Results 341-360 of 3,951 for speaker:Seán Canney

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (29 Sep 2016)

Seán Canney: There is a continuous review of what we have in unoccupied and what is being re-occupied. It is ongoing. The excess in 2016 was for Miesian Plaza. That would have been met by savings on the Vote. There were additional lease requirements for Miesian Plaza of €8.4 million. Leases are being surrendered as well. It is an ongoing process. We cannot say that we have it right at a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (29 Sep 2016)

Seán Canney: While I am getting that answer, I will go back to some of the other things mentioned by Senator Conway-Walsh. She mentioned roads and flooding. A huge number of roads have been raised throughout the country to create better access. When I was down in Mayo I spoke to some of the engineers. They have got a huge amount of money for raising roads, but that comes from the Department of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (29 Sep 2016)

Seán Canney: Senator Conway-Walsh asked about the conference centre performance. The conference centre has attracted something like 157,000 foreign delegations to Ireland, boosting the economy by approximately €210 million. International conference delegates attending conferences generally represent high-value business, with each delegate currently estimated to carry a tourism value of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (29 Sep 2016)

Seán Canney: The process in which we are engaged with the catchment flood risk assessment and management, CFRAM, programme takes into account climate change projections with respect to the variations that will or are projected to happen in sea levels. Climate change and all the related issues are part of the CFRAM process; they are taken into account in the designs that will be done. Climate change is...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (29 Sep 2016)

Seán Canney: That is what I am saying. Between 2016 and 2021, some €430 million has been set aside and committed by Government for capital works programmes to address the issue of flooding. This year, our target is to spend €50 million, while in 2018 the target spend will increase to €100 million per annum. We are cranking it up year on year.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (29 Sep 2016)

Seán Canney: I gave figures for the number of houses that are being projected. I draw the Senator's attention to schemes that have been completed and their success. For example, a project was completed in Ballinasloe and it was shown despite the rise in the flood water levels that occurred in December 2015, the flood defence wall that was put in place protected the people there from flooding. That is...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (29 Sep 2016)

Seán Canney: No. The OPW is charged with the overall responsibility for flood risk management. In many cases, it is the contracting authority while in most other cases it is the local authority. With the CFRAM process, the consultation with the other agencies the Deputy spoke about has taken place, be it with Waterways Ireland, the ESB on the Shannon, Inland Fisheries Ireland or whatever. They are...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (29 Sep 2016)

Seán Canney: In terms of channel clearing, this year alone the OPW has spent €15 million, some €5 million of which was spent on the Shannon basin. In some cases the local authorities have responsibility for cleaning channels and in others, it is the responsibility of the Office of Public Works. The OPW funds the local authorities to clear some channels. There are channels which are not...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (29 Sep 2016)

Seán Canney: Areas where there is an impediment to the flow of water, they will be looked at either by the OPW, if the area is its responsibility, or the local authority. If the Senator wants me to consider the lakes in Castlebar, we can come back to him on that in terms of the plan.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (29 Sep 2016)

Seán Canney: I thank the Senator and I am delighted she asked me about Crossmolina. It is truly one particular project on which I got some traction going when I got into office. On the issue of individual property protection, engineers have been appointed, surveys have commenced and are ongoing and it is scheduled to run for eight weeks. The funding is being provided by the OPW. Mayo County Council is...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (29 Sep 2016)

Seán Canney: First, the issue of coastal erosion is being dealt with by way of minor works and the figure can be up to €500,000 for any one project.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (29 Sep 2016)

Seán Canney: Just to answer the question, there are a number of projects which are included in the CFRAM programme. The Senator's particular question concerns an area in an SAC which, if it is not protected, will fall into the sea. That we allow that to happen, rather than protect a house in it, is unique and an anomaly. I invite the Deputy to meet me and my officials to look at the particular problem...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (29 Sep 2016)

Seán Canney: I can assure the Senator that he will receive an answer much quicker than that. I will take up his invitation to visit the area with him.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (29 Sep 2016)

Seán Canney: A sum of €3 million has been allocated.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (29 Sep 2016)

Seán Canney: I will clarify the matter. The figure the Senator has given is for the amount expended up to the end of June. Local authorities are allocated the money, carry out the work and draw down the money from the OPW. A lot of work is happening and the draw-down will increase.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (29 Sep 2016)

Seán Canney: A funding allocation of €3 million has so far been approved for local authorities and up to the end of June, they had drawn down €178,000. I am sure that figure has since increased since. By the way, local authorities do not have to draw down funding for minor works within the calendar year. Approval may be given this week and the local authorities concerned will have until...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (29 Sep 2016)

Seán Canney: I am being informed that the Government gave a special allocation of €15 million to deal specifically with storm damage. That resulted in a spike last year.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (29 Sep 2016)

Seán Canney: That was money allocated to repair the coastal damage caused by Hurricane Desmond. It was a specific allocation and also resulted in a spike at the time.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (29 Sep 2016)

Seán Canney: I agree with the Senator. It is the way it is being reported.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (29 Sep 2016)

Seán Canney: I will respond firstly to what the Senator said about accessibility to our sites. I have visited places where the accessibility is not there yet. I do not have figures for the cost of doing it at a number of sites where we do not have it properly in place. I will try to gather those figures and come back to the Deputy. It is important that we have total accessibility. It is something we...