Results 4,761-4,780 of 19,445 for speaker:Brian Cowen

Order of Business (8 Dec 2009)

Brian Cowen: Today, the Cabinet considered the legislative requirements in the aftermath of the budget. As I stated earlier to Deputy Gilmore, two Bills will be required, namely, a social welfare Bill and a Bill on public sector pay. The social welfare Bill will be taken this week and the public sector pay Bill will be taken next week. We envisage a change to the Order of Business for that purpose....

Order of Business (8 Dec 2009)

Brian Cowen: The Government has two Bills to deal with before the Dáil rises and for that reason we have to proceed with them. We will not have as much time after the budget debate as we did in previous times and we have to proceed with enacting legislation so that it takes effect as envisaged for 2010. In recent years, social welfare Bills were taken after Private Members' time on the following...

Order of Business (8 Dec 2009)

Brian Cowen: In response to the first matter, it is a question of ensuring that we enact legislation this week and next because of the time available to us. We have to proceed on that basis. We have to ensure that we give legal effect to the budgetary decisions being taken tomorrow. On the question on the public sector pay Bill, I made the point that the issue relates to public sector pay and public...

Order of Business (8 Dec 2009)

Brian Cowen: The social welfare Bill will be published after the budget announcement.

Order of Business (8 Dec 2009)

Brian Cowen: The other will be published in good time for the following week.

Order of Business (8 Dec 2009)

Brian Cowen: The social welfare Bill will simply incorporate the budget decisions so the Deputy will be on notice-----

Order of Business (8 Dec 2009)

Brian Cowen: -----from the time of the budget announcement. It will be published that night or morning-----

Order of Business (8 Dec 2009)

Brian Cowen: Please Deputy, there is no need to be like that. I am answering the question and I will not be barracked like that. It is unnecessary. It is not the Deputy's form and there is no need for it.

Order of Business (8 Dec 2009)

Brian Cowen: I made the point that the contents of the social welfare Bill will relate to the budgetary announcements on social welfare. They will have to be given legal effect and we will take them this week.

Order of Business (8 Dec 2009)

Brian Cowen: The question of introducing the social welfare Bill or any other legislation which might be necessary in the aftermath of the budget will be dealt with in the normal way tomorrow morning prior to the budget's introduction. The Minister for Social and Family Affairs will outline the position to Cabinet at that point. The Deputy is as aware of the procedures relating to the budget as I am.

Order of Business (8 Dec 2009)

Brian Cowen: Advice is being sought from the Office of the Attorney General on a number of issues that have arisen during the course of the drafting of one of the Bills to which the Deputy refers. As a result, it will not be possible to publish said Bill prior to the end of this session.

Leaders' Questions (8 Dec 2009)

Brian Cowen: There is no evidence whatsoever that welfare fraud costs the State €2 billion per year. That figure arose in respect of certain high risk categories that were being investigated and a discrepancy of 10% was found. It is not right to extrapolate from that figure that the total level of fraud in the Department of Social and Family Affairs is 10%. The level of fraud in most schemes is very...

Leaders' Questions (8 Dec 2009)

Brian Cowen: I would make the point that this Government, when resources were available, provided well in excess of cost of living increases for social welfare recipients and finds itself in a position where tomorrow we have to ensure the protection of social welfare recipients' income vis-À-vis the 2008 position by taking into account the fact that there has been a reduction in the cost of living this...

Leaders' Questions (8 Dec 2009)

Brian Cowen: And for welfare recipients of the order of 5.5%

Leaders' Questions (8 Dec 2009)

Brian Cowen: We increased the rate last year between 3% and 3.8% at a time when we expected inflation to be 2.5%. It is not a question of percentages in this respect. The real issue is that we have an unsustainable public finance position. If we are to protect the most vulnerable in society, as we must and seek to do, we must do so in a way that provides a sustainable way forward.

Leaders' Questions (8 Dec 2009)

Brian Cowen: We have increased the social welfare budget by 20% year on year this year over last year. That, of course, reflects the increased unemployment in society. It is also an indication of a preparedness to do everything possible to assist people in this situation and to recognise, as the Deputy fails to, that many improvements have taken place in respect of the obtaining of data by the...

Leaders' Questions (8 Dec 2009)

Brian Cowen: The introduction of the card, about which we have spoken, will begin in the coming year. The sum of €24 million will be invested and it will be rolled out to 3 million people in the coming years. The Department of Social and Family Affairs has been an example of-----

Leaders' Questions (8 Dec 2009)

Brian Cowen: No. That is not fair and people on the other side would want to make up their minds. Is everyone on social welfare defrauding the system or not? The answer is no.

Leaders' Questions (8 Dec 2009)

Brian Cowen: What was said by the Deputy a moment ago was that it was a whole series of categories of people who are clearly entitled to their payment yet there is the contention that there is a whole range of fraud.

Leaders' Questions (8 Dec 2009)

Brian Cowen: We have indicated that control savings of €475 million were provided for this year. To suggest that 10% is defrauding is not correct. It is not the contention of either the programme or of the evidence that was put before the public last night. If we are to have a discussion on this matter - and it is an important matter-----