Results 8,401-8,420 of 8,601 for speaker:Seán Crowe

Driver Testing and Standards Authority Bill 2004: Second Stage (Resumed). (3 Mar 2005)

Seán Crowe: We must welcome any measure which helps to standardise and bring driving tests under one uniform regulatory body. It is also welcome if it helps address some of the more common complaints relating to the test. The Irish driving test is internationally regarded as one of the most difficult, as proven by the large number of people, currently 54%, who fail on their first attempt. The issue of...

Health (Amendment) Bill 2005: Second Stage (Resumed). (3 Mar 2005)

Seán Crowe: I wish to share time with Deputies Finian McGrath, McHugh and Gormley. Through this Bill, the Government is acting swiftly to ensure that long-stay patients in residential care who can be charged in the wake of the Supreme Court judgment will now be charged without further delay. The Government states it has lost €2 million per week in payments since the charges were found to be illegal and...

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2005: Report Stage. (1 Mar 2005)

Seán Crowe: I support the amendment. The area I represent has one of the highest concentrations of single parents in the State. Recent media reports suggest that many of these young parents are parasites living off the State. They did not go as far as saying they do not love their children but the reports feed the perception that these people are taking the State's money. The reality is different. Many...

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2005: Report Stage. (1 Mar 2005)

Seán Crowe: I support the amendment which lies at the core of our attempts to encourage people back into employment. If people had a genuine choice they would opt for employment. There is a notion that people are happy to live off social welfare but, in reality, the longer one is in poverty the more difficult it is to break out of it. I agree with what has been said about the family income supplement. We...

Written Answers — Insurance Industry: Insurance Industry (24 Feb 2005)

Seán Crowe: Question 20: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if, in order to aid competitiveness by lowering insurance costs for both businesses and motorists, his Department is considering bringing forward proposals for the establishment of a State insurance company; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6141/05]

Written Answers — Employment Rights: Employment Rights (24 Feb 2005)

Seán Crowe: Question 61: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will report on the work of the labour inspectorate with respect to the ongoing evidence of exploitation of migrant workers. [6140/05]

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (23 Feb 2005)

Seán Crowe: Question 92: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs his plans to extend the Christmas bonus scheme to clients that are on long term disability benefit in view of the unfairness of the present system. [5906/05]

Written Answers — Health Services: Health Services (23 Feb 2005)

Seán Crowe: Question 132: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children if her attention has been drawn to the difficulties being experienced by a person (details supplied). [6242/05]

Social Welfare Benefits. (23 Feb 2005)

Seán Crowe: With reference to the emphasis on increasing family ties, I do not understand how any other European Union country would object to such a scheme. Is the Minister's reference in his reply to a figure of between €10 million and €19 million an over-estimate? It seems to be a very high figure. Does the Minister agree that the Irish economy could earn kudos because the people in question would...

Social Welfare Benefits. (23 Feb 2005)

Seán Crowe: Question 87: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if he will report on the system breakdown whereby 47,000 clients received double payments in error (details supplied); and if he has satisfied himself at the arbitrary nature of the recovery of the payment that was put in place. [5905/05]

Social Welfare Benefits. (23 Feb 2005)

Seán Crowe: The Minister accepts the mistake was made by the Department. An arbitrary decision was taken as a result. It is not necessarily the case that people with bank accounts are more solvent. Many of those who contacted me genuinely believed the payment was a bonus. No consultation took place with representative organisations, such as Age Action Ireland, the Carers Association of Ireland and...

Social Welfare Benefits. (23 Feb 2005)

Seán Crowe: Some 30% of those entitled to welfare benefits do not claim them. That is a sizeable proportion.

Special Educational Needs: Motion. (22 Feb 2005)

Seán Crowe: I move: That Dáil Éireann: —noting that progress has been made in the area of special needs education, including the passage of the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act 2004; —expresses its concern that families still find it necessary to seek redress in the courts for the failure of the State to meet the educational needs of their children; —urges the Government...

Special Educational Needs: Motion. (22 Feb 2005)

Seán Crowe: The motion before the House acknowledges in its opening lines that progress has been made in the area of special needs education, including the passage of the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act 2004. Deputies on all sides of the House will agree that the Act was a positive step forward. The Minister acknowledged last October that the record of the State over decades in...

National Drugs Strategy. (22 Feb 2005)

Seán Crowe: Question 3: To ask the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs if he will report on Government plans to combat the worst case drugs scenario for the country, namely the establishment of a crack cocaine culture in Dublin city, following the revelations that Ireland now has the second highest rate of cocaine use in Europe and the recent highly publicised arrest of two crack cocaine...

National Drugs Strategy. (22 Feb 2005)

Seán Crowe: I thank the Minister of State for his detailed reply. We could discuss the extent of this country's drugs problem for a couple of minutes, but I am sure the Minister of State is aware that no towns or villages are untouched by drugs, particularly the new drug, cocaine. Communities are worried that the State will be slow to respond to the cocaine problem, as it was during the heroin epidemic...

National Drugs Strategy. (22 Feb 2005)

Seán Crowe: I would like to ask about the training of those involved in cocaine projects. For some reason, the Minister of State has asked the task force to identify such individuals. What were the reasons for that? Why were the projects not advertised? Will funding for emerging needs be used to help those already responding to cocaine use? Will we have to wait for up to six months until the projects...

Written Answers — Garda Deployment: Garda Deployment (16 Feb 2005)

Seán Crowe: Question 83: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform his plans to make more gardaí available on the streets through civilianisation of Garda posts. [5085/05]

Written Answers — Garda Stations: Garda Stations (16 Feb 2005)

Seán Crowe: Question 108: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the actions he is taking to ensure that Finglas Garda station is brought to an adequate condition and level of staffing to tackle the serious levels of anti-social and violent crime in the area; and if this will be addressed as a matter of urgency. [5082/05]

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2005: Second Stage. (16 Feb 2005)

Seán Crowe: I wish to share time with Deputies McHugh and Finian McGrath.