Denis Naughten: Pledges Means-Test Change and Delivers Farewell
Denis Naughten addressed the Select Committee on Social Protection, Community and Rural Development on the means test, supplementary estimates and his departure from the Oireachtas. He said he will make the means test report the first item at a management board meeting and insisted that "we do need to change it."
He told the committee he will make the means test report the number one item at a management board meeting that afternoon, committing to obtain the report and pursue change. He echoed Deputy O'Keeve's remarks and thanked the minister for the work carried out within both departments over the term.
He confirmed that, in accordance with Standing Order 101, a message will be sent to the Clerk of the Dáil recording that the Select Committee has completed its consideration of the supplementary estimates. The report covers Vote 42, Department of Rural and Community Development, and the message is deemed to be a report of the committee under Order 100 subsection 2.
He thanked those who expressed sympathy on the sudden passing of his brother John, noting John would have recently marked 21 years on Ruscommon County Council and thrived on helping everyone he met. He said John leaves a deep void in their lives and in public life and would have been an excellent parliamentary representative for Ruscommon and Galway.
Stating that this was his last contribution in the Oireachtas after nearly 28 years in Parliament, he thanked the people of the counties of Longford, Leitrim, Galway, and Ruscommon for their trust. He expressed gratitude to committee staff past and present - the late Paul Kelly, Ailish Murphy, Jack Savage, Cuivo O'Rourke, Kira Marion, Hayley O'Shea and Devin Whitson - to constituency colleagues Deirdre Concanon and Jill Mellor, and to his family, before adjourning the committee meeting.
Means test and management board action
He told the committee he will make the means test report the number one item at a management board meeting that afternoon, committing to obtain the report and pursue change. He echoed Deputy O'Keeve's remarks and thanked the minister for the work carried out within both departments over the term.
Committee business and supplementary estimates
He confirmed that, in accordance with Standing Order 101, a message will be sent to the Clerk of the Dáil recording that the Select Committee has completed its consideration of the supplementary estimates. The report covers Vote 42, Department of Rural and Community Development, and the message is deemed to be a report of the committee under Order 100 subsection 2.
Tribute to his brother and local service
He thanked those who expressed sympathy on the sudden passing of his brother John, noting John would have recently marked 21 years on Ruscommon County Council and thrived on helping everyone he met. He said John leaves a deep void in their lives and in public life and would have been an excellent parliamentary representative for Ruscommon and Galway.
Farewell remarks and acknowledgements
Stating that this was his last contribution in the Oireachtas after nearly 28 years in Parliament, he thanked the people of the counties of Longford, Leitrim, Galway, and Ruscommon for their trust. He expressed gratitude to committee staff past and present - the late Paul Kelly, Ailish Murphy, Jack Savage, Cuivo O'Rourke, Kira Marion, Hayley O'Shea and Devin Whitson - to constituency colleagues Deirdre Concanon and Jill Mellor, and to his family, before adjourning the committee meeting.
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Transcript
Can I echo what Deputy O'Keeve has said, particularly in relation to you and the work that has been done within both departments over this term? Sorry, Minister. No, thank you. Thank you. And just on the means test, I'm having a management board meeting this afternoon. I'll be the number one item on my agenda, Deputy, to find out where that report is on means test. And we'll get that, because we do need to change it. We do. We do need to change it. Great. So, in accordance with Standing Order 101, the following message will be sent to the Clerk of the Dáil. Select Committee on Social Protection, Community and Rural Development has completed its consideration of the following supplementary estimates. Vote 42, Department of Rural and Community Development. Understanding Order 100, subsection 2, the message is deemed to be a report of the committee. Just before we adjourn this meeting, I want to bring up two issues. The first one is I want to thank all of those who expressed their sympathy to my family on the sudden passing of my brother, including you, Minister, my committee colleagues, the Secretariat here, and all of the parliamentary community. There's a deep void left in our lives, but also in public life. I think it was very apt that today we were approving funding of 10 million euro for the local improvement schemes. And, in fact, at last month, John would have been 21 years on Ruscommon County Council, and he thrived on helping everyone that he met. And I strongly believe that there is also going to be a void here in the 34th Dáil, as I know that John would have been an excellent parliamentarian representative of the people of Ruscommon and Galway. As this is my last contribution in the Oireachtas after nearly 28 years in Parliament, I want to thank the people of the counties of Longford, Leitrim, Galway, and Ruscommon most sincerely for the trust that they've placed in me over the years. It's been truly an honour to represent the people from these counties in Dáil-Airden over that time. I want to sincerely thank all of the staff who've worked with me over the years, and I particularly want to mention the committee team here. Over the last four years, we've had the late Paul Kelly, Ailish Murphy, and Jack Savage, and, of course, the current team that we have here, Cuivo O'Rourke, Kira Marion, Hayley O'Shea, and Devin Whitson, and all of the support staff here that keep this committee operation going. I also want to thank those who held the fourth for me in the constituency, particularly Deirdre Concanon and Jill Mellor. And finally, I want to thank my family for their support over the years, which at times has been difficult and challenging. And it is, you know, I suppose with mixed emotions, Minister, Deputy O'Kweeve, that we're all leaving the House. Young Deputy O'Kahasi has many more years here, and we wish him many more years of successful representation in this House. So that concludes the committee's business in public session for today. I'd like to thank members for participating in today's meeting. The Select Committee is now adjourned. Sineaday. Go raibh. Go raibh. Go raibh. Go raibh.