Results 7,241-7,260 of 8,245 for speaker:Bríd Smith

Competition (Amendment) Bill 2016 [Seanad]: Second Stage [Private Members] (28 Feb 2017)

Bríd Smith: We welcome the Bill as an attempt to address a growing problem, that is, the use of bogus self-employment contracts and definitions that will stop workers from accessing rights and using legislation that is supposed to be there to protect workers. It seeks to ensure that anti-competitive laws are not used against groups of workers who are deemed to be self-employed. I am not sure it will...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Poverty Data (28 Feb 2017)

Bríd Smith: 443. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if he will clarify a response from his Department to Parliamentary Question No. 297 of 21 February 2017 (details supplied). [10312/17]

Leaders' Questions (23 Feb 2017)

Bríd Smith: Tesco is breaking contract law.

Leaders' Questions (23 Feb 2017)

Bríd Smith: The Government has nothing to do with it.

Leaders' Questions (23 Feb 2017)

Bríd Smith: The Tánaiste can make history, step in and do something about Tesco breaking the law.

Leaders' Questions (23 Feb 2017)

Bríd Smith: What are the figures?

Leaders' Questions (23 Feb 2017)

Bríd Smith: I remind the Tánaiste that the headline from the report I mentioned is not that this State ranks well but rather it ranks 25th of 33 OECD countries in a table illustrating overall female economic empowerment. This is the startling fact. The Tánaiste has just said the good news is that people have jobs, any kind of a job. Not if they are Tesco workers on pre-1996 contracts, most...

Leaders' Questions (23 Feb 2017)

Bríd Smith: As Minister for Justice and Equality, the Tánaiste has been getting a lot of heat recently on the question of justice, but I want to turn the heat up on the question of injustice and inequality. Two reports that were published recently by PricewaterhouseCoopers and Morgan McKinley show that the gender pay gap in this country is widening. Interestingly, the figures show that the pay gap...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing Data (23 Feb 2017)

Bríd Smith: 18. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government his views on the latest figures that suggests the number of social houses built in 2016 were among the lowest in the State's history; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9044/17]

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Private Rented Accommodation Price Controls (23 Feb 2017)

Bríd Smith: 47. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if the recent figures on rent increases in the private rented sector suggest that rental pressure zones should be extended; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9045/17]

Industrial Relations (Right to Access) (Amendment) Bill 2016: Second Stage [Private Members] (22 Feb 2017)

Bríd Smith: I want to have a go at the Minister because I am a member of the committee which deals with issues that are the responsibility of her Department. On each occasion that an issue relating to workers' rights arises or when discrimination against workers comes to the fore, regardless of whether it is in an FDI company, the Minister always finds fancy language to use when washing her hands of any...

Questions on Promised Legislation (22 Feb 2017)

Bríd Smith: We saw how Mountjoy Square has gone. Hopefully we will not see fires and tragedy resulting in them.

Questions on Promised Legislation (22 Feb 2017)

Bríd Smith: Practices that in normal circumstances would never be countenanced are sometimes allowed to become commonplace during a prolonged and entrenched crisis. Is the Cabinet holding any discussions on legislation to deal with the exploitation of homeless people? We have seen a number of very serious breaches - these would normally never happen if there were not a prolonged housing crisis - in the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Irish Prisoners Abroad (22 Feb 2017)

Bríd Smith: 35. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will report on his latest efforts to secure the release of a person (details supplied) from Egypt. [8705/17]

Other Questions: JobPath Implementation (21 Feb 2017)

Bríd Smith: It is an extraordinary situation that an official employed in the Department of Social Protection makes a recommendation that a person be allowed to take up a scheme, a decision that is in the best interests of the individual, and the recommendation is overridden by a private company such as Seetec. This company receives remuneration for taking people onto JobPath. It has a vested interest...

Other Questions: Homemakers Scheme (21 Feb 2017)

Bríd Smith: With regard to the pensions and the homemaker's scheme, when we were moving an amendment to the Social Welfare Bill, the Minister promised he would issue a report within six months on the question of social protection and the homemaker's credit. Perhaps the Minister would issue a statement on the matter. I know that the six months is not yet up, but the Minister, Deputy Varadkar, is coming...

Other Questions: Homemakers Scheme (21 Feb 2017)

Bríd Smith: Deputy Broughan queried the existing Taoiseach about this issue - I understand that the Minister, Deputy Varadkar, is possibly the future Taoiseach - but the current Taoiseach answered by saying that some people did suffer badly under the austerity measures and that we would hope to give them some alleviation in the future. It is my argument that this is pure, out-and-out discrimination on...

Other Questions: JobPath Implementation (21 Feb 2017)

Bríd Smith: 38. To ask the Minister for Social Protection his views on whether the best interests of jobseekers are advanced by allowing JobPath operators the right to stop jobseekers from accepting placements with, for example, the Tús initiative and other schemes, even in circumstances where they applied for such placements in advance of being selected for JobPath; and if he will make a statement...

Other Questions: JobPath Implementation (21 Feb 2017)

Bríd Smith: 43. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if he will re-examine the authority of JobPath operators that are able to overrule the placement offers to jobseekers on various community employment schemes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8457/17]

Other Questions: JobPath Implementation (21 Feb 2017)

Bríd Smith: I want to ask the Minister's opinion on the disadvantage to people who are applying for Tús or CE schemes who are randomly selected by JobPath at the same time they are offered a CE scheme or Tús position and who are blocked from taking up those positions by the private operators which run JobPath. Could the Minister respond with what he thinks is in the best interests of the jobseeker?