Results 121-140 of 1,029,145 for in 'Dáil debates' OR (speaker:Tom Kitt OR speaker:Niall Collins OR speaker:Duncan Smith OR speaker:Denis Naughten) in 'Committee meetings'

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

Heather Humphreys: As the Minister for Social Protection and during the lifetime of this Government, I am proud to have introduced many improvements to the social protection system. As part of budget 2024, I secured a €2.3 billion social protection package. This was, for the second year in a row, the largest social protection budget in the history of the State. Post-budget analysis from the ESRI...

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

Bernard Durkan: I thank the Minister for that reply. It is well acknowledged that substantial improvements have been made in relation to the delivery of social welfare payments throughout the country and this is greatly valued. Is it the Minister's intention in the course of preparation for the next budget - which is in some months' time - to examine family situations whereby a large family may have a lot...

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

Heather Humphreys: Yes we have a number of schemes. There is the basic payment and then there are social transfers that also kick in depending on family size and depending on the situation. A number of different variables are taken into account when determining the default payment a family receives from social welfare. These variables are reviewed every year when I look at them. There are other things I...

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

Bernard Durkan: One issue that has come to my attention in recent times - and at all times - is in relation to family law disputes where the mother of the children may be forced to pursue the partner in court in order to get a validated payment, which is a very dangerous thing to do if there is violence. This happens in many cases and puts huge hardship on the mother of the children and creates terrible...

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

Heather Humphreys: I am glad the Deputy brought this matter up. Due to the child maintenance review that was carried out, I have changed the legislation so that from the beginning of this month, child maintenance is no longer taken into consideration as part of the means test. A person does not have to go to court to prove what he or she is getting or not getting. All of that is being disregarded and...

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

Bernard Durkan: I thank the Minister.

Special Education: Motion [Private Members] (11 Jun 2024)

Amendment agreed to.

Special Education: Motion [Private Members] (11 Jun 2024)

Motion, as amended, agreed to.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions (11 Jun 2024)

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: 1. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of cases currently being considered by the social welfare appeals office, in tabular form; the longest waiting times under each scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25415/24]

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

David Stanton: This question is on the social welfare appeals office. The staff in the Department of Social Protection do a fantastic job. I have read reports where the Ombudsman commends the staff, the appeals officers, the deciding officers, the work they do and the way they deal with the public. I want the Minister to report that back to the staff of the Department. They are very professional and...

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

Heather Humphreys: I thank the Deputy for raising this matter and for his kind comments about the staff of the Department. The social welfare appeals office is an office of the Department of Social Protection which is responsible for determining appeals against decisions relating to social welfare entitlements. Appeals officers are independent in their decision-making functions. Significant efforts and...

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

David Stanton: I thank the Minister for her response and commend her on the work she is doing in this area, especially updating the IT systems, which should make for a huge improvement there. I ask the Minister to give us a bit more of a breakdown of which schemes or areas are causing the most difficulty with respect to appeals. Is there anything standing out there with respect to the number of appeals...

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

Heather Humphreys: I thank the Deputy. I have a table that sets out all the data and the appeals processing times in weeks by scheme for January to December of 2023. The one that seems to have the most appeals is illness benefit, with a processing time of 40.9 weeks. I will get this sent to the Deputy, because I have only just received it. I am not too sure how many weeks it took, but they were finalised...

Special Education: Motion [Private Members] (11 Jun 2024)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: I commend the work of my colleague, Deputy Sorca Clarke, on this issue. This is ever a debate at this time of year, particularly with regard to the issues in respect of summer provision and access to school places for September, which is always a really challenging issue for many families. Deputy Paul Murphy correctly highlighted the Jesuitical attempt to say that there was no cut in the...

Special Education: Motion [Private Members] (11 Jun 2024)

Rose Conway-Walsh: We are one of the wealthiest countries in the EU. We have a surplus of €8.6 billion this year. The question that many parents are asking is why the Minister of State's Government cannot guarantee a place for every child on the school-based summer programme. That is the question many parents are asking me in Mayo. Why does it have to be such a battle all of the time just to access...

Special Education: Motion [Private Members] (11 Jun 2024)

Sorca Clarke: Every child has the right to an education. That right needs to be universally applied regardless of any child's additional need for support. I will go back to the Minister of State's opening contribution to this debate. She said there was a 386% increase in the number of special classes and went on to say that "While the capitation rate in mainstream schools was raised to €45 in...

Special Education: Motion [Private Members] (11 Jun 2024)

Neale Richmond: I greatly appreciate the opportunity to contribute to the debate. This is an issue that is emotive to many of us and not just from our work as constituency TDs dealing with so many different families on a daily basis who face such a range of challenges and need so much support from their local representatives. Those of us who are lucky enough to have children also see it in the schools they...

Special Education: Motion [Private Members] (11 Jun 2024)

Thomas Pringle: I am sharing time with Deputy Connolly. I am grateful for the opportunity to speak on this motion on special education. I thank Sinn Féin for putting it forward as well. I support this motion and its call for the Government to reverse the funding cut made to the summer provision capitation payments and to ensure more school-based summer provision is made available in the future....