Results 4,841-4,860 of 8,081 for speaker:Peter Burke

Financial Resolutions 2020 - Financial Resolution No. 7: General (Resumed) (14 Oct 2020)

Peter Burke: I am grateful for the opportunity to address the House on what is the biggest budget in the history of the State, with an increase eight times bigger than that in last year's budget. The Government strategy in this budget is to protect those sectors which are vulnerable but viable to ensure we have the capacity, once this pandemic subsides, to absorb the demand in key sectors. With that in...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Covid-19 Pandemic (8 Oct 2020)

Peter Burke: I thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach and I thank both Senators Casey and Crowe for this Commencement debate. I know that both Senators have considerable experience in the hospitality sector. I can leave them in no doubt that I am very acutely aware of the pressures that are faced by the hospitality sector. In my town of Mullingar, I have seen what staff and businesses have endured over the past...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Covid-19 Pandemic (8 Oct 2020)

Peter Burke: I absolutely accept the points being made but I am very clear about the rates waiver. If a business was closed it was eligible for the waiver. Those businesses that were partially closed were also allowed to apply for it and did so successfully. The Senators are aware that very few businesses were precluded from the scheme. It is very important as we go forward. I see in my town of...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Covid-19 Pandemic (8 Oct 2020)

Peter Burke: Just to clarify, I am very clear that I am not treating the hospitality sector or the tourism sector with contempt. I am not aware of the grants that businesses are precluded from getting if they are closed. The temporary wage subsidy scheme can be received as can the restart plus grant. They can also get the rates waiver if they were open or partially open. They are not excluded from...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Covid-19 Pandemic (8 Oct 2020)

Peter Burke: I thank Senator McGahon for raising this important issue. It has been a collective effort across the system that has enabled schools to reopen at the start of the school year. I acknowledge the leadership shown by principals, deputy principals and management of schools and the degree to which teachers have prepared for and adapted their practice. In addition, I acknowledge the efforts of...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Covid-19 Pandemic (8 Oct 2020)

Peter Burke: I thank the Senator for his comments. He is correct that the school authorities, teachers, pupils and all of the staff have done great work in the context of Covid-19 and getting 1 million pupils back into school. It is a great achievement. As the Senator said, we are in an evolving situation and we have to continue to issue guidance.

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: School Staff (8 Oct 2020)

Peter Burke: I thank the Senator for her kind comments. In respect of difficulties in filling teaching positions, the teacher supply steering group was established in March 2018 and the group is chaired by the Secretary General of the Department of Education and Skills. The steering group leads on the identification of issues, the development of a programme of actions on teacher supply and oversees its...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: School Staff (8 Oct 2020)

Peter Burke: I thank the Senator for her concern and for raising this important issue. I will bring back her concerns to the Minister for Education and Skills and will ask her to circulate the briefing material in terms of the bases that are already in place and the concerns the Senator has raised in her particular area.

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: House Purchase Schemes (7 Oct 2020)

Peter Burke: I will ensure the issue of new build viability is examined more, including the provision of serviced sites for local authorities in towns and villages. I thank the Deputy for taking the time to table the issue, which affects so many people in our society and country. To reiterate, I assure him of the firm commitment in the programme for government on affordable housing. I can confirm that...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Local Government Fund (7 Oct 2020)

Peter Burke: Having been a county councillor for almost two terms, I am acutely aware of the challenges local authorities face. Perhaps the Deputies did not hear me correctly. I said we would engage intensively with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform in the days leading to next week's budget. We are very clear about the serious circumstances that have befallen our society and the local...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: House Purchase Schemes (7 Oct 2020)

Peter Burke: I thank the Deputy for raising this very important issue we face in society. The Government is absolutely focused on ensuring affordable, quality housing solutions are available to everyone in society and this is reflected in the Programme for Government: Our Shared Future. The programme commits to putting affordability at the heart of the housing system through the progression of...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Local Government Fund (7 Oct 2020)

Peter Burke: I ask Deputy Gould to reflect on his political history because my party did not bail out the banks. He should get his facts right before commencing this debate. I thank the Deputies for giving me the opportunity to speak on the importance of local authority funding and on the ongoing impact of Covid-19 on local authorities, and in particular their finances. The challenges are common...

Ábhair Shaincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Matters: Swimming Pool Programme (6 Oct 2020)

Peter Burke: I thank the Deputy for giving me the opportunity to outline today the importance of Government funding of local authorities, with a particular focus on the spend of Galway City Council and Galway County Council, and also to reflect on the serious impact Covid-19 is having on local authorities' expenditure and on their cash flow. The funding system that applies to local authorities is a...

Ábhair Shaincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Matters: Swimming Pool Programme (6 Oct 2020)

Peter Burke: I want to put to bed the rumour that the Government is not coming up with and delivering income streams for local authorities. The revised Estimate for the sector was approved today by the committee in connection with a €600 million fund for the rates waiver scheme. The Government is monitoring this closely. We are very clear that the local authority sector has achieved so much over...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Residential Tenancies Board (6 Oct 2020)

Peter Burke: I thank Deputy Murphy for her question. The Residential Tenancies Board, RTB, was established as an independent statutory body under the Residential Tenancies Acts 2004 to 2020 to operate a national tenancy registration system and to facilitate the resolution of disputes between landlords and tenants. The service provided by the RTB is quasi-judicial and all of their mediators,...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Housing Policy (6 Oct 2020)

Peter Burke: I have given a very clear example in terms of the planning application that was submitted for Wicklow. I gave another clear example in my town.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Housing Policy (6 Oct 2020)

Peter Burke: We have to be very clear. The Deputy can try to shout people down but the key point I am making-----

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Housing Policy (6 Oct 2020)

Peter Burke: I have given a clear example where 597 homes will be delivered in that matrix by the Land Development Agency, and it will continue to do such good work.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Tenant Purchase Scheme (6 Oct 2020)

Peter Burke: Yes, it is ready and present. To be clear, the review had been completed and has to be revised to take into account what was agreed by the three parties and unanimously adopted by their membership. That will happen shortly. I cannot give an exact timeframe for that because I do not know. That is the honest answer.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Tenant Purchase Scheme (6 Oct 2020)

Peter Burke: We are talking about three months. We are doing the budget at the moment which takes priority but it will be as soon as possible. Politicians are mad for people to put an exact date on things, but things can happen beyond our control, especially in this Department. We have many matters to respond to every day and we are trying to negotiate a significant budget. I am not proposing to...