Written Answers Nos. 121-137
121. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the extent to which her Department proposes to continue to address the issue of child poverty, as outlined in the recently published UNICEF report, with particular reference to identifying and addressing the situation as it relates to the most vulnerable children; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41678/14]
View answerThe Social Inclusion Monitor, the official report on progress on poverty using national and EU indicators, reports that the rate of consistent poverty for children in 2012 was 9.9 per cent or 115,000 children. This compares with an average of 8.7 per cent for the years preceding the crisis (2005-2008) or 91,000 children. Using the at-risk-of-poverty measure, 18.8 per cent of children were in poverty in 2012, as compared with 20.8 per cent in the years preceding the crisis. Compared with EU member states, Ireland was ranked 12th of 28th in 2012, an improvement of two places on 2008.
The Government has already adopted a key recommendation of the UNICEF report - to make an explicit commitment to end child poverty - by setting a child poverty sub-target in April 2014, which is to lift 70,000 children out of poverty by 2020. The Department of Social Protection helps to prevent child poverty by providing income support for families through child benefit, qualified child increases for welfare recipients, family income supplement and the back to school clothing and footwear allowance, amounting to €2.3 billion in 2014. Through these and other social transfers, the at-risk-of-poverty rate for children is reduced from 45 per cent to 18.8 per cent, a poverty reduction effect of 59 per cent.
Ireland is amongst the best performing member states in the EU in this regard. In Budget 2015, the Government committed a further €96 million for children, including an increase of €5 per month in child benefit.
In order to break the cycle of child poverty where this arises, the Government invests in prevention and early intervention services targeted at disadvantaged children through the Area Based Childhood programme and the DEIS programme.
Finally, a key way to tackle child poverty is to get parents back to work. Through Pathways to Work and the Action Plan on Jobs, the Government is putting people into real jobs, while the family income supplement and new back to work family dividend supports parents to take up and remain in employment , especially those furthest from the labour market.
122. Deputy Tom Fleming asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if she will ensure all job-related training activation programmes will be accessible to persons with disabilities; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41704/14]
View answerThe Government recognises the importance of increasing participation in employment for persons with a disability and is committed to removing any barriers which prevent those persons with disabilities from participating in activation programmes and employment. A wide range of activation programmes are available to persons with disabilities including access to SOLAS training courses, community employment schemes and JobBridge, the national internship programme. In addition, the Department also provides income and work-related supports specifically targeted for people with disabilities which include:
- the EmployAbility service (formerly the Supported Employment Programme) which facilitates the integration of people with disabilities into paid employment in the open labour market; and
- a number of other supports specifically directed at employers (the Wage Subsidy Scheme - which pays an employer a subsidy for employing a person with a disability; the Work Equipment Adaptation Grant, the Employee Retention Grant, and the Disability Awareness Scheme).
The Department launched the Disability Activation Project (DACT) at the end of 2012. DACT is based in the Border, Midland and Western (BMW) region and covers four specific strands associated with the employment of people with disabilities. DACT will provide invaluable guidance as to how best to further develop effective activation measures generally for people with disabilities into the future.
The Department also funds the WAM (Willing Able Mentoring) project, the objective of which is to bring graduates and employers together to promote access to the labour market for graduates with disabilities.
123. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if she will guarantee that there will be no further cuts to social welfare payments despite efforts by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform to cut payments further; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41712/14]
View answerAll existing welfare payments have been fully maintained for 2015 – there will be no reductions. In addition, I announced on Budget Day a number of initiatives costing €198 million with four key objectives. These are:
- Assisting long-term unemployed families to return to work by providing continued financial support;
- Helping all families in the State with the cost of raising children;
- Recognising the additional pressures on pensioners and people with disabilities who are living alone, and
- Helping vulnerable welfare households to meet the costs associated with water services.
The Christmas Bonus was abolished by the previous Government in 2009. In addition to the above, I am pleased to say that I am in a position to partially restore the Bonus this year. A bonus of 25% will be paid in early December to all long-term welfare recipients including all pensioners and carers. This will cost over €63 million and is in recognition of the position of vulnerable households.
