Results 961-980 of 1,683 for speaker:Derek McDowell

Seanad: Public Service Superannuation (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (26 Feb 2004)

Derek McDowell: How do we know which ones are not stated there?

Seanad: Public Service Superannuation (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (26 Feb 2004)

Derek McDowell: I am not trying to make arcane points about the law but I raised this matter because it seems that the basic statement, in so far as there is one, is that the retirement age is not 65 or that it could be lower in some circumstances, seems to derive from the 1980 regulations. Is that fair?

Seanad: Public Service Superannuation (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (26 Feb 2004)

Derek McDowell: Specific bodies such as the fire brigades and so on seem to be dealt with by separate legislation but the basic statement is contained in the 1980 regulations. Is that correct?

Seanad: Public Service Superannuation (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (26 Feb 2004)

Derek McDowell: Why did the Minister of State choose to use primary legislation to amend the regulations? It seems odd that the regulations would have amended primary Acts in the first place but that being the case, why the opposite approach now? I am not sure that something of this nature should be an issue for legislation. It is primarily a matter of industrial relations and for negotiation with particular...

Seanad: Public Service Superannuation (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (26 Feb 2004)

Derek McDowell: I am not doing that.

Seanad: Public Service Superannuation (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (26 Feb 2004)

Derek McDowell: We decided to deal with a number of queries on section 1, which relate to particular definitions, together. Perhaps we should have dealt with them discretely. However, we are taking them together as the Cathaoirleach asked me to do so. I am following up on the response the Minister of State gave on commercial bodies that are included. I cannot think of any. I ask the Minister to give some...

Seanad: Public Service Superannuation (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (26 Feb 2004)

Derek McDowell: We could happily open a Pandora's box in this area. I seek more information on the point I mentioned concerning the definition of a public servant. What is the status of the staff of the Houses of the Oireachtas, who are or will shortly become staff of the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission? From experience of dealing with Labour Party staff, there is a range of different pension...

Seanad: Public Service Superannuation (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (26 Feb 2004)

Derek McDowell: Does this include Members' secretaries etc.?

Seanad: Public Service Superannuation (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (26 Feb 2004)

Derek McDowell: I ask the Minister to check this between now and Report Stage. There is an increased difficulty because of the legislation passed last year dealing with fixed-term contracts and the need to roll those into a permanent contract. I understand that rolled over fixed-term contracts cannot exceed four years. There is some doubt as to how this applies to Members' secretaries. If they became...

Seanad: Public Service Superannuation (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (26 Feb 2004)

Derek McDowell: That is correct.

Seanad: Public Service Superannuation (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (26 Feb 2004)

Derek McDowell: That means these people are not covered by this legislation.

Seanad: Public Service Superannuation (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (26 Feb 2004)

Derek McDowell: I will not labour the point, but it would be interesting to obtain some clarity before we come to Report Stage, or perhaps in the other House. To elaborate on the point I made earlier, under the Protection of Employees (Fixed-Term Work) Act 2003, the State is obliged to offer full-time jobs to people on fixed-term contracts once they have been renewed several times. What about people who have...

Seanad: Public Service Superannuation (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (26 Feb 2004)

Derek McDowell: Once they become established?

Seanad: Public Service Superannuation (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (26 Feb 2004)

Derek McDowell: Are they considered new entrants if they become established after 1 April?

Seanad: Public Service Superannuation (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (26 Feb 2004)

Derek McDowell: If they are not public servants now and they are becoming public servants——

Seanad: Public Service Superannuation (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (26 Feb 2004)

Derek McDowell: I wish to ask a question related to the amendment. This subsection appears to deal with situations where people are working for a public service body listed in the Schedule and moving into the Civil Service at some point in the next six weeks or in the six weeks before 31 March. Some arrangements have been made over the years with bodies which were moved or partly moved out of the public...

Seanad: Industrial Relations (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2003: Second Stage. (25 Feb 2004)

Derek McDowell: Many members of the Labour Party have an ambivalent attitude to this legislation and the 2001 Act that preceded it. It is, in essence, an admission of failure on the part of the partnership bodies — the employers' representatives, the trade unions and the Government — to reach agreement at national level to deal with the issue of union recognition. This legislation provides a mechanism to...

Seanad: Industrial Relations (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2003: Second Stage. (25 Feb 2004)

Derek McDowell: This difficulty would be best resolved by putting us in Government as it only arises in the context of Opposition. I suppose in a sense we are just moaning about our impotence on the Opposition benches, or as may be, on the Government back benches. There is no doubt that the existence of the process, particularly as it expanded over the years to include the voluntary and community sector, has...

Seanad: Public Service Superannuation (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2004: Second Stage. (24 Feb 2004)

Derek McDowell: I have always admired the capacity of Members, particularly those from the Fianna Fáil Party, to welcome a Bill and then spend the rest of their speech condemning everything in it, as Senator Ormonde has done for the past ten minutes. Her argument may have more effect, coming from that quarter, than it would were it to come from this side of the House. I agree with almost everything said by...

Seanad: Public Service Superannuation (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2004: Second Stage. (24 Feb 2004)

Derek McDowell: I have read again the report of the Commission on Public Service Pensions, which I read on its publication. I also recall meeting Senator O'Toole in a hotel in north Dublin about four or five years ago when we discussed it at length over a few pints. It is remarkable that the Minister has reduced to two decisions such an interesting, lengthy report containing many recommendations. He has...