Results 1-20 of 20 for carers speaker:Catherine Ardagh

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (31 Jan 2024)

Catherine Ardagh: ...and a modern political democracy. I was disgusted for her that this was allowed to happen. In Ireland over the next few months, we are facing an important referendum to widen the scope of families and carers, as well as local and European elections. There are dozens of challenges to democracies around the world in various countries. The proliferation of the use of AI as a tool for...

Seanad: Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2023: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Dec 2023)

Catherine Ardagh: I welcome the review, especially as regards the means-testing of carer's payments, which is an issue we have raised in this House on numerous occasions. It needs to be looked into to ensure it is fair for carers and those they are caring for. The second issue I raise is the thresholds for the fuel allowance. There are many ancillary benefits available to people who qualify for the fuel...

Seanad: Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2023: Second Stage (7 Dec 2023)

Catherine Ardagh: ...let people know this is there and they have to log in and find the time to do it. It is a welcome change. I thank the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, because I know she worked hard to get this over the line. It is wonderful for carers. It is not just politicians who have been campaigning for this but a lot of civic society groups. It is a really good day for them as well. It was one of...

Seanad: Address to Seanad Éireann by An Taoiseach (28 Sep 2023)

Catherine Ardagh: ...in relation to the cost of disability, especially looking at the core social welfare payments and domiciliary care payments for families with a child with a disability.I also ask for the issue of carers to be examined. There was a great debate in this House yesterday by the women's caucus in relation to family carers and getting rid of the means test for family caring. I hope something...

Seanad: Care Payments: Motion [Private Members] (12 Jul 2023)

Catherine Ardagh: ...welcome the Minister. I thank the Labour Party for tabling this motion. It is really important and timely because we have the budget discussions. As my colleague said, there are 500,000 or more carers in the country. I have a son who has level three autism. He is non-verbal and has severe, challenging behaviours. I am constantly up at two in the morning, but I have a privileged life....

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (3 May 2023)

Catherine Ardagh: ...last year in aid of her local school and the school of her young brothers who have severe autism and are non-verbal. She is now sitting the leaving certificate maths to raise money for AsIAm and Family Carers Ireland. It was important to listen to her voice as a sibling and also her father’s voice. Both their speeches were powerful. However, her mother’s voice was...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2022: Second Stage (7 Dec 2022)

Catherine Ardagh: ...of the principal social welfare payments. This budget will see more people qualifying for the working family payment and the qualified child allowance and the fuel allowance are being increased. So too are payments to carers and to people on community employment schemes. This is on top of other benefits and once-off inflationary measures. Budget 2023 was one of the largest social...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2021: Second Stage (16 Dec 2021)

Catherine Ardagh: ...in the fuel allowance. Some €23.3 billion will be spent on social welfare in 2022, including an €870 million budget package. As the Minister stated, she spearheaded the change in means testing for the carer's allowance. I know that I and all my Fianna Fáil colleagues, such as Deputy Calleary and Senator Chambers, have worked with carers to try to promote and seek that...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2020: Second Stage (14 Dec 2020)

Catherine Ardagh: ...will not be a requirement to sign on, to partake in any activation measures or to be available for and genuinely seeking work. Other measures in the Bill provide for hugely welcome increases in the carer's support grant, the living alone allowance, the fuel allowance and the working family payment threshold. It also provides for the removal of the one-parent family earnings threshold....

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (8 May 2019)

Catherine Ardagh: ...sympathies to the family of Feargal Quinn on my behalf and on behalf of the Fianna Fáil group. Today, I raise the issue of the crisis we see in home care throughout the country, not only by paid carers but by unpaid carers. We see huge discrepancies between various local authorities in the allocation of home adaptation grants.Some local authorities spend up to €22 million...

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Oct 2018)

Catherine Ardagh: ...in today's budget, which was yet another progressive budget because of the Fianna Fáil influence. We saw many progressive announcements today, including an increase in the old age pension, unemployment benefit, carer's allowance and the disability allowance, a reduction in the pupil-teacher ratio and an increase in spending on the National Treatment Purchase Fund. We will also see...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Pre-Budget Discussion: Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection (25 Sep 2018)

Catherine Ardagh: ...to the time of the marriage bar, I know it is costly at about €290 million. Has the Minister given any more thought to that? My colleague, Deputy O'Dea, welcomed the assessment times for carers allowance, jobseekers allowance and disability allowance. I am glad to see they are reducing. We still need to ensure that the timeframe is reduced further. When somebody is applying for...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2017: Committee Stage (13 Dec 2017)

Catherine Ardagh: I move amendment No. 8:In page 14, after line 18, to insert the following:“Review of carer related payments 20.The Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection shall review all carer related payments under the remit of her Department and in particular the Carers Support Grant with a view to determining its adequacy and suitability for current needs and shall bring forward a...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2017: Second Stage (7 Dec 2017)

Catherine Ardagh: ...working less than 19 hours per week and may be in just as much need as those currently receiving this payment. We believe that such a move has the potential to benefit lone parents, in particular those who are parenting alone and are the sole carers of their children. We are happy to support the Bill and we look forward to the new rates being introduced in March.

Seanad: Order of Business (6 Dec 2017)

Catherine Ardagh: While Brexit negotiations are under way, there are many other issues that the Government needs to tackle. Last night's "Prime Time Investigates" programme illustrated the lack of support for carers. Many of us are well aware of this, but it took a "Prime Time" programme to bring it to light for the general public and the political community at large. There are 200,000 people dedicated to...

Seanad: Order of Business (28 Sep 2017)

Catherine Ardagh: Today I would like to raise two matters, the first being respite services and the second being the rail strike. With regard to respite services, there are over 360,000 people who act as carers. They have been very badly affected by funding cuts and staff shortages. The result is that many carers are often left in a position in which they have no time off, which is having a negative impact...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Priorities for Department of Social Protection: Minister for Social Protection (7 Sep 2016)

Catherine Ardagh: ...our constituencies. Everyone has a story about families and the elderly. I would like to see an increase in pensions. I would also like to see, as Senator Alice-Mary Higgins mentioned, bringing in carers' credits and backdating the home-makers' disregard. I would like to know what exactly the Minister is considering in terms of pension equality. The sum of €19 per week for a...

Seanad: Tax and Social Welfare Codes: Motion (19 Jul 2016)

Catherine Ardagh: I thank Senators Butler and O'Reilly for bringing this motion before the House. It is very close to my heart as a self-employed individual. I thank the Minister for taking the time to address the House. I am solicitor but, if I did not know better, I would believe I was an agent of the Revenue Commissioners. The taxes I collect include stamp duty, VAT, employer's PRSI, employee's PAYE, my...

Seanad: Order of Business (6 Jul 2016)

Catherine Ardagh: ...them vulnerable to abuse by those who, as the statistics have shown, are closest to them and meant to be their care givers. ALONE has reported that the abuse of older people is often carried out by a carer or family member on whom the older person relies.As a result the abused individual is often fearful of speaking out and losing their only source of contact, help or support. Elder...

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Jun 2016)

Catherine Ardagh: ...reports on Seanad reform in recent times and I am pleased to say that the Fianna Fáil group will be spearheading and supporting reforms over the course of this Seanad. As all Members are aware, this is national carer's week. We all accept and recognise that carers play an integral role in our society, looking after loved ones and family members at a substantially reduced cost to the...