Showing results 1 - 10 of 17 for the category: Issue 22 – November 2011(2).
Oireachtas Brief §22 October 2011 (2)
Welcome to Oireachtas Brief, the information service for social justice NGOs and voluntary sector activists interested in issues of poverty and social exclusion in the Oireachtas. Oireachtas Brief is provided by The Wheel and the European Anti Poverty Network (EAPN)…
Poverty, debt, low pay, national poverty targets and the budget
There were discussions in both houses on the report of the interdepartmental working group on mortgage arrears (Seanad Eireann, Debates, 25th October 2011, 48). Katherine Zappone (ind, Taoiseach nominee) described this as a prime opportunity to tackle poverty. Instead of…
Social partnership, appointments, dissolution of Comhar, Library Council
Creation of new state agencies in economic field The Taoiseach told Micheal Martin (FF, Cork SC) that he had met members of the social partnership organizations, including the environment pillar and the voluntary and community pillar, when he addressed the…
Taxes, charities and the Charities Act
In the Seanad, Michael Mullins (FG, cultural and educational) appealed for improved tax reliefs for charities (Seanad Eireann, 4th October 2011, 499). Charities were struggling to keep pace with increased demand for their services and they sought a 41% tax…
Funding issues: women seeking refuge, Foroige’s Big brother, big sister; youth cafés; St Michael’s House
Several deputies raised the issue of funding for services delivered by voluntary and community organizations. Joan Collins (PBP, Dublin SC) raised the issue of domestic violence services. There had been a 42% increase in demand for domestic violence services in…
Appeal for action on begging
Several senators raised the issue of begging. John Kelly (Lab, administrative) told of how he was approached every night by two, three or four more people (Seanad Eireann, Debates, 4th October 2011, 503). One night last week, he was approached…
Children in prison
Ivana Bacik (Lab, Dublin University) raised the continued detention of children in St Patrick’s Institution (Seanad Eireann, Debates, 6th October 2011, 662-4). It was a medium security building dated to 1850 and the government had given a commitment to close…
Human rights record
Katherine Zappone (ind, Taoiseach nominee) demanded that the government list its voluntary commitments to human rights. She was off to Geneva to observe the United Nations review of Ireland’s human rights record and as part of this process governments were…
Disability value-for-money review
Senator Trevor O Clochartaigh (SF, agricultural) appealed to the government to adopt a national vision policy (Seanad Eireann, Debates, 19th October 2011, 950-3). The Vision Impaired Service Providers Alliance (VISPA), which comprised the National council for the Blind, Irish Guide…
Social welfare appeals
The growing volume of social welfare appeals was raised by deputies on several occasions. Barry Cowen (FF, Laois Offaly) spoke of how he and his colleagues had been inundated with representations from people looking for social welfare social welfare benefits…
