Results 25,281-25,300 of 33,175 for speaker:Paschal Donohoe

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Brexit Issues (22 Nov 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: The Office of Government Procurement (OGP) can access the information sought by the Deputy for EU threshold contracts awarded to companies in Northern Ireland which was entered on the National eTenders system in respect of 2015. However, this information is not readily available so the OGP will reply directly to the Deputy on the matter. In relation to implications post-Brexit for those...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Brexit Issues (22 Nov 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: The EU/North South Unit of my Department has overall responsibility for coordinating issues relating to Brexit within the Department. It represents the Department on the Inter-Departmental Committee on EU/UK Relations, which is chaired by the Department of the Taoiseach, and also supports me in my role as a member of the Cabinet Committee on Brexit. Brexit features on the agenda of the...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Pensions Data (22 Nov 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: The cost of public service pensions inclusive of lump sums in 2015 was €2.909 billion, as reported in 2015 Appropriation Account. The number of recipients was 154,681. For 2016, the estimated cost of public service pensions is €2.929 billion, with the estimated number of recipients at 161,876. My Department has published a figure of €98 billion as the estimated accrued...

Questions on Proposed Legislation (17 Nov 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: It is not proposed to provide further legislation for the Coast Guard. As the Deputy will know better than I will, given the enormously important role the Coast Guard fulfils in his county and constituency, the organisation has a very strong voluntary basis and ethos. We would have to take great care in legislating in the future for the organisation for fear of undermining that approach.

Questions on Proposed Legislation (17 Nov 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: This matter and policy area is being led by the Minister of State, Deputy Stanton, and I will ask him to refer back to the Deputy. However, I would have hoped that in her question to me she might have acknowledged the fact that this country has resettled 500 refugees under the Irish refugee programme.This is also the same country and Government that since 2012 has invested more than...

Questions on Proposed Legislation (17 Nov 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: That report will be published early in the new year. This is a project in a very important area that is being led by the Minister of State, Deputy Murphy. He will publish the report then. It will be available to the entire House, and any action Government can take arising from the report which we are confident will make a difference to the rise in premia, to which the Deputy has referred,...

Questions on Proposed Legislation (17 Nov 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: I call on the Minister for Social Protection to respond.

Questions on Proposed Legislation (17 Nov 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: I understand the heads of the Bill will come to Cabinet soon. This will fulfil the budget announcement we made. The question of whether it needs preliminary legislative scrutiny, as adverted to by Deputy O'Reilly, is a matter for the Oireachtas and the Minister for Health to decide.

Questions on Proposed Legislation (17 Nov 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: I believe it will be arriving in the next few weeks or in the next few months.

Questions on Proposed Legislation (17 Nov 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: Of course, this is the type of service improvement that has been facilitated by the economic changes that Sinn Féin said would never happen.

Questions on Proposed Legislation (17 Nov 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: We will have to come back to Deputy Ellis on that, but we have already enacted the Proceeds of Crime (Amendment) Bill. That may have dealt with some of the matters to which Deputy Ellis is referring.

Questions on Proposed Legislation (17 Nov 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: It is completing Second Stage in the Seanad. I call on the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government, Deputy Coveney, to respond to Deputy Breathnach directly.

Questions on Proposed Legislation (17 Nov 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: That is a priority for this session and it is listed for this session.

Questions on Proposed Legislation (17 Nov 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: This is an issue on which the Minister of State, Deputy Canney, is doing an enormous amount. I will ensure that he corresponds with the Deputy on the matter. My understanding is that a non-statutory Shannon co-ordination body, the job of which job is to bring together all the agencies to deal with the issues of non-co-ordination to which Deputy Eugene Murphy referred, is now in place. We...

Questions on Proposed Legislation (17 Nov 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. It is an issue that the Minister of State, Deputy Finian McGrath, has outlined as a very important priority for him and the Government. It is listed for this session and there is an enormous amount of engagement now taking place between the Attorney General, the Department of Justice and Equality and the Department of Health on it. Alongside...

Questions on Proposed Legislation (17 Nov 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: It is my understanding that in May 2016 there was an increase to the rural practice allowance to try to deal with the issues to which the Deputy refers. I also understand that there was a change in the eligibility criteria for the scheme to try to ensure that more GPs participate in it to ensure rural communities have access to the primary facilities and care they deserve.

Questions on Proposed Legislation (17 Nov 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: Deputy Mattie McGrath and Deputy Martin Kenny made reference to therapists and the need for support. This year alone, an additional 83 posts for speech and language therapists have been sanctioned. That is a 10% increase on last year. On the broader matters raised by Deputy McGrath, they will be considered by the HSE in the context of its service plan for 2017. Deputy McGrath is right to...

Questions on Proposed Legislation (17 Nov 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: I thank Deputy O'Dea for raising this matter. This is an exceptionally serious matter to which there is no one overall solution. It is driven by the fact that people are living longer as well as the change in the investment environment that we are seeing and which is affecting bond yields. The response will vary by pension fund. There is clearly a need for heightened engagement between...

Questions on Proposed Legislation (17 Nov 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: From an expertise and functions point of view, the Department of Social Protection is best placed to process a payment that is made weekly and on which a large number of people depend. On primary care, as we speak, 92 primary care centres are now in operation throughout the State. A further 15 locations are under construction and a further 30 primary care centres are at an advanced stage.

Questions on Proposed Legislation (17 Nov 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: The heads of the Bill were approved by the Government in July. We expect it to come before the House in the next session.