Results 1-20 of 5,563 for speaker:Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

Civil Registration (Electronic Registration) Bill 2024: Second Stage (25 Apr 2024)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: Ní thógfaidh mé an t-am go léir. Táim á roinnt. An bhfuil an Teachta Ó Murchú sa slot céanna?

Civil Registration (Electronic Registration) Bill 2024: Second Stage (25 Apr 2024)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: Ní bheidh 20 nóiméad uainn. Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit. Beimid ag tacú leis an reachtaíocht seo. Baineann sé le héascú ó thaobh riaracháin. Tá sé chun é sin a dhéanamh chomh furasta agus tapa agus is féidir. Cé nach bhfuil an méid atá ann ródhrámatúil, tá...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (25 Apr 2024)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: The situation in Cork University Hospital, CUH, is severe and has been for some time. The workforce report which came out during the week identified that Cork has the second lowest level of front-line staff of any hospital in the State and is down 80 nurses and midwives over that period. The workforce generally speaking rose across the system. Does the Minister accept that CUH is in need...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: EU Directives (25 Apr 2024)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: 5. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection to clarify whether she intends to taper benefits received by beneficiaries of temporary protection in advance of the ending of the temporary protection directive in 2025. [18469/24]

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: EU Directives (25 Apr 2024)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: This is an area the Minister and I have discussed before. The temporary protection directive ends next spring. It is not fair on anyone, including those in receipt of payments currently who are under temporary protection, that there be a cliff edge and uncertainty as to what will happen after that date. The Minister has made a number of remarks, not always necessarily to the same effect,...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: EU Directives (25 Apr 2024)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: It was absolutely right and necessary that people who were fleeing war and the aggression of the Russian Government would be in a position to receive protection, and the Irish people have responded with great generosity. There is no question about that. The changes that have been made already have in effect created a two-track situation between those who arrive after the date of the passing...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: EU Directives (25 Apr 2024)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: While it is the responsibility of the Minister for Justice, social welfare policy is the responsibility of the Minister opposite. In any event, further clarity is needed at the earliest possible date. It is not very clear what the picture is at this point. I will ask another question. The Minister was involved in devising the new approach in respect of designated accommodation centres....

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: EU Directives (25 Apr 2024)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: Does the Minister wish me to respond?

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: EU Directives (25 Apr 2024)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: It did appear that she wanted a response.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: EU Directives (25 Apr 2024)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: I am very happy to respond if the Minister wishes me to do so.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Payments (25 Apr 2024)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: I agree this may have been what it was intended to do but conflating the cost of disability with severity of disability, when they are not always precisely the same thing, was a problem and there were concerns. I welcome the fact the Minister has listened in that regard but what we do not know is, and this may not be decided yet, if there is a timeline on it. The Minister referred to a...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Citizens Information Services (25 Apr 2024)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: 3. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the steps she and her Department are taking to ensure workers in citizens information companies are provided with a pay increase, given the length of time since their last pay increase; and if she will provide the funding to ensure this happens [18468/24]

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Citizens Information Services (25 Apr 2024)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: More than tens of thousands of people rely on the citizens information service. It is a vitally important, high-quality service. To ensure it remains a high-quality service, we need to ensure quality staff are attracted to it. The pay has not changed for those in the citizens information service in 16 years, since 2008. That is an absolutely extraordinary amount of time considering the...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Citizens Information Services (25 Apr 2024)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: I may take some comfort from that to a small extent. I do not think it helps that there is such a baroque structure here. These are companies but they are not for profit and they are funded exclusively through the public purse. There is the Minister, the Citizens Information Board and then the citizens information service. I do not know why this is the case. Leaving that aside, it is...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Citizens Information Services (25 Apr 2024)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: I have a few other points. The Minister made the point these staff members are not public servants. They were aligned to the public sector pay structure until the previous recession. I also make the point that the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, CCPC, is aligned to public sector pay. Even MABS, which is a sister company of the citizens information service funded through...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Payments (25 Apr 2024)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: 1. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if, in light of her not proceeding further with the consultation on the Green Paper on disability payments, she intends to examine a cost-of-disability payment; and whether she intends to introduce different reforms to the disability payments. [18467/24]

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Payments (25 Apr 2024)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: I apologise to the Leas-Cheann Comhairle and the Minister for being late. I appreciate the Leas-Cheann Comhairle taking these questions now. I know Deputy Tully has a similar question, namely question No. 6. Many people welcomed the decision not to proceed further with the with consultation on the Green Paper and to walk away from the proposals examined in it. Questions now arise as to...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Payments (25 Apr 2024)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: The question still arises as to what happens next. The Indecon cost of disability report rightly indicated that different people have different costs of disability and that people with higher costs relating to their disability should receive greater support. There were a number of problems with the Green Paper. One was that it conflated severity of disability with the higher cost of...

Support for Carers: Motion [Private Members] (24 Apr 2024)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit. Tosóidh mé le ráiteas a bhfuil soiléir ach is fiú é a rá, ar aon chor. Níl aon duine ag fáil liúntas na ndaoine atá an Roinn ag tabhairt cúnamh dóibh de bharr go bhfuil sé furasta nó go bhfuil siad compordach. Tá siad á ndéanamh toisc go bhfuil sé...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulations and Directive on International Protection, Asylum and Migration: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: I have limited time, but as this is the first opportunity in these Houses to have a substantive debate about these proposals, I might outline some of my thoughts and those of my party. First, the Irish people recognise the importance of ensuring that people who are fleeing war and conflict receive protection. They also expect that a system is efficient, fair, decent and enforceable and that...