Results 2,941-2,960 of 7,404 for speaker:Mick Wallace

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Overseas Missions (25 Jun 2015)

Mick Wallace: 24. To ask the Minister for Defence the role that the Irish Defence Forces are taking, and plan to take, in the new European Union military mission which intends to disrupt the groups involved in migrant smuggling in Libya; his position as regards the seeking of a United Nations Security Council resolution for the next phase in this mission; if he will provide details of discussions he has...

Topical Issue Debate: National Lottery Funding Disbursement (30 Jun 2015)

Mick Wallace: To the best of my knowledge, the Minister of State has done a fair job in distributing lottery money among the different counties but there is a serious issue in Wexford as to where the money goes after it arrives. There is a lot of discontent that it does not seem to be a fair allocation at all times. For example, in 2012 soccer got less than 5% of the money and in 2014 it got 11%....

Topical Issue Debate: National Lottery Funding Disbursement (30 Jun 2015)

Mick Wallace: I thank the Minister of State, for whom I have two questions. What month will he announce the allocation of funding this year? Will he make some kind of commitment that the actual numbers participating in the different sports might be considered when he is deciding how to divvy up the money this time round? The people involved in soccer in Wexford are of the opinion that if I were not in...

Topical Issue Debate: National Lottery Funding Disbursement (30 Jun 2015)

Mick Wallace: I do.

Topical Issue Debate: National Lottery Funding Disbursement (30 Jun 2015)

Mick Wallace: I do not give two hoots about Westport.

Topical Issue Debate: National Lottery Funding Disbursement (30 Jun 2015)

Mick Wallace: I am only asking for advice.

Topical Issue Debate: National Lottery Funding Disbursement (30 Jun 2015)

Mick Wallace: So a couple of Ministers decide which sport gets it again.

White Paper on Defence: Statements (30 Jun 2015)

Mick Wallace: The Minister tells us that this paper will deal with the challenges of a changing world but he forgot to tell us that the changing world has been driven by a huge expansion in the militarisation of the planet in recent years. The Irish Times today claims to have seen a copy of the draft White Paper, a privilege we did not have. That is how it works. It stated that the emergence of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Expenditure (30 Jun 2015)

Mick Wallace: 139. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills her plans to provide additional investment in education spending to provide a totally free primary education for all children which would cover all financial extras such as books, classroom resources and transportation, in line with the recent call by a charity (details supplied) for an investment of €103 million for this purpose; and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Guidance Counsellors (30 Jun 2015)

Mick Wallace: 145. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of secondary schools that have a full-time guidance counsellor; the number that do not have a full-time guidance counsellor; the percentage of these that are fee-paying and that are non-fee-paying; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25804/15]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Policy (30 Jun 2015)

Mick Wallace: 510. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the measures taken to ensure that circulars from her Department uphold the best interests of the child and Ireland's international legal obligations, particularly in view of the reservations stressed in this regard in the 2013 Annual Report of the Ombudsman for Children; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25879/15]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Guidance Counsellors (30 Jun 2015)

Mick Wallace: 511. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number and the percentage of schools in County Wexford that have a full-time guidance counsellor broken down by fee-paying schools and non-fee-paying schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25880/15]

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government: Urban Regeneration and Housing Bill 2015: Committee Stage (30 Jun 2015)

Mick Wallace: The Minister of State has provided that the site must be situated in an area where there is a need for housing. I made the point in the Chamber that land banking is one of the biggest problems in the industry, and we need to deal with it. There are too many provisions in the Bill that allow developers to get out of this. If someone has bought land for development and deems that there is no...

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government: Urban Regeneration and Housing Bill 2015: Committee Stage (30 Jun 2015)

Mick Wallace: There is a counter-argument. If I bought a site zoned for development, it might not be economically viable to develop it or I might not be able to get the finance to do it. I would be facing the prospect of paying a 3% levy on it and I would have to weigh up my options, which are to pay the levy or get rid of the land. If I am not forced to make that decision, I could quite happily be a...

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government: Urban Regeneration and Housing Bill 2015: Committee Stage (30 Jun 2015)

Mick Wallace: Is it correct that the Government will reduce this to 500 sq. m?

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government: Urban Regeneration and Housing Bill 2015: Committee Stage (30 Jun 2015)

Mick Wallace: I commend the Government on this as I thought I would have a better chance of putting in 0.08 ha than 0.05 ha. I made the point in the Chamber that there are so many infill sites in large towns and cities in the country and some are very valuable. This is definitely a good move and I will support the Government's intention to change the value to 0.05 ha.

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government: Urban Regeneration and Housing Bill 2015: Committee Stage (30 Jun 2015)

Mick Wallace: These amendments are self-explanatory. The wheels of bureaucracy move slowly. However, the timelines for registering and the levy should be brought forward by one year. The onus should be put on the owner of a site to register rather than the local authority having to seek out the owner. The same principle was used with the local property tax. I cannot understand why it cannot be used...

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government: Urban Regeneration and Housing Bill 2015: Committee Stage (30 Jun 2015)

Mick Wallace: In the environment Bill which will debated later this week, it is proposed a landlord will be given 20 days to re-register new tenants for the purposes of water bills while the owner of a vacant site will get a year and a half to register it. That does not sound fair to me. The Government should revise its timelines in this section.

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government: Urban Regeneration and Housing Bill 2015: Committee Stage (30 Jun 2015)

Mick Wallace: Setting aside the duration of 12 months issue and focusing on the matter that the majority of the site has to be vacant, if I had a development site that would come under this levy, I would make sure it was not vacant and put something on it. What is a vacant site? If I put a car park on more than half a site, does that mean it is no longer vacant? It is a dangerous path to go down. If I...

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government: Urban Regeneration and Housing Bill 2015: Committee Stage (30 Jun 2015)

Mick Wallace: The chances of a developer not knowing that his site was zoned for development and that he was land-banking are pretty slim.