Results 1,141-1,160 of 3,777 for speaker:Marc Ó Cathasaigh

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Transport Policy (23 Jan 2024)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: 363. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the position regarding his Departments study on Transit-oriented Development on Waterford, Galway, Limerick and Cork, its publication date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2957/24]

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Transport Policy (23 Jan 2024)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: 364. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government his views on using the transport-oriented development principle approach for spatial equity-proofing strategic planning in Ireland, in order to achieve true balanced regional development and alleviate pressure on the east coast; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2958/24]

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Industry (23 Jan 2024)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: 486. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the steps his Department will take domestically and internationally to meet the commitments outlined in the UAE Declaration on Sustainable Agriculture, Resilient Food Systems and Climate Action, to which Ireland signed up to at COP28; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2930/24]

Written Answers — Department of Health: Disability Services (23 Jan 2024)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: 606. To ask the Minister for Health the level of collaboration between his Department and the HSE to streamline the process whereby aids and appliances provided through HSE resource allocation groups for children with disabilities in order to avoid and remove barriers as outlined in the case of a child (details supplied), to ensure they have timely access to mobility aids to optimise their...

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation Accounts 2022
Vote 37 - Social Protection
Social Insurance Fund 2022
Report on the Accounts of the Public Services 2022
Chapter 13 - Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 14 - Ex gratia Payments of €1.4 million to Social Welfare Branch Managers
Chapter 15 - Raising Social Welfare Overpayments
Chapter 16 - Recovery of Welfare Overpayments
Chapter 17 - Actuarial Review of the Social Insurance Fund (18 Jan 2024)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: I thank the Secretary General and his officials for coming in. We often engage in the social protection committee. I was not surprised by his approach to appearing before the Committee of Public Accounts today in contrast to some of the people who we have before us. We got all of our documentation in a timely fashion. I found the briefing material very useful. I think there is a culture...

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation Accounts 2022
Vote 37 - Social Protection
Social Insurance Fund 2022
Report on the Accounts of the Public Services 2022
Chapter 13 - Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 14 - Ex gratia Payments of €1.4 million to Social Welfare Branch Managers
Chapter 15 - Raising Social Welfare Overpayments
Chapter 16 - Recovery of Welfare Overpayments
Chapter 17 - Actuarial Review of the Social Insurance Fund (18 Jan 2024)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: Very good. I just wanted to give Mr. McKeon an opportunity to pick up on that, given he did not have the figure in front of him. I want to dig a little into those figures on Ukrainians because the Department is very well placed to give us a snapshot of who is here and what the make-up looks like. Mr. McKeon said there is fairly substantial participation in the labour market from those...

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation Accounts 2022
Vote 37 - Social Protection
Social Insurance Fund 2022
Report on the Accounts of the Public Services 2022
Chapter 13 - Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 14 - Ex gratia Payments of €1.4 million to Social Welfare Branch Managers
Chapter 15 - Raising Social Welfare Overpayments
Chapter 16 - Recovery of Welfare Overpayments
Chapter 17 - Actuarial Review of the Social Insurance Fund (18 Jan 2024)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: Mr. McKeon told us that about 17,000 are working. If roughly two thirds are of working age, what is roughly the percentage of people of working age who are working?

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation Accounts 2022
Vote 37 - Social Protection
Social Insurance Fund 2022
Report on the Accounts of the Public Services 2022
Chapter 13 - Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 14 - Ex gratia Payments of €1.4 million to Social Welfare Branch Managers
Chapter 15 - Raising Social Welfare Overpayments
Chapter 16 - Recovery of Welfare Overpayments
Chapter 17 - Actuarial Review of the Social Insurance Fund (18 Jan 2024)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: Is that consistent with other populations or are there impediments? A lot of people who arrive here want to get out and work, and I understand it is more difficult to access the labour market when you have arrived in and there are-----

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation Accounts 2022
Vote 37 - Social Protection
Social Insurance Fund 2022
Report on the Accounts of the Public Services 2022
Chapter 13 - Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 14 - Ex gratia Payments of €1.4 million to Social Welfare Branch Managers
Chapter 15 - Raising Social Welfare Overpayments
Chapter 16 - Recovery of Welfare Overpayments
Chapter 17 - Actuarial Review of the Social Insurance Fund (18 Jan 2024)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: That is good and we would like to keep ahead of that. Maybe there are more targeted interventions we can make that will support people in working, especially if they have children of school age, where people often have a little more breathing space within their working day. It comes back to the idea of the working age payment, where you are not tied into being able to work only one, two or...

