Results 5,861-5,880 of 8,212 for speaker:Alice-Mary Higgins

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2019: Committee Stage (Resumed) (2 Oct 2019)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I will not press the amendment but I would say that I do not think there is much assurance in what the Minister said.

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2019: Committee Stage (Resumed) (2 Oct 2019)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Yes.

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2019: Committee Stage (Resumed) (2 Oct 2019)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 32:In page 14, after line 7, to insert the following: "10. The Minister shall, within three months of the passing of this Act, prepare and lay before the Houses of the Oireachtas a report on:(a) policy options around the extension of jobseeker’s transitional payment to include one parent families with a child up to eighteen years of age; and (b) policy options...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2019: Committee Stage (Resumed) (2 Oct 2019)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Do the millions referred to by the Minister relate to an increased level of income disregard? I am curious where the millions come from. Do the millions relate to working lone parents with 15, 16 and 17 year old children accessing a higher level of income disregard?

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2019: Committee Stage (Resumed) (2 Oct 2019)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I disagree with the Minister. I know we simply disagree. I do not believe it is a measure that encourages lone parents into education. Encouraging lone parents into education is something we have supported but is a separate issue. What the Minister is talking about is the income disregard. A lone parent who is managing to work and has a child is entitled to an income disregard of...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2019: Committee Stage (Resumed) (2 Oct 2019)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I will press it.

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2019: Committee Stage (Resumed) (2 Oct 2019)

Alice-Mary Higgins: It is my hope that if a report was prepared it may be available to a future Government to implement such a policy.

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2019: Committee Stage (Resumed) (2 Oct 2019)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Lone parents have waited a very long time for substantial action.

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2019: Committee Stage (Resumed) (2 Oct 2019)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Yes.

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2019: Committee Stage (Resumed) (2 Oct 2019)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Vótáil.

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2019: Committee Stage (Resumed) (2 Oct 2019)

Alice-Mary Higgins: In fairness, we had not moved on.

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2019: Committee Stage (Resumed) (2 Oct 2019)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I said I was pressing the amendment.

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2019: Committee Stage (Resumed) (2 Oct 2019)

Alice-Mary Higgins: We have not actually moved on to amendment No. 33.

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2019: Committee Stage (Resumed) (2 Oct 2019)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I would say to the Chair that I had indicated my intention to press the amendment.

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2019: Committee Stage (Resumed) (2 Oct 2019)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I am not seeking to press amendments for the sake of it. There are certain amendments that I believe are of real significance. This is the first vótáil I have sought to call on any of the amendments. We are on amendment No. 33 and I have had 22 amendments which I have either withdrawn or subjected to a voice vote. This is the first one on which I have called a vote. I put it to...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2019: Committee Stage (Resumed) (2 Oct 2019)

Alice-Mary Higgins: It may have been a presumption and, therefore, the speed of moving on may have been perhaps faster than it should have been.

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2019: Committee Stage (Resumed) (2 Oct 2019)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I am not interested in pressing an amendment solely for the sake of doing so. There are very few on which I would do so. I am just noting it.

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2019: Committee Stage (Resumed) (2 Oct 2019)

Alice-Mary Higgins: It would have to be in a different examination but the Minister has indicated her thinking on the issue of income disregards so I may put forward an amendment regarding income disregards, in particular, on Report Stage.

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2019: Committee Stage (Resumed) (2 Oct 2019)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Yes.I move amendment No. 33: In page 14, after line 7, to insert the following: “10. The Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection shall, within three months of the passing of this Act, prepare and lay a report before the Houses of the Oireachtas examining potential improvements to voluntary access to Intreo and Local Employment Service (LES) employment, training and...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2019: Committee Stage (Resumed) (2 Oct 2019)

Alice-Mary Higgins: No. I believe that is the Minister's policy and position. It has different levels of application in reality. I do not need to press the amendment but I suggest a greater promotion of that option could be made through some of the usual channels because people still regard it as somewhere they need to go almost by invitation or requirement. Unfortunately, occasionally it happens that...