Results 18,201-18,220 of 24,567 for speaker:Róisín Shortall

Leaders' Questions (8 Dec 2010)

Róisín Shortall: The Taoiseach is never straight with us.

Leaders' Questions (8 Dec 2010)

Róisín Shortall: He has never been straight with the people.

Leaders' Questions (8 Dec 2010)

Róisín Shortall: On a point of order, we have not yet had sight of the Social Welfare Bill which is scheduled to be taken at 6.30 p.m. When are we likely to receive the legislation?

Social Welfare Bill 2010: Second Stage (8 Dec 2010)

Róisín Shortall: The Social Welfare Bill 2010 is a blatant and unjustified attack on the weakest and the working poor. Cutting basic social welfare rates by €8 per week for the second year in a row will have a devastating impact on people who rely on the State for income support. The Government has lost all sense of the fact that carers, widows, people with disabilities, single parents and the unemployed...

Social Welfare Bill 2010: Second Stage (8 Dec 2010)

Róisín Shortall: Excuse me.

Social Welfare Bill 2010: Second Stage (8 Dec 2010)

Róisín Shortall: It was originally supposed to be a social contribution but as the Government decided that it would have to give something back to people if it called it a contribution, it changed the name to "universal social charge". It can be more accurately described as a universal anti-social charge because it will work against social cohesion. It will be socially divisive because it is utterly unfair...

Social Welfare Bill 2010: Second Stage (8 Dec 2010)

Róisín Shortall: I am sorry. There is no other way of describing that.

Social Welfare Bill 2010: Second Stage (8 Dec 2010)

Róisín Shortall: This is part of what has been going on in recent weeks. There has been spinning about the budget.

Social Welfare Bill 2010: Second Stage (8 Dec 2010)

Róisín Shortall: There was widespread leaking of the budget provisions yesterday to all media outlets. The Minister for Finance benignly read out details of a budget that did not seem to be doing any harm to anyone in particular. He made a statement that was blatantly untrue. That is why I am calling it a lie. He said people on the minimum wage will not be brought into the tax net, when it is clear that...

Social Welfare Bill 2010: Second Stage (8 Dec 2010)

Róisín Shortall: The abolition of the health levy is part of the Bill. The health levy is being abolished to bring in the universal social charge.

Social Welfare Bill 2010: Second Stage (8 Dec 2010)

Róisín Shortall: I am asking the Minister to clarify those points. The universal social charge also impacts significantly on the attractiveness of work for people on welfare. For most people on jobseeker's payment, the effect of the universal social charge is to worsen replacement ratios and increase poverty traps when they are taking up low-paid work. The situation is made noticeably worse for people...

Social Welfare Bill 2010: Second Stage (8 Dec 2010)

Róisín Shortall: Once more, he has proved that he is only interested in protecting his own political dynasty in Kerry South. At almost every meeting of the joint committee we hear examples of how budget cuts impact severely on some of the most vulnerable in our society. We have heard from the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, the Carers Association, One Family and various others. One after another, those...

FINANCIAL RESOLUTION No. 14: INCOME LEVY (7 Dec 2010)

Róisín Shortall: I agree that this is a complete con. It is a new tax. We have been given all kinds of assurances about people on minimum wages not being included in the tax net. They are not in the income tax net but they are caught in the net with this charge. This charge started as a universal social contribution with an element of contributing and getting something back but this recently changed to a...

FINANCIAL RESOLUTION No. 14: INCOME LEVY (7 Dec 2010)

Róisín Shortall: It is really a poverty trap.

FINANCIAL RESOLUTION No. 14: INCOME LEVY (7 Dec 2010)

Róisín Shortall: What about the salary of-----

FINANCIAL RESOLUTION No. 14: INCOME LEVY (7 Dec 2010)

Róisín Shortall: The social charge will apply to it.

FINANCIAL RESOLUTION No. 14: INCOME LEVY (7 Dec 2010)

Róisín Shortall: It will be taxed.

FINANCIAL RESOLUTION No. 14: INCOME LEVY (7 Dec 2010)

Róisín Shortall: Does the Minister regard that as fair?

FINANCIAL RESOLUTION No. 14: INCOME LEVY (7 Dec 2010)

Róisín Shortall: So they lose €40 a week and then they are taxed on top of that. That certainly incentivises people to work all right.

Financial Resolution No. 9: Income Tax (7 Dec 2010)

Róisín Shortall: I welcome the fact that finally the Government has recognised a need to do something on the pensions front. For years it has been in denial about the fact that our pensions system was more about facilitating tax avoidance than encouraging pension provision. The way in which it operates, as the Minister and her officials will be aware, has been inequitable. That is the reality. A total of...