Results 25,321-25,340 of 27,945 for speaker:Michael McGrath

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (22 Jun 2023)

Michael McGrath: It is not rigged or stacked. We have been very clear.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (22 Jun 2023)

Michael McGrath: There is no intention of changing Ireland's position on military neutrality. I think the Deputy knows that well. He might reflect on his comments.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (22 Jun 2023)

Michael McGrath: I acknowledge that this is an issue Deputy Shanahan has raised in the House on a number of occasions. I will ask the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform, Deputy Donohoe, to consider what Deputy Shanahan has said in the context of the Estimates process and the way in which we allocate funding to the different Votes, that is, the different Government...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (22 Jun 2023)

Michael McGrath: I recognise the importance of this project. The Deputy has consistently advocated for it, as have Deputy Cahill and others. I have visited Tipperary town, as Deputy McGrath said, and have heard and seen at first hand the congestion and the urgent need for a bypass, which I think would be very positive and would free up the town for future growth and development and commercial and retail...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (22 Jun 2023)

Michael McGrath: The Deputy's note of congratulations to the Cork footballers is duly noted. I hope he will be supporting us this weekend as well. We might get another crack off Kerry in a few weeks' time, I hope. The N22, the existing project, is a fantastic project, and we all look forward to seeing the remaining phases of it opened in the months ahead. It does highlight the inadequacy of the...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (22 Jun 2023)

Michael McGrath: I acknowledge that Deputy Ó Cuív has consistently raised this issue. The Wildlife (Amendment) Bill 2016 proposes to amend the Wildlife (Amendment) Act 2000. On completion, it would give legal effect to the proposed reconfiguration of the raised bog natural heritage area network arising from the 2014 review of the network as well as providing for reviews of blanket bog habitats,...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (22 Jun 2023)

Michael McGrath: I will follow up on it personally, but I expect so, yes.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (22 Jun 2023)

Michael McGrath: As I was coming in yesterday evening, I met the group outside and had a chat with them. I subsequently met the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, and discussed the issue with him. He will revert to the group concerned. As Deputy Ó Broin will know, this is a major new scheme with a potential cost of between €1.5 billion and €2.5 billion. It will be one of the most...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (22 Jun 2023)

Michael McGrath: Deputy Bruton is right to highlight the role that right-sizing or using empty bedrooms around the country can play in meeting current housing needs. There is a balance to be struck. We have to be careful not to introduce any measures whereby people feel they are being forced to sell a home that perhaps they have been in for half a century. That said, there is merit in examining whether it...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (22 Jun 2023)

Michael McGrath: I would be happy to work with the Deputy on that if he could provide me with the details. It seems strange that the funding has ended at this point in the year. We have to do whatever it takes to ensure that the people in Beara with intellectual disabilities can continue to access the CoAction programme. If the Deputy can provide the details to my office, I will personally follow up on the...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (22 Jun 2023)

Michael McGrath: There is an issue, one accentuated by the fact that the HSE has recruited approximately 20,000 people in the past three years. While that recruitment is welcome, it has a consequence, especially given the tightness in the labour market and the shortage of people with the necessary skills and experience. We are examining the sections 38, 39, 56 and 10 issue. In the case of hospices, the...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (22 Jun 2023)

Michael McGrath: While I do not have a specific update on the primary care centre for Tullow or the minor injuries unit, I will ask the Minister, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, to revert to Deputy Murnane O'Connor. We want to see the primary care centre developed quickly because we know the role played by such centres all over the country in reducing pressure on the acute hospital system. My understanding is that...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (22 Jun 2023)

Michael McGrath: The first point I should make is that, under the NAMA Act, NAMA has to make its decisions independently and on a commercial basis. It has to get the best commercial return. NAMA has played an important role in facilitating housing delivery and supply across Ireland, so I will make inquiries on this specific issue, but it does not fall to me to give NAMA a direction regarding a particular...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (22 Jun 2023)

Michael McGrath: The report and discussion we had at Cabinet on Tuesday were positive. There is a need for additional places in the areas identified in the Higher Education Authority, HEA, report. It is now for the HEA, the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science and the other line Departments that the Deputy referenced, primarily the Departments of Health and Children,...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (22 Jun 2023)

Michael McGrath: I absolutely understand the anxiety and enormous stress that the families concerned are having to endure at the moment while facing this uncertainty. Our focus as a Government is to try to protect and save the jobs. Deputy Tóibín has acknowledged the engagement of the Ministers, Deputies Coveney and Humphreys. The Minister, Deputy Donohoe, and I are there to assist in any way we...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (22 Jun 2023)

Michael McGrath: I will take Deputy Guirke's question and the Minister of State at the Department of Health, Deputy Butler, will take Deputy O'Dowd's question. Regarding the 75 workers who operate the 999 call service, I am sorry to hear that these issues have arisen. We have well-established processes in Ireland for dealing with disputes and issues around pay, terms and conditions and so on, primarily...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Universal Social Charge (22 Jun 2023)

Michael McGrath: The Universal Social Charge (USC) was designed and incorporated into the Irish taxation system in 2011 to replace two other charges, namely the Health and Income Levies. The primary purpose of the USC was to widen the tax base and to provide a steady income to the Exchequer to provide funding for public services. The USC is an individualised tax, meaning that a person’s liability...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Tax Code (22 Jun 2023)

Michael McGrath: As the largest annual source of revenue for the Exchequer, personal income taxes make a significant contribution to our public finances. It is desirable that the personal tax system should maintain the characteristics of stability and resilience in terms of its contribution to the total taxes collected by the State. The personal tax system also has an important role in supporting a...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Inflation Rate (22 Jun 2023)

Michael McGrath: Government has responded swiftly and decisively to the cost of living challenge. A number of fiscal supports have been implemented over the past year aimed at supporting businesses and households most adversely impacted by inflation without inadvertently adding to inflationary pressures. For example, Government introduced the Temporary Business Energy Support Scheme (TBESS) to support...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Insurance Industry (22 Jun 2023)

Michael McGrath: As the Deputy will appreciate, neither I, nor the Central Bank of Ireland, can direct the pricing or provision of insurance products. This position is reinforced by the EU Single Market framework for insurance (the Solvency II Directive). Nevertheless, this Government recognises that insurance costs remain a significant issue for certain SMEs, and has therefore continued to prioritise...