Results 341-360 of 371 for speaker:Michael Conaghan

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Citizens Information Board: Chairperson Designate (10 Jun 2015)

Michael Conaghan: The first time the Deputy got married.

Industrial Relations (Amendment) Bill: Second Stage (Resumed) (11 Jun 2015)

Michael Conaghan: This Bill, when passed, will represent an important milestone in the history of the trade union movement in Ireland. It will restate, enhance and promote the role and relevance of trade unions in civil society. Enhancing the role and place of the collective bargaining process in the workplace and putting it on a stronger statutory footing will have beneficial impacts on the lives of...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: National Minimum Wage (Low Pay Commission) Bill 2015: Committee Stage (1 Jul 2015)

Michael Conaghan: I am very sympathetic to what Deputy Ellis said. Most of us would strongly agree with him. However, his statements are already incorporated in the spirit and the wording of the Bill, particularly in the hands of the current Minister of State. I am convinced of that. That fulfils any objective Deputy Ellis might want to achieve.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Draft Educational Research Centre (Establishment) Order 2015: Discussion with the Minister for Education and Skills (8 Jul 2015)

Michael Conaghan: I welcome the Minister and commend her on the work she is doing in education. It is important, innovative work that needs to be done. Perhaps previous Ministers did not give it all the energy and commitment that was required. Earlier this morning, she spoke about SNAs and that is an important element of childhood development, child formation, and literacy. People are impressed by the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: National Council for Curriculum and Assessment: Discussion. (8 Jul 2015)

Michael Conaghan: I welcome Ms McManus and recognise her many years of devoted service in all the various initiatives in which she has been involved. Something struck me when she was speaking. She would have noticed an education system that was static for a long time, with various established norms of evaluation and criteria for assessment. Now the world has changed so dramatically and obviously the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2015 - Vote 37: Minister for Social Protection (22 Sep 2015)

Michael Conaghan: I welcome the Minister. From speaking to people who go to the labour exchanges, the impression I get is that the service provided in the recent past is very different. The service is more streamlined, more efficient, more humane and more dynamic. Perhaps much of that has to do with the Minister because of the compassion, the passion and the skills she brought to it. For people who now go...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2015: Vote 32 - Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (29 Sep 2015)

Michael Conaghan: I welcome the Minister, the Minister of State and their staff. It is not that long since the last election. At that time, the outlook for the economy was rather gloomy, and people felt the economy in general was in a precarious position. Although it has been a reasonably short period, there has been a remarkable turnaround, which has surprised many people. There are obviously a number of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2015: Vote 32 - Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (29 Sep 2015)

Michael Conaghan: I might not be here for the second part.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2015: Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (30 Sep 2015)

Michael Conaghan: I welcome the Minister and commend the work she has undertaken to which she brings great diligence and creativity. I would like to see some use of the term "further education" because it is a fast-growing and dynamic sector. For example, all age groups over 18 are flocking to the former VEC schools and colleges around Dublin and finding them of tremendous value in terms of rebuilding a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Activation Services and Supports for the Unemployed: Discussion (14 Oct 2015)

Michael Conaghan: I wanted to mention that it is striking the way the service in general has changed. It really has transformed. At one time, going to the dole office was quite a frightening encounter - I remember going myself. That whole approach has been cast off and the system is far more dynamic. It is far more like a partnership. I have a great deal of respect for the Irish National Organisation...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Grangegorman Development Agency: Chairperson Designate (21 Oct 2015)

Michael Conaghan: I welcome Mr. Cussen. This is probably one of the most exciting educational projects of our time. Its potential is still hidden. The work of the old institutions that sat on the site, rather than being cast aside, is being built on to develop programmes of work to address the challenges of this century. The old vocational education committee structure founded in the 19th century was very...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Increasing Employment through Training: Innopharma Labs (3 Nov 2015)

Michael Conaghan: I apologise for being late. I missed part of the presentation. Innopharma Labs strikes me as a rather unusual company in that, in the first instance, it is a direct employer and obviously a successful one. However, alongside that, the company provides training programmes and work for unemployed people who may then leave the company and go and work with competitors. It strikes me as...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Increasing Employment through Training: Innopharma Labs (3 Nov 2015)

Michael Conaghan: Do many other companies adopt that approach?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Increasing Employment through Training: Innopharma Labs (3 Nov 2015)

Michael Conaghan: I thank Dr. Jones.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: JobBridge and the Youth Guarantee: National Youth Council, Ballymun Jobs Centre and Department of Social Protection (4 Nov 2015)

Michael Conaghan: There have been some very intemperate remarks in response to what speakers have said and some very negative criticism, which was unfair to the people here who have worked on this. I can imagine what has been involved as I have some experience of the local employment service having been involved in establishing one in Ballyfermot 15 or 20 years ago, which is now the local employment service...

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Social Protection: Social Welfare Bill 2015: Committee Stage (11 Nov 2015)

Michael Conaghan: Is it the case that the Department is considering nurses having a rule in adjudicating on some of the illnesses or medical issues that somebody might have? Is that what we are discussing? I imagine the Department gave a lot of thought to an initiative like that. We could easily do nurses a disservice by assuming they might not be up to whatever task the Department envisages for them. I am...

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Social Protection: Social Welfare Bill 2015: Committee Stage (11 Nov 2015)

Michael Conaghan: I do not understand, then.

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Social Protection: Social Welfare Bill 2015: Committee Stage (11 Nov 2015)

Michael Conaghan: I can imagine the Department has looked into all the possibilities, difficulties and conflicts that might or might not arise and that it will avoid the situation Deputy Ó Snodaigh has described.

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Social Protection: Social Welfare Bill 2015: Committee Stage (11 Nov 2015)

Michael Conaghan: The amendment would simply broaden the base of opinion the Department would have at its disposal.

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Housing Regeneration (17 Nov 2015)

Michael Conaghan: 577. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government his views on the proposals for the refurbishment of the housing complex for elderly persons at Jamestown Court in Inchicore, Dublin 8, for which planning permission was granted by Dublin City Council in June 2015; and when the necessary sanction will be given to enable the refurbishment work to proceed. [40541/15]