Results 27,941-27,960 of 34,777 for speaker:Seán Fleming

Public Accounts Committee: 2012 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Social Protection
Chapter 16 - Expenditure on Welfare and Employment Schemes
Chapter 17 - Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 18 - Welfare Overpayment Debts
Chapter 19 - Domiciliary Care Allowance
Chapter 20 - Invalidity Pension
Social Insurance Fund Annual Accounts 2012 (1 May 2014)

Seán Fleming: There has been a reduction in rent supplement. Could Ms O'Donoghue give us the lowest rate for rent supplement for a single person? As she knows, rents are increasing. Does she have any concerns that the reduction in rent supplement is increasing homelessness to some level? I know it must be controlled but we have crossed the tipping point where cutting it was right to keep landlords in...

Public Accounts Committee: 2012 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Social Protection
Chapter 16 - Expenditure on Welfare and Employment Schemes
Chapter 17 - Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 18 - Welfare Overpayment Debts
Chapter 19 - Domiciliary Care Allowance
Chapter 20 - Invalidity Pension
Social Insurance Fund Annual Accounts 2012 (1 May 2014)

Seán Fleming: I welcome the witnesses. As I say on each occasion, they are in a very efficient Department. If the HSE and a few more organisations were like it, we would have a much better country. With regard to some of the specifics, I want to touch on a couple of different topics, the first of which is the overpayments issue. The Department recouped €70 million in overpayments in 2013. It...

Public Accounts Committee: 2012 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Social Protection
Chapter 16 - Expenditure on Welfare and Employment Schemes
Chapter 17 - Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 18 - Welfare Overpayment Debts
Chapter 19 - Domiciliary Care Allowance
Chapter 20 - Invalidity Pension
Social Insurance Fund Annual Accounts 2012 (1 May 2014)

Seán Fleming: However, Ms O'Donoghue knows where I am coming from.

Public Accounts Committee: 2012 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Social Protection
Chapter 16 - Expenditure on Welfare and Employment Schemes
Chapter 17 - Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 18 - Welfare Overpayment Debts
Chapter 19 - Domiciliary Care Allowance
Chapter 20 - Invalidity Pension
Social Insurance Fund Annual Accounts 2012 (1 May 2014)

Seán Fleming: I suspect it is a growing figure because the Department’s power is now much greater in this area. In most cases, people make repayments over a couple of years.

Public Accounts Committee: 2012 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Social Protection
Chapter 16 - Expenditure on Welfare and Employment Schemes
Chapter 17 - Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 18 - Welfare Overpayment Debts
Chapter 19 - Domiciliary Care Allowance
Chapter 20 - Invalidity Pension
Social Insurance Fund Annual Accounts 2012 (1 May 2014)

Seán Fleming: I accept that.

Public Accounts Committee: 2012 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Social Protection
Chapter 16 - Expenditure on Welfare and Employment Schemes
Chapter 17 - Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 18 - Welfare Overpayment Debts
Chapter 19 - Domiciliary Care Allowance
Chapter 20 - Invalidity Pension
Social Insurance Fund Annual Accounts 2012 (1 May 2014)

Seán Fleming: For how much of the amounts to be recovered is there an arrangement in place?

Public Accounts Committee: 2012 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Social Protection
Chapter 16 - Expenditure on Welfare and Employment Schemes
Chapter 17 - Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 18 - Welfare Overpayment Debts
Chapter 19 - Domiciliary Care Allowance
Chapter 20 - Invalidity Pension
Social Insurance Fund Annual Accounts 2012 (1 May 2014)

Seán Fleming: It might take nine months or 19, or another period. Let me make a suggestion to the Department on recovery. The Department's system has obviously identified people who have been overpaid, for various reasons. In the past, when the Department could collect only €2 per week, it was not bothered going after it and it sat there. I now see that when somebody is to receive a new...

Public Accounts Committee: 2012 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Social Protection
Chapter 16 - Expenditure on Welfare and Employment Schemes
Chapter 17 - Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 18 - Welfare Overpayment Debts
Chapter 19 - Domiciliary Care Allowance
Chapter 20 - Invalidity Pension
Social Insurance Fund Annual Accounts 2012 (1 May 2014)

Seán Fleming: It would be easier on the client.

