Results 25,261-25,280 of 27,055 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2012: Committee Stage (Resumed) (30 Apr 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: We all agree that we want improved outcomes and I agree with the Minister's comments about ensuring the payments made to lone parents in the child care sector are targeted. I agree, to a large degree, that the cash payment to families does not necessarily find the way down to children and where it is supposed to be paid. We discussed this with regard to the free preschool year. When the...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2012: Committee Stage (Resumed) (30 Apr 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: I am not. The Government is not accepting the amendments being tabled and we are being asked to take the word of the Minister. We will be making changes to the lone parent payments but no additional child care is being provided. The Minister has not repeated what she stated in the Dáil, and I will not do so. She has not told us when there will be a report to Cabinet, how many additional...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2012: Committee Stage (Resumed) (30 Apr 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: Absolutely.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2012: Committee Stage (Resumed) (30 Apr 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: The Senator knew what was going to be in place.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2012: Committee Stage (Resumed) (30 Apr 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: That is not true. There are 170 people affected straight away. What about them?

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2012: Committee Stage (Resumed) (30 Apr 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: No.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2012: Committee Stage (Resumed) (30 Apr 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: I would say I was here.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2012: Committee Stage (Resumed) (30 Apr 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: I am not suggesting that.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2012: Committee Stage (Resumed) (30 Apr 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: I know.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2012: Committee Stage (Resumed) (30 Apr 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: I will come back in on that.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2012: Committee Stage (Resumed) (30 Apr 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: Yes, so do I.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2012: Committee Stage (Resumed) (30 Apr 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: I will be very quick.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2012: Committee Stage (Resumed) (30 Apr 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: We are 44 minutes into this sitting.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2012: Committee Stage (Resumed) (30 Apr 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: I hear what the Cathaoirleach is saying. I thank the Minister for her comprehensive response, which was more comprehensive than her opening statement. That is not a criticism. I am not asking the Minister to highlight the number of places but I asked for a roadmap and a timeframe. I am glad to hear the Departments are working together and I am aware that we have child care places, which...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2012: Committee Stage (Resumed) (30 Apr 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: How is that a point of order? The principle of a free preschool year was announced. The Minister says the three Departments are working together, which they should be doing anyway, on providing additional spaces. In this case, we do not have the bones of what the Ministers want to do. These amendments are sensible because they ask the relevant Minister to report to the Oireachtas joint...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2012: Committee Stage (27 Apr 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: I support this amendment. Fianna Fáil has withdrawn one amendment under this section. My colleague, Senator Mooney, will resubmit an amendment on Report Stage. I will not cover the ground we have discussed. The Minister gave a commitment in the Dáil that she would not implement the cut from 14 years of age to seven unless there were guarantees to provide adequate child care. On 18...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2012: Committee Stage (27 Apr 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: I understood the Bill was to contain a larger pensions section to deal with the deprioritising of annuitants or pensions in payment. That would have dealt with the issue raised by Senator David Cullinane about people in receipt of pensions and in a scheme that was underfunded. Workers contributing to a scheme are the last ones to know, as is the case with retained benefit annuitants who...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2012: Committee Stage (27 Apr 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: Section 3 relates to a significant increase in the contribution period allowed, from 260 to 520 contribution weeks, to qualify for the contributory State pension, particularly for voluntary contributions. In the national pensions framework 2010 we proposed to replace the average contribution period, but the fundamental problem here is that the contributory requirements have been doubled in a...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2012: Committee Stage (27 Apr 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: While I will not go back over the points I already have raised, I asked the Minister a couple of specific questions. I specifically asked whether she would give a commitment to Members today that there will be no changes to the free preschool year during the term of the present Government. In her response to Members, the Minister mentioned how many other jurisdictions withdraw lone parent...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2012: Committee Stage (27 Apr 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: However, in the instance----