Committee Reports > List of Committees > Joint > 2005 > Committee on Social and Family Affairs > Annual Report of the Joint Committee on Social and Family Affairs, 2004 and Work Programme 2005

APPENDIX 5

Joint Committee on Social and Family Affairs

Proceedings of the Joint Committee

Wednesday 14 January 2004

The meeting commenced at 11.35 a.m. in private session, Deputy Willie Penrose in the Chair.

1. Attendance:

The following members attended:

Deputies: Joe Callanan, Seymour Crawford, Donal Moynihan, Michael Mulcahy, William Penrose (in the chair), Michael Ring,

Senators: Geraldine Feeney and Kate Walsh.

Deputy Mulcahy attended in substitution for Deputy Carty and Senator Feeney attended in substitution for Senator Wilson.

Apologies were received from Deputy O’Connor.

Private Session:

2. Items discussed in private session.

There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 12.00 p.m. until Tuesday 27 January at 2.00 p.m.

____________________

Mr. William Penrose T.D.

Chairman

24 February, 2004

Joint Committee on Social and Family Affairs

Proceedings of the Joint Committee

Tuesday, 27 January, 2004

The meeting commenced at 2.12 p.m. in private session.

1. Attendance:

The following members attended:

Deputies: Joe Callanan, John Carty, Paudge Connolly, Seymour Crawford, Michael Finneran, Donal Moynihan, William Penrose (in the chair), Michael Ring, Seán Ryan and Dan Wallace.

Senators: Maurice Cummins, Kate Walsh and Diarmuid Wilson.

[In the absence of the Chairman at the commencement of the meeting, Deputy Moynihan (Vice-Chairman) took the Chair until the Chairman’s arrival at 2.13pm.]

2. Private Session:

Items discussed in private session.

Public Session:

3. Presentation by the Department of Social and Family Affairs in relation to the Farm Assist Scheme.

A delegation from the Department of Social and Family Affairs - Mr Leonard Burke, Principal Officer, Ms Maeve Farrell, Assistant Principal Officer, Mr Colm McDermott, Assistant Principal Officer and Mr John Courtney, Higher Executive Officer - made a presentation to the Committee on the Farm Assist Scheme.

There then followed a question and answer session. The Joint Committee thanked the officials for their attendance and presentation.

4. Private Session:

Items discussed in private session.

There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 3.15 p.m. sine die.

____________________

William Penrose T.D.

Chairman

24 February, 2004.

Joint Committee on Social and Family Affairs

Proceedings of the Joint Committee

Tuesday, 24 February, 2004

The meeting commenced at 2.31 p.m. in private session.

1. Attendance:

The following members attended:

Deputies: Joe Callanan, John Carty, Paudge Connolly, Seymour Crawford, Donal Moynihan, Charlie O’Connor, William Penrose (in the chair) and Dan Wallace.

Senators: Diarmuid Wilson.

An apology for inability to attend was received from Senator Kate Walsh.

2. Private Session:

Items discussed in private session.

There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 2.50pm.

____________________

William Penrose T.D.

Chairman

6 April, 2004.

Joint Committee on Social and Family Affairs

Proceedings of the Joint Committee

Tuesday, 6 April , 2004

The meeting commenced at 2.37 p.m. in private session.

1. Attendance:

The following members attended:

Deputies: Joe Callanan, Paudge Connolly, Seymour Crawford, Donal Moynihan, Charlie O’Connor, William Penrose (in the chair), Seán Ryan and Dan Wallace.

Senators: Maurice Cummins.

Deputies Dan Boyle and Ciaran Cuffe also attended.

Apologies for inability to attend were received from Deputy John Carty and Senators Kate Walsh and Diarmuid Wilson.

2. Private Session:

Items discussed in private session.

Public Session:

3. Presentation by the Immigrant Council of Ireland in relation to Immigration Issues.

A delegation from the Immigrant Council of Ireland, Sister Stanislaus Kenndy, Chair, Ms Denise Charlton, Chief Executive Officer and Ms Hilkka Becker, Legal Consultant — made a presentation to the Committee in relation to immigration issues. Copies of the Council’s policy paper ‘Labour Migration into Ireland’ were given to the secretariat for distribution to all members of the Joint Committee.

There then followed a question and answer session. The Joint Committee thanked the representatives for their attendance and presentation.

