Results 6,281-6,300 of 11,114 for speaker:Damien English

Seanad: Seanad Bill 2016: Second Stage (13 Jul 2016)

Damien English: I will make some comment and observations from the Department. In response to Senator O'Donnell's comments, I think the Seanad is great and has a lot to offer. I totally agree with her about coming through education. I barely knew what local government was about when I was in school, never mind what the Seanad or Dáil were about. All of us are in the process when we become...

Seanad: Seanad Bill 2016: Second Stage (13 Jul 2016)

Damien English: I am talking about it here. Over the past number of years, much has been said and documented about Seanad reform. We have had a number of reports, from the O’Rourke committee report in 2004 to the Manning report in 2015, all proposing change. While we have consensus on the need for change, we still do not have broad consensus on the detail of that change. This is something the...

Seanad: Seanad Bill 2016: Second Stage (13 Jul 2016)

Damien English: It was a major part of it. There were some concerns raised in that report. It is in the whole area of the postal ballot box. I am not just saying this for effect. It is a reality borne out by the experts in this area. We have to be sure about the security of the system as well. I have a final few comments to make. New systems do not come without a price, as I said earlier on,...

Seanad: Seanad Bill 2016: Second Stage (13 Jul 2016)

Damien English: There is no point coming in here and not informing the Deputy. That is why I am here.

Seanad: Seanad Bill 2016: Second Stage (13 Jul 2016)

Damien English: I could make a speech and go home, but I wanted to inform the House of an issue that needs to be addressed.

Seanad: Seanad Bill 2016: Second Stage (13 Jul 2016)

Damien English: That is why I flagged them.

Seanad: Seanad Bill 2016: Second Stage (13 Jul 2016)

Damien English: I want to clarify that is not the issue. I used my time as I always do to deal with the issues. Rather than making a flowery speech and coming back here in the weeks to come, I flagged the issues that need to be sorted out. If that causes people upset I am sorry, but it is the only way to move this on. We are talking about 30 or 40 years at this stage. It is a genuine attempt to put the...

Electoral (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2016: Committee and Remaining Stages (14 Jul 2016)

Damien English: I thank everyone for the time they gave to this short Bill last night. I appreciate that it was brought in at short notice. Deputy O'Callaghan had left the Chamber by the time I addressed the concerns he had raised. I spoke to his colleague about them. We can address the issue he raised regarding the register at a later stage.

Topical Issue Debate: Local Authority Funding (14 Jul 2016)

Damien English: I thank the Deputy for giving me the opportunity, on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Coveney, to outline the importance of the equalisation fund for local authorities such as Carlow County Council in the context of the local property tax allocations. I was lucky enough to be in Carlow recently to meet up with the Deputy, representatives of the local authority and some Chamber of Commerce...

Topical Issue Debate: Local Authority Funding (14 Jul 2016)

Damien English: I understand the point the Deputy is making. When I went into this Department, I noticed some of the figures he has presented to the House. It seems that some counties do well for historical reasons. This is constantly being monitored. The Minister, Deputy Coveney, and I are very conscious of the pressures on the county councils. Councils in the greater Dublin region, in particular,...

Topical Issue Debate: Irish Water Administration (14 Jul 2016)

Damien English: I thank Deputy Ó Caoláin for raising this issue and giving me a chance to bring some clarity to it. This process will affect his county and my county in the first instance. As it is rolled out, it will affect other counties as well. Irish Water has been responsible for public water services with effect from 1 January 2014. The Water Services (No. 2) Act 2013 provides that Irish...

Topical Issue Debate: Irish Water Administration (14 Jul 2016)

Damien English: There is no secret about that.

Topical Issue Debate: Irish Water Administration (14 Jul 2016)

Damien English: To be clear, the Bill before the House relates to water, not to the Irish Water utility. The single water utility remains, and the Government has no intention of changing that. We strongly believe in the concept of a single water utility delivering the service and infrastructure requirements throughout the country, for both the domestic and non-domestic sectors. I have no doubt that in...

Report of the Committee on Housing and Homelessness: Motion (Resumed) (14 Jul 2016)

Damien English: There is always hope.

Report of the Committee on Housing and Homelessness: Motion (Resumed) (14 Jul 2016)

Damien English: Does Deputy Boyd Barrett want Deputy Durkan's time as well?

Report of the Committee on Housing and Homelessness: Motion (Resumed) (14 Jul 2016)

Damien English: We are not in charge of the time of the House. The Business Committee will decide the allocation of time. The Minister, Deputy Simon Coveney, and I would like to spend all day talking about the strategy, given that we believe in it. Many people here are also interested. I hope more time is found next week, and even the week after if the Deputy wishes. It is a very important topic. It...

Report of the Committee on Housing and Homelessness: Motion (Resumed) (14 Jul 2016)

Damien English: I am glad for the chance to make some comments in closing. Many issues were highlighted in last week's debate, when the senior Minister, Deputy Simon Coveney, and I spoke on it. We received a very good report from the committee. The committee Chairman is anxious that all the recommendations in it are adhered to and used, if not in the first action plan, then in the roll-out and as we go...

Report of the Committee on Housing and Homelessness: Motion (Resumed) (14 Jul 2016)

Damien English: I will not go into all the other issues. It is fair to say we recognise it is about putting in place a plan, but driving it. The officials in the Department and throughout the local authorities recognise that we must come at this with a sense of urgency. Members, including myself, flagged that this would happen, that it was coming down the tracks. It is here now. In my view, it is...

Seanad: Water Services (Amendment) Bill 2016: Second Stage (15 Jul 2016)

Damien English: I am glad to be in the Seanad again. If I sought honorary membership, I am sure that I could get it by now. It has been one of those weeks.

Seanad: Water Services (Amendment) Bill 2016: Second Stage (15 Jul 2016)

Damien English: I thought I might honour the Seanad for a couple of months. It is nice to be here.