Results 49,401-49,420 of 49,836 for speaker:Stephen Donnelly

Written Answers — Rent Supplement Scheme: Rent Supplement Scheme (10 Jul 2012)

Stephen Donnelly: Question 287: To ask the Minister for Social Protection further to Parliamentary Question No 376 of 3 July 2012 if, in view of the fact that constituents are reporting that deciding officers have refused to accept any evidence of a joint custody arrangement other than a court order, she will confirm that a letter from a solicitor should be regarded, in ordinary circumstances, as acceptable...

Constitutional Convention: Motion (10 Jul 2012)

Stephen Donnelly: I welcome this process, which is refreshing. The topics selected are important, including getting the horrific gender bias out of our Constitution. I look forward to being able to debate it and vote on it in the Chamber. I particularly welcome the Taoiseach's openness to this potentially being a first step. He is also open to some of the issues that have been raised by Deputy Adams,...

Written Answers — Legislative Briefings: Legislative Briefings (5 Jul 2012)

Stephen Donnelly: Question 114: To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality if he will list all organisations and individuals who were briefed on the Personal Insolvency Bill between the Cabinet meeting on 26 June 2012 and the briefing for Members of the Houses of the Oireachtas on 29 June at 2.30 pm; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32819/12]

Written Answers — Rent Supplement Scheme: Rent Supplement Scheme (3 Jul 2012)

Stephen Donnelly: Question 376: To ask the Minister for Social Protection further to Parliamentary Question No. 83 of 20 June 2012, in which she stated that documentation is normally required showing that a joint custody arrangement is in place and being availed of before a decision can be made on rent supplement, if she has issued any instruction; or if her attention has been drawn to any instruction being...

Written Answers — Gender Recognition: Gender Recognition (3 Jul 2012)

Stephen Donnelly: Question 391: To ask the Minister for Social Protection in view of the fact that it is now just over two years since the Government accepted the High Court declaration that the failure to grant legal recognition to a person (details supplied) in her female gender was a breach of the European Convention on Human Rights; if she will explain the delay in introducing legislation to provide for...

Microenterprise Loan Fund Bill 2012: Second Stage (Resumed) (28 Jun 2012)

Stephen Donnelly: Yes. I wish to share my time with Deputy Mattie McGrath. Before I talk about the substance of the Bill, the direction of which I agree and welcome, I wish to make a point about the procedure for dealing with the Bill this week. We did not get access to Bill and its digest until earlier this week and I understand the debate is to be guillotined today. This is important legislation, and it...

Order of Business (28 Jun 2012)

Stephen Donnelly: The personal insolvency legislation is being laid before the House tomorrow. From the time the Cabinet voted on it earlier this week and when Dáil Éireann sees it tomorrow, have the banks been briefed on what the Cabinet has in mind?

Written Answers — Health Service Reform: Health Service Reform (27 Jun 2012)

Stephen Donnelly: Question 183: To ask the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 659 of 19 June 2012, if he will confirm if it is the case that the Health Service Executive at present has strategic plan documents covering various sectors or geographical areas within the health service, but no single, overarching strategic plan document that brings all of these together and sets out a...

Third Level Funding (27 Jun 2012)

Stephen Donnelly: Question 3: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the plans or additional revenue streams, if any, he is pursuing, in order to reverse the current planned cuts to third level education, which over the next four years will amount to a cut of approximately 30% per student in real terms assuming the 6% cut in absolute funding in Budget 2012, 2% inflation per year and 18% more students;...

Third Level Funding (27 Jun 2012)

Stephen Donnelly: I look forward to the report. As the Minister is aware, the position is that we are looking at a 30% per student drop in our third level system in the next four years. Last year, the Higher Education Authority, HEA, stated that between 2008 and 2011 there had been an 18% drop. Between 2008 and 2015, therefore, we are looking at approximately a 50% drop in funding per student. That will...

Third Level Funding (27 Jun 2012)

Stephen Donnelly: Yes. I know the Minister is aware of this but I put it to him that a 50% drop will wipe out our system for the next ten, 20 or 30 years. Will the Minister consider reintroducing student fees? I know that is a very personal issue for him. The report from the Geary Institute in UCD suggests that measure has not done what I believe the Minister intended it to do, which was to improve the...

Third Level Funding (27 Jun 2012)

Stephen Donnelly: I agree entirely. On the socio-economic strata, the Geary Institute report suggests that the lower socio-economic percentage has remained constant but I defer to the Minister's expertise in the area. I agree entirely with the Minister. For example, in teacher training, if the figures I have seen are correct, 70% of new hires have come from Hibernia College, which is essentially zero cost to...

Third Level Funding (27 Jun 2012)

Stephen Donnelly: -----while we have five teaching schools at enormous cost to the State. They may be doing very good work but that is clearly not the way to proceed. I agree that the first thing to do is find all of these inefficiencies quickly and ruthlessly. Nonetheless, if we take Buffalo University in the United States, which is a mid-ranking US university, its total funding is 30% more than our entire...

European Council: Statements (26 Jun 2012)

Stephen Donnelly: As the Tánaiste is very well aware, over the next three days this country will pay €1.1 billion to bondholders in the former Anglo Irish Bank and Irish Nationwide Building Society. As he is no doubt aware also, those bonds were originally issued by those institutions in 2007, therefore, the people who bought those bonds in 2007 knew that they were taking a risk. If they did their due...

Written Answers — Tax Code: Tax Code (20 Jun 2012)

Stephen Donnelly: Question 40: To ask the Minister for Finance if he will provide, or request that his officials prepare an analysis of the net cost to the Exchequer of making childcare tax deductible; if he will provide any further analysis that has been done by his Department on alternative fiscal strategies for reducing the cost of childcare to parents. [29823/12]

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (20 Jun 2012)

Stephen Donnelly: Question 64: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide a breakdown of new teachers hired in the primary sector by training institution from which they obtained their teaching qualification, for each of the previous five years. [29825/12]

Written Answers — Rent Supplement Scheme: Rent Supplement Scheme (20 Jun 2012)

Stephen Donnelly: Question 83: To ask the Minister for Social Protection in the case of parents who have separated and have agreed joint custody, but have not gone through a legal separation, and where one or both of the parents is applying for rent supplement, if they are each entitled to receive rent supplement adequate to house themselves plus the children they are jointly caring for; if it is the case...

Written Answers — Health Service Reform: Health Service Reform (19 Jun 2012)

Stephen Donnelly: Question 659: To ask the Minister for Health his plans to develop national and or regional integrated healthcare strategies, combining the various aspects of the health care system and the various existing strategies which address specific aspects of healthcare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29665/12]

Written Answers — Primary Care Centres: Primary Care Centres (19 Jun 2012)

Stephen Donnelly: Question 568: To ask the Minister for Health the position regarding the building and opening of a primary care centre in Greystones, County Wicklow, intended to be located at Greystones Harbour, including timelines and projected capacity, and for the same information for the planned primary care centre in Wicklow Town; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29684/12]

Written Answers — Mental Health Services: Mental Health Services (19 Jun 2012)

Stephen Donnelly: Question 660: To ask the Minister for Health the progress that has been made in 2012 on improving mental health service provision in County Wicklow, in accordance with the targets and vision set out in a Vision for Change; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29666/12]