Results 5,421-5,440 of 11,114 for speaker:Damien English

Topical Issue Debate: Private Residential Tenancies Board (27 Nov 2014)

Damien English: I thank Deputy Stanton for raising this issue, which I have come across in the course of my work as a Deputy and a Minister of State. The Deputy is correct: there are issues which affect those on both sides. It is important that we send out the message at all times that the PRTB is there to achieve the right result and that it is not there to favour tenants or landlords. I am taking this...

Topical Issue Debate: Private Residential Tenancies Board (27 Nov 2014)

Damien English: I will bring the Deputy's concerns to the Minister and discuss the matter with him. The Deputy raised some very important issues. Some tenants believe they have all the rights but no responsibilities, and the Deputy is correct in that regard. We must ensure responsibilities are met on both sides. There are rogue landlords bit this has been addressed significantly in recent years and the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (27 Nov 2014)

Damien English: A SOLAS review of all designated apprenticeships is under way and aims to ensure that the programmes are up-to-date, relevant, and capable of meeting the needs of learners, the workplace and the economy. The five trades in question will have their newly developed national standards presented to Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) on the 10th December 2014 for determination for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme Numbers (27 Nov 2014)

Damien English: Dublin and Dún Laoghaire ETB has informed my Department that the number of students enrolled on its VTOS programme in the current academic year (2014/15) is 532. The number enrolled in 2013/14 was 535.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (27 Nov 2014)

Damien English: The Apprenticeship Council was launched on 18th November last. It is enterprise-led and has representatives from business, trade unions, further and higher education bodies and my Department. It will, in accordance with the Apprenticeship implementation Plan: i. develop a call for proposals for apprenticeships in areas outside of the current trades; ii. examine and analyse the proposals...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education and Training Boards Expenditure (27 Nov 2014)

Damien English: SOLAS currently receives a small capital budget which relates to the training centre network formerly managed by FÁS and now transferred to the Education and Training Boards (ETBs). This funding is now allocated by SOLAS as appropriate to the relevant ETBs managing the training centres. While there is no dedicated capital budget for further education programmes a small amount of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport Administration (27 Nov 2014)

Damien English: Bus Éireann, which operates the school transport scheme on behalf of my Department, is responsible for the negotiation and awarding of school transport contracts to private operators and has advised that the correspondence in question was overlooked in error by the local office in question. Bus Éireann has advised that a response will issue within the next week.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport Eligibility (27 Nov 2014)

Damien English: I propose to take Questions Nos. 173 to 175, inclusive, together. The purpose of my Department's Post Primary School Transport Scheme is, having regard to available resources, to support the transport to and from school of children who reside remote from their nearest education centre. Children are eligible for transport where they reside not less than 4.8 kilometres from and are...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport Eligibility (27 Nov 2014)

Damien English: The purpose of my Department's Post Primary School Transport Scheme is, having regard to available resources, to support the transport to and from school of children who reside remote i.e. 4.8 kilometres or more from their nearest education centre. The report of Value for Money Review of the School Transport Scheme found that the current prescribed distance requirements are generally in line...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Respite Care Services (27 Nov 2014)

Damien English: I thank Senator Byrne for raising this matter. I apologise on behalf of my colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, who could not come to the House as she is in the Dáil. I understand she is not aware of the details of the case raised by the Senator. Perhaps he will furnish her with a copy of the letter to which he referred to enable the matter to be explored. I...

Intellectual Property (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Instruction to Committee (2 Dec 2014)

Damien English: I move:That, pursuant to Standing Order 177, Standing Order 131 is modified to permit an instruction to the Committee to which the Intellectual Property (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014 may be recommitted in respect of certain amendments, for which it has power to make provision in the Bill to amend the Competition Act 2002 to provide for-(a) a technical amendment to section 22(4B)...

Intellectual Property (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Instruction to Committee (2 Dec 2014)

Damien English: Is the Deputy speaking specifically about the amendments?

Intellectual Property (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Instruction to Committee (2 Dec 2014)

Damien English: I only wanted to ask what exactly the questions were about the amendments. We are covering a lot of ground and much of what is being said is not necessarily relevant to the Bill.

Intellectual Property (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Instruction to Committee (2 Dec 2014)

Damien English: I did not interrupt Deputy Finian McGrath.

Intellectual Property (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Instruction to Committee (2 Dec 2014)

Damien English: A question was raised about media mergers and consultation on the guidelines. The guidelines are with the Minister in draft format and when they are published, a period of 30 days will be provided for consultation. We dealt with most of the issues raised by Deputy Finian McGrath on Second and Committee Stages. The reason I asked for clarification earlier was because I thought we were...

Intellectual Property (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Order for Report Stage (2 Dec 2014)

Damien English: I move: "That Report Stage be taken now."

Intellectual Property (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Report and Final Stages (2 Dec 2014)

Damien English: I move amendment No. 1:In page 3, line 7, after “1996;” to insert “to amend the Competition Act 2002;”.This amendment relates to the Long Title of the Intellectual Property (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014 and seeks to provide for amendment to the Competition Act 2002, as amended by the Competition and Consumer Protection Act 2014. Amendment No. 2 contains a...

Intellectual Property (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Report and Final Stages (2 Dec 2014)

Damien English: I move amendment No. 2:In page 5, between lines 32 and 33, to insert the following: “Amendment of Act of 20024. (1) The Act of 2002 is amended—(a) in subsection (4B) (inserted by section 59 of the Act of 2014) of section 22, by the insertion of “and paragraph (b) (inserted by section 4of the Intellectual Property (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2014) of section...

Intellectual Property (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Report and Final Stages (2 Dec 2014)

Damien English: I understand the Deputy's concerns and will try to put him at ease again, as I tried to do on Committee Stage. The patents are but one form of intellectual property rights, which term includes copyrighted trade marks, industrial designs and so forth. At national level, the various laws that govern these intellectual property rights provide saving provisions, of the type with which the...

Intellectual Property (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Report and Final Stages (2 Dec 2014)

Damien English: While I understand the Deputy’s concerns, they are slightly flawed because the protection is already in the Constitution and legislation. There is much discussion about TTIP and many concerns, some genuine and some misconstrued. I would have no problem having greater public discussion about TTIP. In recent months, I attended some events. Given that very few of us attended them,...