Results 81-100 of 1,026,263 for in 'Dáil debates' OR (speaker:Tom Kitt OR speaker:Mary Butler OR speaker:James Lawless) in 'Committee meetings'

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Rates (11 Jun 2024)

Heather Humphreys: No, I am not.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Rates (11 Jun 2024)

Paul Murphy: Even according to the Minister's own figures, one in ten people in this country is at risk of poverty. I will give the Minister the child poverty monitor report figures again. More than one in five children experienced enforced deprivation in 2023, and that figure went up by over 30,000 children to 260,000 children last year. One in four households is in arrears on gas bills, while one in...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Rates (11 Jun 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Regarding these lump sum payments, when people have ESB and heating bills in the winter, people need the money in their pockets then. There is no point in increasing the weekly rate. We need to get the money to them then to pay the bills. It has actually been shown that these once-off, or lump sum, payments have been very effective in dealing with the increase in the cost of living that...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Appeals (11 Jun 2024)

Social Welfare Appeals

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Appeals (11 Jun 2024)

David Stanton: 10. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she will outline, with reference to section 317 of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005, the number of revisions carried out under the section in each respective year from 2021 to 2023 inclusive; the number of these revisions that resulted in a changed decision; the number of revisions currently being considered...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Appeals (11 Jun 2024)

David Stanton: This question is to ask about section 317 of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005. It is quite an obscure section of the Act and I am curious to know how many revisions have been carried out under this section in each respective year, the number of these revisions that resulted in a changed decision, the number of revisions currently being considered under the section, the longest...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Appeals (11 Jun 2024)

Heather Humphreys: I thank Deputy Stanton for raising this issue. The social welfare appeals office is an office of the Department of Social Protection which is responsible for determining appeals against decisions in relation to social welfare entitlements. Appeals officers are independent in their decision-making functions. The social welfare appeals system is underpinned by Chapter 2 of Part 10 of the...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Community Employment Schemes (11 Jun 2024)

Bernard Durkan: I agree very much agree with the previous speaker about this valuable scheme. It has helped many people to readjust to situations that face them at a particularly difficult time. It has helped local voluntary organisations tremendously at a time when it has been quite difficult to get sufficient staff to meet their requirements. Anything that can be done to make the scheme more attractive...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Community Employment Schemes (11 Jun 2024)

Joe O'Brien: I thank the Deputies. It is important to say that this year is 30 years since CE was first started. The impact it has had on Ireland over those 30 years has been extraordinary. They are often very low profile but there are 800 CE schemes around the country. We have some of the best community people working on them and they are doing some extraordinary things for people who need a hand up....

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: School Meals Programme (11 Jun 2024)

School Meals Programme

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: School Meals Programme (11 Jun 2024)

Violet-Anne Wynne: 8. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection her plans to expand the hot school meals programme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25423/24]

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: School Meals Programme (11 Jun 2024)

Violet-Anne Wynne: This is to ask the Minister to set out her plans to expand the hot school meals programme.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: School Meals Programme (11 Jun 2024)

Heather Humphreys: I thank the Deputy for raising this. The objective of the school meals programme is to provide regular, nutritious food to children to support them in taking full advantage of the education provided to them. The programme is an important component of policies to encourage school attendance and extra educational achievement. Following the expansion of the programme in recent years, 2,600...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: School Meals Programme (11 Jun 2024)

Violet-Anne Wynne: I appreciate all of the information the Minister provided. It has been some feat that she has undertaken over the past number of years. I would like to raise St. Anne's with the Minister, a special school in Ennis. It is a fantastic school. I have heard countless testimonies that the staff and the principal go above and beyond for each and every one of the students. They currently have...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: School Meals Programme (11 Jun 2024)

Heather Humphreys: When I announced the expansion, I was very keen that all special schools would be included. I am not all over the detail of St. Anne's special school but I would say to the school authorities to engage with the Department and have that conversation. If they could do that, we will see where it takes us. I am not over the specific detail there. What I want to do is try to make sure the...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: School Meals Programme (11 Jun 2024)

Violet-Anne Wynne: I will ask the school authorities to do so and maybe the Minister could flag it with the Department as well. They have struggled for a long time to pay the cook's wages. They get other funding that is meant to be for vital therapeutic services and they desperately need those services. It would be important for that funding to be used and not any of it to be paying for the cook's wages in...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: School Meals Programme (11 Jun 2024)

David Stanton: This is an absolutely brilliant scheme and it is really helping many children and families around the country. I compliment the Minister on that. Has the Department issued any guidelines regarding the quality of the food and consistency of quality? Are any guidelines issued on the packaging the food comes in? If a child does not avail of the meal - we all know children do not always eat...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: School Meals Programme (11 Jun 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The nutritional standards applying to the school meals programme were developed by a working group led by the health and well-being programme in the Department of Health in consultation with Safefood and the healthy eating and active living programme in the HSE. Schools and organisations must reapply for funding in advance of each school year and are required to submit detailed records. ...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Appeals (11 Jun 2024)

Ruairi Ó Murchú: I am very supportive of modernising the appeals process, particularly any system involved. The sooner, the better, the quicker and the faster. We would all agree with this. I have no difficulty in passing on the information to the Minister. I was not going to say this but I thank the Minister with regard to the issue we dealt with previously. People are very supportive of it. What we...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Appeals (11 Jun 2024)

Robert Troy: I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle for allowing me in. I welcome the fact the Minister is committing to streamlining and improving the appeals process. As other speakers in the House have alluded to, I deal with constituents who are faced with lengthy waiting periods for having their appeals heard. I suggest the Minister puts a time limit on when appeals can be heard. Any applicant for a...