Results 81-100 of 2,500 for speaker:Ciarán Cuffe

Seanad: National Housing Development Survey: Motion (10 Nov 2010)

Ciarán Cuffe: That is appreciated.

Seanad: National Housing Development Survey: Motion (10 Nov 2010)

Ciarán Cuffe: I welcome the constructive debate we have had on this issue. I have taken notes of some of the contributions and I intend to feed them back into the ongoing process. It is not the first time we have had a good debate about the causes of oversupply in the housing market. We all have our pet blame for what went wrong and why. Within my own party, we put much of the blame at the door of...

Seanad: National Housing Development Survey: Motion (10 Nov 2010)

Ciarán Cuffe: It was a challenge and that was part of it. A more fundamental issue is that we have a post-colonial obsession with property, which underlines every one of the issues I mentioned earlier. People see home ownership as providing stability. I strongly believe, however, that we should be looking at a more European model with a greater menu of options for home ownership. There should be...

Seanad: National Housing Development Survey: Motion (10 Nov 2010)

Ciarán Cuffe: I do not know whether the individual who rang me up was of any particular political persuasion. The nub of the problem, however, was an abundance of tax incentives. That was a problem in Temple Bar, Drumshanbo and elsewhere. Even the seaside resorts scheme, for which Senator Buttimer's party and his colleagues in Labour would take credit, added significantly to the challenges. Tax...

Seanad: National Housing Development Survey: Motion (10 Nov 2010)

Ciarán Cuffe: I will take two minutes more to get through the remainder of my thoughts. We are engaging extensively with NAMA to ensure we free up housing where possible in order that there is no stagnation at that end of the market. Some 2,500 units have been sourced and approved for use under long-term lease arrangements, which will arrange for two thirds of total social housing delivery this year. We...

Seanad: National Housing Development Survey: Motion (10 Nov 2010)

Ciarán Cuffe: I thank Senator Buttimer.

Seanad: National Housing Development Survey: Motion (10 Nov 2010)

Ciarán Cuffe: I am bathing.

Organic Food Production (4 Nov 2010)

Ciarán Cuffe: The term smart green growth sums up so much of what we wish to do with Food Harvest 2020. The policy document makes a number of specific recommendations for the horticulture sector. These recommendations are focused on the industry improving competitiveness, adapting new and greener technologies, and the State agencies fostering product and production innovation, including the production of...

Organic Food Production (4 Nov 2010)

Ciarán Cuffe: We have and it is a good news story. The land area under organic production has been increasing steadily since 2003. At the end of December 2009, there were 1,548 organic operators in Ireland with some 49,165 hectares of land under organic production methods. The programme for Government target is to have 5% of agricultural land under organic production by 2020. That is a high target but...

Organic Food Production (4 Nov 2010)

Ciarán Cuffe: There are challenges, particularly within the Irish market. We are in the middle of a difficult recession and people are looking very carefully at what they buy. However, there are significant opportunities not just in Ireland, but also abroad. In Germany, the figures for organic consumption increased dramatically over the last two years. If we look across the water to the UK and Germany...

Organic Food Production (4 Nov 2010)

Ciarán Cuffe: The Deputy is trying to pretend that we are not assisting, but we are giving huge support.

Organic Food Production (4 Nov 2010)

Ciarán Cuffe: Regarding the early retirement scheme this year we are putting €40 million into providing for those who wish to retire. Some €4.5 million is being allocated to installation aid. That is real money, right here, right now. It is not just that, however. We are providing financial support with supplementary measures under the earlier REP schemes. We have had the organic farming scheme...

Organic Food Production (4 Nov 2010)

Ciarán Cuffe: I was very impressed by the presence of Bord Bia there to promote fish, beef, lamb and dairy products. We had seven Irish cheeses represented at that conference together with other products, including a new Irish sea salt. Bord Bia is doing amazing work in spreading the message that there are strong export markets out there. In addition, here at home there are a number of schemes that are...

Seanad: Report of Joint Committee: Motion (4 Nov 2010)

Ciarán Cuffe: I thank the joint Oireachtas committee for putting down this motion and acknowledge its valuable contribution to the ongoing national debate on climate change. The committee's second report on climate change law is timely and welcome. I appreciate the considerable amount of work that went into producing the report and the importance of having a cross-party perspective to influence and inform...

Written Answers — Building Regulations: Building Regulations (3 Nov 2010)

Ciarán Cuffe: I refer to the reply to Question No. 199 of 14 October 2010 which sets out the position in this matter.

Written Answers — Planning Issues: Planning Issues (3 Nov 2010)

Ciarán Cuffe: Section 247 of the Planning and Development Act 2000 provides that an applicant who has an interest in land may request a pre-application consultation regarding a proposed development and that the planning authority should not unreasonably withhold agreement to enter into such a consultation. My Department's Development Management Guidelines (June 2007) state that every effort should be...

Written Answers — National Spatial Strategy: National Spatial Strategy (3 Nov 2010)

Ciarán Cuffe: The Gateway Innovation Fund was originally provided for under the National Development Plan 2007-2013 to stimulate and support innovative and locally co-funded projects that will prioritise gateway development in line with the National Spatial Strategy. The Fund was deferred in 2008 with no allocations having been made. The Department of Finance report Infrastructure Investment Priorities...

Written Answers — Road Network: Road Network (3 Nov 2010)

Ciarán Cuffe: While roads and transportation issues are addressed in planning legislation, regulations and guidelines, there is no definition of a sub-standard road contained in these.

Local Government (Mayor and Regional Authority of Dublin) Bill 2010: Second Stage (3 Nov 2010)

Ciarán Cuffe: With all due respect to Mr. Bruton, he is a voice but possibly not the voice. We need someone to talk to when we want to talk to Dublin. At the moment there are four mayors, four managers and a plethora of organisational structures. We need a strong voice, an Ed Koch, a Pasqual Maragall and, whether we like it or not, a Boris Johnson; we need a strong, coherent voice for Dublin. All across...

Local Government (Mayor and Regional Authority of Dublin) Bill 2010: Second Stage (3 Nov 2010)

Ciarán Cuffe: I note the attempts by both Opposition parties to belittle the proposed office despite it having powers to form strategies, plans and implement them. I accept the mayor will not have the power to move a bus stop. However, I do not want one who just moves bus stops or moves double-yellow lines in Clontarf. I want one who thinks about the important issues for the city and puts in place an...