Results 32,601-32,620 of 34,779 for speaker:Seán Fleming

Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Bill 2011: Report Stage (Resumed) (11 Jul 2012)

Seán Fleming: The Minister knows that an Opposition Member cannot table an amendment-----

Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Bill 2011: Report Stage (Resumed) (11 Jul 2012)

Seán Fleming: -----calling for the introduction of a four-year period because that would ask the State to forgo reclaiming a pension payment to which it might have been entitled. Such an amendment would have been ruled out of order as imposing a charge on the State. The only way the Opposition can raise this issue is by couching it in a request for a report. I know the amendment would not work, but it...

Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Bill 2011: Report Stage (Resumed) (11 Jul 2012)

Seán Fleming: Those are the technicalities of how I had to phrase the amendment.

Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Bill 2011: Report Stage (Resumed) (11 Jul 2012)

Seán Fleming: I move amendment No. 37: In page 50, to delete lines 6 to 15.

Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Bill 2011: Report Stage (Resumed) (11 Jul 2012)

Seán Fleming: I move amendment No. 38: In page 54, between lines 44 and 45, to insert the following: "53.—Where a scheme member or a member of a pre-existing public service pension scheme is dismissed or resigns as a consequence of having lost the confidence of the Government, he or she shall not benefit from the scheme in respect of the position so held.". This amendment relates to pensionable service.

Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Bill 2011: Report Stage (Resumed) (11 Jul 2012)

Seán Fleming: Go raibh maith agat. This amendment proposes the insertion of a new section to provide that where a scheme member, which means an existing or future public servant, is dismissed or resigns as a consequence of having lost the confidence of the Government, which would be an extreme and important case, he or she shall not benefit from the pension scheme in respect of the position so held. Some...

Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Bill 2011: Report Stage (Resumed) (11 Jul 2012)

Seán Fleming: -----and I refer to the FÁS issue where the head of FÁS resigned. Such issues aggravate the public. Such individuals retire with large lump sum payments and massive pensions. Most people are of the view that they have not earned these pensions. They were being paid to do a job and they did not do it. My amendment confines the provision specifically to a final role in which the...

Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Bill 2011: Report Stage (Resumed) (11 Jul 2012)

Seán Fleming: I appreciate the Minister's understanding of the point of my amendment. I was trying to frame an amendment that would not be ruled out of order and so it was drafted in a particular way. I wanted to use the amendment to raise the point and it had to be quite narrow in its specification. This is a matter that should be considered because there has been anger about some people who drove off...

Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Bill 2011: Report Stage (Resumed) (11 Jul 2012)

Seán Fleming: Amendments Nos. 28 and 29 are grouped for discussion purposes. I welcome the Minister back to the Chamber. I know he was otherwise detained earlier today. I have said most of what I have to say on this amendment. It deals with fast accrual pensions and mostly affects the boys in uniform - prison officers, gardaí and members of the Defence Forces and fire brigades - about whom the Minister...

Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Bill 2011: Report Stage (11 Jul 2012)

Seán Fleming: I wish to speak specifically on one point I did not make. We understand the formula referred to in the appendix states at present pension rates are based on the residual part of final pay after subtracting twice the rate of the contributory State pension. This ensures a minimum floor for low-paid public sector workers. A person who never worked in the public sector and who has a spouse...

Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Bill 2011: Report Stage (11 Jul 2012)

Seán Fleming: Receive a pension.

Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Bill 2011: Report Stage (11 Jul 2012)

Seán Fleming: We agree with this. Up to now under this formula there was not an exact link, but generally the rate of increase of the old age pension matched increases in standards of living in society which were generally not too far removed from increases in public sector pay. I do not know whether anyone has figures on this, but generally we have tried to look after people on the State pension as...

Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Bill 2011: Report Stage (11 Jul 2012)

Seán Fleming: On the basis of the document we received yesterday I will withdraw the amendment.

Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Bill 2011: Report Stage (11 Jul 2012)

Seán Fleming: Amendments Nos. 28 and 29 deal with the issue of uniformed workers working on behalf of the State, specifically members of the Garda Síochána, the Permanent Defence Forces, prison officers and specified fire brigade employees. These are people in uniform who deal with emergency and other security services. Everybody knows they have a difficult task to do, which is getting more difficult...

Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Bill 2011: Report Stage (11 Jul 2012)

Seán Fleming: That is very close to what he said.

Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Bill 2011: Report Stage (11 Jul 2012)

Seán Fleming: I am not quoting him. I am paraphrasing and saying that was the gist of what he said. We have gone through large sections of this legislation and we spent eight hours on Committee Stage. In that time I was surprised by the Minister's attitude in just a couple of instances. This was one of them. In general, he was fair and reasonable and we could agree to disagree on issues, but when it...

Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Bill 2011: Report Stage (11 Jul 2012)

Seán Fleming: We understand all that. Perhaps the Minister is not happy with the level of public sector pensions, but we will come to that later. If the Minister wants to cut current public service pensions, he must bring forward proposals, but will not get much support on that. If it is the Department's view that previous arrangements have given the public sector grade of workers to whom we have been...

Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Bill 2011: Report Stage (11 Jul 2012)

Seán Fleming: I will not indulge you too long, a Cheann Comhairle. I want to outline some of the allowances. Approximately 20 allowances are being paid in the Department of the Taoiseach. The list from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade includes the child allowance, to which the Minister of State referred, for people who were in the public service before a set period, which does not apply....

Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Bill 2011: Report Stage (11 Jul 2012)

Seán Fleming: Yes, exactly. As soon as this reply appeared last week, I received telephone calls at my constituency office in Castletown from Donegal and everywhere else asking what was I talking about. I said that I merely published the Minister's reply to the question and I made no comment. In regard to the Department of Defence, I am sure the Air Traffic Control officer's allowance is well justified....

Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Bill 2011: Report Stage (11 Jul 2012)

Seán Fleming: I move amendment No. 14: In page 23, after line 45, to insert the following: "(10) Scheme members shall be entitled to purchase years of notional service and the Minister shall publish purchase tables and the rate of contribution for notional service before the enactment of this Act.". The Minister of State will appreciate what I am proposing in this amendment. We raised this matter on...