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation Accounts 2022
Vote 37 - Social Protection
Social Insurance Fund 2022
Report on the Accounts of the Public Services 2022
Chapter 13 - Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 14 - Ex gratia Payments of €1.4 million to Social Welfare Branch Managers
Chapter 15 - Raising Social Welfare Overpayments
Chapter 16 - Recovery of Welfare Overpayments
Chapter 17 - Actuarial Review of the Social Insurance Fund (18 Jan 2024)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: Mr. McKeon thinks that either side of 3% is probably the figure we are comfortable with, even if with that we have to accept that overpayment range of in or around €100 million or whatever it is.

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation Accounts 2022
Vote 37 - Social Protection
Social Insurance Fund 2022
Report on the Accounts of the Public Services 2022
Chapter 13 - Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 14 - Ex gratia Payments of €1.4 million to Social Welfare Branch Managers
Chapter 15 - Raising Social Welfare Overpayments
Chapter 16 - Recovery of Welfare Overpayments
Chapter 17 - Actuarial Review of the Social Insurance Fund (18 Jan 2024)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: That is the figure where we think we are striking that balance between having proper controls on spending versus the need to have inbuilt compassion within the system, which is a social safety net. That is the whole point of our social protection system.

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation Accounts 2022
Vote 37 - Social Protection
Social Insurance Fund 2022
Report on the Accounts of the Public Services 2022
Chapter 13 - Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 14 - Ex gratia Payments of €1.4 million to Social Welfare Branch Managers
Chapter 15 - Raising Social Welfare Overpayments
Chapter 16 - Recovery of Welfare Overpayments
Chapter 17 - Actuarial Review of the Social Insurance Fund (18 Jan 2024)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: I wanted to put a question to the Department of Public Expenditure, National Delivery Plan Delivery and Reform on ex gratia payments. Mr. McKeon put forward a defence of why those ex gratia payments were made and I think I am happy with the rationale for having made the payments, but an approval should have been sought. I think it is accepted an approval was not sought. Has the Department...

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation Accounts 2022
Vote 37 - Social Protection
Social Insurance Fund 2022
Report on the Accounts of the Public Services 2022
Chapter 13 - Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 14 - Ex gratia Payments of €1.4 million to Social Welfare Branch Managers
Chapter 15 - Raising Social Welfare Overpayments
Chapter 16 - Recovery of Welfare Overpayments
Chapter 17 - Actuarial Review of the Social Insurance Fund (18 Jan 2024)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: Yes, but I am referring to the benefit of hindsight. We have heard the defence regarding the ex gratia payments that were made. Is Mr. Scott satisfied that, if the process had been entered into in the way we would have liked, his Department would have approved that ex gratia payment and does he accept the rationale for having made them?

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation Accounts 2022
Vote 37 - Social Protection
Social Insurance Fund 2022
Report on the Accounts of the Public Services 2022
Chapter 13 - Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 14 - Ex gratia Payments of €1.4 million to Social Welfare Branch Managers
Chapter 15 - Raising Social Welfare Overpayments
Chapter 16 - Recovery of Welfare Overpayments
Chapter 17 - Actuarial Review of the Social Insurance Fund (18 Jan 2024)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: That might be something that Mr. Scott could correspond with the committee on.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Transport Policy (18 Jan 2024)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: 49. To ask the Minister for Health if his Department is engaging with the Department of Transport on funding provision to assist with sustainable transport options for hospital staff and patients in those hospitals signed up to the TFI Smarter Travel Programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1548/24]

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Facilities (18 Jan 2024)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: 70. To ask the Minister for Health the anticipated timeline for the provision of a seven-day-a-week, 8am to 8pm, cath lab service at University Hospital Waterford; the recruitment plan for the additional staff required; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1792/24]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (18 Jan 2024)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: 117. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to address shortages in skills and labour force for the green economy through further education places, CPD places and apprenticeships; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1547/24]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Adult Education Provision (18 Jan 2024)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: 344. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the progress in relation to the implementation of the Adult literacy for Life strategy through library activities, as actioned in the National Public Library Strategy 2023-2027; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49681/23]

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (17 Jan 2024)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: I draw the Minister's attention to an issue we are encountering around recruitment of qualified bus and haulage drivers. It is a real constriction point within the economy. We have access to an excellent pool of qualified bus and haulage drivers from abroad but some of the quirks in the system mean that the people who are coming in are sitting around for three months without being able to...