Results 2,961-2,980 of 28,255 for speaker:Éamon Ó Cuív

Priority Questions (15 May 2008)

Éamon Ó Cuív: On a point of information——

Priority Questions (15 May 2008)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Before we take the question——

Priority Questions (15 May 2008)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Could the Leas Cheann-Comhairle provide me with a little indulgence on this matter? If I were Deputy Ring I might be disconcerted if I did not understand exactly what happened. The questions were not ruled out of order. There was a question on European fisheries which is the sole——

Priority Questions (15 May 2008)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I do not. That is where Deputy Ring is wrong.

Priority Questions (15 May 2008)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The two responsible Departments have agreed to answer the Deputy's questions. They have been transferred and will be answered. Deputy Ring knows my views on answering in the House.

National Drugs Strategy. (15 May 2008)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I am aware of the activity of head shops and their sale of so called "legal highs", substances that can have effects similar to those of illicit substances but which are currently not scheduled under the misuse of drugs legislation. The control of drugs is regulated by the Department of Health and Children under the Misuse of Drugs Acts 1977 and 1984. Under these Acts the importation,...

National Drugs Strategy. (15 May 2008)

Éamon Ó Cuív: My Department is not responsible for taking BZP off the market. The information says it will happen not later than March. I am always wary of giving deadlines because one is often beaten on a short deadline while one is more likely to be able to comply with a long deadline. It should be done as soon as possible and I share the Deputy's concern. On the wider question she raised, one can...

Rural Transport Services. (15 May 2008)

Éamon Ó Cuív: As the Deputy will be aware, in many rural areas there are no public transport services at night. While there are either hackney or taxi services in more developed rural areas, these are at the discretion of the providers of these services and do not provide a guaranteed service to rural people. It was against this background that in May 2007 I introduced a new evening transport service, on...

Rural Transport Services. (15 May 2008)

Éamon Ó Cuív: It is the case that Pobail administers the rural transport scheme for the Department of Transport. Even though Pobail comes under my Department administratively, the day time rural transport scheme of the Department of Transport is totally a matter between Pobail and the Department of Transport and I have no day-to-day function in it. However, with my wider rural hat on me, I am very...

Rural Transport Services. (15 May 2008)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The other issue is that this is only meant to operate in place of market failure. Whereas rural transport, as we commonly know it, is needed everywhere in the country because of its focused effect, this is only meant to operate where there are no buses, taxis or hackneys available. One suggestion, which may be a good idea and to which I am open, is that once I have done my review, we would...

Charities Legislation. (15 May 2008)

Éamon Ó Cuív: One of the key purposes of the Charities Bill 2007, which recently completed Committee Stage in Dáil Éireann, is to enact a reform of the law relating to charities in order to ensure accountability and to protect against abuse of charitable status and fraud. It is vital for public trust and confidence in the sector to be safeguarded and maintained. I should clarify, however, that I have...

Charities Legislation. (15 May 2008)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The Revenue Commissioners are undertaking a routine review of the scheme and have written to 1,100 organisations seeking information in that context. The review is not based on a concern or knowledge that the scheme is being abused and it is not an investigation into suspected fraudulent behaviour in any individual charity. It simply seeks to ensure that charities that have been authorised...

Charities Legislation. (15 May 2008)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I agree with the Deputy. We urgently need this Bill because there is always a risk of destroying the confidence people have in giving to charities by exposing a major wrongdoing. Thankfully, we have a good record of acting with probity, as do the charities. The risk is there and that is what the Charities Bill 2007 is all about. This Bill had been lying around for years and when I came...

Community Development. (15 May 2008)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The new rural development programme for 2007-13 was adopted in July 2007 and will be delivered by my Department and the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. This programme will see an almost threefold increase in funding available for Leader-type activity in Ireland to €425 million over the lifetime of the programme. My Department is responsible for the delivery of Axes 3 and 4...

Community Development. (15 May 2008)

Éamon Ó Cuív: If we could sort out Mayo, we would be——

Community Development. (15 May 2008)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I will be more than willing to listen. We are continuing to pay interim funding and we can do so for up to two years. This is because the Department is still paying out on the last programme. As long as the companies are still carrying out significant work, it is within our power to pay them. In 2007, nearly €6 million was made available to Leader groups for additional project funding....

Community Development. (15 May 2008)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The Deputy can take it that they will have funding as long as we can sort out the remaining problem. I know of no Leader company——

Community Development. (15 May 2008)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I think they told the Deputy that the funding would have come to an end if we had not been able to get the new programme up and running.

Community Development. (15 May 2008)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Nobody wrote to me stating that a company was short of money. It may be the case that they knew there would be a shortage of money if we got into an indefinite impasse, but I do not think the EU would have left it that way. EU officials replied to the query raised in Cavan and Monaghan in a very satisfactory way.

National Drugs Strategy. (15 May 2008)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I am aware of the report of the Health Service Executive working group on residential treatment and rehabilitation. My Department was represented on the working group and I welcome the recommendations therein. The HSE appointed the group to provide a detailed analysis and overview of known current residential treatment services and to advise on the future residential requirements of those...