Results 4,421-4,440 of 12,590 for speaker:Willie O'Dea

Other Questions: Social Welfare Payments Administration (21 Oct 2014)

Willie O'Dea: I tabled this question to ascertain how the Government can reconcile its repeated commitments to preserve the post office network as we know it with the headlong rush to an electronic payment system for social welfare recipients.

Other Questions: Social Welfare Payments Administration (21 Oct 2014)

Willie O'Dea: Nobody in the Government has contradicted the opinion of the Irish Postmasters Union, which clearly states a move to electronic payments in the timescale envisaged by the Government, which is by 2017, would result in the immediate closure of 600 post offices out of the network of 1,100. This is supported by Grant Thornton and various other independent organisations. How does the Government...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Data Protection (21 Oct 2014)

Willie O'Dea: I accept the Tánaiste's remarks about the legislation, but credit unions are prohibited by legislation from using PPS numbers in the way they were used in this case. Once PPS numbers are given out to a third party, there is the potential for other people to acquire them. It would not be easy, but has anything been done as a result of this case? Private investigators posing as public...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Data Protection (21 Oct 2014)

Willie O'Dea: I share the Tánaiste's concern about the conduct of those credit unions. I congratulate the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner on this successful prosecution. I was interested to hear the Tánaiste's reply. Essentially, credit unions that had access to PPS numbers rang the Department, pretended to be representing another State body and sought the addresses of people they...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Data Protection (21 Oct 2014)

Willie O'Dea: 81. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the responsibility her Department accepts in the circumstances where private investigators accessed social protection information in breach of data protection; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40055/14]

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Data Protection (21 Oct 2014)

Willie O'Dea: This question arises from recent legal proceedings in which private investigators were convicted of breach of the data protection legislation by using confidential information which they got from the Department of Social Protection.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: National Internship Scheme Placements (21 Oct 2014)

Willie O'Dea: We are all aware that schools have to resort to desperate measures in some circumstances because of the huge cutbacks in the education sector over the past four years. Does the Minister of State agree it is reprehensible that schools should exploit those young people in this way? Does he agree it was exploitation because that is how the Minister described it? She said that exploiting one...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: National Internship Scheme Placements (21 Oct 2014)

Willie O'Dea: On the general question of JobBridge, I do not deny there have been some successes; I freely concede that. I acknowledge that some of those schemes operate to the benefit of schools. Nevertheless, there has been some disturbing evidence of abuse by employers of the JobBridge scheme. The scheme is constructed in such a way that the taxpayers are paying these people to work in the private...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: National Internship Scheme Placements (21 Oct 2014)

Willie O'Dea: It is positive - with exceptions.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: National Internship Scheme Placements (21 Oct 2014)

Willie O'Dea: The Minister of State is suggesting that we ignore the abuse. He should publish the names of the people caught exploiting the scheme.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: National Internship Scheme Placements (21 Oct 2014)

Willie O'Dea: 78. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the classifications of employment which have been prohibited from utilising the JobBridge scheme; the number of positions which have been removed by her Department from the JobBridge scheme; the kind of positions removed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40054/14]

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: National Internship Scheme Placements (21 Oct 2014)

Willie O'Dea: This question is with regard to information recently publicised in the national media about certain positions being withdrawn from the JobBridge scheme.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Fuel Allowance Payments (21 Oct 2014)

Willie O'Dea: 88. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if her attention has been drawn to the persistence of fuel poverty here; if she will enhance the fuel allowance in order to combat this poverty; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39804/14]

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme Data (21 Oct 2014)

Willie O'Dea: 94. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the number of persons that are currently in receipt of rent allowance; the number of persons that have been transferred from rent allowance to housing assistance payment under the pilot project which is currently being carried out in Limerick city; when she envisaged that HAP will be extended nationwide; and if she will make a statement on the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Security of the Elderly (21 Oct 2014)

Willie O'Dea: 103. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if her attention has been drawn to the fact that a number of elderly persons have been compelled to abandon security systems within their homes due to the abolition of the telephone allowance; her plans to rectify this situation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39806/14]

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Insurance Rates (21 Oct 2014)

Willie O'Dea: 113. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if she will address the PRSI anomaly resulting in lower paid workers taking home less pay when they earn more; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39803/14]

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Insurance (21 Oct 2014)

Willie O'Dea: 169. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the actions she will take to include the self-employed under State social insurance; the number of self-employed persons here; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40231/14]

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme Administration (21 Oct 2014)

Willie O'Dea: 170. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the actions she will take to ensure that landlords accept tenants who are in receipt of rent supplement; if her attention has been drawn to the high number of persons refused tenancy as a result of their receiving of rent supplement; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40232/14]

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Unemployment Levels (21 Oct 2014)

Willie O'Dea: 171. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if she is satisfied with her Department’s actions in ensuring that those in long-term unemployment are supported by her Department in their attempts to return to the workforce; the number of long-term unemployed who returned to employment annually from 2011 to date in 2014; the number and percentage of long-term unemployed during that...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Free Travel Scheme Review (21 Oct 2014)

Willie O'Dea: 172. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if she will provide an update on the review of the free travel pass scheme; the annual expenditure on the scheme since 2011; those in possession of free travel passes since 2011 broken down in tabular form under categories FT-P, FT+S and FT+C; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40234/14]