Future social welfare spending will be considered in the context of next year’s Budget. It should be noted that throughout the crisis, this Government has protected core welfare rates and maintained a massively strong social welfare safety net. That was a political choice which this Government made very deliberately; it is not one that was followed in other bailout countries. This is acknowledged by the ESRI, among others, which has pointed out that, unlike in other countries, income inequality has fallen in Ireland in recent years, largely because of the overall maintenance of the welfare system.
The measures I announced in the Budget 2015 are the first steps in strengthening the safety net for all those who need it.
124. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if she is satisfied with the current operation of the PRSI system; if she will guarantee the current benefits arising from the payment of PRSI into the future; her plans to rectify the deficit in the Social Insurance Fund; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41709/14]
View answerSocial insurance contributions (PRSI) are paid into the Social Insurance Fund (SIF) which finances a broad range of payment benefits. The social insurance system is mandatory and insures nearly all workers and the self-employed for a range of contingencies such as old age, ill health, maternity and unemployment. The range of contingencies covered is dependent on the Class of PRSI paid.
Social insurance spending has traditionally been funded on a tripartite basis – with contributions coming from the Exchequer, employers and employees. Legally, the Exchequer is the residual financier of the Social Insurance Fund (SIF) and Exchequer contributions were the norm for over 40 years. The Revised Estimates provides for a subvention of €0.69 billion from voted expenditure to fund the deficit on the SIF in 2014.
One of my key priorities as Minister for Social Protection is to balance the books, in particular by starting to put the Social Insurance Fund on a sustainable footing. A core principle of sustainable social protection systems in advanced economies is that citizens receive benefits in proportion to their contributions.
The structural PRSI measures implemented in recent Budgets will have a positive and long-term impact on the funding of the SIF. These measures include increases in rates of contribution, the abolition of ceilings for charging PRSI, the abolition of relief from PRSI previously applied to employee pension contributions, the abolition of the PRSI-free allowance as well as the broadening of the base on which PRSI is charged through the abolition of exemptions. These revenue raising measures were accompanied by very extensive expenditure reducing measures including stricter contribution conditions for entitlement, reductions in duration of entitlement, removal of entitlement to concurrent social insurance payments, increases in pension age as well as major reductions in entitlements under the treatment benefits and redundancy payments schemes. The 2015 Budget Estimate has provided for the Exchequer Subvention to fall to €248 million in 2015.
The sustainability of the Social Insurance Fund is driven by:
i. Social Insurance Fund Income from PRSI receipts;
ii. Expenditure on SIF schemes – the main variables being demographic pressures relating to pensions and the Live Register.
Social Insurance Fund income peaked at over €8.1 billion in 2008. It fell to €6.7 billion by 2010. The 2015 Budget Estimate is forecasting that it will be €8.2 billion, exceeding the pre-crash value for the first time.
Arising from demographic pressures, expenditure on pensions is increasing by €200 million each year.
The Live Register rose from an average of 162,000 in 2007 to over 440,000 in 2010 and 2011. It has since fallen each year and is expected to average below 390,000 in 2014.
The Actuarial Review of the Social Insurance Fund as at 31 December, 2010, highlighted the growing deficit in the Fund and the prospect that it will, in the absence of measures to address the deficit, accelerate further in the future, driven primarily by pension costs. It is estimated that in excess of €900m additional provision will be required over the next 5 years to fund increases in the numbers of recipients of the State pension (contributory) scheme.
Based on macro-economic forecasts provided by the Department of Finance, it is expected that Social Insurance Fund income will continue to rise over the period 2016 to 2018 by an amount greater than the requirement for additional pension expenditure. Assuming current level of service (including no rate increases for pensioners and other recipients), the Social Insurance Fund will return to surplus in 2016. There has been no rate increases since the first Budget of 2009.
Throughout the crisis, this Government protected core welfare rates and maintained a massively strong social welfare safety net. The Programme for Government commitment is to retain core weekly social welfare rates of payment. This Government has successfully achieved this objective over the last four Budgets. In 2015 all existing welfare payments and supports will be maintained, there will be no reductions.
