Results 61-80 of 1,059,617 for in 'Dáil debates' OR (speaker:John McGuinness OR speaker:Pádraig O'Sullivan OR speaker:Michael Healy-Rae OR speaker:Pat Buckley OR speaker:Brian Leddin OR speaker:Martin Browne) in 'Committee meetings'

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)

Pat Buckley: In less than 36 months?

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

Pat Buckley: Mr. Moran has just spelled it out, from start to finish. The wording "transitional conditions" could have been expanded or squeezed back in. We have big problems here with accountability and responsibility when things happen and the lack of a commonsense approach. Mr. Moran spoke about the 36-month rule. That change can be made but, again, it will have to be through legislation. He has...

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

Pat Buckley: I am stumped, and Mr. Moran pointed out the delay in those transitional periods very clearly, by the way in which he and others have possibly been penalised, even though it looks like an oversight. However, nobody is saying it is an oversight because, again, nobody is taking responsibility.

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)

Pat Buckley: I need to find out whether this can be done and if it can, that this requirement be removed and the legislation tweaked. It should be done because it is the right and fair thing to do. I suspect Mr. Moran has been at this a very long time. It is not easy to come here. He has come to a public committee to tell his story about this. The way he has been mistreated is extremely unfair. I...

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)

Pat Buckley: I echo what the Chair said. As I said, a common-sense approach is pretty difficult in the House at times, believe it or not. I suggest going to the Minister to flag it up and ask whether the Department is aware of it. Also, the research and library-----

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)

Pat Buckley: Expeditiously.

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)

Pat Buckley: We could have called this committee the lastchance.com committee. It is lastchance.com for a lot of people, individuals and groups. I am very happy. We have a wonderful team and, by God, they are committed. Hopefully, we can move this forward as fast as we can.