Public Accounts Committee: 2012 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Social Protection
Chapter 16 - Expenditure on Welfare and Employment Schemes
Chapter 17 - Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 18 - Welfare Overpayment Debts
Chapter 19 - Domiciliary Care Allowance
Chapter 20 - Invalidity Pension
Social Insurance Fund Annual Accounts 2012 (1 May 2014)

Seán Fleming: The Department collects money from estates. I am talking about the State pension.

Public Accounts Committee: 2012 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Social Protection
Chapter 16 - Expenditure on Welfare and Employment Schemes
Chapter 17 - Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 18 - Welfare Overpayment Debts
Chapter 19 - Domiciliary Care Allowance
Chapter 20 - Invalidity Pension
Social Insurance Fund Annual Accounts 2012 (1 May 2014)

Seán Fleming: Getting it in earlier?

Public Accounts Committee: 2012 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Social Protection
Chapter 16 - Expenditure on Welfare and Employment Schemes
Chapter 17 - Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 18 - Welfare Overpayment Debts
Chapter 19 - Domiciliary Care Allowance
Chapter 20 - Invalidity Pension
Social Insurance Fund Annual Accounts 2012 (1 May 2014)

Seán Fleming: That is fine. The witnesses get the point. I propose that money be collected a bit earlier, if possible. If the recipient of overpayments is in employment, he might be in a position to write the cheque and pay, but he is not necessarily asked to do so. On the compliance and anti-fraud strategy and procurement, the Department proposes to undertake site visits, especially where contractors...

Public Accounts Committee: 2012 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Social Protection
Chapter 16 - Expenditure on Welfare and Employment Schemes
Chapter 17 - Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 18 - Welfare Overpayment Debts
Chapter 19 - Domiciliary Care Allowance
Chapter 20 - Invalidity Pension
Social Insurance Fund Annual Accounts 2012 (1 May 2014)

Seán Fleming: It is too late now; they are gone. Will the postcodes being introduced next year help the Department in tracking people down? People are on the move. It will probably be of assistance in knowing where someone is living.

Public Accounts Committee: 2012 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Social Protection
Chapter 16 - Expenditure on Welfare and Employment Schemes
Chapter 17 - Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 18 - Welfare Overpayment Debts
Chapter 19 - Domiciliary Care Allowance
Chapter 20 - Invalidity Pension
Social Insurance Fund Annual Accounts 2012 (1 May 2014)

Seán Fleming: How many people are paying the local property tax through deductions to social welfare payments?

Public Accounts Committee: 2012 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Social Protection
Chapter 16 - Expenditure on Welfare and Employment Schemes
Chapter 17 - Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 18 - Welfare Overpayment Debts
Chapter 19 - Domiciliary Care Allowance
Chapter 20 - Invalidity Pension
Social Insurance Fund Annual Accounts 2012 (1 May 2014)

Seán Fleming: What are the key payments from which the tax is being deducted?

Public Accounts Committee: 2012 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Social Protection
Chapter 16 - Expenditure on Welfare and Employment Schemes
Chapter 17 - Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 18 - Welfare Overpayment Debts
Chapter 19 - Domiciliary Care Allowance
Chapter 20 - Invalidity Pension
Social Insurance Fund Annual Accounts 2012 (1 May 2014)

Seán Fleming: The State pension?

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (1 May 2014)

Seán Fleming: I am happy for this committee to refer the request to the Joint Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation. I agree that the one thing we do not want is duplication of work by both committees. I will have no problem if the decision is made to refer the issue to that committee, but I was asked to raise it.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (1 May 2014)

Seán Fleming: Commercial State organisations like the ESB or An Post are audited privately.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (1 May 2014)

Seán Fleming: On Irish Water and other large organisations funded by taxpayers which have a commercial remit-----

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (1 May 2014)

Seán Fleming: Yes, but Irish Water will raise similar issues. Irish Water must answer to the Committee of Public Accounts and the environment committee. I do not see why EirGrid should not have to answer to the committee. We should consider asking for the committee to be empowered to look at the commercial semi-State bodies.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (1 May 2014)

Seán Fleming: Yes, subject to avoiding interference with their commercial activity where they are in competition with the private sector, which is not amenable. One cannot have Aer Lingus in here without having Ryanair in. One cannot interfere with competition with the private sector. However, organisations that receive some or all of their funding from the State should be answerable here.