Results 4,601-4,620 of 12,590 for speaker:Willie O'Dea

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Facilities (24 Jun 2014)

Willie O'Dea: 550. To ask the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the difficulties that will be caused by the closure of the laboratory at St. John's Hospital, Limerick, which will further increase pressure on an already-stressed laboratory service at University College Hospital; if he will reconsider this decision; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26767/14]

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2014: Report Stage (Resumed) (18 Jun 2014)

Willie O'Dea: I will be moving amendment No. 26. If I understand the section correctly, it does not give the pension authority the right to override trustees, as that right has existed since 1990 and arises in pensions legislation. When trustees get a unilateral direction from the Pensions Authority to restructure the fund, it puts an obligation on the trustees to inform the pensioners, which is some...

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2014: Report Stage (Resumed) (18 Jun 2014)

Willie O'Dea: There is no suggestion from this side of the House that the Department should not pursue situations where it has paid money out incorrectly. Of course, it has a responsibility to recover overpayments. We are simply making the point that sometimes such overpayments are not the fault of the payee. Sometimes such payments arise because those recipients made a genuine error in their...

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2014: Report Stage (Resumed) (18 Jun 2014)

Willie O'Dea: I move amendment No. 22:In page 21, between lines 7 and 8, to insert the following: "(2) The powers conferred on the Minister by sections 14, 16 and 17 shall not be utilised until after the Department of Social Protection make all reasonable efforts to recover these payments through installed repayments.".This amendment does not relate to people who are defrauding the system but to people...

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2014: Report Stage (Resumed) (18 Jun 2014)

Willie O'Dea: To clarify, Deputy Mathews is referring to the fact the Minister specifically promised she would not bring about changes in child benefit until such time as a Scandinavian-type system of child care was in place in this country.

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2014: Report Stage (Resumed) (18 Jun 2014)

Willie O'Dea: The changes have been brought about, but I cannot see a Scandinavian type system.

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2014: Report Stage (Resumed) (18 Jun 2014)

Willie O'Dea: On the amendment, we introduced FIS, which is a good system, but it is riddled with anomalies. I have pointed out a number of them on several occasions. As I pointed out on Second Stage some of these anomalies constitute a poverty trap. The amendment I tabled was ruled out of order but I will refer generally to the section. FIS is calculated as 60% of the difference between a certain...

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2014: Report Stage (Resumed) (18 Jun 2014)

Willie O'Dea: This is a good amendment. Under the new section 38B of the principal Act, which the Minister is inserting by way of section 7 of the Bill, we will have a new system of recouping moneys owed to the State by employers. Deputy Ó Snodaigh is seeking to do something similar. In a situation where an individual is waiting for an unfair dismissal case to be heard, he or she will probably be...

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2014: Report Stage (Resumed) (18 Jun 2014)

Willie O'Dea: We were told that those who proposed amendments were confined to two minutes’ speaking time. Does the Minister have limitless time to reply?

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2014: Report Stage (Resumed) (18 Jun 2014)

Willie O'Dea: She has taken double the two minutes.

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2014: Report Stage (Resumed) (18 Jun 2014)

Willie O'Dea: I will not go over all the ground covered again. Of course we congratulate An Post on winning the contract. What sort of a red herring is that? It is a smoke screen to say we did not congratulate An Post. Why does the Minister regard it as necessary to change the legislation? I have already pointed out that the contract cannot be challenged on any new basis because one does not change...

Nursing Home Support Scheme (Amendment) Bill 2014: First Stage (18 Jun 2014)

Willie O'Dea: I move: "That the Bill be taken in Private Members' time."

Nursing Home Support Scheme (Amendment) Bill 2014: First Stage (18 Jun 2014)

Willie O'Dea: I move:That leave be granted to introduce a Bill entitled an Act to allow for the provision of a home care package to a person who qualifies for and is being offered long-term residential care in circumstances where a suitable home care package can be devised for that person and such package is less costly on the State than the long-term residential care being offered and to provide for...

Leaders' Questions (18 Jun 2014)

Willie O'Dea: It is inconsistent because nothing is being done to help the other people.

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2014: Report Stage (18 Jun 2014)

Willie O'Dea: Deputy Naughten referred to the mass meeting at Cappataggle and we have had a few of them in the south as well, with mass meetings about the closure of local post offices. Government Deputies were the most vocal in their undying loyalty to the preservation of the post office network. All we were missing in some places was a stack of bibles, and if they were available every one of the...

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2014: Report Stage (18 Jun 2014)

Willie O'Dea: The Minister must take us for fools. As far as I can make out, her argument comes to this.

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2014: Report Stage (18 Jun 2014)

Willie O'Dea: In 2007 the European Court of Justice indicated there had to be a competition with the provision of services from the social welfare Department. The competition took place and An Post won it. At the time, the relevant legislation was from 2005 and it specifically mentioned An Post. The Minister has now told us that somebody could now have a better chance of challenging the legislation if...

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2014: Report Stage (18 Jun 2014)

Willie O'Dea: I move amendment No. 1:In page 6, to delete lines 5 to 37, and to delete page 7.When Members were discussing this Bill on Committee Stage, I made the point that only a few days had elapsed between the conclusion of Second Stage and the beginning of Committee Stage. If my recollection is correct, I recounted at the time that on the first day of the Second Stage debate, I received an urgent...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Offices (17 Jun 2014)

Willie O'Dea: 355. To ask the Minister for Social Protection her views on the lack of a public toilet facility available to customers at the Finglas Social Welfare Office; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25836/14]

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local and Community Development Programme Planning (17 Jun 2014)

Willie O'Dea: 431. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the social inclusion community activation programme will replace the community development programme; if he is further aware that tendering for SICAP will not be permitted by national organisations and that Pobal has suggested that women's networks form a consortium to...