Results 33,321-33,340 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Dec 2009)

Joan Burton: The Minister of State simply does not get the basic point, which is that someone who earns approximately €10,000 is not liable to taxation and, as a consequence, he or she is paying a full gross net 5%. Therefore, the burden of this adjustment and reduction in wages absolutely is borne more heavily by them than by the other categories, who are higher earners and who will have tax...

Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Dec 2009)

Joan Burton: No, the Minister of State is trying to claim that cutting the wages of low-paid part-time contract workers is a great advance. I do not know in what economy he lives and do not know whether he has heard of the concept of economic stimulus that appears to be in fashion with everyone else in the world. However, the budget presented by the Minister for Finance is highly deflationary, as is...

Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Dec 2009)

Joan Burton: The Government has shown this already. The Government is incapable.

Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Dec 2009)

Joan Burton: No, Members will be moving on to better-paid people in the debate on the next amendment in a minute

Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Dec 2009)

Joan Burton: I move amendment No. 2: In page 4, line 13, before "does" to insert the following: ", subject to the right of any of the following persons to notify the Minister that the person's remuneration should be treated as if the person were a public servant within the meaning of this Act,". It is a relief to move to the very highest paid in the land. They are the kind of people with which the...

Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Dec 2009)

Joan Burton: The part-time cleaners in the courts, the gardaí, the tip staff and clerical staff in the courts will all be taking the hit. The judges will have a choice. They will receive what may be termed a "sweetie-pie" letter from the Minister for Finance, Deputy Lenihan, whenever he recovers, suggesting that they might think about making a contribution to the State's coffers. We are all aware of...

Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Dec 2009)

Joan Burton: More like fatted calves.

Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Dec 2009)

Joan Burton: I move amendment No. 1: In page 3, after line 35, to insert the following: ""enactment has the same meaning as in the Interpretation Act 2005;". This is a technical amendment which seeks to bring clarity to the Bill in terms of to whom it is supposed to apply. The word "enactment" is used in paragraph (g) of the definition of a public service body but is not defined in the Bill or in...

Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Dec 2009)

Joan Burton: We were promised an amendment on the inclusion of the Central Bank. The Minister stated that the board of the Central Bank had offered to be included and I am not clear where that amendment is. Is that amendment included? I do not see within any amendments the Central Bank being deleted from the list of exempt bodies. It is on the list of the exempt bodies in the appendix but I do not see...

Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Dec 2009)

Joan Burton: My party's legal advice is that this applies to any body or institution where provision of a pension is possible, irrespective of whether such pension is provided. As Deputy Brian Hayes stated, that applies in the educational sector. As the Minister of State, Deputy Mansergh, acknowledged, that can apply, under the HSE and the Health Acts, to the wide range of persons such as home helps. I...

Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Dec 2009)

Joan Burton: The point I was making before we broke for the sos was the full extent or remit of the legislation is very unclear from the Bill. I made the point in respect of those on a very low wage in a contract with a body which has a pension scheme. Such people do not necessarily have a public service pension but it appears likely they will be caught under the remit of the Bill. I refer to one...

Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Dec 2009)

Joan Burton: It was an important point.

Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Dec 2009)

Joan Burton: This Bill applies to anybody in the public service area for whom there is an available pension scheme. It applies to all staff and people employed whether they actually receive a pension entitlement. In the statement issued overnight on RTE, the Minister said the Government was to produce an amendment today which would confine the reduction-----

Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Dec 2009)

Joan Burton: -----to those who had a pension and were subject to the pension levy.

Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Dec 2009)

Joan Burton: This is much wider and includes university researchers on contracts, teachers on part-time and temporary contract work, home helps employed by public bodies that have a pension scheme and a range of other people who, essentially, work for a body that has provision for a public pension scheme whether enacted or not.

Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Dec 2009)

Joan Burton: Is it not-----

Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Dec 2009)

Joan Burton: That was the Minister for Finance's term. He used it.

Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Dec 2009)

Joan Burton: I remind the Minister of State there is a fundamental difference between what he proposes today and the public service pension levy. In that case at least provision was made to differentiate between people on very low wages of €18,000 and under and others. This measure does not distinguish between anybody on any wage. As I stated in my comments on the Bill, if a person earns €10,000 a...

Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Dec 2009)

Joan Burton: Public service unions represent public servants. People do not have to be a member of a union. They choose to be a member of a union. I remind the Minister of State that societies do best where people are paid well, conditions are fair-----

Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Dec 2009)

Joan Burton: -----and the gap between the very poorest and the very richest is moderated. We have had all of the examples and long studies done over 30 years of different economies where that prevails. There was a debate in the past about Berlin or Brussels versus Hong Kong and so on. The reality is-----