Results 21-40 of 58 for 5 million speaker:Willie O'Dea

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Housing Assistance Payments Implementation (28 Jan 2014)

Willie O'Dea: ...initially supposed to be a short-term panacea to address short-term homelessness. However, it would now appear to be the cornerstone of the Government's policy on social housing given that some 55,000 people have been on rent supplement for more than 18 months. The Minister stated that the Government had provided for just under €400 million and it cost €414 million last...

Leaders' Questions (17 Oct 2013)

Willie O'Dea: -----and for carers, the vulnerable and the unemployed? Will the Tánaiste give the House a categoric assurance the cut of €5 million in the subvention to RTE with regard to those who receive free television licences will not result in any diminution of the benefits given to these people from the Department of Social Protection at present?

Finance Bill 2013: Second Stage (Resumed) (20 Feb 2013)

Willie O'Dea: It is always difficult to follow Deputy Timmins. I have had a look at section 24. The Deputy's reading of it, that relief is reduced from 80% to 50%, is correct. The purpose of the Finance Bill is to give legislative effect to the changes, in particular tax changes, announced in the budget. This Finance Bill, like others, provides for a number of changes, most of which are marginal and...

Social Welfare Bill 2012: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (13 Dec 2012)

Willie O'Dea: ...that everybody in receipt of carer's allowance is entitled to the respite care grant, so their income is not just the €204 per week, it is €204 plus the total of the respite grant which, divided by 52, comes to €32.50. Therefore, it is €204 plus €32.50, which makes €236.50, in effect. As a result of this change, they will come out with €6.50 a...

Social Welfare Bill 2012: Second Stage (11 Dec 2012)

Willie O'Dea: ..., they were at least progressive. According to the Economic and Social Research Institute, ESRI, as a result of last year's budget the income of the poorest 40% of households decreased by between 2% and 2.5% while the income of the richest 30% decreased by only 0.7%. As stated by Social Justice Ireland and the ESRI, in its initial report, all the indicators are that this budget...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Budget 2013: Discussion with Minister for Social Protection (26 Sep 2012)

Willie O'Dea: ...number of issues in it, especially the scale of the overall spend on social welfare and the key role it plays in the economy generally, including as a method of redistributing resources, as mentioned on page 5. It is also stated on that page that expenditure on social protection can play an important role in stabilising the economy by supporting the overall demand for goods and services...

Microenterprise Loan Fund Bill 2012: Second Stage (27 Jun 2012)

Willie O'Dea: ...are now being considered and this work will be brought to fruition for the December Budget". In November 2011, the Government press office stated that the"Government announced details of a €100 million Micro Finance Loan Fund which impact 5,000 businesses and will be in place in the first quarter of 2012". In budget 2012, the Minister for Finance stated that the loan fund was agreed...

Credit Guarantee Bill 2012: Second Stage (16 May 2012)

Willie O'Dea: ...will be provided, the Mafia will have to take the preliminary precaution of breaking Moe's arms and legs in advance. There are 200,000 small businesses in this country and they employ more than 655,000 people. Small business is the backbone of the economy but it is being starved of credit. The Minister need not take my word for that. No less an authority than the Governor of the Central...

Action Plan for Jobs 2012: Statements (16 Feb 2012)

Willie O'Dea: ...was a reduction in VAT for some sectors, as this seems to have been reversed - in part at least - by a VAT increase in the budget. This comes at a time when the Government's statistics show that 54% of the people in this country over the past 12 months have reduced their spending on essentials such as groceries. Those statistics also indicate that 5% of the people, or one in every 20...

Protection of Employees (Temporary Agency Work) Bill 2011: Second Stage (11 Jan 2012)

Willie O'Dea: ...of a lifestyle choice. It suits them to work in a temporary capacity. It is difficult to identify the number of agency workers here at present but the best estimate is that there are between 35,000 and 45,000 of them. The availability of the facility of agency work is especially important to the multinationals which invest in this country and on which a great deal of our economic...

