Results 7,361-7,380 of 27,073 for speaker:Richard Boyd Barrett

Finance (Covid-19 and Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2021: Second Stage (1 Jul 2021)

Richard Boyd Barrett: Thank you.

Finance (Covid-19 and Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2021: Second Stage (1 Jul 2021)

Richard Boyd Barrett: I appreciate that. I know the Ceann Comhairle does not disagree with this because we have discussed it, but it further underlines the point about the change of the speaking order enforced by the Government, which guarantees this sort of uncertainty. The Government insists that it has multiple slots before some of us get to speak and then no one from the Government side bothers to turn up....

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (1 Jul 2021)

Richard Boyd Barrett: There was an announcement by the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage that there are going to be changes to the Residential Tenancies Act 2004 in order to replace rent pressure zones and the 4% limit with a review based on the consumer price index. Does the Tánaiste agree this is not good enough given the already unsustainable rents people are paying? In the rent...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (1 Jul 2021)

Richard Boyd Barrett: -----which can be set at any level whatsoever and will almost certainly be set at the same unsustainable levels they are now.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (1 Jul 2021)

Richard Boyd Barrett: 44. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if confirmation will be given to a school (details supplied) of the location of its temporary school in September 2021; if she will ensure that the temporary school will be in the catchment area of the school; the location of the permanent site; when the permanent site will be ready; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35267/21]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (1 Jul 2021)

Richard Boyd Barrett: 71. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will work with a school (details supplied) to ensure the acquisition by her Department of a building for a specific ASD unit and as a school hall; if not, if confirmation will be given that the school will have an ASD unit and will be allowed to rent the building for same while a deal is worked out between her Department and the parish...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (1 Jul 2021)

Richard Boyd Barrett: 126. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the reason a person in their 80s who has been in receipt of the State pension (contributory) and a qualified adult increase for nearly 20 years and whose spouse is the qualified adult and is also in their 80s has received a means text request from her Department; if this is a random review; if so, if the procedure will be...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (1 Jul 2021)

Richard Boyd Barrett: 168. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if recipients of the pandemic unemployment payment whose payment is reduced to the €203 on 7 September 2021 or the subsequent two dates will be moved to jobseeker’s allowance rather than stay on the payment at the relevant rate; her views on the way this can be justified given the payment is not a...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Charitable and Voluntary Organisations (1 Jul 2021)

Richard Boyd Barrett: 204. To ask the Minister for Finance the VAT implications for a registered charity building an animal shelter as a new build; if exemptions are available on the VAT; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35448/21]

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (1 Jul 2021)

Richard Boyd Barrett: 285. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she will consider extending the period of time a person can receive jobseeker’s benefit before they are means tested for jobseeker’s allowance temporarily until the job market and the economy has recovered; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35442/21]

Written Answers — Department of Health: Covid-19 Pandemic (1 Jul 2021)

Richard Boyd Barrett: 373. To ask the Minister for Health the number of prisoners who have been vaccinated to date against Covid-19; the number vaccinated who are over 60 years of age; the number vaccinated who are medically vulnerable; the timescale for those who have not been vaccinated to receive a vaccine; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28506/21]

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Capital Investment: Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (1 Jul 2021)

Richard Boyd Barrett: I thank Mr. Downes and his departmental colleagues for their contributions. Am I correct that the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform produces the Irish Government Economic and Evaluation Service, IGEES, report?

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Capital Investment: Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (1 Jul 2021)

Richard Boyd Barrett: I read one a while ago, which was basically an assessment of public housing as against rental accommodation scheme, RAS, and housing assistance payment, HAP, arrangements. An IGEES report indicated it would cost considerably more to continue with RAS and HAP than direct construction, which requires more capital investment upfront but where the long-term costs are lower. Was that done by the...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Capital Investment: Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (1 Jul 2021)

Richard Boyd Barrett: Okay. I agree very much with that. It is something I have been arguing for quite a long time. Has that lesson been taken on board? Are there changes to plans for capital investment that would significantly move us on from the Rebuilding Ireland targets? As a reminder, the initial Rebuilding Ireland targets were for about 133,000 social housing units, of which roughly 90,000 were going to...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Capital Investment: Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (1 Jul 2021)

Richard Boyd Barrett: I would prefer that, if possible.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Capital Investment: Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (1 Jul 2021)

Richard Boyd Barrett: Certainly, rhetorically we have heard some shift and that is good news but there is still a huge dependence on current forms of expenditure. Ms Costello can tell me the numbers, but the original target was for about 87,000 to 90,000 units, which are long-term arrangements in many cases. Is it Ms Costello's understanding that the trajectory, that is, the plan and the objective, is to get to...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Capital Investment: Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (1 Jul 2021)

Richard Boyd Barrett: I will leave it at that. I am gathering from that reply that there is not a definite plan as to where this is heading but there is a shift in trajectory. I am glad of that shift in trajectory but I believe we need a plan that says there is an end point in all of this. My next question is on a similar theme. It relates to Covid and is more for the health side. There has been a lot of...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Capital Investment: Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (1 Jul 2021)

Richard Boyd Barrett: My time is limited. There is a common theme to my questions. I welcome the additional money being invested and so on but what seem to be lacking are clear objectives for where this is heading. When figures are bandied around and we say an additional €1 billion is being thrown in here, and we say we are spending more than we have ever spent in the history of the State, which is a...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Capital Investment: Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (1 Jul 2021)

Richard Boyd Barrett: I will just flag a few issues because I am out of time. There has been a theme to my questions, namely, that we are a little lacking in clearly specified objectives. There are trajectories, additional allocations and a general recognition that we might need to move in a particular direction, but there are not clearly specified objectives and there is more work to be done there. I have not...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Capital Investment: Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (1 Jul 2021)

Richard Boyd Barrett: That has been the common theme of my questions and I flag that for our guests. I do not have time to go into the arts expenditure but I think we have no idea what we are getting for much of the funding in the area, such as that relating to film investment. We have lots of money going out but-----