125. Deputy Seán Kyne asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the level of interaction that exists between her Department's social welfare services division and the Revenue Commissioners, particularly in terms of sharing of information for the purposes of processing means-tested applications for social welfare schemes; if she will report on the upgrading of the IT system within her Department so that all schemes are administered on the same platform; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41700/14]
View answerThe Department undertakes a number of data matches with other government departments and agencies on a systematic basis, including the Revenue Commissioners. The main data that DSP receives from Revenue relates to PAYE and P35 details, self-employed data which are used to determine eligibility for insurance based payments. In addition, the Department transfers benefit/pension payment data to Revenue to facilitate the correct application of customer tax credits. These data exchanges operate in compliance with tax, social welfare and data protection legislation. A formal memorandum is in place between both organisations which includes provisions for the exchange of data.
The Department also liaises bilaterally with Revenue through a high level group, whose main purpose is to deepen the strategic and operational interaction between the two organisations. A sub group of this high level group is designated to specifically look at information and data exchanges which are of mutual assistance to both organisations.
The Department uses means tested data provided directly by clients. The extent to which Revenue data could be used is limited as there are differing definitions of income and assessment units used by the tax and social protection systems. However, the Department has in recent years developed systems whereby means data gathered for the purpose of assessing one social welfare payment can be used in the assessment process for another, thereby improving the process and reducing duplication of effort for the customer. This development also facilitates the Department to support other organisations in their claim processing, an example being the support provided to the SUSI grant application.
The Department, over the last number of years, has been working on a multi-annual IT project leading to consolidation on a single ICT ‘platform’ (the Business Object Model implementation (BOMi), ensuring that all client and claim information is fully and automatically available across all of the Department’s schemes and places of business.
Presently, four-fifth of the departments claims are supported/processed/paid from the new strategic platform, with the remainder supported from legacy systems which have strong links to the new system.
In conjunction with the redesign of business processes, procedures and organisational structures, this consolidation delivers key business benefits, with each addition building on the object model. These developments reuse core pieces of the architecture to build new services allowing the Department to be more agile in responding to the changes in Government policy and customer needs.
126. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection her views on the awarding of JobPath contracts to private firms; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41683/14]
View answerJobPath is a new programme of employment activation aimed specifically at the long-term unemployed (over 12 months) and those most distant from the labour market. Jobseekers will be referred to the programme for a 52 week period and will retain their existing social welfare payment while on the programme. Subject to successful finalisation of contracts, it is anticipated that JobPath will commence in mid-2015.The Pathways to Work initiative launched in 2012 signalled the potential of contracting with private third party providers to complement the existing capacity of the Department of Social Protection and the Local Employment Services to deliver employment services. The Department of Social Protection does not have sufficient capacity to meaningfully engage with all those who are unemployed – in particular the long-term unemployed (who need more intensive levels of engagement).
Given the scale and, hopefully, temporary nature of the resourcing requirement, (to deal with a peak in long-term unemployment), given that contracted service provision is common practice in most other EU/OECD countries and given the constraints on exchequer finances it was concluded that a contracted, payment by results model, is the most appropriate solution at this point in time.
JobPath will not replace any existing service provision, either that provided directly by staff within the Department or that provided under existing contract arrangements. In addition JobPath does not involve the outsourcing of any existing activities undertaken by staff of the Department.
Following the completion of a public procurement process, conducted in accordance with EU and national procurement rules, two preferred tenderers were selected. The two preferred tenderers are Turas Nua Ltd. and Seetec Business Technology Centre Ltd.
Turas Nua is a new business and is a joint venture between FRS Recruitment (a co-operative recruitment company based in Roscrea) and Working Links (a UK-based well-established provider of employment services to long-term unemployed people). Turas Nua Limited will operate in the southern half of the country including towns and cities such as Cork, Limerick, and Waterford.
Seetec is a private company delivering a wide range of employability and skills programmes across both urban and rural areas of England. Seetec will operate in the northern half of the country including towns and cities such as Dublin, Galway, Sligo and Dundalk.
