Results 46,961-46,980 of 49,836 for speaker:Stephen Donnelly

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (22 Oct 2014)

Stephen Donnelly: 190. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the reason her Department continues to pursue the construction of a new school (details supplied) even though the statistics from her Department show that there is huge over-capacity in the area and the enrolment in the eight schools in the locality has dropped from a high of 4,007 in 1981-1982 to 1,154 in the school year 2013-2014 and, in the...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Private Residential Tenancies Board (22 Oct 2014)

Stephen Donnelly: 199. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government further to Parliamentary Question No. 528 of 8 July, if the report has been produced by the Private Residential Tenancies Board; if he will make a copy available; if the report is not yet finalised, if he will indicate when it is expected to be finalised and made available; and if he will make a statement on the matter....

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Broadband Service Provision (22 Oct 2014)

Stephen Donnelly: 217. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources further to Parliamentary Question No. 160 of 15 October 2014, that it is a matter for Irish Water to decide, in the first instance, whether there is a commercial case for entering the liberalised telecommunications market; his views that the case for laying fibre optic cable while Irish Water is laying water pipes...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Proposed Legislation (21 Oct 2014)

Stephen Donnelly: 320. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality her plans to consider extending the parental leave from employment in respect of children above the age of eight years old; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40299/14]

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Water Charges Administration (21 Oct 2014)

Stephen Donnelly: 588. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government further to a statement from Irish Water that it is currently developing a mechanism to provide landlords with a means to prove they are not the occupier of a house they have rented out if a tenant is refusing to pay their water charges, the position regarding the liability of landlords in instances where the tenant is...

Seanad Reform: Motion [Private Members] (16 Oct 2014)

Stephen Donnelly: I thank Sinn Féin for sharing its time and I compliment it on this motion. Last October, when the people refused the Government's call to abolish the Seanad, the Taoiseach said, "I am up for engaging with leaders in the Dáil and the Seanad and we will see what is the best way of putting in place a process that will lead to a more effective Seanad." To date, no reform has occurred....

Other Questions: Enterprise Support Services Provision (16 Oct 2014)

Stephen Donnelly: I thank the Minister for his reply and I welcome the changes that are coming in through primary legislation. There is a gap between aspiration and reality concerning the one-stop-shop. I had a feeling the Minister would say the LEOs are very good and that he would advise people to go there. Therefore I rang somebody this morning and asked him to try to start up a business today to see how...

Other Questions: Enterprise Support Services Provision (16 Oct 2014)

Stephen Donnelly: To be clear, I do not know if it was the Wicklow local enterprise office that the person called. I asked the person to ring an LEO as a test to see how he would get on. The message I got back was that it was not working. At least, in some places it is not working but it is a great initiative. Maybe people should be hired to do a quick outside-in, like a mystery shopper, to report back to...

Other Questions: Enterprise Support Services Provision (16 Oct 2014)

Stephen Donnelly: 8. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if he will provide an update on plans to streamline the process of setting up new businesses here; if a one stop shop is part of those plans; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39076/14]

Other Questions: Enterprise Support Services Provision (16 Oct 2014)

Stephen Donnelly: This question came about through a meeting I had with Bray Chamber of Commerce before the budget. One member said he had recently set up his own business and enterprise in Wicklow and had a good deal of hassle doing it. He found it very complicated and there was not one office or website he could go to where he could find out what he needed in terms of getting an accountant, a lawyer,...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Economic Competitiveness (16 Oct 2014)

Stephen Donnelly: 3. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation in view of Ireland’s continued fall down the competitiveness rankings, the policies being developed to improve our competitiveness relative to countries with which we compete; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39381/14]

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Economic Competitiveness (16 Oct 2014)

Stephen Donnelly: This question regards our competitiveness, which is a mixed bag. With regard to Ireland's competitiveness index, relative to ourselves, we have done significantly better since the start of the recession, with factor input costs decreasing. Compared globally, however, we are doing worse every year. The World Economic Forum, WEF, places us 27th this year, down from 22nd in 2007. While we...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Economic Competitiveness (16 Oct 2014)

Stephen Donnelly: I thank the Minister for his reply. The NCC's figures on our global rankings differ slightly from the Minister's. They do not show us moving at all. According to the Forfás report, for example, we were ranked 21st or so at the start of the crisis and are now 28th. I accept the Minister's point that some of the decrease has been driven by the macroeconomic instability, but examining...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Economic Competitiveness (16 Oct 2014)

Stephen Donnelly: I have not checked to see whether the next matter I wish to raise is covered in the budget, but the Competition Authority is under-funded. As we all know, there is cartel behaviour in some sectors, but I will not go into the allegations. The troika showed us professional fees decreasing during the recession with one divergent line increasing, namely, legal fees. There appears to be an...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Exports Growth (16 Oct 2014)

Stephen Donnelly: 14. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation his views on Ireland's economic over-reliance on imports of all kinds; if he will change the terms of reference for Enterprise Ireland and, in particular, its high-potential start-up programme to include import substitution; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39077/14]

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Visa Agreements (16 Oct 2014)

Stephen Donnelly: 26. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation his plans to create a visa programme for graduates from middle-income countries such as China, Mexico, Brazil, India, and-or Russia, to incentivise visitors from these countries, who could work here, specifically to aid in areas where employers are finding it difficult to source employees with particular skillsets. [39080/14]

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Enterprise Support Schemes (16 Oct 2014)

Stephen Donnelly: 30. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation in view of the fact that immigrants comprise about 13% of the Irish population but are often overlooked as sources of economic growth and the fact that Los Angeles and Chicago have successfully tapped into these communities and supported them as exporters, if he has considered establishing a programme of support, such as export...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Social Welfare Rates (16 Oct 2014)

Stephen Donnelly: 35. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation his views on whether the lower social protections offered to self-employed persons are acting as a deterrent to entrepreneurship here, and, if so, the steps that should be taken to address the issue. [39079/14]

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Business Regulation (16 Oct 2014)

Stephen Donnelly: 85. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation in view of Ireland's recent fall in the World Bank's Ease of Doing Business rankings, the policies being considered to make the regulatory environment more conducive to the inception and operation of indigenous businesses; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39382/14]

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Water Charges Administration (16 Oct 2014)

Stephen Donnelly: 213. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide the overall specification of the billing system a company (details supplied) designed for Irish Water. [39600/14]