Results 34,661-34,680 of 36,764 for speaker:Enda Kenny

Ceisteanna - Questions: World Economic Forum (1 Feb 2017)

Enda Kenny: I do not agree with the Deputy that we are the most unequal society in Europe.

Ceisteanna - Questions: World Economic Forum (1 Feb 2017)

Enda Kenny: The Deputy will be well aware that we have made specific changes in the last number of budgets to deal with the lower paid where inequality exists and to give people an opportunity and incentive to get out of the rut of unemployment and into the world of work. The evidence of that is clear in terms of a fall in unemployment from 15.2% down to 7.1%. I hope that decreases to around 6% in the...

Ceisteanna - Questions: World Economic Forum (1 Feb 2017)

Enda Kenny: ----and making changes in income tax at the lower levels to focus on the question of inequality. I support trade liberalisation. I support globalisation provided it is handled properly and that we do not have those gaps in income. I assure the Deputy that I was not invited to any of the celebrity parties on the slopes of Davos. I did not receive any remuneration for the 20 hour day I...

Ceisteanna - Questions: World Economic Forum (1 Feb 2017)

Enda Kenny: Apple was not discussed at Davos. To answer Deputy Adams, the Government profoundly disagrees with the European Commission and its analysis, and has no choice but to take an appeal to the European Court of Justice to annul the decision. More than 70% of the Dáil voted to support the Government's decision to appeal in September 2016. Ireland did not give favourable treatment to Apple....

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committee Meetings (1 Feb 2017)

Enda Kenny: I propose to take Questions Nos. 9 to 12, inclusive, together. The Cabinet committee on housing last met on 10 January. It is scheduled to meet again on 6 February. It will continue to meet regularly as required to address issues related to housing and construction, including implementation of Rebuilding Ireland, the action plan for housing and homelessness. This remains a clear priority...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committee Meetings (1 Feb 2017)

Enda Kenny: I have already outlined the figures. A total of 7,148 people used State-funded emergency accommodation during a week in December. They included 4,643 adults, 2,505 dependents and 1,205 families. A record 2,700 families and individuals exited homelessness in 2016, while the figure in 2015 was 2,300. At the last official count in December 2016, 142 people were sleeping rough. The budget of...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committee Meetings (1 Feb 2017)

Enda Kenny: Deputy Howlin asked about rapid-build units. I expect there to be 1,500 by the end of 2018 and there are 350 at various stages of delivery at the moment, which will become occupied in the coming months. A further 650 homes are in progress this year while the target for 2018 is 500. Deputy Martin referred to the HAP and 810 were accredited for homeless households in the Dublin region in...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Cabinet Committee Meetings (1 Feb 2017)

Enda Kenny: I propose to take Questions Nos. 152 and 153 together. The Cabinet Committee on Arts, Irish the Gaeltacht and the Islands met on the 13th October 2016. The next meeting is scheduled to take place on Monday, 27 February 2017.

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Dublin-Monaghan Bombings (1 Feb 2017)

Enda Kenny: During my meeting with Prime Minister May on 30 January, I emphasised the importance of finding a way forward on legacy issues and in particular stressed the urgency of making progress in respect of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings which has been the subject of three all party Motions in this House. I also discussed the Dublin/Monaghan Bombings and other legacy cases with Prime Minister...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: European Fund for Strategic Infrastructure (1 Feb 2017)

Enda Kenny: I welcome the agreement reached by Finance Ministers in December on the legislative proposal to strengthen and extend the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI) and hope that negotiations with the European Parliament can be concluded quickly. The new EIB (European Investment Bank) office I opened in Dublin in December should also provide further complementary support for project...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Commissions of Investigation (1 Feb 2017)

Enda Kenny: The information on the costs of Commissions of Investigation for which I am the specified Minister are contained in the following table. Name Cost Date of Conclusion Commission of Investigation in to the Dublin and Monaghan Bombings (MacEntee) €2.63 million March 2007 Fennelly Commission of Investigation €3.03 million (to end December 2016) The timeframe for completion of...

Leaders' Questions (7 Feb 2017)

Enda Kenny: I thank Deputy Martin for his question. I, no more than the Minister, found it difficult to watch this programme, and the stories of Betty and Pat, and Peter and Kate and Patricia, and Elaine and John and Alan, and Kira and Darragh and Megan speak for themselves. This is 2017 and nobody wants to see a situation like this. A perception that there was an attempt to cover up figures is not...

Leaders' Questions (7 Feb 2017)

Enda Kenny: That is exactly what the Minister is going to do. The fact is that when this came to light a number of years ago due to the length of the waiting list and the numbers on the list, a new theatre was provided but it still has not opened. There is money in the budget to recruit 1,000 nurses this year. There are talks today between the Department, the HSE and the Irish Nurses and Midwives...

Leaders' Questions (7 Feb 2017)

Enda Kenny: The counting of the list has been the same since 2002. In fairness, when Deputy Martin introduced that list in 2002 it was best international practice. The counting of the list has not changed to any extent. There is no intention to hide anything in terms of numbers. Some of the people have already had an initial treatment and will be called back. They were never counted in the past....

Leaders' Questions (7 Feb 2017)

Enda Kenny: One of the first things the Minister did on his appointment was to ask the House and everybody involved to debate a ten-year programme for the health system that would remove the political imperative from much of it. Last week, I spoke to Deputy Shortall and she asked me for another meeting, which we will hold in the next week or ten days. The list system is nothing new. It has been in...

Leaders' Questions (7 Feb 2017)

Enda Kenny: That can be done in the context of the ten-year proposal being examined by the all-party Oireachtas committee. Deputy Adams is to be commended on putting forward a proposition like that. However, it is important that the system used in which the lists are counted should not change. They have been counted in the same way since 2002 when the NTPF system was first introduced. The...

Leaders' Questions (7 Feb 2017)

Enda Kenny: Two new consultant paediatric orthopaedic posts were approved for 2016 for Crumlin. This has increased the work rate to a current total of more than three whole-time equivalent posts, an increase since the end of 2015. One person has taken up a post providing some less complex spinal surgery along with other orthopaedic work. The second post was filled by a surgeon who was already working...

Leaders' Questions (7 Feb 2017)

Enda Kenny: The Deputy mentioned three points. First, the committee should finalise the report at an early time. I support that. Second, the recommendations should be focused on the long term as distinct from the short term. I support that. The third point the Deputy made was there should be a clear implementation plan to deal with it. If we can have an all-party agreement from an Oireachtas...

Leaders' Questions (7 Feb 2017)

Enda Kenny: This is a building that will not be finished until 2021. Last year's estimate in respect of the cost of the project was €650 million. It will be four years hence before the facility will be completed. My understanding is that a very significant experienced committee will meet and carefully monitor that fixed price contract. We hope it will serve the children of the island of...

Leaders' Questions (7 Feb 2017)

Enda Kenny: The Government will have to receive and assess the formal business case being put by the group in respect of the hospital. The point the Deputy made is not irrelevant by any means. I had a meeting with a senior medical person yesterday who told me that on many occasions there are cancellations of complex operations in hospitals. This means that a consultant and his or her team are ready to...