Results 221-240 of 5,599 for speaker:Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

Select Committee on Social Protection: Social Welfare and Civil Law (Liable Relatives and Child Maintenance) Bill 2023: Committee Stage (24 Jan 2024)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: That was going to be my question about Part 3. It is worth saying this Bill is now effectively two Bills in one. I am in favour of both but if I brought forward amendments like this to the Bill they would be ruled out of order three times from Sunday. That being said, I do not necessarily disagree with it. That is the answer to the question I was going to ask. Part 3 is related to a...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Social Welfare and Civil Law (Liable Relatives and Child Maintenance) Bill 2023: Committee Stage (24 Jan 2024)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: I agree with the general point it is better to have a clear commencement date. The commencement date is not necessarily dependent on how quickly we are doing our business. It can happen within two months of the passing of the Bill or within a month of it. It is just a general point.

Select Committee on Social Protection: Social Welfare and Civil Law (Liable Relatives and Child Maintenance) Bill 2023: Committee Stage (24 Jan 2024)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: I have many questions on this. I have read the amendments and from some discussions with the Department, it very much reads as though if people are in a designated centre then they are on the rate set by the Department of children. That would not have been my understanding from the press reports up to now, but maybe that is something the Minister can clarify. Again, this to an extent...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Social Welfare and Civil Law (Liable Relatives and Child Maintenance) Bill 2023: Committee Stage (24 Jan 2024)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: I have multiple questions. I do not see the bit in these amendments or in Chapter 3 where it states this will be particular to new arrivals. It would be useful if that could be pointed out to me.

Select Committee on Social Protection: Social Welfare and Civil Law (Liable Relatives and Child Maintenance) Bill 2023: Committee Stage (24 Jan 2024)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: I think-----

Select Committee on Social Protection: Social Welfare and Civil Law (Liable Relatives and Child Maintenance) Bill 2023: Committee Stage (24 Jan 2024)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: I do not know how that will work in practice, especially when a centre cannot be part designated. If the person who is managing a place that 20 Ukrainians are currently in, finds capacity for 15 more beds, will that be a designated centre? It cannot be a part designated centre.

Select Committee on Social Protection: Social Welfare and Civil Law (Liable Relatives and Child Maintenance) Bill 2023: Committee Stage (24 Jan 2024)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: Just one second. If there are 15 more beds there and the provider says he or she can accommodate 15 more Ukrainians, do they then stay on the increased rate because they are in a centre in which things might be provided for them but it is not an officially designated centre?

Select Committee on Social Protection: Social Welfare and Civil Law (Liable Relatives and Child Maintenance) Bill 2023: Committee Stage (24 Jan 2024)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: Even though these people might arrive in May, for example, they will continue to get the full rate.

Select Committee on Social Protection: Social Welfare and Civil Law (Liable Relatives and Child Maintenance) Bill 2023: Committee Stage (24 Jan 2024)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: That seems hard to achieve for a number of reasons. There are a couple of issues. I have given that example. If a provider of accommodation offers 15 more places and comes to the Department of children, given the fact that it is not a designated centre, what does the Department then do? Does it turn down those 15 places? Similarly, if somebody left accommodation and maybe stayed with a...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Social Welfare and Civil Law (Liable Relatives and Child Maintenance) Bill 2023: Committee Stage (24 Jan 2024)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: It is not provided for.

Select Committee on Social Protection: Social Welfare and Civil Law (Liable Relatives and Child Maintenance) Bill 2023: Committee Stage (24 Jan 2024)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: I know the Department of children officials cannot speak here but if they can speak through the Minister, can they give any examples of where these designated centres will be? We are talking about hundreds or perhaps thousands of people. Based on what the Minister is saying, this will effectively be a completely new system and stratum of accommodation that is completely unrelated to the...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Social Welfare and Civil Law (Liable Relatives and Child Maintenance) Bill 2023: Committee Stage (24 Jan 2024)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: I know this goes beyond the Minister, but this does not seem to be a fully thought-through plan.

Select Committee on Social Protection: Social Welfare and Civil Law (Liable Relatives and Child Maintenance) Bill 2023: Committee Stage (24 Jan 2024)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: As I said, this does not seem to be coherent. We do not make legislation usually on the basis of "It is not the expectation" or "It is not our intention".

Select Committee on Social Protection: Social Welfare and Civil Law (Liable Relatives and Child Maintenance) Bill 2023: Committee Stage (24 Jan 2024)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: I know.

Select Committee on Social Protection: Social Welfare and Civil Law (Liable Relatives and Child Maintenance) Bill 2023: Committee Stage (24 Jan 2024)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: However, this entirely hinges on the centres. If the only distinction made between new arrivals and those currently here hinges on the designated centres, that is flimsy and assumes that everything will go in terms of plain sailing and finding new accommodation centres, even though we have no indication of where and what these will be and what capacity they will have. We just have to take...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Social Welfare and Civil Law (Liable Relatives and Child Maintenance) Bill 2023: Committee Stage (24 Jan 2024)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: There are many elements to this. First, taking this all in the round, there is a serious problem with the issue of the 90 days as well in that we will work so hard for all of this additional accommodation but then after 90 days people are expected to find their own accommodation. Not only that but with these reduced rates, it is worth stating that there is a significant difference now...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Social Welfare and Civil Law (Liable Relatives and Child Maintenance) Bill 2023: Committee Stage (24 Jan 2024)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: That is fair enough but the Government is encouraging them to compete in the private rental market.

Select Committee on Social Protection: Social Welfare and Civil Law (Liable Relatives and Child Maintenance) Bill 2023: Committee Stage (24 Jan 2024)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: Just to clarify, am I correct that the only distinction in this legislation between new arrivals and those who are already here is the accommodation in which they are housed? They will go to the designated centre. The Deputy can understand the thinking behind this. In the designated centre, their accommodation will be provided and they will get a lesser payment because all of these...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Social Welfare and Civil Law (Liable Relatives and Child Maintenance) Bill 2023: Committee Stage (24 Jan 2024)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: I do not have an issue with being brought into line but having it hanging on the designated centres rather than on the date of arrival is legislatively thin. In a system that is already two tier as per those coming under the temporary protection directive and those coming from other countries, we are now creating two tiers within that in terms of the dates. The date is the issue to be...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Social Welfare and Civil Law (Liable Relatives and Child Maintenance) Bill 2023: Committee Stage (24 Jan 2024)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: I echo the point made by Deputy O’Dowd. There is a serious issue with this 90-day period for two reasons. Deputy O’Dowd has correctly made the point that there will be people in very invidious positions who have already fled conflict and who may not have any other place to go after that 90-day period. I believe there is an incentive for people to compete in the private...