Results 381-400 of 49,836 for speaker:Stephen Donnelly

Written Answers — Fiscal Compact Treaty: Fiscal Compact Treaty (22 May 2012)

Stephen Donnelly: Question 243: To ask the Minister for Finance the basis on which the interest rate on any lending from the European Stability Mechanism will be calculated pursuant to Article 20 of the ESM Treaty; the reason the Treaty no longer contains explicit figures for the cost of funds, when these had been specified in the July 2011 version of the Treaty; if he sought at any stage to have a specified...

Written Answers — Fiscal Compact Treaty: Fiscal Compact Treaty (22 May 2012)

Stephen Donnelly: Question 244: To ask the Minister for Finance with regard to the European Stability Mechanism and the interest rate it will charge on any lending, his views that the interest rate will be set in order to be an effective deterrent to members from borrowing from the ESM; if he will provide an outline of the expected financing costs of the ESM, as may have been supplied to him in the course of...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (22 May 2012)

Stephen Donnelly: Question 436: To ask the Minister for Social Protection further to Parliamentary Question Nos. 353 of 1 May 2012 and No. 366 of 14 February 2012, if she will confirm if a review of the rental markets in Kilcoole and Newtownmountkennedy was conducted; if so, if she will release the full report of this review; if not, will she state the justification for not raising the rent supplement levels...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (22 May 2012)

Stephen Donnelly: Question 428: To ask the Minister for Social Protection if, with regard to recent cuts or changes to supports affecting lone parents, she will list all such cuts or changes that have been implemented since she came into office, and which are scheduled for future implementation; if she will provide the estimated full-year saving of each of these measures; if she has any estimate of impact...

Written Answers — Tax Code: Tax Code (22 May 2012)

Stephen Donnelly: Question 463: To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if, with respect to the payment of corporation tax by operators of oil and gas fields in Irish territory under Ireland's Licensing Terms for Oil and Gas Exploration, Development and Production, as adopted in 1992 and 2007, these licensing terms allow for the operator to write off costs incurred in other...

Written Answers — Tax Code: Tax Code (22 May 2012)

Stephen Donnelly: Question 464: To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if two hydrocarbon exploration projects currently being undertaken by a company (details supplied) at Dalkey Island Kish Bank and the Barryroe Field, are subject to the 1992 licensing terms or the 2007 terms; and if the former, if he will explain the reason that this is the case. [25455/12]

Written Answers — Tax Code: Tax Code (22 May 2012)

Stephen Donnelly: Question 465: To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if it is the case that the operator of an oil or gas field is allowed a 100% write-off of all exploration expenses incurred in the 25-year period prior to the commencement of field production; and if he will clarify any terms or conditions that apply to this write off. [25456/12]

Written Answers — Tax Code: Tax Code (22 May 2012)

Stephen Donnelly: Question 466: To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if it is the case that under Ireland's 1975 licensing terms for offshore oil and gas exploration, the State would have taken a carried interest in any exploitation of an oil or gas discovery; and if this would have amounted to a 50% share in the project, irrespective of whether the State had shared in the cost...

Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) Bill 2011 [Seanad]: Second Stage (Resumed) (23 May 2012)

Stephen Donnelly: I wish to share time with Deputy Boyd Barrett.

Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) Bill 2011 [Seanad]: Second Stage (Resumed) (23 May 2012)

Stephen Donnelly: The Bill deals with the formation of the new body, the qualification and quality assurance authority of Ireland. I broadly welcome the initiative, which seems a useful tidying up and consolidation exercise. Part of the new authority's remit is to manage the national framework qualifications. This is important work domestically and internationally in terms of our educational system. The...

Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) Bill 2011 [Seanad]: Second Stage (Resumed) (23 May 2012)

Stephen Donnelly: The question is what can be done about the serious crisis in our third level institutions, including our universities. I put it to the Government there are some things it can do right now which will begin to address this growing crisis, and the first of these is to increase funding. The Minister will be aware of the Hunt report, which stated an extra €500 million was needed to plug the...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (23 May 2012)

Stephen Donnelly: Question 98: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will set out the changes being implemented to the general allocation model for learning support and resources teachers; if it is the case that, under these changes, a three teacher school which has an allocation of 11 resource hours will no longer be able to combine its learning support and resource allocation to create one...

Literacy Levels (24 May 2012)

Stephen Donnelly: Question 3: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the analysis he or his officials have done in response to the 2010 PISA results, which revealed a dramatic fall in educational standards here, and the steepest decline in literacy standards in the OECD; if so, what that analysis revealed regarding the cause of that decline in standards and the options for addressing same; the actions...

Literacy Levels (24 May 2012)

Stephen Donnelly: I am slightly concerned by the Minister's answer in regard to the increase in student numbers. It smacks of another disgraceful reason which I heard proffered by some of the unions, namely, the increase in the number of foreign nationals coming here. What I am hearing is a reluctance on the part of some key players to accept responsibility for a system which is failing and failing badly....

Written Answers — Disadvantaged Status: Disadvantaged Status (24 May 2012)

Stephen Donnelly: Question 75: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills with regard to the rural DEIS schools in County Wicklow, his policy in relation to staffing and support services for rural DEIS schools; if he will clarify the position regarding rural DEIS schools in County Wicklow, amongst which there is concern about staff being lost due to cuts; when there are discrepancies between cuts and staff...

European Council: Statements (6 Jun 2012)

Stephen Donnelly: Today at 8 a.m. I went to the Capuchin Day Centre on Bow Street on the north side of Dublin. A queue of people were waiting for food parcels which they get in blue bags. The Capuchin Day Centre distributes these every Wednesday morning. I spoke to the man who has been running the centre for many years. He told me that in 2008, approximately 50 people used to come on a Wednesday morning....

European Council: Statements (6 Jun 2012)

Stephen Donnelly: I would like the Minister of State to give as clear an answer as possible on the issue of a write-down. There have been many mixed messages sent and different things have been said by different people. Is the Government actively looking for a write-down on any portion of the debt, including the bank debt that has become sovereign debt, or is it looking for a restructuring that would...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (6 Jun 2012)

Stephen Donnelly: Question 141: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills following the recent publication of the My World Survey on youth mental health by the organisation Headstrong and the UCD School of Psychology, if he accepts the survey's finding that the presence of one good adult is central to the mental health of young people, and that the absence of such a person for a young person to confide in...

Written Answers — Institutes of Technology: Institutes of Technology (6 Jun 2012)

Stephen Donnelly: Question 224: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if his attention has been drawn to a new policy of the Dublin Institute of Technology in relation to job vacancies which states, if you have a current or previous employment relationship in a non-permanent capacity with the Institute, you will not be deemed eligible to apply for this post; his views on whether this complies with the...

Written Answers — National Library: National Library (6 Jun 2012)

Stephen Donnelly: Question 453: To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if he is or his Department has received any advice from the Director of the National Archives or the National Archives Advisory Council concerning the proposed merger of the National Archives with the National Library at any time since the announcement of that proposal in 2008; if so, he will report on that advice; if he...