Turas Nua and Seetec will work with a range of local subcontractors, including local training companies, providers of employment services and providers of specialist supports, in the delivery of JobPath.
Between them, the preferred tenderers and their sub-contractors will provide some 1,000 staff, in approximately 100 outlets across the country, to assist the long-term unemployed in obtaining employment and in overcoming barriers to employment.
127. Deputy Joe Higgins asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the impact of possible future water poverty on the social protection budget; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41681/14]
View answerResponsibility for water policy including water affordability, water charges, the rates set and the question of exemptions and allowances lies with the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government. The Department of Social Protection will spend €230 million this year on the household benefits package for almost 415,000 customers. The fuel allowance is paid for 26 weeks from October to April to almost 415,000 households at an estimated cost of €208 million in 2014. From 2015 both the household benefits package and the fuel allowance will also include a quarterly water support payment of €25. The estimated impact of this new water support payment on the Social Protection budget will be in the region of €66 million in 2015.
The payment will be made to all of those currently in receipt of either household benefits or fuel allowance, with one payment per household. Customers will not need to apply for this payment. I am confident that the combination of both household benefits and fuel allowance as qualifying payments for water support will ensure that the payment is made to those most likely to be impacted by the charges, including the elderly, the disabled and those on long term social protection payments.
128. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if her Department plans to reverse the cuts in rent supplement; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41684/14]
View answerThere are approximately 73,500 rent supplement recipients for which the Government has provided over €344 million for 2014. There have been no reductions to rent supplement announced as part of Budget 2015.
I am acutely aware of the difficulties people are experiencing in maintaining affordable rented accommodation, including those in receipt of rent supplement, particularly in areas of high demand. However, raising rent limits may not be the solution to the problem as it is likely to add to further rental inflation and would impact, not alone on rent supplement recipients, but also on many lower income workers and students. I plan to keep the matter under close review.
I can assure the Deputy that officers administering rent supplement throughout the country have considerable experience in dealing with customers and make every effort to ensure that their accommodation needs are met including through the use of their discretionary statutory powers as necessary. In light of a particular concentration of the homelessness problem in the Dublin area, the Department has agreed a tenancy sustainment protocol with the Dublin local authorities and voluntary organisations so that families on rent supplement who are at risk of losing their accommodation can have appropriate interventions made on their behalf. Since the launch of this protocol in mid-June 2014, over 160 families have had their rent supplement claims revised by the Department.
Increasing housing supply and the reactivation of the construction activity is a critical issue for Government and is key to restoring stability to the rental market. The Government has recently launched its Construction Strategy 2020.
As part of Budget 2015, Government has also announced significant capital investment of over €2.2 billion for social housing for the next three years. In 2014, over €800 million will be invested in a range of housing programmes representing the first major investment in housing since 2009.
My colleague, Alan Kelly T.D., Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, is also due to publish a Social Housing Strategy shortly. This will provide a basis for an improved and sustainable approach to the provision of social housing supports in Ireland.
129. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the targets for providing employment opportunities to jobseekers through the new JobPath programme in 2015 and 2016; and if she will provide an update on the privatisation of part of this programme. [41660/14]
View answerJobPath is the Government’s new labour market activation service aimed specifically at long-term unemployed jobseekers and those most distant from the labour market, with the primary objective of assisting such persons to gain sustained employment. JobPath will augment and complement both the Department’s own employment services as well as the services contracted under existing arrangements with private registered companies that already provide the Local Employment Service (LES) and Job Clubs on behalf of the Department. Following the completion of a public procurement process, conducted in accordance with EU and national procurement rules, two preferred tenderers were selected. The two preferred tenderers are Turas Nua Ltd. and Seetec Business Technology Centre Ltd.
Turas Nua is a new business and is a joint venture between FRS Recruitment (a co-operative recruitment company based in Roscrea) and Working Links (a UK-based well-established provider of employment services to long-term unemployed people). Turas Nua Limited will operate in the southern half of the country including towns and cities such as Cork, Limerick, and Waterford.
