Results 161-180 of 457 for long speaker:Willie O'Dea

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 37 - Department of Social Protection (Revised) (23 Jan 2014)

Willie O'Dea: ...million allocated for JobBridge this year. How many people will benefit from these schemes? I have a question about JobBridge. The voluntary internship scheme provides experience but participants work for long periods for nothing but the basic social welfare payment. I note that local authorities in my part of the country have taken up this scheme. I ask the Minister to comment. ...

Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2013: Second Stage (5 Dec 2013)

Willie O'Dea: I am sure there is one thing on which Members on all sides could agree, namely, that pension schemes in this country are facing a considerable crisis. It is long past time for a mature, national debate on the subject. There are six people of working age for every person over the age of 65 years. By 2060 that figure will have changed dramatically to just two people of working age for every...

Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2013: Second Stage (5 Dec 2013)

Willie O'Dea: ...For defined benefit schemes, the minimum funding requirement is based on a fiction. The question asked is whether the pension scheme would be able to meet all its liabilities if it were wound up tomorrow. This is totally artificial. It fails to recognise the long-term nature of pension provision. Pensions are only paid out on actual retirement and businesses file their accounts on a...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Long-Term Illness Scheme Coverage (21 Nov 2013)

Willie O'Dea: 224. To ask the Minister for Health the reason Crohn's disease is not on the long term illness list; if he will consider adding same in view of the costs of the associated medication; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50004/13]

Youth Employment: Motion [Private Members] (19 Nov 2013)

Willie O'Dea: ...who falls into the aforementioned category. The experts, including those in the International Labour Organization and the National Youth Council of Ireland, tell us that to have a proper youth guarantee scheme in this country along the lines of the one operating in Sweden would require an investment of more than €400 million. I believe the figure cited was €420 million. We...

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2013: Second Stage (Resumed) (24 Oct 2013)

Willie O'Dea: ...source, "would have been awful". Another source with perhaps a better command of the language described the Fine Gael proposals as a nightmare list. That was scene 1. Fine Gael was coming along, as usual, to crush the poor in this country. The scene ended, the curtain came down or whatever and everybody was extremely worried but in scene 2, St. Joan of Arc rode in on her white steed...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Schemes (17 Oct 2013)

Willie O'Dea: 4. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the progress made on implementing Pathways to Work; the number of caseworkers currently working with long-term jobseekers to help them back to full employment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43771/13]

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Schemes (17 Oct 2013)

Willie O'Dea: ...goes on to refer to the lack of action and the possible outsourcing of some activation services, etc. It also adverts to the lack of attention paid to reskilling and training, particularly for the long-term unemployed and young people. What progress has been made since that report was published? What progress has been made specifically on outsourcing some of this work, as the Department...

Topical Issue Debate: Industrial Disputes (9 Oct 2013)

Willie O'Dea: ...know. I am referring to the Wallis dispute in Limerick. The Wallis shop is one of a number of units owned by the Arcadia Group, a multinational corporation headquartered in London. There is a long-standing agreement to the effect that, when the company makes someone redundant in Ireland, it makes a redundancy payment of five weeks per year's service - the statutory redundancy that it...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Job Creation and Mortgage Support Schemes: Discussion with Department of Social Protection (2 Oct 2013)

Willie O'Dea: ...this change has made it all but useless for most people. Ms Faughnan said: "The underlying principle of this change ensures that the mortgage arrears resolution process operated by the lenders functions alongside State supports, including the mortgage interest supplement scheme, and that the forbearance arrangements implicit in the MARP are reflected in the eligibility criteria for the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Pre-Budget Submissions: Discussion (25 Sep 2013)

Willie O'Dea: ...work. This has been confirmed. Do the delegates agree with this point? I do not understand why, if they can engage in equality proofing in Tanzania and Uganda, we cannot do so here. It goes a long way to explaining why we are looking at these things in isolation and not looking at the cumulative impact for poorer families. It is little wonder that the past three budgets have been...

Other Questions: Energy Security (17 Jul 2013)

Willie O'Dea: ...Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if his attention has been drawn to the recently published plans in the UK for energy rationing; if he foresees any such plans being required here; the long term plans he has to ensure energy security here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35050/13]

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Job Initiatives (9 Jul 2013)

Willie O'Dea: ...outsourcing of some activation services are needed but that progress has also been slow; that special attention needs to be dedicated to reskilling, upskilling and training, in particular for the long-term unemployed and the youth; and that faster action is needed to reform employment support schemes to increase their effectiveness. Taken together with the other reports, this is a damning...

Social Welfare and Pensions (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (11 Jun 2013)

Willie O'Dea: ...tried the number myself. I tried several times and I might as well have been ringing another galaxy. I challenge anyone from the Department to start ringing this number - 043 3340053 - in the morning to see how long it takes to get through. Eventually, I pursued my own inquiries in the Department of Social Protection. The answer is obvious that she will get 60%. The increase in FIS...

Social Welfare and Pensions (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (11 Jun 2013)

Willie O'Dea: ...pointed to the new resources that have been put in place and the changes that have been made. From the anecdotal evidence available to me, I believe the situation is beginning to slip back again. Longer delays are beginning to creep back in. We seem to reach a certain point and then regress. The Minister made the point that if an amendment along these lines was included, people would...

Social Welfare and Pensions (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (11 Jun 2013)

Willie O'Dea: ...the Minister said an appeal for an invalidity pension, disability allowance or carer's allowance decision will take about nine months. That is without an oral hearing. If there is an oral hearing it could take longer. We are talking about average times; some cases could take longer. Somebody caring for a very ill relative who applies for carer's allowance, fails and has to appeal could...

Other Questions: Employment Support Services (29 May 2013)

Willie O'Dea: ...retraining and reskilling has taken place? Finally, both the Taoiseach and the Minister have stated the Government objective was that this scheme would take 75,000 people out of the ranks of the long-term unemployed by the end of next year. How realistic is that objective?

Other Questions: Job Initiatives (29 May 2013)

Willie O'Dea: ...states:Initially there was a belief that these shortfalls could be met through “contracting with the private sector...in areas such as case management...employer engagement, job activation of long-term unemployed and job-matching/placement.” However, the High Level Issues analysis by the DSP [Department of Social Protection] has since accepted that [it quotes directly from...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Milk Price Issues (8 May 2013)

Willie O'Dea: 44. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the steps he has taken to ensure that liquid milk producers get an adequate price for their product to ensure long term viability; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21500/13]

Order of Business (17 Apr 2013)

Willie O'Dea: ...Taoiseach will be aware of the widely held view that it is about time the Government bit the bullet on the issue of media monopolies. When exactly will the consumer and competition Bill make its long-awaited appearance?