Results 25,261-25,280 of 26,766 for speaker:David Cullinane

Seanad: Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (19 Jul 2012)

David Cullinane: I move amendment No. 11: In page 27, subsection (6), line 10, to delete "as a public servant" and substitute the following: "as a public servant, however, the combined pension earned may not exceed an annual pension payment of €60,000.".

Seanad: Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (19 Jul 2012)

David Cullinane: I move amendment No. 12: In page 27, subsection (2)(a), to delete lines 33 to 26 and substitute "cap of €60,000, and".

Seanad: Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (19 Jul 2012)

David Cullinane: I move amendment No. 13: In page 28, subsection (2)(a), lines 23 to 26, to delete all words from and including "maximum" in line 23 down to and including "and" in line 26 and substitute "cap of €60,000, and".

Seanad: Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (19 Jul 2012)

David Cullinane: I move amendment No. 14: In page 29, subsection (2)(a), lines 47 and 48, to delete all words from and including "maximum" in line 47 down to and including "that" in line 48 where it secondly occurs and in page 30, to delete lines 1 and 2 and substitute "cap of €37,500, and".

Seanad: Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (19 Jul 2012)

David Cullinane: I move amendment No. 15: In page 30, subsection (2)(a), lines 37 to 40, to delete all words from and including "maximum" in line 37 down to and including "and" in line 40 and substitute "cap of €60,000, and".

Seanad: Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (19 Jul 2012)

David Cullinane: We have received many representations from trade unions and other groups on section 26. It is important that we highlight the concerns expressed to us. This section deals with those in the fast accrual group, namely, gardaí, prison officers and firefighters. As the Minister will be aware, those in this group are obliged, for practical reasons, to retire at an earlier age than others....

Seanad: Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (19 Jul 2012)

David Cullinane: I accept much of what the Minister said but the reality is that the workers involved and those in the trade unions are not in their view pushing for Rolls Royce pensions for those workers.

Seanad: Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (19 Jul 2012)

David Cullinane: I accept that.

Seanad: Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (19 Jul 2012)

David Cullinane: To be fair to the trade unions involved, they have come up with what they feel are genuine alternatives. I outlined one of them. In fairness to the trade unions involved, they have engaged with the Department and lobbied the Minister strongly but it is not fair to say that they have not come forward with what they would consider as viable alternatives. They might not be acceptable to the...

Seanad: Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (19 Jul 2012)

David Cullinane: Neither is SIPTU.

Seanad: Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (19 Jul 2012)

David Cullinane: I move amendment No. 17: In page 46, lines 1 to 23, to delete subsections (3) and (4) and substitute the following: "(3) Pensions payable under the Scheme shall be indexed in line with the Consumer Price Index.". I will be brief because I am interested in the Minister's response. We support the move to index pensions in payment in line with the consumer price index, CPI. Our difficulty with...

Seanad: Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (19 Jul 2012)

David Cullinane: Yearly.

Seanad: Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (19 Jul 2012)

David Cullinane: The logic of Committee Stage-----

Seanad: Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (19 Jul 2012)

David Cullinane: -----is that we can accept the principle and come back on Report Stage.

Seanad: Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (19 Jul 2012)

David Cullinane: I was making the point that when amendments are tabled on Committee Stage and if a Minister is of the view that there is some flaw in the amendment he might accept the logic of the amendment and it can be dealt with on Report Stage. If the concern is that we have not specified the "how", we will not press this amendment, and we will return on Report Stage with an amendment that will specify...

Seanad: Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (19 Jul 2012)

David Cullinane: We will see then if the Minister will accept it.

Seanad: Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (19 Jul 2012)

David Cullinane: No.

Seanad: Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (19 Jul 2012)

David Cullinane: This is the so-called enabling clause which provides for the Minister to uprate current public service pension schemes in line with the consumer price index but at an undetermined point in the future. That is part of our problem with it. As this may be my last opportunity to speak on this section I want to indicate that we will be opposing the Bill. As I said earlier, we support career...

Seanad: Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Bill 2012: Second Stage (19 Jul 2012)

David Cullinane: This Bill is very welcome. All of us hoped it could have been before the House much earlier, but it has arrived now and we support it. It is unfortunate that we cannot complete the legislative process before the summer recess. Members would have preferred if it had been possible to deal with it before the summer, but we must wait until we return in September to finalise the Bill. That is...

Seanad: Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Bill 2012: Second Stage (19 Jul 2012)

David Cullinane: The Labour Party, Fine Gael and Sinn Féin disagreed with the charge at the time. We all accept the cost of medicine to the State and to individuals is too high and we all acknowledge there is waste and over-prescription of medicine. We also agree measures must be undertaken to address the problems but the last way to do so is to punish those who are least able to pay. In opposition, the...