Seetec is a private company delivering a wide range of employability and skills programmes across both urban and rural areas of England. Seetec will operate in the northern half of the country including towns and cities such as Dublin, Galway, Sligo and Dundalk.
Subject to successful finalisation of contracts, it is anticipated that JobPath will commence in mid-2015. Contracts will be awarded for four years with an additional two year ‘work-out’ period to cater for jobseekers who are referred at the end of the programme.
On the basis of the performance commitments made by the preferred bidders, JobPath will assist an estimated 115,000 long-term unemployed jobseekers return to work over its entire duration. The exact performance measures for JobPath will be agreed as part of the process of finalising contracts and will have regard to the commencement and roll-out arrangements.
130. Deputy Jim Daly asked the Taoiseach the number of persons on the live register at the local offices in Kinsale, Bandon and Clonakilty in County Cork; if he will detail the list by age and duration on the live register of the persons signing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41395/14]
View answerThe Live Register series gives a monthly breakdown of the number of people claiming Jobseeker's Benefit, Jobseeker's Allowance and other registrants as registered with the Department of Social Protection.
The most recent Live Register figures available are for September 2014.
Table 1a below shows the number of persons on the Live Register classified by age for September 2014 in the Kinsale, Bandon and Clonakilty local Offices on the last Friday of September 2014.
Table 1b below shows the number of persons on the Live Register classified by age and duration of continuous registration for April 2014 in the Kinsale, Bandon and Clonakilty local Offices on the last Friday of April 2014.
This is the most recent information available at this level detail.
It should be noted that the Live Register is not a definitive measure of unemployment as it includes part-time workers, and seasonal and casual workers entitled to Jobseeker's Benefit or Allowance.
Table 1a Persons on the Live Register classified by age at Kinsale, Bandon and Clonakilty local offices, September 2014
|
Kinsale |
|
|
Under 25 years |
57 |
|
over 25 years |
1,002 |
|
Total |
1,059 |
|
Bandon |
|
|
Under 25 years |
116 |
|
over 25 years |
1,084 |
|
Total |
1,200 |
|
Clonakilty |
|
|
Under 25 years |
100 |
|
over 25 years |
1,008 |
|
Total |
1,108 |
Source; CSO Live Register
Table 1b Persons on the Live Register classified by age and duration of continuous registration at Kinsale, Bandon and Clonakilty local offices, April 2014
|
Less than 1 year |
1 year and over |
Total |
|
|
Kinsale |
|||
|
Under 25 years |
59 |
13 |
72 |
|
over 25 years |
593 |
497 |
1090 |
|
Total |
652 |
510 |
1162 |
|
Bandon |
|||
|
Under 25 years |
90 |
48 |
138 |
|
over 25 years |
649 |
535 |
1184 |
|
Total |
739 |
583 |
1322 |
|
Clonakilty |
|||
|
Under 25 years |
82 |
26 |
108 |
|
over 25 years |
655 |
440 |
1095 |
|
Total |
737 |
466 |
1203 |
Source; CSO Live Register
131. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Taoiseach if the provisions of Lisbon treaty will reduce Ireland’s voting power in the European Union from 1 November; the reason this significant change is not being highlighted; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41440/14]
View answerThe Lisbon Treaty, which came into effect on 1 December 2009, was the product of prolonged and intensive negotiations between the Member States of the Union and was approved by the Irish people in October 2009.
Among other provisions, the Treaty introduced new voting rules for taking decisions in the Council. These are set out in Article 238 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU. The revised system of qualified majority voting (QMV), which came into effect on 1 November, requires a double majority, that is, a majority of at least 55% of the number of member states (currently at least 15 Member States), and also of at least 65% of the total population of the Union. It is also provided, in effect, that a blocking minority must consist of at least 4 Member States.
These arrangements were extensively debated in the European Convention of 2002-2003 and were agreed during Ireland’s EU Presidency of 2004. The aim of introducing the double majority voting rule was to make decision making in the Union simpler and more efficient and effective. It was also believed that it better reflected the dual nature of the Union as a Union of States and of peoples.
