Results 1,541-1,560 of 5,587 for speaker:Kevin Humphreys
- Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2015: Committee Stage (2 Dec 2015)
Kevin Humphreys: The matter will be dealt with and discussions will take place. The couple to which the Senator referred are now aged 62 and they will have a retirement age of 66. Is that correct?
- Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2015: Committee Stage (2 Dec 2015)
Kevin Humphreys: The Senator talked about people who are now in their 60s and will retire on reaching 67 years. Currently, the mechanisms that are in place take a person up to the age of 66. I will give the Senator a note on the matter but I repeat that all short-term social welfare schemes, including jobseeker schemes, are payable up to the age of 66. Jobseekers whose benefits expire in their 65th year...
- Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2015: Committee Stage (2 Dec 2015)
Kevin Humphreys: In the very early term of the next government.
- Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2015: Committee Stage (2 Dec 2015)
Kevin Humphreys: I thank Senator Darragh O'Brien for his vote of confidence.
- Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2015: Committee Stage (2 Dec 2015)
Kevin Humphreys: As I said in my last contribution in the Dáil, Senator Darragh O'Brien is the only one that ever seems to heckle in this House.
- Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2015: Committee Stage (2 Dec 2015)
Kevin Humphreys: Perhaps the next Sinn Féin-Fianna Fáil government will deal with the matter.
- Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2015: Committee Stage (2 Dec 2015)
Kevin Humphreys: Yesterday, the parties put themselves forward as an alternative. They have every right to do so but it is the people who will decide.
- Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2015: Committee Stage (2 Dec 2015)
Kevin Humphreys: It is not the Senator or myself who will decide.
- Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2015: Committee Stage (2 Dec 2015)
Kevin Humphreys: Many points have been made on this topic. It is a small social welfare Bill and we are debating pensions, which I welcome. No political party has the answer on this and it will take some time to consider what is best for the State. We should certainly be building up a reserve. I sat on a finance committee on Dublin City Council and we met with the Department of Finance. At the time,...
- Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2015: Committee Stage (2 Dec 2015)
Kevin Humphreys: I thank the Senators and Deputies in respect of the change in name of the respite care grant to the carer support grant. That is an important change and should be widely publicised. If Members are talking to people, they should discuss it with them because it is a fundamental change. It has, however, been passed over in the media.
- Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2015: Committee Stage (2 Dec 2015)
Kevin Humphreys: I believe it relates to the carer's allowance but I will clarify it with Senator Moloney before we finish this session.
- Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2015: Committee Stage (2 Dec 2015)
Kevin Humphreys: I will try to be brief. I thank Senator Cullinane for his contribution. Senator Cullinane referred to the Central Statistics Office figures and the number of people who are underemployed or working part-time. I welcome the CSO figures indicating the number of part-time workers moving to full-time work. The whole thrust of the amendment was to remove welfare dependency and the poverty...
- Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2015: Committee Stage (2 Dec 2015)
Kevin Humphreys: We are on amendment No. 2, section 6.
- Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2015: Committee Stage (2 Dec 2015)
Kevin Humphreys: I thank Senator Cullinane. I do not want to portray the Senators as a family at war before they even reach an agreement. I represent a working-class area. I accept the majority want to work and contribute to society. I outlined the amendments the Tánaiste made where a lone parent whose youngest child is aged under 14 years is required to take up employment to receive income support...
- Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2015: Committee Stage (2 Dec 2015)
Kevin Humphreys: For the record, it was in section 8 we increased the family income supplement. We need also to be careful that family income supplement would not become a disincentive to employers to increase their earnings through increased hours or higher wages. This would leave recipients trapped on low incomes over time. We need to be careful on family income supplement. It is worthy of further study...
- Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2015: Committee Stage (2 Dec 2015)
Kevin Humphreys: I do not propose to accept these amendments. Maybe they should have included references to cuts that were made prior to 2011.
- Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2015: Committee Stage (2 Dec 2015)
Kevin Humphreys: I do not accept the Senator's flippant remark about the Tánaiste talking rubbish.
- Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2015: Committee Stage (2 Dec 2015)
Kevin Humphreys: I suggest that the Senator should have a look at the variations in charges arising from the bereavement grant.
- Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2015: Committee Stage (2 Dec 2015)
Kevin Humphreys: There are enormous variations across the State. The Department of Social Protection makes provision for payments to be made through the community welfare officers to assist people who are without means with the cost of burials. The Senator knows that well. I am not proposing to include these amendments in the Bill before the House because it would not be right or proper to do so. This is...
- Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2015: Committee Stage (2 Dec 2015)
Kevin Humphreys: I said I would be happy to debate it with the Senator now. I hope both of us will be here to debate it.