Results 3,981-4,000 of 11,187 for speaker:Colm Burke

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Housing Policy (1 Dec 2022)

Colm Burke: 12. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he will provide an update in respect of the new rural housing guidelines; when it is expected that these guidelines will be put out to public consultation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59858/22]

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Housing Policy (1 Dec 2022)

Colm Burke: I ask the Minister of State whether he will provide an update on the new rural housing guidelines. When it is expected these guidelines will be put out to public consultation and will he make a statement on the matter?

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Housing Policy (1 Dec 2022)

Colm Burke: The process of the consultation and getting in submissions is extremely important because this is a very important issue. County and city development plans have gone through the process and it is important we have these guidelines in place within a very short timeframe. When does the Minister of State expect the Department will be able to issue the guidelines to each of the individual local...

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Social Protection - Social Insurance Fund 2021
Chapter 10: Regularity of social welfare payments
Chapter 11: The recovery of benefit and assistance payments following compensation awards
Chapter 14: Classification of workers for PRSI purposes (1 Dec 2022)

Colm Burke: I thank Mr. McKeon and all his staff for all the work they have done in recent years, dealing with very difficult situations. My first question relates to the total number of PPS numbers issued this year to date. My understanding is that people coming in from abroad as refugees are given PPS numbers, as are children who are born and people who come in to work here.

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Social Protection - Social Insurance Fund 2021
Chapter 10: Regularity of social welfare payments
Chapter 11: The recovery of benefit and assistance payments following compensation awards
Chapter 14: Classification of workers for PRSI purposes (1 Dec 2022)

Colm Burke: Is there a breakdown of that?

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Social Protection - Social Insurance Fund 2021
Chapter 10: Regularity of social welfare payments
Chapter 11: The recovery of benefit and assistance payments following compensation awards
Chapter 14: Classification of workers for PRSI purposes (1 Dec 2022)

Colm Burke: The total is more than 250,000.

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Social Protection - Social Insurance Fund 2021
Chapter 10: Regularity of social welfare payments
Chapter 11: The recovery of benefit and assistance payments following compensation awards
Chapter 14: Classification of workers for PRSI purposes (1 Dec 2022)

Colm Burke: Is it possible to get a breakdown of the 202,000? Mr. McKeon may not be able to give it to me today.

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Social Protection - Social Insurance Fund 2021
Chapter 10: Regularity of social welfare payments
Chapter 11: The recovery of benefit and assistance payments following compensation awards
Chapter 14: Classification of workers for PRSI purposes (1 Dec 2022)

Colm Burke: If the Ukraine issue were taken out of it, would the number we are issuing be far higher than in previous years?

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Social Protection - Social Insurance Fund 2021
Chapter 10: Regularity of social welfare payments
Chapter 11: The recovery of benefit and assistance payments following compensation awards
Chapter 14: Classification of workers for PRSI purposes (1 Dec 2022)

Colm Burke: One problem, which is not really in the remit of the Department, is arising with older people who worked here before 1980 and then went abroad to work. They were given PPS numbers before dates of birth began to be used as a mechanism for identifying people. If they went abroad and came back, their date of birth on the system might be, say, 1 January 1970. We are having problems when we...

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Social Protection - Social Insurance Fund 2021
Chapter 10: Regularity of social welfare payments
Chapter 11: The recovery of benefit and assistance payments following compensation awards
Chapter 14: Classification of workers for PRSI purposes (1 Dec 2022)

Colm Burke: These are people who historically had a PPS number, went abroad, came back and are now in Ireland, and the system was not amended when they came back to work in Ireland. I have come across it on a few occasions. I am dealing with one case where somebody has been in a nursing home for the past 18 months------

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Social Protection - Social Insurance Fund 2021
Chapter 10: Regularity of social welfare payments
Chapter 11: The recovery of benefit and assistance payments following compensation awards
Chapter 14: Classification of workers for PRSI purposes (1 Dec 2022)

Colm Burke: I would appreciate that.

