Results 381-400 of 9,814 for speaker:Steven Matthews

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Water Environment (Abstractions) Bill 2020: Discussion (20 Oct 2020)

Steven Matthews: I thank Ms Connolly.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Water Environment (Abstractions) Bill 2020: Discussion (20 Oct 2020)

Steven Matthews: We can now go to a third round of questions.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Water Environment (Abstractions) Bill 2020: Discussion (20 Oct 2020)

Steven Matthews: Will Deputy Ó Broin explain which head he is referring to?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Water Environment (Abstractions) Bill 2020: Discussion (20 Oct 2020)

Steven Matthews: I will bring in Deputy Murnane O'Connor and Senator Fitzpatrick if they would like to share this slot.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Water Environment (Abstractions) Bill 2020: Discussion (20 Oct 2020)

Steven Matthews: I will come back in on this round again. My point follows from what was mentioned by Deputy Ó Broin mentioned early. Head 13(1)(e), which relates to "the case of a licence issued under head 13", proposes to provide for "consideration of the effect of the abstraction" on a number of listed categories, including human health, soil, land and the water environment. Head 13(1)(f) proposes...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Water Environment (Abstractions) Bill 2020: Discussion (20 Oct 2020)

Steven Matthews: Under head 12 - "Licensing of abstractions commencing after the prescribed date" - an environmental impact assessment is required.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Water Environment (Abstractions) Bill 2020: Discussion (20 Oct 2020)

Steven Matthews: Okay, so a licensable abstraction over the 2,000-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Water Environment (Abstractions) Bill 2020: Discussion (20 Oct 2020)

Steven Matthews: Will a licence issued under head 13 - "Regulations on the licensing of abstractions" - apply to an abstraction that is already in place and, therefore, is not subject to an environmental impact assessment under the correct name for that but is subject to consideration of its effect under a number of characteristics of environmental impact assessment? Current abstractions prior to the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Water Environment (Abstractions) Bill 2020: Discussion (20 Oct 2020)

Steven Matthews: I thank Mr. Ó Coigligh for his clarification.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Water Environment (Abstractions) Bill 2020: Discussion (20 Oct 2020)

Steven Matthews: To return to Natura sites and EU directives, the explanatory note under Head 13 which relates to Heads 11 and 12 refers to "conditions to be attached to a licence; for reporting and monitoring; and for conditions where an abstraction is necessary in the national public interest but is affecting the achievement of the environmental objectives of the water body.". We are talking here about a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Water Environment (Abstractions) Bill 2020: Discussion (20 Oct 2020)

Steven Matthews: Then the objective is always to pursue mitigation measures that will bring it back to compliance, is that the case?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Water Environment (Abstractions) Bill 2020: Discussion (20 Oct 2020)

Steven Matthews: On Brexit and cross-Border water bodies and extractions, have we allowed for provision in terms of the environmental impacts of abstractions over the Border? If it is done on a river basin management level, will it pose difficulties?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Water Environment (Abstractions) Bill 2020: Discussion (20 Oct 2020)

Steven Matthews: I thank Mr. Ó Coigligh and Ms Connolly for their very helpful engagement. I thank them for their submissions and answering all of our questions. It is clear from the questions of the members and their attendance that we are all concerned about the water supply and its management. Water is a very finite precious resource and a basic human need so we need to take care of it as best as...

Commission of Investigation (Mother and Baby Homes and certain related Matters) Records, and another Matter, Bill 2020 [Seanad]: Second Stage (21 Oct 2020)

Steven Matthews: I, too, thank the Minister for the considerable amount of engagement he has had with Members regarding this Bill on this difficult subject matter. I refer, particularly, to the briefing yesterday which clearly outlined the intention behind this Bill we are discussing today and the difficulties with the existing commission legislation. The legislation being considered today has an...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (21 Oct 2020)

Steven Matthews: 59. To ask the Minister for Finance if he will provide clarity with regard to the new CRSS scheme; and if there is flexibility in the qualifying criteria which refers to annual turnover of less than €2 million to reflect businesses such as travel agents that may have significant turnover but the vast majority contributes to other business endeavours rather than their own. [31902/20]

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Mortgage Lending (21 Oct 2020)

Steven Matthews: 60. To ask the Minister for Finance if he has held further talks with the main lender banks with regard to the provision of loans and mortgages to those in receipt of EWSS or the pandemic unemployment payment (details supplied). [31906/20]

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Governor of the Central Bank (21 Oct 2020)

Steven Matthews: I thank our guests for their attendance and their submission. I turn to economic forecasting, which, as they admitted, is very difficult because of a number of factors, such as Brexit, Covid-19 in Ireland and how other economies will perform in respect of Covid. Personal savings have accrued throughout the economy over the past six to seven months. I do not know what the exact figures are...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Governor of the Central Bank (21 Oct 2020)

Steven Matthews: Mr. Makhlouf is quite correct that the recovery will come. That brings me to my next subject, mortgages, which has been covered by a number of other members. In supports we have applied to business and enterprise in this country, we have applied a standard of vulnerable but viable and have sought to support, assist and get people through until we reach that recovery stage, which will come....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Governor of the Central Bank (21 Oct 2020)

Steven Matthews: I agree that they should and it would be really nice if they did. Is there any mechanism that is stronger than just suggesting or requesting that they should do so? In terms of the overall long-term prospect for the economy and young families starting off, they have their whole lifetime of working through this economy, so it is wrong to put in a stumbling block that could last for 18 months...

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2020
Vote 31 – Transport (Revised) (21 Oct 2020)

Steven Matthews: I thank the Minister of State for her attendance at the committee and for her detailed submission. It is very welcome to see the increase in the Minister of State's departmental budget, which is a significant increase from budgets before. It is reassuring to see the focus on investment in public transport. As a country, we planned around cars for the past 40 or 50 years. As such, we have...