Results 4,441-4,460 of 5,762 for speaker:Gerard Craughwell

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2016: Committee Stage (6 Dec 2016)

Gerard Craughwell: I have one final point on the class S PRSI. I was contacted by a farmer recently who told me he is not being given his contributory old age pension because at some stage during his contributions to class S, he received some form of farm payment which means he is not eligible. It is an interesting situation. The Minister will not have an answer to that straight away but perhaps it is...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2016: Committee Stage (6 Dec 2016)

Gerard Craughwell: I move amendment No. 2:In page 7, to delete lines 17 to 20 and substitute the following:“(a) by the substitution of the following for the definition of “public office holder”:“ ‘public office holder’ means a member of the European Parliament for a constituency in the State, being a member who is in receipt of the salary specified in section 2(2) of...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2016: Committee Stage (6 Dec 2016)

Gerard Craughwell: It is the amendment before this one.

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2016: Committee Stage (6 Dec 2016)

Gerard Craughwell: The other one is section 2, amendment No. 3.

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2016: Committee Stage (6 Dec 2016)

Gerard Craughwell: The Minister is correct.

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2016: Committee Stage (6 Dec 2016)

Gerard Craughwell: Class K PRSI is a tax on public service. That is the long and the short of it. One pays 4% and gets nothing for it. The Minister is on record as saying that nobody should pay for social insurance unless there is a benefit from it. It is a farce to say that Deputies, Senators and other people covered by class K PRSI cannot avail of a contributory old age pension. In my case I can make a...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2016: Committee Stage (6 Dec 2016)

Gerard Craughwell: The social welfare contributions for councillors over 66 years are being repealed. The point I was making was that they had been paying class K contributions for the past five or six years. I appreciate there is a problem with class K contributions. In 2013, class K was extended to all unearned income, which included things such as rental income, income from shareholdings, dividends and so...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2016: Committee Stage (6 Dec 2016)

Gerard Craughwell: I will withdraw my amendment and give the Minister a chance to discuss it with the two Ministers in question. He may come back with a change of mind. I will resubmit it on Report Stage. If the Minister is not in a position to do anything, I will not delay the proceedings and will withdraw it immediately.

Seanad: Order of Business (30 Nov 2016)

Gerard Craughwell: I echo Senator Wilson's request. It would be the right and decent thing to do. Brexit brings many problems to the UK and Ireland. Communities on all sides on this island are going to have to learn to work together to deal with some of them. Some of the utterances that have come out of Leinster House from all parties and none in recent months are a matter of some concern to me. It is no...

Seanad: Order of Business (30 Nov 2016)

Gerard Craughwell: We must recognise that there are two traditions in the North of Ireland and the peace is fragile enough. Let us not give it any reason to become in any way endangered.

Seanad: Address to Seanad Éireann by Ms Nicola Sturgeon (29 Nov 2016)

Gerard Craughwell: The First Minister is welcome. It has been said that Prime Minister Theresa May will give Scotland anything it wants but independence in the Brexit negotiations. My concern is for the other jurisdiction on this island, which is the North. Some would like to think this will hasten Irish unification. I do not believe this is necessarily so, but my concern is that Scotland's goodies from...

Seanad: Order of Business (29 Nov 2016)

Gerard Craughwell: I wish to raise the HPV vaccine. In this State and also in the UK we have a history of burying our heads in the sand when there are issues with various drugs - Thalidomide comes to mind. We suddenly at some stage find we are in serious trouble, the drug is withdrawn and then there are legal battles lasting years. Anecdotal evidence is arriving in my office on a daily basis. I do not court...

Seanad: Order of Business (29 Nov 2016)

Gerard Craughwell: Shared risk.

Seanad: Order of Business (29 Nov 2016)

Gerard Craughwell: There have been several masters degrees written about the man.

Seanad: Order of Business (29 Nov 2016)

Gerard Craughwell: A few old people can vote there as well.

Seanad: Order of Business (29 Nov 2016)

Gerard Craughwell: That is why we need empirical evidence.

Seanad: Order of Business (29 Nov 2016)

Gerard Craughwell: Well done.

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2016: Second Stage (29 Nov 2016)

Gerard Craughwell: I welcome the Minister for Social Protection to the House. Two years ago when I brought up the issue of class K PRSI, I was told at the time I was being rather brave. I am delighted everyone has now come on side and seen the inequality that such a drastic measure involved. It was in fact a tax on public service. The Minister has gone some of the way in resolving this issue for our city...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2016: Second Stage (29 Nov 2016)

Gerard Craughwell: I would be delighted to do that.

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2016: Second Stage (29 Nov 2016)

Gerard Craughwell: I am glad the Minister recognises that.