Committee to examine petitions in relation to abortion referendum, water charges and social inclusion

The Oireachtas Joint Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions will convene tomorrow to examine the following batch of public petitions received:

7 July 2015

• [Petition No. 32/13] Supplementary primary education tax payable by Australian (and other) nationals on working visas in Ireland, which calls for consideration of an additional charge for individuals on working visas with children attending government-funded schools;
• [Petition No. 27/14] Abortion Referendum (Mr. Alan Moran), requesting the Joint Committee to call for a referendum on abortion;
• [Petition No. 20/15] Affordability measures of Domestic Irish Water Charges (Mr. Ben Dalton), calling for measures to help customers who are not in a position to pay their water bills, including the introduction of an appeals process, and
• [Petition No. 24/2014] Social Inclusion, which relates to the perceived adverse impact on disadvantaged areas of the tendering out the new Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme

Chairman of the Committee Pádraig Mac Lochlainn TD says: “The Oireachtas petitions system is a direct channel for individual citizens and groups across Ireland to influence the parliamentary agenda. Tomorrow, we will have an opportunity to consider another batch of petitions relating to concerns around public service delivery. These include calls for an additional charge for parents on working holiday visas for children in State primary schools, a referendum on abortion, measures to help Irish Water customers who cannot pay water charges and for a tendering process which may have an impact on social inclusion to be reconsidered. 

“Creating a petition is simple and the process has been designed to be open, user-friendly and accessible to all. There is a standard form which we request all petitioners to complete, which is available at petitions.oireachtas.ie and can be completed and submitted online, emailed or sent by post.”

The meeting takes place tomorrow Wednesday 8 July at 4 pm in Committee Room 3, Leinster House 2000.

Committee proceedings will commence in private session before reverting to public session at approximately 4:30 pm. Public proceedings can be followed live here.

Committee proceedings can also be viewed on the move, through the Houses of the Oireachtas Smartphone App, available for Apple and Android devices.

Media enquiries to:
Paul Hand,
Communications Unit,
Houses of the Oireachtas,
P: +3531 618 4484
M: +353 87 694 9926
paul.hand@oireachtas.ie

Committee Membership
Deputies:
Richard Boyd-Barrett, Independent
Paul J Connaughton, Fine Gael
Pat Deering, Fine Gael
Michael Healy-Rae, Independent
Seamus Kirk, Fianna Fáil
Michael P. Kitt, Fianna Fáil
Pádraig MacLochlainn (Chairman), Sinn Féin
Mary Mitchell O’Connor, Fine Gael
Michelle Mulherin, Fine Gael
Derek Nolan (Vice-Chair), Labour
Aengus Ó Snodaigh, Sinn Féin
Sean Kenny, Labour
Anthony Lawlor, Fine Gael
John Halligan, Independent
Jack Wall, Labour

Senators:
Trevor Ó Clochartaigh, Sinn Féin
Jimmy Harte, Labour
Tony Mulcahy, Fine Gael
Susan O’Keeffe, Labour
Ned O'Sullivan, Fianna Fáil