DOCSLIB.ORG

Dáil Éireann

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Dáil Éireann Vol. 760 Thursday, No. 2 22 March 2012 DÍOSPÓIREACHTAÍ PARLAIMINTE PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES DÁIL ÉIREANN TUAIRISC OIFIGIÚIL—Neamhcheartaithe (OFFICIAL REPORT—Unrevised) Déardaoin, 22 Márta 2012. Leaders’ Questions ……………………………… 393 Order of Business ……………………………… 403 Private Members’ Business European Stability Mechanism: Motion (resumed)………………… 408 Motor Vehicle (Duties and Licences) Bill 2012: Order for Report Stage …………………………… 434 Report and Final Stages …………………………… 434 Electoral (Amendment) (Political Funding) Bill 2011 [Seanad]: Second Stage (resumed)………435 Topical Issue Matters ……………………………… 461 Topical Issue Debate: Fraud Prevention ……………………………… 461 Mental Health Services …………………………… 464 Bank Guarantee Scheme …………………………… 466 Ceisteanna—Questions Minister for Children and Youth Affairs Priority Questions …………………………… 469 Message from Seanad ……………………………… 471 Ceisteanna—Questions (resumed) Minister for Children and Youth Affairs Priority Questions (resumed) ……………………… 471 Other Questions ……………………………… 481 Questions: Written Answers …………………………… 491 DÁIL ÉIREANN ———— Déardaoin, 22 Márta 2012. Thursday, 22 March 2012. ———— Chuaigh an Leas-Cheann Comhairle i gceannas ar 10.30 a.m. ———— Paidir. Prayer. ———— Leaders’ Questions Deputy Niall Collins: Before the general election the Tánaiste promised that the Labour Party in government would not impose cuts to social welfare payments. Following the Govern- ment’s first budget, as the detail emerged in the days and weeks after the announcement, we saw that the exact opposite was the case. The disadvantaged were targeted like never before. The social welfare cuts agreed to by the Government were cruel, the proposed disability allow- ance cuts being particularly cruel, with a more than 50% reduction in some allowances. The Government then paused this budget measure amid opposition and clamour from within this Chamber to add to that from disability groups and campaigners. People with disabilities have been left in limb, as they do not know for certain where they stand with the Government or whether they receive recognition. The proposed cuts are deeply unfair. Young people with disabilities look forward to having an income of their own. They look forward to the independence it gives and the certainty and quality of life it brings. Cutting the disability allowance for young people up to the age of 24 years was wrong and should be reversed. The Government admitted the mistake it had made in delivering the equality of opportunity in schools, DEIS, scheme. It is time to do the same with this proposal. The budgets announced in 2008, 2009 and 2010 were tough, but, at least, they were fair and did not target those most in need. This was independently confirmed by the Economic and Social Research Institute which also observed that the 2011 Budget Statement was exceptionally regressive. Does the Tánaiste still stand over the regressive Budget Statement of 2011? Will he confirm that the proposed cuts to disability allowance will not proceed? A Deputy: Will we have no mention of the Mahon tribunal report? The Tánaiste: Deputy Niall Collins is correct that the Government committed to imposing no reductions in basic social welfare payments. Deputy Niall Collins: I did not say that. The Tánaiste: We honoured that commitment in the budget. The Government is absolutely committed to defending the position of people with disabilities and their families, working with them and supporting them. That work is underpinned by that being carried out by the Minister of State at the Department of Health, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, the Minister for Health, Deputy 393 Leaders’ 22 March 2012. Questions [The Tánaiste.] James Reilly, and the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Joan Burton. The Government has given a commitment to defend people with disabilities and ensure their needs are fully met. Deputy Niall Collins: The Tánaiste did not address the question I posed. The Government paused this budget measure. People who suffer from disabilities and are in receipt of disability allowance are entitled to respect and have certainty in the payments they can expect to receive from the State to support them in their day-to-day lives. Their daily lives are full of challenges. The decision to pause this budget measure included charging the chairperson of the Com- mission on Social Welfare and Taxation to carry out a review. Where stands that review? Are the people concerned not entitled to know exactly where they stand? The uncertainty must end. The Government is trying to rewrite and re-present some of its budget measures. Where do people with disabilities stand and when will they know the position on the budget announce- ment to cut their disability allowance payments? The Tánaiste: The change to the disability allowance was, as the Deputy says, paused. That position has not changed. I find it remarkable that on a day the Government has progress to report in regard to the promissory note and when we have just seen the publication of the report of the Mahon tribunal, the only issue Fianna Fáil can find to raise during Leaders’ Questions is one that has—— (Interruptions). An Leas-Cheann Comhairle: Order, please. Deputy Timmy Dooley: We care about real people. My party cares about people with dis- abilities. An Leas-Cheann Comhairle: The Tánaiste to continue, without interruption. The Tánaiste: It is an issue that has already been dealt with by the Government. Deputy Billy Kelleher: It has not. (Interruptions). An Leas-Cheann Comhairle: Order, please. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald: The Tánaiste has failed to answer the first question he was asked. Let us see how I get on. Last night’s announcement by the Minister for Finance on the promissory note, during the debate on a Sinn Féin Private Members’ motion on the European Stability Mechanism, black- mail clause, begs more questions than it answers. Deputy Colm Keaveney: The Deputy’s party has been talking about blackmail for 800 years. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald: The Sinn Féin Party has been raising this issue for more than one year and calling for a write-down of this odious debt. If a deal is agreed today with the European Central Bank which will result in a write-down of the debt, Sinn Féin will be the first to welcome it. (Interruptions). An Leas-Cheann Comhairle: Deputies, please. 394 Leaders’ 22 March 2012. Questions Deputy Mary Lou McDonald: Before any of us pass judgment on the deal, there are a number of questions that must be asked. Will this deal reduce the State’s liabilities to Anglo Irish Bank? Will the debt heaped on the shoulders of citizens by Fianna Fáil in 2010 and honoured by the Government to the tune of €3.1 billion last year be reduced? Will the deal announced last night by the Minister for Finance, Deputy Michael Noonan, have any effect on the State’s debt-to-GDP ratio and, in turn, any impact on Ireland’s return to the bond markets next year? Will it have any impact on this year’s deficit or the Government’s plans to suck €3.8 billion from the economy in 2012 and a further €2.25 billion in 2013? Deputy Emmet Stagg: On a point of order—— Deputy Joe Higgins: Suí síos. An Leas-Cheann Comhairle: There are no points of order during Leaders’ Questions. Deputy Emmet Stagg should resume his seat. Deputy Emmet Stagg: Has a script been circulated? Deputy Finian McGrath: The Deputy cannot take the heat. He should get out of the kitchen. An Leas-Cheann Comhairle: I thank Deputy Mary Lou McDonald whose time is up. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald: No; excuse me, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle—— An Leas-Cheann Comhairle: The Deputy’s time is up. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald: I have been barracked constantly by other Members. An Leas-Cheann Comhairle: Will the Deputy please finish her question? Deputy Mary Lou McDonald: I wish to conclude my remarks. An Leas-Cheann Comhairle: A question, please. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald: Will any deal agreed in Frankfurt alter fundamentally the nature of the debt, changing it from a toxic banking debt to a sovereign bond debt? Deputy Derek Keating: That is some question. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan: It is a Second Stage speech. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald: The question concerns whether the Government has actually secured a deal that will reduce the debt which will represent a write-down of the debt to Anglo- Irish Bank and if in so doing, it will reduce the deficit and the extent of the cutbacks and hardship experienced by millions of people across the State. The Tánaiste: First, to correct the Deputy, the debt did not just materialise in 2010. It materi- alised in 2008 when her party voted for the bank bailout. (Interruptions). An Leas-Cheann Comhairle: Order, please. The Tánaiste: That is the reason we are in this fix and the reason the Government is trying to fix it. It was landed with the highly expensive method of financing Anglo Irish Bank and 395 Leaders’ 22 March 2012. Questions [The Tánaiste.] the Irish Nationwide Building Society via promissory notes as a result of the disastrous banking policies of the previous Government. Deputy Billy Kelleher: The Tánaiste stated the Government would renegotiate, but it has done nothing. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: That is what we are doing. The Tánaiste: Yes, and we have. Deputy Billy Kelleher: It is Mr. Draghi’s poodle. An Leas-Cheann Comhairle: Order, please. The Tánaiste: Since taking office the Government has been working hard to lessen the cost to the taxpayer of rescuing the banks. Deputy Timmy Dooley: Who told the Tánaiste that? The Tánaiste: This has involved a long process of building trust and confidence with our partners in Europe. Deputy Niall Collins: No points of order are now being raised. The Tánaiste: The Government has committed itself to informing the Dáil about any signifi- cant development in the payment of the promissory note at the end of the month.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Politics of Irish Beef, Fintan O'toole, Vintage, 1995, 0099514516, 9780099514510, 292 Pages
    Meanwhile back at the ranch: the politics of Irish beef, Fintan O'Toole, Vintage, 1995, 0099514516, 9780099514510, 292 pages. DOWNLOAD HERE Stakeknife Britain's Secret Agents in Ireland, Greg Harkin, Martin Ingram, 2004, Informers, 266 pages. BESTSELLER An explosive exposГ© of how British military intelligence really works, from the inside. The stories of two undercover agents -- Brian Nelson, who worked for the .... Disillusioned decades Ireland 1966-87, Tim Pat Coogan, 1987, History, 258 pages. Trends and developments affecting South Dakota's beef industry , Raymond Olaf Gaarder, 1971, Business & Economics, 33 pages. Meanwhile Back at the Ranch , Trinka Hakes Noble, Tony Ross, Sep 1, 1992, , 32 pages. Looking for some diversion, a bored rancher drives to the town of Sleepy Gulch, little knowing that some amazing things are happening to his wife and his ranch during his .... The Informer , Sean O'Callaghan, 1999, Informers, 493 pages. In 1988 IRA terrorist Sean O'Callaghan walked into a police station and gave himself up. Sentenced to 539 years' imprisonment for IRA crimes including two murders and many .... The politics of magic the work and times of Tom Murphy, Fintan O'Toole, 1987, Drama, 200 pages. Hook, line & sinker , Len Deighton, Oct 1, 1991, Fiction, 730 pages. Socio-demographic characteristics of U.S. consumers associated with the selection of beef products implications for the New Zealand beef industry, , 1992, Business & Economics, 28 pages. The Lie of the Land Irish Identities, Fintan O'Toole, 1997, Social Science, 172 pages. A collection of essays focusing on contemporary Irish culture, discussing nationalism, sexual politics, the Church, and Ireland's place in a global economy.