I am satisfied that Ireland’s capacity to safeguard our interests within the EU will not be materially affected by the move to double majority voting. The new system offers clarity and improves the overall efficiency of decision making. It is important to note that while the provisions on population tend to favour larger member states, the requirement regarding a majority of member states are to the benefit of the smaller states. It ensures that decisions in the EU cannot be taken unless they command genuine support from a majority of member states representing a significant majority of the EU’s population.
132. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Taoiseach the number of persons at work in the economy when the Government came to power and the present figure; if these figures include part-time workers and workers in labour activation schemes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40616/14]
View answerThe Quarterly National Household Survey (QNHS) is the official source of estimates of employment in the State.
Participants on the following Activation Programmes would be classified as employed (ILO) in the QNHS.Back to Work Schemes
Back to Work allowance scheme - Employee strand
Back to Work Enterprise allowance scheme - self employed strand
Short-term Enterprise Allowance
Other Activation Programmes
DSP Part-time Job Incentive
TUS - Community Work Placement Initiative (2011)
JobBridge (2011)
Community Employment Schemes
Back to Education courses
Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme (VTOS)
Back to Education Allowance (BTEA)
Those on Back to Education courses may engage in employment. Depending on their labour force situation they are classified based on the ILO labour force definition used in the QNHS
Table 1 below shows the seasonally adjusted series of persons aged 15 years and over in employment (ILO) from Q1 2011 to Q2 2014. The total increase in employment between Q1 2011 and Q2 2014 was 52,000.
Table 1 Seasonally adjusted series of persons aged 15 years and over in employment (ILO), Q1 2011 to Q2 2014
'000
|
Q1 11 |
Q2 11 |
Q3 11 |
Q4 11 |
Q1 12 |
Q2 12 |
Q3 12 |
Q4 12 |
Q1 13 |
Q2 13 |
Q3 13 |
Q4 13 |
Q1 14 |
Q2 14 |
|
|
In employment |
1,854.3 |
1,859.2 |
1,837.8 |
1,843.8 |
1,837.6 |
1,836.4 |
1,833.7 |
1,842.3 |
1,858.4 |
1,872.8 |
1,891.0 |
1,900.8 |
1,902.0 |
1,906.3 |
|
of which: |
||||||||||||||
|
Full-time |
1,412.4 |
1,421.3 |
1,402.7 |
1,410.3 |
1,406.3 |
1,395.9 |
1,386.4 |
1,394.6 |
1,403.3 |
1,420.2 |
1,438.6 |
1,446.8 |
1,450.6 |
1,455.7 |
|
Part-time |
439.9 |
438.3 |
435.2 |
434.6 |
430.1 |
440.9 |
447.3 |
448.4 |
454.5 |
453.0 |
451.6 |
455.1 |
450.7 |
451.0 |
Reference period: q1=Jan-Mar, q2=Apr-Jun, q3=Jul-Sep, q4=Oct-Dec..
Data may be subject to sampling or other survey errors, which are greater in respect of smaller values or estimates of change.';
Source: Quarterly National Household Survey, Central Statistics Office.';
*To correct for typical seasonal patterns, the series presented in Table 1 have been seasonally adjusted. As a result of the direct seasonal adjustment approach used it should be noted that the sum of any component series may not be equal to seasonally adjusted series to which these components belong, e.g. the seasonally adjusted number of persons in full-time employment and the seasonally adjusted number of persons in part-time employment will not necessarily add up to the total employment on a seasonally adjusted basis.
133. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Taoiseach if he will provide in tabular form the annual volume of freight exports and imports that came through the local ports between 2004 and 2014. [40708/14]
View answerData on tonnage of goods handled by Irish Sea Ports is collected by the CSO on a quarterly basis. The data is compiled and published on an annual basis in the 'Statistics on Port Traffic' publication. The most recent year for which data is available is in respect of 2013. The following table illustrates the tonnage of imported goods and exported goods by Irish Ports between the years 2004 to 2013.
