Results 6,321-6,340 of 7,082 for speaker:John Paul Phelan

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Local Authority Members (16 Oct 2019)

John Paul Phelan: I have not yet seen Ms Moorhead's report, so I am not sure. I do not know if she addresses the issue. However, the Minister of State, Deputy Stanton, and myself will make use of her surveying work in examining broader issues of maternity and paternity leave. I am not sure exactly what the report will say on those matters.

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Good Friday Agreement (16 Oct 2019)

John Paul Phelan: I thank the Senator for raising this issue. In spite of the unprecedented times in which we live, it is a remarkably important matter. The citizenship and identity provisions are central to the Good Friday Agreement and it is vital that they are upheld. The Government has consistently engaged with the British Government in support of these provisions and will continue to do so. The...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Good Friday Agreement (16 Oct 2019)

John Paul Phelan: The Senator has touched on what did not happen in respect of citizenship post the agreement and the referendum held both North and South. The Government will remain engaged at the highest level with British Government about the DeSouza case and these matters in general. We have been doing so for more than a year. As the Senator acknowledged the Government is in close and regular contact...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: National Minimum Wage (16 Oct 2019)

John Paul Phelan: I thank the Senator for raising this matter. The national minimum wage is the legally binding, lowest average hourly rate that can be paid by an employer to an employee. This rate is set and governed by the National Minimum Wage Act 2000, which applies to all employees, including full-time, part-time, temporary and casual employees, with some exceptions. The National Minimum Wage (Low Pay...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: National Minimum Wage (16 Oct 2019)

John Paul Phelan: I will endeavour to get the Minister to respond directly on the issue of deferral or otherwise.Senator Nash was part of a Government of which I was a member that reversed the decision of the previous Government to reduce the national minimum wage by €1. The Low Pay Commission was established and has resulted in a 13% increase of the minimum wage in the past four years. The Senator's...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Funding (22 Oct 2019)

John Paul Phelan: The Government is providing €156 million to support local authorities through the exchequer contribution to the Local Government Fund (LGF) in 2020. Support for local government in 2020 has been realigned, largely as a result of the valuation of Irish Water as a global utility liable for commercial rates.  From 2014 to 2019 compensation was paid to local authorities in lieu...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Autism Support Services (22 Oct 2019)

John Paul Phelan: I thank the Senator for raising the matter, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy McHugh, who is in London on Government business today. It is the policy of the Department of Education and Skills that all children with special educational needs, including those with autism, can have access to an education appropriate to their needs, preferably in school...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Harbour Authorities (22 Oct 2019)

John Paul Phelan: I thank Senator Boyhan for raising this important issue. I am delighted to have the opportunity to address the House on the issue of Dún Laoghaire harbour and its future development. He is correct to say that we should focus on the future at this stage. The Senator referred to the document entitled National Ports Policy 2013 when he mentioned the time the Taoiseach was the Minister for...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Harbour Authorities (22 Oct 2019)

John Paul Phelan: To reiterate, I have no problem with meeting the executive or councillors about the proposals they have to draw down funding to carry out the necessary works in Dún Laoghaire. I presume the Senator was a member of the board when he was a councillor.

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Harbour Authorities (22 Oct 2019)

John Paul Phelan: Did the council have any nominees to the board?

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Harbour Authorities (22 Oct 2019)

John Paul Phelan: I understand the issue to the effect that it is almost 12 months since the order was passed. The legislation refers to a six-month timeline. The council would be happy if it was finalised before the end of the year. With regard to ensuring that the accounts are laid before the Houses within the next number of weeks, it is perfectly legitimate for the Senator to ask that question. I will...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Primary Care Centres Provision (23 Oct 2019)

John Paul Phelan: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. I am taking this on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government, Deputy Eoghan Murphy. It provides an ample opportunity to discuss future developments in the Finglas area. When listening to the Deputy's opening remarks, I was reminded that the Church of the Annunciation is visible from the top deck of the Cusack...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Primary Care Centres Provision (23 Oct 2019)

John Paul Phelan: I have had the opportunity on many occasions. I must confess I was not aware that the population in the greater Finglas area is 32,000. It is a significant population centre and we need to provide additional facilities for it. Following the closure of the Church of the Annunciation in Finglas last October, Dublin City Council acquired land on two adjacent but separate sites from the...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Primary Care Centres Provision (23 Oct 2019)

John Paul Phelan: The redevelopment of the smaller site, as the Deputy indicated, is being taken forward by the council and is supported by the Department. The homes for the elderly are a priority for the Government. The Minister of State, Deputy Jim Daly, held a conference on housing for the elderly last year with the Minister of State, Deputy English. A policy document on housing for the elderly was...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Insurance Data (24 Oct 2019)

John Paul Phelan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 348 and 349 together. I have no function in relation to the matter raised in the questions and the specific detailed information requested is not available in my Department. Local authorities are independent in the execution of their functions and the elected members are democratically accountable for all expenditure of the authority. Insurance claims and...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Electoral Register (5 Nov 2019)

John Paul Phelan: Following an initial consultation with local authorities on a set of policy proposals, I launched a public consultation on the electoral register modernisation project in December 2018. 187 submissions were received from a broad range of stakeholders and I intend to publish a report on the consultation very shortly. The responses to the consultation are informing ongoing work in my...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Seanad Reform (5 Nov 2019)

John Paul Phelan: The all-party Seanad Reform Implementation Group [SRIG] published a Report and draft Bill in December 2018. The Report which contains recommendations in relation to electoral reform, which is the responsibility of my Department, as well as non-statutory reforms to the way the Seanad conducts its business, was noted by Government at its meeting on 30th April 2019. Government also noted that...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Members' Remuneration (5 Nov 2019)

John Paul Phelan: Section 142 of the Local Government Act 2001 and the Local Authority Members (Gratuity) Regulations 2002 to 2006 provide that, subject to certain conditions, a councillor who ceases to be a member of a local authority is entitled to receive a gratuity payment at, or after, the age of 50. This is regardless of whether the retirement is voluntary, as a result of failure to be re-elected or for...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Commercial Rates (5 Nov 2019)

John Paul Phelan: As Minister with special responsibility for Local Government and having served as a member of Kilkenny County Council, I understand the vital role local businesses play in supporting local authorities to deliver services to their communities. Commercial rates, at approximately €1.5bn per annum, make up roughly a third of local government current (revenue) income. Recognising the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Funding (5 Nov 2019)

John Paul Phelan: Local authorities derive their income from a variety of sources including commercial rates, charges for goods and services and funding from Central Government. Central Government funding of local authorities includes transfers, both current and capital, from a range of Departments and Offices for a variety of purposes. Some streams of funding are delivered directly from funding departments to...