Results 3,921-3,940 of 23,956 for speaker:Charlie McConalogue

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (4 Jul 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: Ireland is obliged to report and account for all greenhouse gases in Ireland under our international obligations and this includes sequestration and emissions from forestry. This does not imply ownership but simply reflects the requirement for those reductions and emissions to be included in the State’s climate inventory. There is no such similar mandatory accounting framework for...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Grant Payments (4 Jul 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: The new CAP 2023-2027 has commenced this year and payments will issue in the fourth quarter of the year across a very broad range of schemes. With this being the first year of the new CAP Strategic Plan, a whole range of new schemes are being introduced along with substantial changes to existing schemes, over a relatively short time period. I am fully committed to making payments to...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (29 Jun 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: As the Deputy pointed out, families bereaved during the Troubles continue to feel the pain and the loss, and continue to seek the truth, accountability and justice. Existing mechanisms for dealing with the legacy of the past, while not perfect, deliver important outcomes for those families, such as the vindication of a murdered loved one's innocence. In its legacy Bill, the UK Government...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (29 Jun 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: The Deputy was the only one to mention anyone's name in the two-hour debate yesterday. My contribution was about how we, as a Government, are working to support family farms across the country and to ensure that farmers and the families that depend on them and the rural economies that depend on them are strongly supported by the Government. That is our focus from an agricultural point of...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (29 Jun 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: It seems clear from the Deputy's contribution that there is lots of investment happening in new schools in his constituency. That certainly is my experience in Donegal, where we have had unprecedented investment in new schools and school facilities. The Minister, Deputy Foley, with the backing of the Government, has made capital spending a priority to ensure young people are studying, and...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (29 Jun 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: I thank the Deputy for raising this pressing issue. It is an issue that the Department of Finance is currently working its way through. The objective of the Government is to ensure that those who are actively farming their land are not put in a situation whereby because the zoned land tax will apply to them, they cannot continue to farm or must sell the land. They need to be able to apply...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (29 Jun 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: I thank the Deputy. The findings of the research undertaken in the scoping study on the sexual exploitation of children and young people in Ireland are deeply troubling. The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth is working closely with the senior management of Tusla on the matter and will prioritise a review of the findings of the scoping study and its...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (29 Jun 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: I thank the Deputy. As he knows, I have provided numerous briefings to outline the position and the challenges we have had over the past six months. The factual position is that we are between forestry programmes. We are currently waiting for state aid approval of our new forestry programme. That means we have not been in a position to issue new licences in recent months and will be...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (29 Jun 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. I assure him that as part of the discussions on the next budget, progressing the services available to those with disabilities will be a key priority. It is something that the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, has focused on and done very strong work. The Government has taken the significant step, as part of its programme for Government...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (29 Jun 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: -----a €400 lump-sum payment for fuel allowance, a €500 lump-sum payment to families receiving working family payment and those in receipt of disability allowance, blind pension and invalidity pension and €200 specifically for those living alone. We moved to reduce childcare costs by 25% and public transport fares by 20% in general and by 50% for young people. I could...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (29 Jun 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: No child should have to go through the experience Ivy went through, which has been documented. The failures in her care and the length of time it took for her to receive the necessary operation was documented in the report of the Ombudsman for Children that was published earlier. The Government is working hard to address the issue in order that other children will not have the same...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (29 Jun 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: I have not seen the detail of today's report yet. However, I assure the Deputy that the Government puts massive stock in and prioritises the need to restore nature and the need to protect our environment. In terms of our actions, we have taken the historic step of putting in place targets for emissions reductions in legislation. We have also set targets that show how the country can lead...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (29 Jun 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: The Government wants to see a strong future for public service broadcasting in this country. This is something we all put a very high value on. That is why it has been so disappointing to see what has emerged in the past couple of weeks in the context of the breach of trust, the lack of transparency in respect of salaries and the challenges and weaknesses with regard to governance. That is...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (29 Jun 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: I thank Deputy Tóibín. There is no doubt that the past 18 months have been very challenging for people right across the country and in all walks of life, especially those who are on lower or fixed incomes. That is something the Government has been massively conscious of and to which we have responded very strongly-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (29 Jun 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: ----- in a way that I do not believe has been seen in any other country in Europe. The fact that we have been sensibly and effectively managing the economy has given us the platform, as has the situation with regard to our national finances, to be able to support people who are under great pressure that this time. Over the past year and a half, we have seen €12 billion, which equates...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (29 Jun 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: Following this direction, Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, with all eight public-private partnership, PPP, companies which operate the tolls, achieved agreement on the suspension of these increases for the first six months of this year. As the agreed six-month period will expire on 1 July, the revised toll prices will apply from that date. The setting of tolls is a statutory function...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (29 Jun 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: I have outlined the contractual situation with regard to tolls.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (29 Jun 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: There are certain constraints within which we must operate. The Government has been massively cognisant of the financial pressures on families during the past 18 months. That is why, in the context of those financial pressures, we have intervened to provide support by means of a range of measures to homeowners. In the budget we introduced last year, there was an autumn double payment, a...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (29 Jun 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: I agree with Deputy Boyd Barrett about the importance of public service broadcasting. It has been massively important in our history. It was particularly important, when we did not have other broadcast stations, to ensure there was a strong public service broadcasting operation in Ireland. RTÉ has provided a massive service to our citizens and country over many years. It is even more...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (29 Jun 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: I am afraid if they are looking to Deputy Ó Broin for solutions, they will be looking very hard indeed. I have outlined some of the key supports the Government has in place through Housing for All. I have mentioned the help-to-buy scheme which provides up to €30,000 for a deposit. The First Home scheme provides up to 30% equity. We also have the vacant and derelict property...