Results 4,421-4,440 of 11,114 for speaker:Damien English

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Time to Go Report: Discussion with NYCI (1 Oct 2013)

Damien English: Much can be done to help people who are going abroad and even when they get there. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade provides support when a problem arises when a person is abroad. I know that because I have engaged with it on such matters. However, we need to be more proactive. I thank the witnesses for highlighting the issue in a sensible manner, which we will take on as a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Time to Go Report: Discussion with NYCI (1 Oct 2013)

Damien English: I look forward to working with the National Youth Council of Ireland on that and the many other related issues over the next couple of months. Do any of the witnesses have any concluding comments?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Time to Go Report: Discussion with NYCI (1 Oct 2013)

Damien English: I will have a look at that. I will raise two other matters. In previous discussions James Doorley mentioned the part-time jobs opportunity initiative. That is a way in which people could get experience before they consider leaving. We need to return to the initiative that was used in the 1990s. It would be great if that could be rolled out by the National Youth Council of Ireland and for...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Time to Go Report: Discussion with NYCI (1 Oct 2013)

Damien English: Thank you.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Time to Go Report: Discussion with NYCI (1 Oct 2013)

Damien English: To start with, we need to take a formal note of when people are leaving. That alone will make them feel the fact they are leaving is relevant. On behalf of us all, I again thank the witnesses. Their input is appreciated. We will be in touch.

Freedom of Information Bill 2013: Second Stage (2 Oct 2013)

Damien English: I welcome the opportunity to contribute to the debate on this legislation. In its short time in office the Rainbow Government of 1994 to 1997, led by a fellow Meath man, John Bruton, achieved great strides in opening up and modernising the State. The Freedom of Information Act 1997 was an important part of that programme. In introducing the Bill to the Dáil, the then Minister of...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Financial Services Regulation (2 Oct 2013)

Damien English: 97. To ask the Minister for Finance his plans to liaise with the Australian authorities in order to facilitate the acquisition of mortgages from financial institutions here by Irish citizens who are currently residing in Australia, and who are prevented from doing so under the Australian Corporation Act that was introduced in 2004; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41242/13]

Freedom of Information Bill 2013: Second Stage (Resumed) (3 Oct 2013)

Damien English: The increase in fees in 2003 was responsible for a marked tailing off in interest in and use of freedom of information for many years, although the economic crisis facing the country and efforts to gain an understanding of how this could have happened helped spark a new interest. There is a financial cost in search and retrieval, and this must be realistically assessed and made known, but...

Road Traffic (No. 2) Bill 2013: Second Stage (Resumed) (3 Oct 2013)

Damien English: I welcome the opportunity to speak on the Road Traffic Bill 2013. Yesterday we discussed the Freedom of Information Bill 2013, which attempts to restore the pre-2003 position. The Bill before us now reminds me of my early days in this House in 2002 and, prior to that, with Meath County Council, when road safety was a major issue. Unlike the Freedom of Information Bill, we are not seeking...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Pathways to Work 2013: Discussion with Department of Social Protection (8 Oct 2013)

Damien English: I welcome Ms Anne Vaughan, deputy secretary general, Mr. John McKeon, assistant secretary general, and Mr. Paul Carroll, principal officer, from the Department of Social Protection, who are here to discuss the Department's Pathways to Work 2013 report, other job creation initiatives and the progress made in the past year. I thank them for appearing before this committee. By virtue of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Pathways to Work 2013: Discussion with Department of Social Protection (8 Oct 2013)

Damien English: I thank Ms Vaughan for the presentation.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Pathways to Work 2013: Discussion with Department of Social Protection (8 Oct 2013)

Damien English: Before Ms Vaughan addresses those questions, Deputy Seán Kyne will ask his questions as he must leave to go to the Dáil Chamber.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Pathways to Work 2013: Discussion with Department of Social Protection (8 Oct 2013)

Damien English: Does that cover all of Deputy Seán Kyne's questions?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Pathways to Work 2013: Discussion with Department of Social Protection (8 Oct 2013)

Damien English: It is a long list.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Pathways to Work 2013: Discussion with Department of Social Protection (8 Oct 2013)

Damien English: I presume Deputy Lyons means not only the volume but the type of resource as well.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Pathways to Work 2013: Discussion with Department of Social Protection (8 Oct 2013)

Damien English: I have a couple of questions but I will go through them quickly. In the original Pathways to Work the aims were hope and we all had great hopes and ambitions. In 2013 it is coming together. It was a little sluggish along the way because of delays with offices and so on but, in fairness, as other members have said, the service is kicking in now. I think we have always believed in it. It...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Pathways to Work 2013: Discussion with Department of Social Protection (8 Oct 2013)

Damien English: Is it the job of the Department to help people to access some of the opportunities that are available?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Pathways to Work 2013: Discussion with Department of Social Protection (8 Oct 2013)

Damien English: The Department is not there to pick careers for people-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Pathways to Work 2013: Discussion with Department of Social Protection (8 Oct 2013)

Damien English: What about the question of graduates who do not want to sign on after leaving college?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Pathways to Work 2013: Discussion with Department of Social Protection (8 Oct 2013)

Damien English: In that case, people should just bite the bullet and sign on. In terms of the information that is available, many people do not realise that it is relatively easy to sign off and then sign back on again. Furthermore, in many cases, when people take up employment they are allowed to keep their medical cards. Every day of the week I meet people who tell me they will lose their medical cards...