    [Show full text]
  • PDF(All Devices)
    Published by: The Irish Times Limited (Irish Times Books) © The Irish Times 2014. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of The Irish Times Limited, or under terms agreed with the appropriate reprographic rights organisation or as expressly permitted by law. Contents Watching from a window as we all stay the same ................................................................ 4 Emigration- an Irish guarantor of continuity ........................................................................ 7 Completing a transaction called Ireland ................................................................................ 9 In the land of wink and nod ................................................................................................. 13 Rhetoric, reality and the proper Charlie .............................................................................. 16 The rise to becoming a beggar on horseback ...................................................................... 19 The real spiritual home of Fianna Fáil ................................................................................ 21 Electorate gives ethics the cold shoulders ........................................................................... 24 Corruption well known – and nothing was done ................................................................ 26 Questions the IRA is happy to ignore ................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Tony Heffernan Papers P180 Ucd Archives
    TONY HEFFERNAN PAPERS P180 UCD ARCHIVES [email protected] www.ucd.ie/archives T + 353 1 716 7555 F + 353 1 716 1146 © 2013 University College Dublin. All rights reserved ii CONTENTS CONTEXT Administrative History iv Archival History v CONTENT AND STRUCTURE Scope and Content vi System of Arrangement viii CONDITIONS OF ACCESS AND USE Access x Language x Finding Aid x DESCRIPTION CONTROL Archivist’s Note x ALLIED MATERIALS Published Material x iii CONTEXT Administrative History The Tony Heffernan Papers represent his long association with the Workers’ Party, from his appointment as the party’s press officer in July 1982 to his appointment as Assistant Government Press Secretary, as the Democratic Left nominee in the Rainbow Coalition government between 1994 and 1997. The papers provide a significant source for the history of the development of the party and its policies through the comprehensive series of press statements issued over many years. In January 1977 during the annual Sinn Féin Árd Fheis members voted for a name change and the party became known as Sinn Féin the Workers’ Party. A concerted effort was made in the late 1970s to increase the profile and political representation of the party. In 1979 Tomás MacGiolla won a seat in Ballyfermot in the local elections in Dublin. Two years later in 1981 the party saw its first success at national level with the election of Joe Sherlock in Cork East as the party’s first TD. In 1982 Sherlock, Paddy Gallagher and Proinsias de Rossa all won seats in the general election. In 1981 the Árd Fheis voted in favour of another name change to the Workers’ Party.
    [Show full text]
  • In Plain Sight Responding to the Ferns, Ryan, Murphy and Cloyne Reports
    In Plain Sight Responding to the Ferns, Ryan, Murphy and Cloyne Reports Carole Holohan 1 In Plain Sight: Responding to the Ferns, Ryan, Murphy and Cloyne Reports Comissioned by Amnesty International Ireland Carole Holohan BA, MA, PhD is the primary author. Some research for chapters one and three was externally commissioned. Published September 2011 © Amnesty International Ireland Seán MacBride House 48 Fleet Street Dublin 2 Ireland Except for the quotation of short passages for the purpose of criticism or review, no part of this document may be reproduced without permission. ISBN 978-0-9555600-4-0 Photography from 'The Echo of a Silent Cry' by Dianne Whyte. Typeset in Trade Gothic Design by swollen.ie Printed by Colorman In Plain Sight “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights”. Article 1, Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) Contents 7 Preface 14 The Advisory Group 15 Acknowledgements 17 Introduction 27 Summary and Key Findings 43 Chapter 1: The Human Rights Abuses 48 Children’s Rights 52 Specific Rights Abuses 52 Torture, Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment 67 Right to Private and Family Life 71 Due Process Rights for Children in Conflict with the Law 73 Right to be free from Slavery and Forced labour 75 Social and Economic Rights 77 Right to be free from Discrimination 79 Accountability for Human Rights Violations 79 The State 84 Private Individuals 86 Civil Society 103 Chapter 2: Why did this happen? 106 Responsibility and Accountability: Who was responsible? 106 Non-State Actors - Agents of the Roman
    [Show full text]