Results 4,241-4,260 of 10,569 for speaker:Patrick O'Donovan

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Maritime Jurisdiction (15 Jan 2019)

Patrick O'Donovan: 140. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if a matter regarding a map contained in SI No. 22 of 2016 (details supplied) will be addressed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54194/18]

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Land Ownership (15 Jan 2019)

Patrick O'Donovan: 414. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality his plans to address the issue of unauthorised access to lands by persons without permission; and his further plans to introduce further changes to protect landowners from unauthorised entries. [54223/18]

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: National Standards Authority of Ireland (15 Jan 2019)

Patrick O'Donovan: 501. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation further to Parliamentary Question No. 259 of 11 December 2018, if she will address matters (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54311/18]

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Road Projects Status (15 Jan 2019)

Patrick O'Donovan: 912. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the status of the M20 motorway, Macroom bypass and the Dunkettle interchange road projects; the stage at which these projects are; and the estimated completion date on each. [54531/18]

Seanad: Public Service Superannuation (Age of Retirement) Bill 2018: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (20 Dec 2018)

Patrick O'Donovan: I thank everybody who contributed on the Bill in the Seanad and Dáil. This is historic legislation and should be noted. I thank everybody for their contributions because what we have done today will allow people in the public service who have a contribution to make to continue to make that contribution, notwithstanding other issues. On Committee Stage, reference was made to 70 being...

Seanad: Public Service Superannuation (Age of Retirement) Bill 2018: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (20 Dec 2018)

Patrick O'Donovan: Finally, I wish Members the very best for Christmas and the new year and thank the staff of the Houses. We can all be very proud of this legislation. Today, we are sending a signal to people across Ireland, and to our public servants in particular, that if they want to continue to make a contribution beyond the age of 65, the Government will welcome that and encourage them to do so. I...

Seanad: Public Service Superannuation (Age of Retirement) Bill 2018: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (20 Dec 2018)

Patrick O'Donovan: I have already engaged with many Members.

Seanad: Public Service Superannuation (Age of Retirement) Bill 2018: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (20 Dec 2018)

Patrick O'Donovan: Yes, if somebody wishes to bring forward another Bill which takes into account everything I said about the legality of the public service pension scheme. The advice I have been given is that for many people who are currently drawing down pensions and who are in the interim situation, we would have to start looking for pension contributions back. At what scale would they re-enter? What...

Seanad: Public Service Superannuation (Age of Retirement) Bill 2018: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (20 Dec 2018)

Patrick O'Donovan: Certain staff in the education sector, such as teaching and lecturing staff, are not required to retire until the end of the school or academic year in which they reach the compulsory retirement age. This is to ensure continuity of the teaching provision throughout the year and to limit class disruption. I am sure Senators will appreciate this, in particular regarding examination students....

Seanad: Public Service Superannuation (Age of Retirement) Bill 2018: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (20 Dec 2018)

Patrick O'Donovan: At the risk of repeating myself, I am anxious to engage with anybody who would be able to provide a solution to this issue. In hindsight, one could ask whether there should have been any interim arrangement. Should we have just waited until the Bill was enacted? We did that in the full knowledge that this was always going to be a difficulty. Once the interim arrangement was opened, the...

Seanad: Public Service Superannuation (Age of Retirement) Bill 2018: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (20 Dec 2018)

Patrick O'Donovan: Amendment No. 8, which I proposed on Report Stage, removed the requirement for a commencement order to bring the provisions of the Bill into effect. It waives the Department’s requirement for a commencement order. This will ensure the maximum number of public servants can avail of the new compulsory retirement age of 70 as soon as possible. The Bill will now become effective as soon...

Seanad: Public Service Superannuation (Age of Retirement) Bill 2018: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (20 Dec 2018)

Patrick O'Donovan: A number of points have been raised, and I concur with a lot of what has been said, but we have a legal bind. The Bill has gone through a fairly arduous process. Senator Horkan is right that if this had been done more quickly, we would not be in the situation we are in with a lot of people. We have people even in the interim arrangements who availed of this and who have fallen out of it...

Seanad: Public Service Superannuation (Age of Retirement) Bill 2018: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (20 Dec 2018)

Patrick O'Donovan: The purpose of ministerial amendment No. 2 is to exempt the staff of the Central Bank from the provisions of the Bill. The Government has agreed that the creation of a compulsory retirement age under primary legislation for the staff of the Central Bank is not appropriate in light of the bank's autonomy in setting pay and conditions for its staff as set down in the Central Bank Act 1942....

Seanad: Public Service Superannuation (Age of Retirement) Bill 2018: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (20 Dec 2018)

Patrick O'Donovan: The intention of the Central Bank has been communicated to Government because it works in conjunction with rules set out by the European banks. Its intention is to bring in its own rules to reflect the Government's wish to allow for staff to continue until aged 70.

Seanad: Public Service Superannuation (Age of Retirement) Bill 2018: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (20 Dec 2018)

Patrick O'Donovan: Amendment No. 3 was tabled by Deputy Jonathan O'Brien on Committee Stage in the Dáil. The amendment, which I accepted, relates to the Minister's power to increase the compulsory retirement again in the future, by order, in certain circumstances. Section 3A(2) of the Bill provides a power for the Minister to increase the compulsory retirement age further in the future, up to a maximum...

Seanad: Public Service Superannuation (Age of Retirement) Bill 2018: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (20 Dec 2018)

Patrick O'Donovan: It is.

Seanad: Public Service Superannuation (Age of Retirement) Bill 2018: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (20 Dec 2018)

Patrick O'Donovan: The name of the Bill is the Public Service Superannuation (Age of Retirement) Bill, and it refers to pensions. The Government has to have an age set so that we can forecast how much public service pension will cost. Section 3A(2) states that subject to subsection (3), the Minister may, by order, prescribe an age being higher than 70 years but not higher than 75. This amendment takes out...

Seanad: Public Service Superannuation (Age of Retirement) Bill 2018: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (20 Dec 2018)

Patrick O'Donovan: Amendment No. 4, from Deputy Barry Cowen, was accepted in the Dáil. I pointed out that any potential remedies that related to the cohort of workers to which he referred would be likely to require further legislative change, which would be a matter for the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. The amendment inserts a new section 3A(6) and requires a report to be prepared by the...

Seanad: Public Service Superannuation (Age of Retirement) Bill 2018: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (20 Dec 2018)

Patrick O'Donovan: I thank the Seanad for facilitating the Bill. It will allow, hopefully by the end of the year, the enactment of very important legislation. The first group is amendments Nos. 1 and 7. Amendment No. 1 is a technical amendment which is necessary in order to reflect the insertion of a new section into the Bill, the subject matter of which was not previously reflected in the Long Title....

Seanad: Appropriation Bill 2018: Second and Subsequent Stages (19 Dec 2018)

Patrick O'Donovan: The Bill is an essential element of financial housekeeping that must be concluded by both Houses of the Oireachtas before the end of the year. The Bill serves two primary purposes. First, it is necessary to authorise in law all of the expenditure that has been undertaken in 2018 on the basis of the Estimates that have been voted on by the Dáil during the year. Section 1 and Schedule 1...