Results 3,641-3,660 of 26,225 for speaker:Seán Ó Fearghaíl

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: National Concert Hall (10 Feb 2015)

Seán Ó Fearghaíl: 130. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht her plans for the National Concert Hall; her further plans to place it on a statutory footing; if the resignation of five members from its board in 2014 raised any issue of concern for her; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5596/15]

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: National Concert Hall (10 Feb 2015)

Seán Ó Fearghaíl: The question simply seeks to ask the Minister her plans for the development of the National Concert Hall and the timescale for moving towards placing it on a statutory footing. It also seeks to explore with the Minister what has been learned from the resignation last year of a number of members of the board. Will their resignations have an impact on her as she constitutes the new board?

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: National Concert Hall (10 Feb 2015)

Seán Ó Fearghaíl: I welcome the Minister's announcement that she will be bringing forward the legislation in the coming weeks. That is a positive development. Last year, in the aftermath of the resignation of five members of the National Concert Hall board, I raised a question with the Minister's predecessor in regard to those resignations and he responded:There were disagreements among members who focused...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: National Concert Hall (10 Feb 2015)

Seán Ó Fearghaíl: I welcome what the Minister has said, but there is a significant difference in what she said and what her predecessor said. Will she accept on the record of the House that her predecessor, if he did not mislead the Dáil or give us significantly inaccurate information, certainly did not give us information that was accurate? What could have been understood from what he said on the...

Other Questions: Cultural and Heritage Centre (10 Feb 2015)

Seán Ó Fearghaíl: 136. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the discussions she has had with regard to the development of the Bank of Ireland building on College Green, Dublin 2; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5528/15]

Other Questions: Cultural and Heritage Centre (10 Feb 2015)

Seán Ó Fearghaíl: In April of last year, the Minister's predecessor informed me that he had agreed that the Bank of Ireland building on College Green would be developed as a cultural and heritage centre. The aim behind Question No. 136 is to explore with the Minister the progress that has been made with regard to the planning for that development in the interim. Last April, her predecessor's plans were quite...

Other Questions: Cultural and Heritage Centre (10 Feb 2015)

Seán Ó Fearghaíl: I thank the Minister for the update she provided. I would be interested in discovering what is meant by her proposal to "animate the space". Perhaps she might indicate the type of events that are likely to take place at the centre. One assumes that if planning permission is being prepared for Dublin City Council, planning for the overall use of the space is at a fairly advanced stage....

Other Questions: Cultural and Heritage Centre (10 Feb 2015)

Seán Ó Fearghaíl: I am still not sure what the Minister means when she says she is going to animate the place. That said, I have two very specific questions. One is on staffing and the other is on resourcing. Deputy Catherine Murphy has alluded to the difficulties that the other national cultural institutions face owing to ongoing funding pressures. We are well aware of these. Although the Department is...

Other Questions: Cultural and Heritage Centre (10 Feb 2015)

Seán Ó Fearghaíl: What were the applicants interested in?

Other Questions: Cultural and Heritage Centre (10 Feb 2015)

Seán Ó Fearghaíl: For what?

Other Questions: Cultural Policy (10 Feb 2015)

Seán Ó Fearghaíl: 139. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht her plans to publish a national cultural policy; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5526/15]

Other Questions: Cultural Policy (10 Feb 2015)

Seán Ó Fearghaíl: The Minister and her predecessor have both committed themselves to the publication of the first ever national cultural policy. That is a positive and innovative move. The question seeks to provide the Minister with an opportunity to tell the House how she has progressed towards the eventual publication of the document. It was described as culture 2025. I assume we will not have to wait...

Other Questions: Cultural Policy (10 Feb 2015)

Seán Ó Fearghaíl: I would probably be very impressed with what the Minister is saying if it was not a direct repeat of what the then Minister, Deputy Deenihan, said to me back in January 2014. He said at the time that there would be widespread national consultation and that a draft discussion paper would be published shortly. However, 13 months later, this has not happened. I take it that the new...

Other Questions: Cultural Policy (10 Feb 2015)

Seán Ó Fearghaíl: Does the Minister accept that this document must re-establish quite clearly the arm's length principle to the effect that this Government accepts that a body such as the Arts Council, for example, must be autonomous in its work in disbursing grants? Does she also accept that it is essential that the independence of the national cultural institutions, which have felt threatened by her...

Order of Business (10 Feb 2015)

Seán Ó Fearghaíl: As we all will be aware, the housing crisis is continuing unabated. From what the Tánaiste has said to us in recent times, it is unlikely to be seriously tackled in the very near future. The Government has promised a landlord and tenant Bill to address and consolidate the law in the area of private rented accommodation. That is one of the areas that is exacerbating the difficulties at...

Topical Issue Debate: Home Renovation Incentive Scheme Eligibility (10 Feb 2015)

Seán Ó Fearghaíl: I wish to raise the issue of dementia and home renovations. The recently published national dementia strategy acknowledges that most people with dementia live in their communities and wish to continue to do so. To do this they sometimes need to make adjustments to their homes and some issues arise. It is often deemed that those with dementia are unsuited to apply for a loan to fund...

Topical Issue Debate: Home Renovation Incentive Scheme Eligibility (10 Feb 2015)

Seán Ó Fearghaíl: I appreciate the point the Minister made in conclusion and that the VAT can be reclaimed by a family member, but it is also the case the elderly or disabled person must have the money in the first instance to pay the contractor. One of the difficulties for many of the people we meet who require these grants is they do not have adequate finance to make this payment in the first instance. ...

Standing Order 107I: Motion (10 Feb 2015)

Seán Ó Fearghaíl: I should apologise on behalf of our party leader, Deputy Micheál Martin, who wished to be here. There are certain points I need to make on his behalf. I am somewhat compromised because, as the Government Chief Whip knows, as a member of the CPP I have myself been party to the discussions which have brought us to this particular point. At issue here is the way in which this Standing...

Written Answers — Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Turf Cutting Compensation Scheme Application Numbers (10 Feb 2015)

Seán Ó Fearghaíl: 142. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the number of turf cutters who have made application under the cessation of turf cutting compensation scheme for raised bog special areas of conservation; the number of applications that were successful; the numbers that were not successful; and the number pending; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5530/15]

Written Answers — Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Legislative Measures (10 Feb 2015)

Seán Ó Fearghaíl: 148. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht her plans to revise the Wildlife Acts with a view to enhancing protection of certain species and increasing penalties for any contraventions of the Act; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5529/15]