Results 61-80 of 1,050,695 for in 'Dáil debates' OR (speaker:Ciarán Cuffe OR speaker:Danny Healy-Rae OR speaker:Paul Donnelly OR speaker:Darren O'Rourke OR speaker:Martin Browne OR speaker:Marc Ó Cathasaigh OR speaker:Marc MacSharry OR speaker:Anne Rabbitte) in 'Committee meetings'

Merchant Shipping (Investigation of Marine Accidents) Bill 2024: Second Stage (3 Oct 2024)

James Lawless: I thank Members for their interest in the Bill and for giving their time today and at committee previously. Before I start into the substance of that, I wish to be associated with the good wishes afforded to Deputy Joe Carey by Deputy Mattie McGrath. Deputy Carey chaired the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Transport and Communications for the past number of years. I am sure all of us in this...

Merchant Shipping (Investigation of Marine Accidents) Bill 2024: Second Stage (3 Oct 2024)

Mattie McGrath: I, too, am delighted to be able to speak about this Bill. Ba mhaith liom mo bhuíochas a ghabháil le iar-Theachta agus iar-Chathaoirleach coiste Joe Carey. In fairness to him, during his time as committee Chair, he did a lot of work on this legislation. I wish him well with his health and thank him. I also thank Michael Kingston, barrister, who assisted me and members of the...

Merchant Shipping (Investigation of Marine Accidents) Bill 2024: Second Stage (3 Oct 2024)

James Browne: I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Lawless, for bringing forward this very important legislation, the Merchant Shipping (Investigation of Marine Accidents) Bill, and compliment him on really hitting the ground running since his appointment as Minister of State at the Department of Transport and bringing forward some really important legislation and reform and doing Kildare North very...

Merchant Shipping (Investigation of Marine Accidents) Bill 2024: Second Stage (3 Oct 2024)

Catherine Murphy: The ambition of this Bill is to replace the Marine Casualty Investigation Board, a body which was flawed from its inception. The fundamental weakness of the board was the presence on the board of the chief surveyor of the Marine Survey Office and the Secretary General of the Department of Transport, people who by their positions were objectively biased. It is not about the individuals, but...

Merchant Shipping (Investigation of Marine Accidents) Bill 2024: Second Stage (3 Oct 2024)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: I am conscious the Minister of State is new to this brief, and while he will be aware there is a long history to this whole area, he may not be an expert on it, which is forgivable. Nevertheless, I want to go back over the history that got us here today. It is quite embarrassing, with episode after episode of the failure to implement expert recommendations. The Oireachtas transport and...

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...