Results 4,901-4,920 of 12,590 for speaker:Willie O'Dea

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Consultancy Contracts Expenditure (28 Jan 2014)

Willie O'Dea: 389. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if she will outline any consultancy costs associated with the establishment of the Intreo services; if she will outline any other costs associated with the establishment of Intreo including office refurbishment, branding costs and website costs; if she is satisfied with the current operation of the service; and if she will make a statement on the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Advisory Group on Tax and Social Welfare (28 Jan 2014)

Willie O'Dea: 390. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if she intends to implement any further policy changes arising out of the report of the Advisory Group on Tax and Social Welfare; if she will provide an indication of when the social impact assessment of budget 2014 will be published by her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3857/14]

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 37 - Department of Social Protection (Revised) (23 Jan 2014)

Willie O'Dea: I asked about the telephone rental allowance scheme.

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 37 - Department of Social Protection (Revised) (23 Jan 2014)

Willie O'Dea: That is not new; that payment has been in place all the time.

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 37 - Department of Social Protection (Revised) (23 Jan 2014)

Willie O'Dea: In the context of the change to the illness benefit provisions, whereby instead of not being paid for the first three days people must now wait six days, has the Department carried out an analysis of the percentage of employees who are covered by proper sick pay schemes in their places of work? People may be able to survive for three days without payment but if they are obliged to do so for...

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 37 - Department of Social Protection (Revised) (23 Jan 2014)

Willie O'Dea: Yes, but the budget for exceptional needs payments is being reduced this year, even though demand is going to increase. People who hitherto would have qualified for a payment of €800 will not now qualify. The latter is a small sum, particularly if a funeral costs €7,000, €8,000 or €10,000. How does the Minister propose to square that circle? In light of the...

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 37 - Department of Social Protection (Revised) (23 Jan 2014)

Willie O'Dea: That was done in conjunction with payment of the bereavement grant up to now.

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 37 - Department of Social Protection (Revised) (23 Jan 2014)

Willie O'Dea: This programme contains provisions to assist people to come off the live register into employment. I refer to a figure of €13.5 million allocated for JobsPlus and €82.3 million allocated for JobBridge this year. How many people will benefit from these schemes? I have a question about JobBridge. The voluntary internship scheme provides experience but participants work for...

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 37 - Department of Social Protection (Revised) (23 Jan 2014)

Willie O'Dea: We have been dealing with pensions and now we are dealing with the measures through which the State supports people of working age who do not have an income of their own or whose income is so inadequate that they need State support. Looking at the overall figures here, the provisional outturn for 2013 for expenditure in this area was €5.5 billion while the projected outturn for the...

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 37 - Department of Social Protection (Revised) (23 Jan 2014)

Willie O'Dea: The Department's document asserts that the changes in the lone-parent allowance were designed to eliminate financial disincentives to return to work. The most significant change in that regard is the reduction in the income disregard which means, in plain English, that if a lone parent goes out to work, that work, which is often part-time, will be less valuable and he or she will get less...

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 37 - Department of Social Protection (Revised) (23 Jan 2014)

Willie O'Dea: Not enough? I agree but I ask the Minister to provide the figures.

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 37 - Department of Social Protection (Revised) (23 Jan 2014)

Willie O'Dea: I welcome the Minister and her officials and thank the Minister for her presentation. I add my congratulations to the hardworking staff in the Department on the work they have been doing, particularly in respect of backlogs. There is still some work to be completed but much good work has been done and I acknowledge that. There has been much discussion about the potential burden that...

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 37 - Department of Social Protection (Revised) (23 Jan 2014)

Willie O'Dea: Can the Minister refer to what the forthcoming pensions legislation will contain?

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces Reserve Strength (22 Jan 2014)

Willie O'Dea: 172. To ask the Minister for Defence his plans to maintain a full compliment of regiments within the Reserve Defence Force; his plans for future recruitment drives in that regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3058/14]

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: National Internship Scheme Eligibility (15 Jan 2014)

Willie O'Dea: 409. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the reason behind the requirement that a person be in receipt of a jobseeker's payment for a certain amount of time before they can take part in the JobBridge national internship scheme; her views on whether this requirement prevents jobseekers from gaining the experience they need to improve their employment prospects simply because they are not...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Domiciliary Care Allowance Appeals (15 Jan 2014)

Willie O'Dea: 343. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the reason the file regarding a domiciliary care allowance requested by the appeals office on 3 October 2013 has not as yet been provided by her Department in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Limerick; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55319/13]

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Criminal Assets Bureau (15 Jan 2014)

Willie O'Dea: 548. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality if the €1 million plus sum of money seized near Castleconnell, County Limerick recently is deemed by Criminal Assets Bureau to belong to the State; if it will be allocated to organisations in Limerick dealing with the scourge of drugs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55331/13]

Leaders' Questions (19 Dec 2013)

Willie O'Dea: The Government is there three years now. It is time it did something.

Leaders' Questions (19 Dec 2013)

Willie O'Dea: Did the Minister, Deputy James Reilly, mislead the House?

Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2013 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (18 Dec 2013)

Willie O'Dea: On which amendment are we?