Results 4,101-4,120 of 5,157 for speaker:Mairéad Farrell

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Tax Reliefs (21 May 2024)

Mairéad Farrell: 228. To ask the Minister for Finance if he is aware of the situation in relation to the difference in tax treatment of travel and subsistence payments for those working in further education and training (FET) and those working in the secondary education sector (details supplied); the reason for the difference in tax treatment with respect to these payments; and if he will make a statement on...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (21 May 2024)

Mairéad Farrell: 365. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government further to Parliamentary Question No. 360 of 14 May 2024, the reason HAP tenants who avail of inter-authority movement can only be offered access to the transfer list of the originating local authority; and if he will consider issuing a circular to allow for flexibility and discretion around this for local authorities. [22916/24]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Funding (21 May 2024)

Mairéad Farrell: 660. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to provide a breakdown of the allocations from budget 2024 to the various universities of the student hardship fund, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22601/24]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (22 May 2024)

Mairéad Farrell: 205. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 5 of 27 February 2024 (details supplied), if he can confirm how much of the €67 million in additional funding that was provided for the apprenticeship system was allocated toward the national recruitment campaign of craft apprentice instructors; the number of instructors hired to date; can he...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (22 May 2024)

Mairéad Farrell: 206. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if specific targets have been set for the national recruitment campaign to hire an additional 100 craft apprentice instructors per ETB; if so, the number of instructors it is hoped to hire per ETB; the areas of teaching that is, electrical, carpentry and so on, they will be engaged in, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Student Accommodation (23 May 2024)

Mairéad Farrell: 1. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the progress being made with regard to student accommodation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23472/24]

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Student Accommodation (23 May 2024)

Mairéad Farrell: First, I congratulate the Minister on his new position. I look forward to working with him and hope we can work together in a good, collaborative way going forward, doing our best to remedy some of the difficult issues that lie ahead for both students and staff and within the entire further and higher education sector. My question relates to the student accommodation crisis.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Student Accommodation (23 May 2024)

Mairéad Farrell: The Minister and I have had dealings in the past when I was the Opposition spokesperson on public expenditure and reform. I have always found the Minister to be very honest, frank and straight to the point, which I think is a very good quality and I hope it is a quality he will bring to this portfolio. If I am honest, in my view, that was lacking in the previous Minister. The Minister...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Student Accommodation (23 May 2024)

Mairéad Farrell: I would be the first person to say I think something is going well but I genuinely believe that in terms of student accommodation, we are dramatically failing students. If we look at last year's budget, not a red cent was given to capital for student accommodation. If we look at the announcements by the Minister's predecessor, there were continuous re-announcements of the same beds. In my...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Student Accommodation (23 May 2024)

Mairéad Farrell: Not for capital.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Apprenticeship Programmes (23 May 2024)

Mairéad Farrell: 3. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the progress being made with regard to the current challenges in the apprenticeship system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23473/24]

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Apprenticeship Programmes (23 May 2024)

Mairéad Farrell: The Minister was just talking about capacity issues. One of the big things in terms of capacity is to make sure we have the workforce that can build the different projects that we need, particularly when it comes to accommodation needs. That is why I would like the Minister to outline what progress is being made at the moment with regard to the current challenges in the apprenticeship...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Apprenticeship Programmes (23 May 2024)

Mairéad Farrell: The Minister's own Department and SOLAS recently produced the Report on the Analysis of Skills for Residential Construction & Retrofitting 2023-2030. That report estimated that we need to increase the size of the construction sector by 50,831 new entrants by the year 2030 if we are to meet our targets. What is interesting is that the report used 2019 as its base year. Between 2019...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Apprenticeship Programmes (23 May 2024)

Mairéad Farrell: I totally agree with the Minister's first point about people having certainty. In addition, that again shows us the role of the State. At the end of the day, the State is the largest employer, and that is a very important point. Of course people were concerned about certainty after the crash, but I am looking at those who are in the system right now and who feel like they are not heard or...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Apprenticeship Programmes (23 May 2024)

Mairéad Farrell: I do. I talk to SOLAS.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Apprenticeship Programmes (23 May 2024)

Mairéad Farrell: But we are missing the targets.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Student Accommodation (23 May 2024)

Mairéad Farrell: 5. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he has any plans as regards the area of student digs regulation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23474/24]

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Student Accommodation (23 May 2024)

Mairéad Farrell: The Minister mentioned how important digs are in the provision of student accommodation. This year, I published a very workable regulation on student digs. Will he give a commitment to taking a look at that Bill and outline his own plans in this area?

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Student Accommodation (23 May 2024)

Mairéad Farrell: The Minister mentioned a cliff edge. Has he read my legislation and where does he thinks it would result in a cliff edge? It would not provide an equal level of protection as someone in a typical tenancy because I have recognised that these students would be living in someone's home. However, it would have ensured they could not be made homeless overnight. I think that is reasonable. It...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Student Accommodation (23 May 2024)

Mairéad Farrell: I totally get that, and that is why I put together reasonable legislation that was regularly mentioned by the Minister's predecessor. Because of the housing crisis and the disastrous response by the Government, people do not realistically have much other choice than to go into digs. Digs are fantastic and it can benefit both the person living in them and the homeowner. My Bill is very...