garda district is taken into account in the distribution of Garda personnel and resources as he explained when, in relation to Parliamentary Question No. 459 of 8 October 2013, it was explained that there is no minimum...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Deployment (23 Oct 2013)

Catherine Murphy: 187. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality further to the Parliamentary Question No.99 of 8 May 2012, the way response times are taken into account in the distribution of Garda personnel when, in relation to Parliamentary Question No. 460 of 8 October 2013, statistics in relation to response times are not available; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45299/13]

Written Answers — Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Genealogical Services (22 Oct 2013)

Catherine Murphy: 79. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht with regard to cultural and genealogical tourism under his remit, his views on potential changes to legislation governing access to cultural and genealogical records and artefacts; his further views on the need to develop and foster a multi-Departmental approach to enhance the genealogical tourism potential here; and if he will make...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Appeals Issues (17 Oct 2013)

Catherine Murphy: Some of the appeals are self-generated or Department-generated. The domiciliary care allowance reviews and reviews of people on invalidity payments would have produced a very large number of appeals when they were turned down. They are not all strictly new claimants. Some applicants who have experienced very long delays and been turned down have sent exactly the same medical information on...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Appeals Issues (17 Oct 2013)

Catherine Murphy: 3. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if the serious delays in processing claims which require medical assessment and the consequent delays in the appeals process are directly related to the high turnover of medical assessors in her Department; her views on whether the lay-out of medical assessment forms which general practitioners and consultants must complete in respect of most such...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Appeals Issues (17 Oct 2013)

Catherine Murphy: I accept some progress has been made in reducing waiting times for appeals. However, the time taken in dealing with them still remains unacceptably long. What is astonishing is the number of appeals, some 50%, that are successful when they are eventually heard. One has to ask why they were disallowed in the first place. This appears to be a question of administrative resources. Last year...

Cochlear Implants: Motion [Private Members] (17 Oct 2013)

Catherine Murphy: I thank Sinn Féin for tabling this motion and I am very happy to be associated with it. I wish to read a response I received from Beaumont Hospital to representations about a patient. The case concerns an adult with hearing loss due to a virus. The clinic is the same as that used for the children in question. The adult is a lone parent with a child with special needs. The kind of...

Standing Orders: Motion (17 Oct 2013)

Catherine Murphy: We have a list of changes to Standing Orders that are hardly earth shattering. In fact, it is an extension of the superficial changes that, in reality, change very little. The changes were announced by the Government in advance of the autumn session of the Dáil, yet Article 28.4 of the Constitution makes it very clear that the Government shall be responsible to Dáil Éireann....

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Homeless Persons Data (17 Oct 2013)

Catherine Murphy: 39. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the number of applications made for an emergency needs payment which were prompted because a person or family had become homeless in 2010, 2011, 2012 and to date in 2013; the number of payments awarded in that time and the total cost; her views on whether current housing and rent assistance policy is directly fuelling this problem; the measure she...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Waiting Times (17 Oct 2013)

Catherine Murphy: 57. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if she will account for the high turnover rate of medical assessors in her Department; if her attention has been drawn to the fact that there are significant problems in processing fresh claims and appeals due to insufficient resources being allocated towards the area; if her attention has been drawn to the ongoing problems with the standard forms...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: IBRC Mortgage Loan Book (17 Oct 2013)

Catherine Murphy: 74. To ask the Minister for Finance if he considers that the sale by the Special Liquidator of Irish Bank Resolution Corporation mortgages to the exclusion of bids from the holders of said mortgages would result primarily in a disproportionately large number of bids from bigger financial institutions, many of which would likely have benefitted from the State guarantee of former Anglo Irish...

Financial Resolutions 2014: No. 6: Income Tax (15 Oct 2013)

Catherine Murphy: If I was convinced this was for the gold-plated policies, I would be persuaded to support it, but I am not persuaded of that. We all know the cost of premia, and €1,000 is not a large figure for an adult and €500 is not large for a child. Most people will have budgeted for the year. As was said, if somebody has just taken out a premium in the last month, will they be impacted...

Financial Resolutions 2014 - Budget Statement 2014 (15 Oct 2013)

Catherine Murphy: The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Brendan Howlin, who is not in the Chamber as many of my colleagues have said told us earlier that the Fianna Fáil Government had left us beholden, like the Famine victims of old, to seek relief outside the country. Boy, did we have to seek assistance from outside it. A bailout implies that one is getting something for nothing, but...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: General Register Office (15 Oct 2013)

Catherine Murphy: 141. To ask the Minister for Social Protection her views on the possible adverse impact upon genealogical tourism from the recent move of the Public Records Office to new premises at Werburgh Street, Dublin 8; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38511/13]

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Back to Education Allowance Payments (15 Oct 2013)

Catherine Murphy: 140. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if her attention has been drawn to the fact that some persons who have been offered third level courses are unable to accept them because of problems transitioning from receiving social welfare payments to back to education allowance; the cost impact this has on third level institutions; if she has proposed any solution to help assist these...