4. Annual Report for 2002/3 and Work Programme 2004.

It was agreed that the draft report be adopted and laid before both Houses of the Oireachtas.

5. Oral PQ’s

The Chairman stated that the Department of Social and Family Affairs had informed the Joint Committee that the department’s Oral PQ’s originally scheduled for 4 May 2004 and subsequently switched to 27 April had now been re-scheduled to 28 April

6. Adjournment.

There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 4.05 p.m. sine die.

____________________

William Penrose T.D.

Chairman

11 May, 2004.

Joint Committee on Social and Family Affairs

Proceedings of the Joint Committee

Tuesday, 11 May, 2004

The meeting commenced at 2.33 p.m. in private session.

1. Attendance:

The following members attended:

Deputies: Joe Callanan, John Carty, Paudge Connolly, Seymour Crawford, Donal Moynihan, Charlie O’Connor, William Penrose (in the chair), Seán Ryan and Dan Wallace.

Senators: Maurice Cummins.

Apologies for inability to attend were received from Deputy Michael Ring and from Senators Kate Walsh and Diarmuid Wilson.

2. Private Session:

Items discussed in private session.

Public Session:

3. Presentation by a delegation from the RTÉ Pensioners’ Association.

Mr Eddie Bolger and Mr Peter Doyle, Vice-Chairman, RTÉ Pensioners’ Association made a presentation in relation to anomalies in the treatment for pension purposes of certain groups of RTÉ employees.

There followed a question and answer session. The Joint Committee thanked the delegation for its attendance and presentation.

It was decided to write to the Minister for Social and Family Affairs endorsing the changes proposed at (1) and (2) of the Association’s written submission and requesting a detailed memorandum for the information of the Joint Committee.

Private Session:

Items discussed in private session.

4 Adjournment

There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 3.33pm.

____________________

William Penrose T.D.

Chairman

21 September, 2004.

Joint Committee on Social and Family Affairs

Proceedings of the Joint Committee

Tuesday, 25 May, 2004

The meeting, which was a joint meeting with the Joint Committee on Enterprise and Small Business, commenced at 2.33 p.m. in private session.

1. Attendance:

The following members attended:

Deputies: Dan Boyle (in substitution for Deputy Paudge Connolly), Joe Callanan, John Carty, Donie Cassidy, Seymour Crawford, Tony Dempsey, Kathleen Lynch, Paul McGrath (in substitution for Deputy Phil Hogan), Paddy McHugh, Donal Moynihan, William Penrose, Dan Wallace and Ollie Wilkinson.

Senators: Paul Coghlan, Maurice Cummins [and Camillus Glynn and Kieran Phelan (in substitution for Senators Terry Leyden and Diarmuid Wilson respectively)].

Apologies for inability to attend was received from Deputy Charlie O’Connor and from Senators Kate Walsh and Diarmuid Wilson.

Private Session:

Items discussed in private session.

Public Session:

2.Presentation on Fair Trade Issues by a delegation of Parishioners and Friends of the Church of Ireland parishes of St Nicholas, Almoritia, St Bigseach, Kilbixy, St Etchen’s, Killucan and All Saints, Mullingar, Co Westmeath.

A delegation of Parishioners and Friends of the Church of Ireland parishes of St Nicholas, Almoritia, St Bigseach, Kilbixy, St Etchen’s, Killucan and All Saints, Mullingar, Co Westmeath comprising Bishop Roy Warke, Rev Robert Whiteside, Ms Lesley Whiteside, Ms Ann Purdon, Ms Elizabeth Moore, and Mr Oisin Coughlan (Christian Aid) conveyed the greetings of Reverend Richard Clarke, Bishop of Meath and Kildare and made a presentation to the meeting in relation to Fair Trade issues.

It was decided to write to the Ministers for Social and Family Affairs and Enterprise, Trade and Employment endorsing the position taken by the delegation. It was also decided, in particular, that (1) the Joint Committee on Enterprise and Small Business should seek an annual meeting with the Sub-Committee on Development Co-operation of the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs regarding the publication of the national trade policy statement and that the committees should ask the Minister of State with responsibility for trade and development to present the statement and discuss it with the two committees, (2) that the Joint Committee on Enterprise and Small Business call on the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment to publish an annual report on progress in implementing the national trade policy statement and (3) that the meeting at (1) should occur annually to consider the progress report and discuss it with the two relevant Ministers. It was further decided that the Joint Committees should write to the catering outlets within the Oireachtas requesting that only fair trade tea and coffee be used in the outlets and that the Joint Committees should similarly urge the departments of state whose remits they consider (and the state agencies reporting to these departments of state) to likewise use only fair trade tea and coffee in their respective catering outlets and that the Joint Committees be advised of progress regarding changeovers.