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Social Protection - Social Insurance Fund 2021
Chapter 10: Regularity of social welfare payments
Chapter 11: The recovery of benefit and assistance payments following compensation awards
Chapter 14: Classification of workers for PRSI purposes (1 Dec 2022)

Colm Burke: The problem is not with the Department but with the medical cards department-----

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Social Protection - Social Insurance Fund 2021
Chapter 10: Regularity of social welfare payments
Chapter 11: The recovery of benefit and assistance payments following compensation awards
Chapter 14: Classification of workers for PRSI purposes (1 Dec 2022)

Colm Burke: I am not blaming the witnesses' Department at all. The failure is on the other side. Turning to the level of support available in Ireland in respect of social welfare across the board, a recent study shows Ireland is 60% ahead of the UK in the level of support for people on social welfare schemes. Do we have a comparable with other countries, outside of the UK, on that issue?

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Social Protection - Social Insurance Fund 2021
Chapter 10: Regularity of social welfare payments
Chapter 11: The recovery of benefit and assistance payments following compensation awards
Chapter 14: Classification of workers for PRSI purposes (1 Dec 2022)

Colm Burke: I am raising this because, while I know Mr. McKeon said a person on social welfare here is 60% better than off than a person in the UK, there are glitches in the system too. Do we look at other systems to see where we can introduce improvements to provide support?

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Social Protection - Social Insurance Fund 2021
Chapter 10: Regularity of social welfare payments
Chapter 11: The recovery of benefit and assistance payments following compensation awards
Chapter 14: Classification of workers for PRSI purposes (1 Dec 2022)

Colm Burke: Does Mr. McKeon think we could make further improvements in the area of disabilities? Many people who have a disability are restricted in what they can work at. At the same time, many want to make a contribution and they find that, in certain cases, they are quite restricted in trying to make that contribution. Do we have an ongoing review of that in order that we can allow people to work...

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Social Protection - Social Insurance Fund 2021
Chapter 10: Regularity of social welfare payments
Chapter 11: The recovery of benefit and assistance payments following compensation awards
Chapter 14: Classification of workers for PRSI purposes (1 Dec 2022)

Colm Burke: I will move on to rent supplement. The figure for 2021 is €122 million. The estimated figure for this year seems to be reduced. Is there a particular reason for that?

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Social Protection - Social Insurance Fund 2021
Chapter 10: Regularity of social welfare payments
Chapter 11: The recovery of benefit and assistance payments following compensation awards
Chapter 14: Classification of workers for PRSI purposes (1 Dec 2022)

Colm Burke: There is a substantial drop from €122 million to the estimated outturn for this year of €74 million.

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Social Protection - Social Insurance Fund 2021
Chapter 10: Regularity of social welfare payments
Chapter 11: The recovery of benefit and assistance payments following compensation awards
Chapter 14: Classification of workers for PRSI purposes (1 Dec 2022)

Colm Burke: Finally, I raise the issue of pensions. Mr. McKeon referred to over €450 million extra being paid out on pensions. I know the number of people aged over 66 is about 760,000. That will increase to over 1 million by 2030. For the next five years, even if the level of payment stayed static, what increase in expenditure do we expect per annum?

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Social Protection - Social Insurance Fund 2021
Chapter 10: Regularity of social welfare payments
Chapter 11: The recovery of benefit and assistance payments following compensation awards
Chapter 14: Classification of workers for PRSI purposes (1 Dec 2022)

Colm Burke: There is a proposal about people delaying taking up their pension. Will that come in?

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Social Protection - Social Insurance Fund 2021
Chapter 10: Regularity of social welfare payments
Chapter 11: The recovery of benefit and assistance payments following compensation awards
Chapter 14: Classification of workers for PRSI purposes (1 Dec 2022)

Colm Burke: People can opt not to draw their pension until they are 70.