Table : Tonnage of goods imported and exported by Irish Sea Ports, 2004-2013
‘000
|
Port |
2004 |
2005 |
2006 |
2007 |
2008 |
2009 |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
|
Goods imported |
||||||||||
|
Arklow Port |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
13 |
|
Bantry Bay |
256 |
411 |
547 |
626 |
466 |
379 |
586 |
712 |
1,614 |
804 |
|
Castletownbere |
- |
- |
- |
18 |
25 |
17 |
26 |
26 |
31 |
33 |
|
Cork |
5,863 |
6,351 |
6,278 |
6,669 |
6,229 |
4,900 |
5,324 |
4,706 |
3,939 |
5,376 |
|
Drogheda |
958 |
1,098 |
1,058 |
922 |
562 |
486 |
406 |
301 |
403 |
397 |
|
Dublin |
12,377 |
13,159 |
14,500 |
15,154 |
14,504 |
12,546 |
12,531 |
12,110 |
12,351 |
12,263 |
|
Dundalk |
329 |
311 |
355 |
310 |
166 |
198 |
129 |
100 |
66 |
72 |
|
Dun Laoghaire |
98 |
97 |
56 |
45 |
39 |
11 |
2 |
5 |
0 |
2 |
|
Galway |
703 |
617 |
445 |
404 |
261 |
293 |
320 |
243 |
110 |
40 |
|
Greenore |
661 |
646 |
866 |
790 |
699 |
390 |
494 |
356 |
370 |
383 |
|
Killybegs |
9 |
12 |
5 |
6 |
32 |
8 |
1 |
2 |
10 |
0 |
|
Kilrush |
1 |
- |
- |
1 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Kinsale |
126 |
124 |
170 |
144 |
133 |
143 |
156 |
111 |
115 |
9 |
|
New Ross |
891 |
713 |
599 |
584 |
473 |
402 |
421 |
322 |
260 |
327 |
|
Rosslare |
1,061 |
1,871 |
1,316 |
1,405 |
1,294 |
1,062 |
1,154 |
978 |
779 |
820 |
|
Shannon Foynes Port |
8,730 |
9,354 |
9,269 |
8,860 |
8,475 |
5,899 |
7,012 |
7,766 |
8,146 |
8,306 |
|
Sligo |
53 |
29 |
32 |
31 |
16 |
31 |
34 |
25 |
19 |
32 |
|
Tralee Fenit |
- |
0 |
1 |
1 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Waterford |
1,538 |
1,470 |
1,603 |
1,652 |
1,542 |
1,232 |
1,152 |
1,056 |
885 |
1,051 |
|
Wicklow |
235 |
282 |
297 |
221 |
85 |
53 |
48 |
30 |
28 |
21 |
|
Youghal |
67 |
100 |
113 |
138 |
86 |
26 |
61 |
66 |
64 |
103 |
|
Total |
33,957 |
36,644 |
37,510 |
37,981 |
35,087 |
28,076 |
29,860 |
28,914 |
29,191 |
30,051 |
|
Goods exported |
||||||||||
|
Arklow Port |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Bantry Bay |
372 |
726 |
633 |
739 |
515 |
435 |
574 |
305 |
190 |
408 |
|
Castletownbere |
- |
- |
- |
2 |
23 |
- |
- |
- |
0 |
0 |
|
Cork |
2,517 |
2,754 |
2,556 |
2,528 |
2,531 |
2,309 |
2,423 |
2,871 |
2,917 |
2,409 |
|
Drogheda |
292 |
272 |
193 |
90 |
94 |
54 |
87 |
169 |
544 |
636 |
|
Dublin |
5,361 |
5,720 |
6,111 |
6,352 |
6,474 |
5,891 |
6,688 |
7,188 |
7,422 |
7,094 |
|
Dundalk |
20 |
7 |
35 |
58 |
52 |
24 |
11 |
7 |
- |
19 |
|
Dun Laoghaire |
62 |
59 |
25 |
16 |
10 |
3 |
0 |
7 |
0 |
1 |
|
Galway |
35 |
32 |
37 |
47 |
63 |
37 |
38 |
43 |
72 |
92 |
|
Greenore |
- |
3 |
2 |
- |
1 |
- |
8 |
6 |
3 |
0 |
|
Killybegs |
53 |
35 |
23 |
55 |
67 |
53 |
72 |
32 |
117 |
64 |
|
Kilrush |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
3 |
2 |
|
Kinsale |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
New Ross |
206 |
238 |
190 |
133 |
171 |
81 |
15 |
16 |
- |
- |
|
Rosslare |
1,112 |
1,248 |
1,428 |
1,521 |
1,427 |
1,266 |
1,348 |
1,213 |
1,084 |
1,120 |
|
Shannon Foynes Port |
1,759 |
1,901 |
1,992 |
2,060 |
2,078 |
1,237 |
1,881 |
1,972 |
1,725 |
1,713 |
|
Sligo |
19 |
6 |
11 |
15 |
25 |
22 |
21 |
21 |
15 |
2 |
|
Tralee Fenit |
9 |
9 |
12 |
18 |
14 |
17 |
12 |
19 |
24 |
26 |
|
Waterford |
641 |
623 |
608 |
600 |
530 |
399 |
252 |
126 |
70 |
145 |
|
Wicklow |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
20 |
41 |
69 |
46 |
121 |
|
Youghal |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
2 |
15 |
9 |
5 |
|
Total |
12,458 |
12,632 |
13,858 |
14,234 |
14,075 |
11,847 |
13,473 |
14,080 |
14,240 |
13,856 |
134. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Taoiseach the public services and semi-State companies under the remit of his Department that deliver bonuses to staff who need improvement. [41125/14]
View answerNeither my Department or the bodies under its aegis pay any bonuses.
135. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Taoiseach his response to each of the recommendations of the Constitutional Convention concerning Dáil reform; and when the Dáil will debate these recommendations. [41654/14]
View answer136. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Taoiseach his response to each of the recommendations of the Constitutional Convention concerning the entrenchment of economic, social and cultural rights; and when the Dáil will debate these recommendations. [41655/14]
View answer137. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Taoiseach his response to each of the recommendations of the Constitutional Convention regarding the convening of a second Convention, and the scope of subject matter that such a future Convention should consider; and when the Dáil will debate these recommendations. [41656/14]
View answer139. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Taoiseach in view of the Constitutional Convention's commitment to have social economic and cultural rights enshrined in the Constitution, if the Government is going to adopt this in terms of a referendum; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42226/14]
View answer140. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Taoiseach if he will indicate the parts of the Constitutional Convention's recommendations the Government will adopt; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42227/14]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 135 to 137, inclusive, 139 and 140 together.
The Convention produced nine reports in total, all of which have been laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas.
The Government has already responded in the Dáil in detail to the first, second, third and sixth reports on 18 July 2013, 10 October 2013, 17 December 2013 and 2 October 2014 respectively.
Briefly, in response to recommendations in the first three reports of the Convention on the Constitution, the Government has already announced that it will bring forward proposals in 2015 for referendums on same-sex marriage, reducing the voting age to 16 and reducing the age of candidacy for Presidential elections to 21.
Also, in response to those reports, the Government decided to refer to the relevant Oireachtas Committee the question of a constitutional amendment to give citizens a say in the nomination process for Presidential candidates, and this has been done. The Government also undertook to look at making Article 41.2 of the Constitution on the role of women gender-neutral, and at including other carers both in and beyond the home; it also undertook to look at amending the Constitution to include the principle of gender equality, as well as at the use of gender-inclusive language in the Constitution.
The Government also announced earlier this year that work would commence on the establishment of an Electoral Commission, a key recommendation in the fourth Report of the Convention. More recently, in response to the sixth Report of the Convention, the Government announced that it will bring forward proposals for a referendum on the removal from the Constitution of the offence of blasphemy. No date for that Referendum has been decided yet.
The Government expects to give its response on the remaining Reports of the Convention before the end of this Dáil session.