Competition (Amendment) Bill 2011: Second Stage (8 Nov 2011)

Willie O'Dea: ...the 2002 Act, been resolved or does some work remain to be done on the new Bill? I welcome some elements of this proposal in so far as they are minor improvements. For example, I welcome section 5 on res judicata. It provides that, if the facts of acting contrary to competition law have already been established, they will not need to be proved again. This will save time, expense and...

Patents (Amendment) Bill 2011: Second Stage (6 Oct 2011)

Willie O'Dea: ...according to national laws and international agreements. Patents in one form or another have been with us for some time. The first recorded instance we can trace of a patent being granted was in 500 BC when the Greek city of Sybaris granted a patent to people who were developing new refinements of luxury. Sybaris was clearly a wealthy city, perhaps akin to Ireland at the height of the...

Jobs Initiative 2011: Statements (10 May 2011)

Willie O'Dea: ...made by the Minister and some of his colleagues. However, it is made reasonably clear in today's statement, which I welcome. It would appear that in respect of jobs which generate up to €356 per week income an employer who creates such a job will have his or her employer's PRSI halved, from 8.5% to 4.5%. The Minister must recognise there is a danger in this situation. What about the...

The Economy: Statements (Resumed) (28 Jan 2009)

Willie O'Dea: ...moribund economies. Ireland has adopted two approaches, namely, we are spending massively in an effort to stimulate our economy and invest for the future. This year, we will borrow more than 5% of our GDP to invest in capital projects, which is enormous when compared with what other countries are doing in this regard. It is proportionately the largest capital programme in the European...

Estimates for Public Services 2008 (11 Dec 2008)

Willie O'Dea: ...and the District Court and of certain other minor services as are not charged to the Central Fund. Vote 26 — Education and Science (Supplementary). That a supplementary sum not exceeding €15,500,000 be granted to defray the charge which will come in course of payment during the year ending on the 31st day of December 2008, for the salaries and expenses of the Office of the Minister for...

Written Answers — Naval Service Operations: Naval Service Operations (26 Nov 2008)

Willie O'Dea: ...by my Department following a detailed examination of the needs of the Naval Service. This programme will cover the period up to 2012. Three ships will fall due for replacement over the next 3 to 5 years — LE Emer, commissioned in 1978, LE Aoife, commissioned in 1979 and LE Aisling, commissioned in 1980. The strategy combined with a continuous process of refurbishment will ensure that...

Written Answers — Defence Forces Pensions: Defence Forces Pensions (22 Oct 2008)

Willie O'Dea: The gross cost of Defence Force Pensions for the years 2003-2007 is set out below. 2003 — €133m (million) 2004 — €143m 2005 — €150m 2006 — €164m 2007 — €177m These amounts include all superannuation type benefits (pensions and gratuities) payable to ex-members of the Permanent Defence Forces (PDF) and their dependants. Details of the average ages and service of all...

Written Answers — Overseas Missions: Overseas Missions (2 Jul 2008)

Willie O'Dea: I propose to take Questions Nos. 134, 231, 232 and 235 together. Ireland is currently contributing 816 Defence Forces personnel to 13 different missions throughout the world. Full details, including ranks, of all personnel currently serving overseas are listed in the tabular statement. The main overseas missions, in which Defence Forces personnel are deployed, are the UN Mandated EU...

Written Answers — Departmental Projects: Departmental Projects (17 Jun 2008)

Willie O'Dea: ...both Permanent and Reserve. The programme focuses mainly on infrastructural projects comprising the construction of new buildings and the refurbishment of existing buildings. Since 1999 over €250 million has been expended on the programme. Estimated expenditure this year is €29.6 million including a carryover of €3 million savings from 2007. The following are the capital projects...

Written Answers — European Defence Agency: European Defence Agency (29 May 2008)

Willie O'Dea: ...undertaking any operation. As such, the development of enhanced capabilities in this area is one in which the Defence Forces have a great interest. The JIP-FP Programme, which has a budget of €55 million over 3 years (which commenced in 2007) covers 18 specific research and technology goals under 5 capability areas: Collective (units, platforms, infrastructure) survivability through...