Results 5,821-5,840 of 7,412 for speaker:Neasa Hourigan

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Social Protection
Chapter 9 - Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 10 - Management of Social Welfare Appeals
Chapter 11 - Controls Over the Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (9 Dec 2021)

Neasa Hourigan: I looked back at previous appearances of the Department before the Committee of Public Accounts and I know that is something that has been raised with it before. In terms of the cost to the Department, has it done any kind of review on the unit costing of the service that an appeals officer provides as opposed to an ordinary staff member who is reviewing an application? Is the issue that...

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Social Protection
Chapter 9 - Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 10 - Management of Social Welfare Appeals
Chapter 11 - Controls Over the Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (9 Dec 2021)

Neasa Hourigan: I am sorry. Of the 21,000 applications, how many were refused?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Social Protection
Chapter 9 - Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 10 - Management of Social Welfare Appeals
Chapter 11 - Controls Over the Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (9 Dec 2021)

Neasa Hourigan: I thank the Acting Chairman. Mr. McKeon can go ahead.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Social Protection
Chapter 9 - Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 10 - Management of Social Welfare Appeals
Chapter 11 - Controls Over the Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (9 Dec 2021)

Neasa Hourigan: I take that point and I know Mr. McKeon said 12% but I would say that rate of appeal success is significant. I know some of the case studies the Department gave us were quite complex around the interaction with different jurisdictions or the UK or whatever. Where the issue is simply insufficient information, it seems that a review of the unit costing of the appeals process as opposed to...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Employment Rights (9 Dec 2021)

Neasa Hourigan: 113. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment his plans to ensure employers in the digital gaming sector are adhering to employment legislation following the introduction of the new tax credit for the digital gaming sector announced in Budget 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60353/21]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (8 Dec 2021)

Neasa Hourigan: 71. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills her plans to provide targeted financial assistance to parents in relation to the cost of providing face masks for children in schools given the recent Covid-19 related health advice; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [60618/21]

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Covid-19 Pandemic (8 Dec 2021)

Neasa Hourigan: 120. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the reason new entry and transit visa requirements have been placed on all passport holders from South Africa, Botswana, Eswatini, Namibia and Lesotho regardless of their country of travel origin; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [60621/21]

Written Answers — Department of Health: Covid-19 Pandemic (8 Dec 2021)

Neasa Hourigan: 139. To ask the Minister for Health the advice offered by the HSE in relation to ensuring children have properly fitting face masks; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60619/21]

Written Answers — Department of Health: Covid-19 Pandemic (8 Dec 2021)

Neasa Hourigan: 140. To ask the Minister for Health if there are exemptions to persons being charged for mandatory hotel quarantine for essential or family reasons; if so, the body to which a person can apply for the exemption; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60620/21]

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Fiscal Assessment Report: Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (8 Dec 2021)

Neasa Hourigan: That is no problem. I thank Deputy Durkan for letting us know. Before we begin, I wish to explain some limitations to parliamentary privilege in the practice of the Houses as regards references witnesses may make to other persons in their evidence. The evidence of witnesses physically present or who give evidence from within the parliamentary precincts is protected pursuant to both the...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Fiscal Assessment Report: Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (8 Dec 2021)

Neasa Hourigan: I thank Mr. Barnes. I will open the floor to members for the first round of questions. Each member will have nine minutes for questions and answers and, if time remains, we can have a second round.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Fiscal Assessment Report: Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (8 Dec 2021)

Neasa Hourigan: Sorry Deputy Doherty, you are well over time.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Fiscal Assessment Report: Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (8 Dec 2021)

Neasa Hourigan: Do members of IFAC want to respond to any of those points?

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Fiscal Assessment Report: Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (8 Dec 2021)

Neasa Hourigan: I have a few questions of my own. If members have follow-up questions, I ask them to raise a hand. Deputy Mairéad Farrell raised the issue of climate and covered most of it. I take the point that it is very difficult to forecast this. As a follow-up on that issue, notwithstanding any difficulty and snarkiness that might occur, who is best placed to undertake that kind of costing?...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Fiscal Assessment Report: Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (8 Dec 2021)

Neasa Hourigan: I hope, more than just international organisations, that at EU level there would be some kind of encouragement of member states to undertake this. I realise it is a significant project, but it is absolutely vital. On the issue of the EU, the fiscal rules have been discussed. The timing of it is an issue. Like Deputy Mairéad Farrell, we are all working away on that public...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Fiscal Assessment Report: Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (8 Dec 2021)

Neasa Hourigan: Staying with the spending rule, I welcome the changes, as does IFAC. I certainly welcome the sustainable growth of a 5% annual increase. However, I am sometimes frustrated by the focus on the metric of spending rather than that of outcomes and value for money. I have recently been looking into unit costing of services. I am thinking in particular of the opacity in respect of the health...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Fiscal Assessment Report: Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (8 Dec 2021)

Neasa Hourigan: That is very good to hear. I consistently worry about the level of data produced by Departments generally. On a selfish note, much of our work on well-being indicators, which is something the committee is trying to move ahead with, is predicated on the availability of disaggregated data. It seems that in the Irish model those data are simply not produced, collected or published. It will...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Fiscal Assessment Report: Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (8 Dec 2021)

Neasa Hourigan: That is fantastic. I hear from NGOs all the time that they struggle with the lack of data, so the proposed report is very welcome. The committee will certainly be paying close attention to it. It is a piece of work that is desperately needed. This is the final public meeting of the committee this year. The committee will meet next week in private session to discuss several matters. I...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Fiscal Assessment Report: Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (8 Dec 2021)

Neasa Hourigan: It would be a large-scale collaborative project and would probably be an ongoing one.