Private Session:

Items discussed in private session.

3 Adjournment

There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 3.48pm.

____________________

William Penrose T.D.

Chairman

21 September, 2004.

Joint Committee on Social and Family Affairs

Proceedings of the Joint Committee

Tuesday, 29 June, 2004

The meeting commenced at 2.42 p.m. in private session.

1. Attendance:

The following members attended:

Deputies: Joe Callanan, John Carty, Paudge Connolly, Seymour Crawford, Michael Finneran, Charlie O’Connor, William Penrose (in the chair) Michael Ring, Seán Ryan and Dan Wallace.

Senators: Tony Kett (in substitution for Senator Diarmuid Wilson).

Apologies for inability to attend were received from Senator Kate Walsh and Senator Diarmuid Wilson.

Private Session:

Items discussed in private session.

There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 3.06pm. until 14 or 15 July 2004 (the precise details to be arranged).

____________________

William Penrose T.D.

Chairman

21 September, 2004.

Joint Committee on Social and Family Affairs

Proceedings of the Joint Committee

Thursday, 15 July, 2004

The meeting commenced at 11.50 a.m. in private session.

1. Attendance:

The following members attended:

Deputies: Joe Callanan, John Carty, Paudge Connolly, Seymour Crawford, Michael Finneran, Donal Moynihan, (in the chair), Michael Ring and Dan Wallace.

Senators: Maurice Cummins and Eamon Scanlon and Kieran Phelan (in substitution for Senators Kate Walsh and Diarmuid Wilson respectively).

Apologies for inability to attend were received from Deputies William Penrose and Seán Ryan and from Senators Kate Walsh and Diarmuid Wilson.

In the absence of the Chairman, Deputy Moynihan (Vice-Chairman) chaired the meeting.

Private Session:

Items discussed in private session.

2. Adjournment

There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 12.20pm. until Wednesday 11 August 2004 at 11.30am.

____________________

William Penrose T.D.

Chairman

21 September, 2004.

Joint Committee on Social and Family Affairs

Proceedings of the Joint Committee

Wednesday 11 August, 2004

The meeting commenced at 11.30 a.m. in private session.

1. Attendance:

The following members attended:

Deputies: Joe Callanan, John Carty, Paudge Connolly, Seymour Crawford, Donal Moynihan (in the Chair), Charlie O’Connor, Michael Ring and Dan Wallace.

Senators: Maurice Cummins, Kieran Phelan (in substitution for Senator Diarmuid Wilson) and Kate Walsh.

Apologies for inability to attend was received from Deputies Michael Finneran, William Penrose and Seán Ryan and from Senator Diarmuid Wilson.

Private Session:

Items discussed in private session.

2. Adjournment

There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 12.59pm.

____________________

William Penrose T.D.

Chairman.

21 September, 2004.

Joint Committee on Social and Family Affairs

Proceedings of the Joint Committee

Tuesday, 21^st September, 2004

The Joint Committee met at 2.35 p.m., a quorum being present.

1. Attendance

The following members attended:

Deputies: Joe Callanan, John Carty, Paudge Connolly, Seymour Crawford, John McGuinness*, Donal Moynihan, Charlie O’Connor, William Penrose (in the Chair), Michael Ring and Ollie Wilkinson*.

Senators: Paul Coghlan**, Maurice Cummins, Geraldine Feeney**, Michael Kitt***, Terry Leyden**, Kieran Phelan**, Kate Walsh and Diarmuid Wilson.

*Deputies McGuinness and Wilkinson substituted for Deputies Dan Wallace and Michael Finneran respectively.

**Senators Coghlan and Feeney substituted for Senators Maurice Cummins and Kate Walsh respectively. Senators Leyden and Phelan substituted for Senator Diarmuid Wilson.

***Senator Kitt attended in accordance with Standing Order 74(2) [Seanad].

Senators: Maurice Cummins, Kieran Phelan*, Kate Walsh and Diarmuid Wilson.

*Senator Phelan substituted for Senator Diarmuid Wilson.