Results 9,341-9,360 of 13,375 for speaker:Pat Rabbitte

Departmental Expenditure. (12 Dec 2006)

Pat Rabbitte: The Minister for Defence will give the Taoiseach a dig out if he needs it.

Departmental Expenditure. (12 Dec 2006)

Pat Rabbitte: The Taoiseach should not be too hard on himself.

Departmental Staff. (12 Dec 2006)

Pat Rabbitte: Question 10: To ask the Taoiseach the number of staff broken down by grade in private offices and constituency offices in respect of himself and each Minister of State within his Department; the annual costs in terms of salaries and expenses of each such office; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38686/06]

Departmental Staff. (12 Dec 2006)

Pat Rabbitte: I will repeat my question. While I accept the Taoiseach has a huge constituency workload, is it not the case that he has an extravagant array of staff to back him up? Such a facility is not afforded to the rest of us in any fashion. I note the Taoiseach said he has cut back on his level of staffing. The Taoiseach referred to the appointment of a personal tipstaff. Was that always there?...

Departmental Staff. (12 Dec 2006)

Pat Rabbitte: I do not think eight people in the Taoiseach's constituency office is enough with other candidates coming to him for help. I do not know how he does it.

Written Answers — Garda Discipline Regulations: Garda Discipline Regulations (7 Dec 2006)

Pat Rabbitte: Question 39: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the position regarding the consideration of the new draft Garda discipline regulations by the Garda Conciliation Council; when he expects that the new regulations will be in operation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41930/06]

Written Answers — Probation and Welfare Service: Probation and Welfare Service (7 Dec 2006)

Pat Rabbitte: Question 67: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform his proposals for further development of the probation service; the additional resources that will be provided for the service having regard to additional responsibilities arising from the Criminal Justice Act 2006; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41931/06]

Financial Resolution No. 6: General (Resumed) (7 Dec 2006)

Pat Rabbitte: Expectations around a budget have never been so high and the reasons for this are straightforward. The revenue yield from taxation as compared with forecasts at the time of budget 2006 were further out than a lighthouse. No Minister for Finance since independence had so many resources available to him. The Government deliberately and calculatedly leaked its substantial contents in the days...

Financial Resolution No. 6: General (Resumed) (7 Dec 2006)

Pat Rabbitte: However, he has not followed through with any meaningful reform. He seems to have spent much of October and November reannouncing last year's budget announcements. On last night's "Nine O'Clock News" he trumped himself. How many people in the House saw Deputy Brennan on the news last night?

Financial Resolution No. 6: General (Resumed) (7 Dec 2006)

Pat Rabbitte: I will. He announced to the nation that he had introduced a new payment for poorer children, about a third.

Financial Resolution No. 6: General (Resumed) (7 Dec 2006)

Pat Rabbitte: The Minister need not heckle me. I have the quotes, as I played it back this morning.

Financial Resolution No. 6: General (Resumed) (7 Dec 2006)

Pat Rabbitte: He said child benefit is to increase and "on top of that, for the very first time, an extra payment of €22 will be made". When the interviewer asked him to clarify the point he again said this €22 was on top of the child dependant allowance and was an "extra payment". The representative from the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, who is not accustomed to that kind of brazen faced...

Financial Resolution No. 6: General (Resumed) (7 Dec 2006)

Pat Rabbitte: For some families this is an increase of 40 cent per child per week, yet the Minister tells us that everyone will receive €22 extra. It is unbelievable that the Minister could make such a statement and more unbelievable that he could get away with it. If he were to target resources at poor children I would welcome that because despite our wealth, Barnardos——

Financial Resolution No. 6: General (Resumed) (7 Dec 2006)

Pat Rabbitte: What does the cost have to do with it? Nobody argues that the Minister did not revamp the CDA and make a modest improvement in the existing CDA to €22.

Financial Resolution No. 6: General (Resumed) (7 Dec 2006)

Pat Rabbitte: The Minister presented it as a new, extra payment on top of child benefit.

Financial Resolution No. 6: General (Resumed) (7 Dec 2006)

Pat Rabbitte: The Minister has been getting away with it and I admire his ability to put his best foot forward.

Financial Resolution No. 6: General (Resumed) (7 Dec 2006)

Pat Rabbitte: I am not wrong.

Financial Resolution No. 6: General (Resumed) (7 Dec 2006)

Pat Rabbitte: As Barnardos and other organisations, including the State, have said, 65,000 children live in consistent poverty, so I welcome anything that is targeted at them. One cannot beat the Civil Service. It presents the increase fairly "standardise all three qualified child allowances. . . as a single payment of €22 per week".

Financial Resolution No. 6: General (Resumed) (7 Dec 2006)

Pat Rabbitte: I do.

Financial Resolution No. 6: General (Resumed) (7 Dec 2006)

Pat Rabbitte: As the Combat Poverty Agency has pointed out, the total spend on child poverty this year is marginally less than last year. The time has come for additional resources to be targeted at families with children on low incomes as the Minister professed to do. The NESC is considering a proposal to institute a targeted income supplement, either as a supplementary child benefit or as a refundable...