Results 21,801-21,820 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Site Acquisitions (15 Nov 2017)

Richard Bruton: As the Deputy will be aware, access to the permanent site for the school to which the Deputy refers, is a complex planning issue. Since June 2017, my Department has met with a third-party landowner on a number of occasions with a view to negotiating an acceptable solution to the access issue. As these are commercially sensitive negotiations it is not possible to comment further at this...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Textbooks (15 Nov 2017)

Richard Bruton: The Department of Education and Skills does not publish or promote school textbooks for any subject, at any level. Where textbook publishers wish to produce books for any particular subject, this is entirely at the discretion of publishers. Equally, it is at the discretion of teachers and schools should they wish to use textbooks where these are available. The Department, through both the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (15 Nov 2017)

Richard Bruton: The major building project referred to by the Deputy is at an advanced stage of architectural planning - Stage 2(b), which includes the applications for Planning Permission, Fire Certificate and Disability Access Certificate and the preparation of Tender Documents. Notification to grant Planning Permission was granted by the Local Authority on 8th November 2017, a final grant of Planning...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation Provision (15 Nov 2017)

Richard Bruton: I can confirm to the Deputy that the school in question has submitted a proposal to my Department relating to alternative accommodation for the school. The proposal is currently being considered and a decision will be conveyed to the school authority as soon as the assessment process has been finalised.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Residential Institutions Redress Scheme Eligibility (15 Nov 2017)

Richard Bruton: The legacy of abuse against children and young people, whether in residential institutions, in day schools, or in any other setting, is appalling. It is impossible to even imagine what some of these people have gone through. There is a National Counselling Service, run by the Health Service Executive which provides counseling services to those who have been abused in childhood,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (15 Nov 2017)

Richard Bruton: The building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is in Architectural planning. The School Authority attended a meeting with Department Officials last week to review the plans for the new school in advance of lodging a planning application to the Local Authority. The school was advised that the application is being finalised and is expected to be lodged in late December/...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (15 Nov 2017)

Richard Bruton: The building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is in Architectural planning. The School Authority attended a meeting with Department Officials last week to review the plans for the new school in advance of lodging a planning application to the Local Authority. The school was advised that the application is being finalised and is expected to be lodged in late December/...

Leaders' Questions (16 Nov 2017)

Richard Bruton: I thank the Deputy for raising this question. The Taoiseach is flying to Sweden today for an EU summit. He will be meeting with other European colleagues and will hold a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister May. The position of the Irish Government remains unchanged. We believe that there must a clear road map to achieve what has been announced as the objective of all parties, which is...

Leaders' Questions (16 Nov 2017)

Richard Bruton: The Deputy will be aware that if the Taoiseach, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade or I sought to answer a set of hypothetical questions about what the British might do and what we might do in return, it would not be to our advantage in a very delicate situation like this. It is not for us to play with scenarios and suggest that we would settle for something less than what has been...

Leaders' Questions (16 Nov 2017)

Richard Bruton: I roundly reject the suggestion that we are pretending the problem does not exist. It was our Government - the former Minister of State, now Senator Ged Nash, and I - who commissioned the work by the University of Limerick on zero-hour contracts. It was on the back of that work that we held consultations with the trade union movement and employers to ensure we can bring forward legislation....

Leaders' Questions (16 Nov 2017)

Richard Bruton: It is the responsibility of Government to bring in legislation that is practical and which can be applied and is feasible for all concerned. That is what we are doing. Our legislation will ban zero-hour contracts. It will introduce protection for people who are on short-hour contracts and give them recognition for the fact they often work longer periods than are specified in their...

Leaders' Questions (16 Nov 2017)

Richard Bruton: We are also ensuring there will be a system of banded hours.

Leaders' Questions (16 Nov 2017)

Richard Bruton: Mandate or any other group can put forward possible amendments to the committee that will be considering that legislation.

Leaders' Questions (16 Nov 2017)

Richard Bruton: It is for the House-----

Leaders' Questions (16 Nov 2017)

Richard Bruton: -----to consider-----

Leaders' Questions (16 Nov 2017)

Richard Bruton: The way in which we legislate is not by signing the requests of various outside bodies. We are elected to represent people. We come here-----

Leaders' Questions (16 Nov 2017)

Richard Bruton: -----and we make the decisions on the merits of the case as put forward. The merits of a case put forward by Mandate will be examined by the House when the Bill is presented to the House for debate and adopted.

Leaders' Questions (16 Nov 2017)

Richard Bruton: I fully acknowledge the sincerity with which the Deputy is putting forward her argument. There is no doubt that legislation and policy in this area must be informed by the best possible research. I understand there is a task force in place that is scoping out this area of research to see whether it would be appropriate and necessary to conduct the sort of review the Deputy is proposing....

Leaders' Questions (16 Nov 2017)

Richard Bruton: I am not in a position to offer deadlines but, having worked in the research field, I know the first thing one does is make sure one surveys what is already available before commissioning further work to identify the gaps in provision. It is prudent for any government to take the approach we are taking and it is not holding back important investment of real resources. Organisations dealing...

Leaders' Questions (16 Nov 2017)

Richard Bruton: I congratulate Deputy Danny Healy-Rae on his excellent grasp of what someone described as "retail politics". My answers will be more in the wholesale area, telling him what we can do on a national level to ameliorate the types of problems he listed. The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, because of the progress we have made in advancing the economic recovery and as we find...