Results 31,661-31,680 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Jury Service (28 Nov 2023)

Richard Bruton: 399. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality whether there are any arrangements whereby small businesses can be compensated if an important member of staff is called for jury duty, which can be highly disruptive and costly; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51832/23]

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (28 Nov 2023)

Richard Bruton: 425. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if it has ever been considered that certain Garda duties should be accompanied by a white Garda helmet, which have been successful in other jurisdictions in enhancing visibility and a sense of safety. [52465/23]

Written Answers — Department of Health: Disease Management (28 Nov 2023)

Richard Bruton: 589. To ask the Minister for Health if he has evaluated the dexcom diabetes treatment pillars, which have been submitted for consideration by the Houses of the Oireachtas; and if he is in a position to put them into action. [52073/23]

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Transport Infrastructure Ireland (30 Nov 2023)

Richard Bruton: 11. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he is aware of the difficulties with the access and the underground car park at Clongriffin, which is a vital hub in the new public transport strategy for Dublin, and if he will convene the key stakeholders to seek to broker a solution. [52816/23]

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Transport Infrastructure Ireland (30 Nov 2023)

Richard Bruton: The Clongriffin station is to be a strategic transport hub serving a very rapidly growing area. Indeed, it is an area where the Land Development Agency plans to develop more than 2,000 homes. At present, it has no park-and-ride facility, the underground car park is shut, the access to the Dart station from the Fingal side is in private hands, the lift is not working and the area is not in...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Transport Infrastructure Ireland (30 Nov 2023)

Richard Bruton: The Minister will understand the sense of abandonment by people in this rapidly growing area where this has been designated a strategic hub. As the Minister has fairly outlined, two of the key strategic assets to enable it are in private hands and are not working. If we want to go ahead with these higher-density, more sustainable developments, which we do, we need to put some money on the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Transport Infrastructure Ireland (30 Nov 2023)

Richard Bruton: I warmly welcome the Minister's commitment. This really needs to move on. The success of BusConnects and so on all hangs in the balance of getting a hub like this working properly.

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Supplementary) (29 Nov 2023)

Richard Bruton: I thank the Minister for his presentation. I start with the business cost issue. I welcome the proposal to provide rate relief for 95% of businesses. We will be delighted to see the detail when it comes. However, as he rightly pointed out, the backdrop to this is the 12.5% increase in the minimum wage, 1.5% in auto enrolment coming up the tracks and five days' sick pay. I suppose...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Supplementary) (29 Nov 2023)

Richard Bruton: I worry about the loan schemes that they have a limited life. We need certainty and steadiness about the loan schemes that will be available five years hence. We need to know that it will still be a growth fund, not something that dies within 18 months and something new comes along. That does not create the sort of certainty people need for funding decisions.

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Supplementary) (29 Nov 2023)

Richard Bruton: My concern is that the general measures here should be succeeded by something very targeted at the pressure points, such as low-margin, high-employment businesses. That should at least be looked at.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan Review: Discussion (Resumed) (30 Nov 2023)

Richard Bruton: One question I would like to ask is in terms of the first climate budget. How is the Department on track in terms of being able to deliver the first climate budget? How much of the Department's allocation is used up and is what the Minister has outlined on track to deliver?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan Review: Discussion (Resumed) (30 Nov 2023)

Richard Bruton: Based on his expectation from the measures he outlined, which are interesting, can the Minister track the impact in 2024, 2025 and 2026? Will the Minister exhaust his budget early and, therefore, have to have additional measures or how are we stacked up?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan Review: Discussion (Resumed) (30 Nov 2023)

Richard Bruton: I do not want to repeat anything. The whole issue in farming seems to be getting the take-up in sufficient numbers, for both the new techniques and taking up forestry and all these elements. There are some programmes, like the forestry one, that look very impressive but yet are not achieving the take-up we would hope for. Is there any sense in looking at geographic areas and specific...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan Review: Discussion (Resumed) (30 Nov 2023)

Richard Bruton: Let us say there was a Meath strategy. Two of us at least know a little about the county. Could that mobilise more commercial players, farmers, local authorities and the wildlife service if we set some targets for Meath to see if we could deliver them together?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan Review: Discussion (Resumed) (30 Nov 2023)

Richard Bruton: I share the Minister's positive approach. It is good that we are on track to deliver our effort-sharing commitment to the 42% reduction, taking into account a lower level of offsets. That is a significant milestone. It is short of what we set out in our legislation but it is a significant step forward and there are very positive trends there. There is huge potential for Ireland to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan Review: Discussion (Resumed) (30 Nov 2023)

Richard Bruton: In the context of guidelines for offshore wind, they seem to be waiting forever-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan Review: Discussion (Resumed) (30 Nov 2023)

Richard Bruton: I have two brief questions. Would the Minister be agreeable to bringing the circular economy and biodiversity strategy under the same monitoring umbrella as the climate action plan? I see a lot of mutual gain in having that level of integration. Both struggle for the lack of biting with the president's teeth, or whatever you like to call that more central monitoring and observation. In the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan Review: Discussion (Resumed) (30 Nov 2023)

Richard Bruton: In a sense it is the idea of looking at your supply chain. You are looking at the supply chain of a business with an air transport element, a buildings element and its sourcing and processing. It is the same; you are not talking about different things, you are talking about resource use-----

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Electric Vehicles (30 Nov 2023)

Richard Bruton: 63. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport when the regulations for e-bikes and scooters will be completed; how it is intended to monitor the 25 km/h speed limit, which is to be the threshold for tax and insurance, where the capacity of many of the items in use seem to be able to exceed such thresholds. [52811/23]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Patronage (30 Nov 2023)

Richard Bruton: 102. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will outline the new approach to the promotion of the transfer of patronage of schools which her Department has adopted; and if she will outline the key milestones that it is intended to reach in the next three years. [52817/23]