Results 4,921-4,940 of 8,978 for speaker:Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Appointments to State Boards (27 Jan 2015)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: 516. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if three of the nine board members of the Western Development Commission appointed by his predecessor on behalf of the Government are former Fine Gael councillors; if another of the board members is a former election candidate for the Labour Party; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3528/15]

Junior Cycle Reform: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members] (21 Jan 2015)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: We have been waiting on this debate for years and, therefore, I am delighted the motion is before the House. Everyone recognises the need for reform of the junior cycle. Everyone, including Members on the Opposition benches and members of the teacher unions, has bought into the idea of reform and agrees that reform is good. We welcome aspects of what is proposed by the Department but there...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Equality and Fairness of State Pension: Discussion (21 Jan 2015)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: We are discussing petition 33 of 2013 on equality and fairness regarding the raising of the State pension age to 66 and beyond. The petitioner, Mr. Henry Gaynor, is with us today. I remind everybody to be careful with mobile phones as they interfere with the live broadcast. We are pleased to welcome Mr. Gaynor, who submitted a petition to the committee entitled "Equality and fairness...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Equality and Fairness of State Pension: Discussion (21 Jan 2015)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: Before commencing I must read a note on parliamentary privilege. By virtue of section 17(2)(l) of the Defamation Act 2009, witnesses are protected by absolute privilege in respect of their evidence to the committee. However, if they are directed by the committee to cease giving evidence on a particular matter and they continue to so do, they are entitled thereafter only to a qualified...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Equality and Fairness of State Pension: Discussion (21 Jan 2015)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: As a vote has been called in the Dáil, we will just allow Deputy Harrington's question and will get a response. We will keep it sharp.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Equality and Fairness of State Pension: Discussion (21 Jan 2015)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: I apologise but are members happy to pair for this vote? There are two Government and two Opposition Deputies present. Is that all right as it would enable us to continue? Alternatively, if Deputies wish to vote in the Dáil they probably need to go now.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Equality and Fairness of State Pension: Discussion (21 Jan 2015)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: Yes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Equality and Fairness of State Pension: Discussion (21 Jan 2015)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: We have a choice to make. If we are going to vote we should suspend the meeting and go now.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Equality and Fairness of State Pension: Discussion (21 Jan 2015)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: While I think another ten minutes could take this home, if the Deputies are happy to miss this vote we can pair off. Alternatively, if people wish to vote, we must go now and then return.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Equality and Fairness of State Pension: Discussion (21 Jan 2015)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: Yes. It is a Dáil vote and there are two Deputies each from the Government and the Opposition. We can pair off here now and our Whips can whip us later on. Is that agreed? Agreed. Has Deputy Harrington concluded?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Equality and Fairness of State Pension: Discussion (21 Jan 2015)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: When Mr. Gaynor finishes today, we will send the transcript of this sitting to the Department of Social Protection for a response on the issues he has raised, which will form part of our further deliberations.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Equality and Fairness of State Pension: Discussion (21 Jan 2015)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: Before I allow the Deputy to contribute again, on 30 October we received a response from the office of the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation regarding Mr. Gaynor's petition. To summarise, the response indicates a need for a change in legislation. The Minister and the Department made the point that, under equality legislation, including European, if a company was to say that it...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Equality and Fairness of State Pension: Discussion (21 Jan 2015)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: Is Mr. Gaynor’s preference for the State pension to remain at 65 and apply to everybody equally or, if that is not possible, that legislation is introduced stipulating that an employer must employ the person until the State pension age? At the very least, there is a lacuna there.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Equality and Fairness of State Pension: Discussion (21 Jan 2015)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: I draw Mr. Gaynor’s attention to a letter I referred to earlier from the office of the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation. It asserts:While Section 34(4) of the Employment Equality Acts provides that it is not unlawful for an employer to fix a compulsory retirement age for employees, the Equality Tribunal has, in recent decisions, interpreted those Acts in the light of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Equality and Fairness of State Pension: Discussion (21 Jan 2015)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: The next sentence of the letter reads:However, the CJEU has further found that this discrimination can be justified if it arises as a result of a legitimate aim in a State's social or employment policy. I ask Mr. Gaynor to provide examples. He said this section of law was a grey area for the European Court of Justice. I would appreciate if he sent us on some examples to strengthen his case...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Equality and Fairness of State Pension: Discussion (21 Jan 2015)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: We will send the transcript of Mr. Gaynor's presentation and today's discussion to the Department of Social Protection and the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation so they can respond to the issues raised by him. Following Senator Ó Clochartaigh's proposal, we will seek an estimate from the Department of the cost savings that will accrue from this pension initiative and its...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Firearms Licences: (Resumed) Discussion (21 Jan 2015)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: I apologise for being late. I have had a chance to read the submissions, so I have a good sense of the issues the witnesses are raising. As an Oireachtas justice committee, we must try to find a balance between the different perspectives. As the witnesses know, representatives of the Garda Síochána and the Department attended the committee before Christmas and now we have the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Firearms Licences: (Resumed) Discussion (21 Jan 2015)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: The witnesses will probably be aware that when senior members of An Garda Síochána made a presentation here before Christmas, they circulated photographic examples of weaponry, and a number of times they used the phrase "military-type weapons". These would obviously cause concern to the public. Why would anybody need military-type weapons? I note that Mr. Slattery has particular...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Firearms Licences: (Resumed) Discussion (21 Jan 2015)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: Yes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Firearms Licences: (Resumed) Discussion (21 Jan 2015)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: That is fine.