Results 61-80 of 1,045,831 for in 'Dáil debates' OR in 'Committee meetings' (speaker:Claire Kerrane OR speaker:Patrick Costello OR speaker:Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire OR speaker:Josepha Madigan OR speaker:Pa Daly OR speaker:Martin Browne OR speaker:Leo Varadkar OR speaker:Dessie Ellis)

Committee on Public Petitions: Business of Joint Committee (3 Oct 2024)

Martin Browne: We will suspend the meeting for 15 minutes.

Committee on Public Petitions: Business of Joint Committee (3 Oct 2024)

Martin Browne: Apologies have been received from Senator Murphy and Senator Craughwell. We will go into private session to deal with some housekeeping matters.

Committee on Public Petitions: Business of Joint Committee (3 Oct 2024)

Martin Browne: The first item on our agenda are the minutes of the private and public sessions of our meeting on 26 September 2024. They already have been approved in a virtual private meeting but we must do this for procedural reasons. Is that agreed? Agreed.

Committee on Public Petitions: Petition on Pensions and Social Security Legislation (3 Oct 2024)

Martin Browne: The next item of business is our engagement with petitioner Mr. Frank Moran, regarding petition No. P00058/2024, entitled Flawed Legislation relating to Pensions and Social Security. Before we start, I wish to explain some limitations to parliamentary privilege and the practice of the Houses as regards references to other persons witnesses may make in their evidence. The evidence of...

Committee on Public Petitions: Petition on Pensions and Social Security Legislation (3 Oct 2024)

Martin Browne: I thank Mr. Moran for joining us. It is important that any legislation be designed in a manner that does not infringe on anybody's rights or issues of equality and that it be done in such a way that people do not fall through loopholes, which seems to be a lot of what is going on. Will Mr. Moran bring us back to when he was advised to opt out of the original scheme, as he put it? What were...

Committee on Public Petitions: Petition on Pensions and Social Security Legislation (3 Oct 2024)

Martin Browne: Will Mr. Moran speak to what appear to be the irregular timelines that may have had an effect on his ability to adapt to the changes to the occupational pension schemes?

Committee on Public Petitions: Petition on Pensions and Social Security Legislation (3 Oct 2024)

Martin Browne: Has the Department given any reason it will remove that one line relating to the 36 months?

Committee on Public Petitions: Petition on Pensions and Social Security Legislation (3 Oct 2024)

Martin Browne: Pass the buck.

Committee on Public Petitions: Petition on Pensions and Social Security Legislation (3 Oct 2024)

Martin Browne: One place we can go is to find out, as the Deputy said, about the 36-month rule. If it can be removed, we will recommend that it be removed. Looking at the Department's response, it claims that the 36-month rule was introduced because if it was not, it could potentially give rise to unequal treatment of opposite-sex couples. Will Mr. Moran give his response to that? Where does he think...

Committee on Public Petitions: Petition on Pensions and Social Security Legislation (3 Oct 2024)

Martin Browne: Some of the problem here, which we have seen not just in this case, is that no one wants to take responsibility, as Deputy Buckley said. It is just passed on to someone else. Will Mr. Moran describe the impact on him of the circumstances he has fallen foul of? In light of the fact that he was less than four months outside the deadline to be approved, despite being in a long-term...

Committee on Public Petitions: Petition on Pensions and Social Security Legislation (3 Oct 2024)

Martin Browne: I think I can speak for Deputy Buckley and anybody else who is online in saying that in 2024, people are entitled to equality and fair treatment. It is a crazy situation that in 2024, even after the passing of the referendum and that, Mr. Moran has to come in and put his whole life story in front of the public. It comes back to someone having decided that it would be put in, but no one...

Committee on Public Petitions: Petition on Pensions and Social Security Legislation (3 Oct 2024)

Martin Browne: We will contact the Library and Research Service. We can write to the Minister, as the Deputy said, to ask this to be reviewed and see what steps we can take to get that line removed.

Committee on Public Petitions: Petition on Pensions and Social Security Legislation (3 Oct 2024)

Martin Browne: As I said, everybody is entitled to equality. People should not have to come before these committees to get equality. That should come as natural at this stage.

Committee on Public Petitions: Petition on Pensions and Social Security Legislation (3 Oct 2024)

Martin Browne: We will hopefully get something done, or get it raised anyway, before an election. Will Mr. Moran respond to the letter he got from the Department of Social Protection?

Committee on Public Petitions: Petition on Pensions and Social Security Legislation (3 Oct 2024)

Martin Browne: Yes. I thank Mr. Moran for coming to speak to us today. We will suspend and then continue in public session but he will stay with us in the Gallery. We will again talk about his petition in that public session and will make the recommendation in public. You never know, the Minister might be looking in on us. We might not have to write to her if that is the case. We will suspend the...

Committee on Public Petitions: Decisions on Public Petitions Received (3 Oct 2024)

Martin Browne: We will now consider the public petitions. I propose that first, the petitions considered by the committee at this meeting and previous meetings may be published and that, second, the replies from the Departments and other bodies may also be published. Is that agreed? Agreed. We have five petitions for consideration today and they are as follows: the first one is No. P00041/24, "Travel...

Committee on Public Petitions: Decisions on Public Petitions Received (3 Oct 2024)

Martin Browne: Agreed. Petition No. P00052/24, "Social Welfare Entitlements for Clergy’ from Mr. Matthew Farrell. The petitioner worked as a Roman Catholic priest from 1970 to 1987 and no social welfare stamps were paid for him. He is unable now to claim full pension entitlements and requests that his entitlements be backdated. Actions taken by him to resolve this issue before submitting the...

Committee on Public Petitions: Decisions on Public Petitions Received (3 Oct 2024)

Martin Browne: The next petition is No. P00060/24, “Voting for Irish Born Citizens Abroad”, from Ms Gráinne McLoughlin, and is regarding allowing Irish-born citizens their right to vote as stated in the 9th amendment of the Constitution. The voting rights in Ireland are rigid in comparison with other EU member states. The petitioner states that 36 European countries in 2006 allowed...

Committee on Public Petitions: Decisions on Public Petitions Received (3 Oct 2024)

Martin Browne: We see it on television. When there are elections in every other country, people go to their embassies in Ireland and cast their vote.

Committee on Public Petitions: Decisions on Public Petitions Received (3 Oct 2024)

Martin Browne: It does not seem to be rocket science. That is agreed. That concludes our consideration of public petitions this afternoon. I invite members of the public to submit petitions via our online portal, which is available at petitions.oireachtas.ie. A petition may be addressed to the Houses of the Oireachtas on a matter of general public concern or interest or an issue of public policy. Next...