Results 9,181-9,200 of 9,571 for speaker:Verona Murphy

Public Accounts Committee: 2019 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 – Employment Affairs and Social Protection
Chapter 4 – Control over Welfare Payments (12 Nov 2020)

Verona Murphy: I thank all the witnesses for attending. I may have missed a point because I was concentrating on a question I was going to ask. What is the cost of the JobPath scheme? Mr McKeon said there were 285,000 participants. Does he have a figure?

Public Accounts Committee: 2019 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 – Employment Affairs and Social Protection
Chapter 4 – Control over Welfare Payments (12 Nov 2020)

Verona Murphy: For last year, 2019, what was it?

Public Accounts Committee: 2019 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 – Employment Affairs and Social Protection
Chapter 4 – Control over Welfare Payments (12 Nov 2020)

Verona Murphy: It has gone down by €10 million.

Public Accounts Committee: 2019 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 – Employment Affairs and Social Protection
Chapter 4 – Control over Welfare Payments (12 Nov 2020)

Verona Murphy: Is it fair to say the difference between 2019 and 2020, amounting to €10 million, relates to the people who have become unemployed?

Public Accounts Committee: 2019 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 – Employment Affairs and Social Protection
Chapter 4 – Control over Welfare Payments (12 Nov 2020)

Verona Murphy: Do we know how many people were involved? If there are 285,000 on the scheme currently, how many have taken up work?

Public Accounts Committee: 2019 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 – Employment Affairs and Social Protection
Chapter 4 – Control over Welfare Payments (12 Nov 2020)

Verona Murphy: That is very good. I thank Mr. McKeon. On the European Social Fund, is it correct that there was an under-claim of €5 million? Am I reading that correctly?

Public Accounts Committee: 2019 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 – Employment Affairs and Social Protection
Chapter 4 – Control over Welfare Payments (12 Nov 2020)

Verona Murphy: What is the reason for it? Why was there a lapse? Basically, €0.7 million was claimed but the figure should have been in excess of €5.5 million.

Public Accounts Committee: 2019 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 – Employment Affairs and Social Protection
Chapter 4 – Control over Welfare Payments (12 Nov 2020)

Verona Murphy: Will it be fully recovered?

Public Accounts Committee: 2019 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 – Employment Affairs and Social Protection
Chapter 4 – Control over Welfare Payments (12 Nov 2020)

Verona Murphy: Good. It has not yet been received.

Public Accounts Committee: 2019 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 – Employment Affairs and Social Protection
Chapter 4 – Control over Welfare Payments (12 Nov 2020)

Verona Murphy: Mr. Lawler is in no doubt that it will be made.

Public Accounts Committee: 2019 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 – Employment Affairs and Social Protection
Chapter 4 – Control over Welfare Payments (12 Nov 2020)

Verona Murphy: At local level in my constituency, I am a little concerned about the way the pandemic unemployment payment, PUP, is working for those who are self-isolating or who have been told they must self-isolate because they are a close contact. The initial claim, if one is working, is the two weeks' PUP. If there is a positive test at the end of that period and a further isolation period, the worker...

Public Accounts Committee: 2019 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 – Employment Affairs and Social Protection
Chapter 4 – Control over Welfare Payments (12 Nov 2020)

Verona Murphy: I understand that. It is enhanced in that it allows for children who are dependent, but my point is that the applicant has to reapply. Would it not be more appropriate if the applicant could stay on the same payment?

Public Accounts Committee: 2019 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 – Employment Affairs and Social Protection
Chapter 4 – Control over Welfare Payments (12 Nov 2020)

Verona Murphy: I will not argue with Mr. McKeon on that but the arrangement is not as straightforward as it might appear.

Public Accounts Committee: 2019 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 – Employment Affairs and Social Protection
Chapter 4 – Control over Welfare Payments (12 Nov 2020)

Verona Murphy: Mr. McKeon's local offices are fantastic and very helpful so I thank him.

Public Accounts Committee: 2019 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 – Employment Affairs and Social Protection
Chapter 4 – Control over Welfare Payments (12 Nov 2020)

Verona Murphy: I refer to the pandemic unemployment payment. When will all payments due be paid out in full? Will there continue to be outstanding payments at the end of the year?

Public Accounts Committee: 2019 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 – Employment Affairs and Social Protection
Chapter 4 – Control over Welfare Payments (12 Nov 2020)

Verona Murphy: Very good.

Public Accounts Committee: 2019 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 – Employment Affairs and Social Protection
Chapter 4 – Control over Welfare Payments (12 Nov 2020)

Verona Murphy: Very good. I refer to the social welfare checks carried out in airports. Were many of those cases appealed? Were the appeals successful?

Public Accounts Committee: 2019 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 – Employment Affairs and Social Protection
Chapter 4 – Control over Welfare Payments (12 Nov 2020)

Verona Murphy: Okay. I am aware of one appeal that has been submitted. I can discuss it with Mr. McKeon at a later stage.

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Covid-19 Tests (12 Nov 2020)

Verona Murphy: 16. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his plans to test passengers for Covid-19 at airports and ports; when Ireland will adopt the EU traffic light system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35760/20]

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Driver Licences (12 Nov 2020)

Verona Murphy: 53. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if her Department will introduce a system of online licence renewal, in particular for commercial drivers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35759/20]