Results 6,741-6,760 of 11,114 for speaker:Damien English

Seanad: Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Bill 2015: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (14 Feb 2017)

Damien English: I am only telling the Senator the facts of it. He has been involved in prosecuting cases on all sides and I think he understands this is a very complicated situation with the contracted relationship, certainly when it is one of a great length of service.

Seanad: Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Bill 2015: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (14 Feb 2017)

Damien English: That is not what I said.

Seanad: Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Bill 2015: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (14 Feb 2017)

Damien English: It is not bad law, and neither is it ill thought out. It is very well thought out. It recognises that in some situations there is the potential for consent. We recognise that, whereas the Senator describes a situation of a stranger coming along the street. That is a very different scenario. The Senator is trying to compare apples and oranges and is way off the mark trying to compare the...

Seanad: Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Bill 2015: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (14 Feb 2017)

Damien English: Our amendments are finished but another amendment is being put forward.

Seanad: Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Bill 2015: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (14 Feb 2017)

Damien English: No. I am okay.

Seanad: Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Bill 2015: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (14 Feb 2017)

Damien English: That is fine.

Topical Issue Debate: Housing Issues (15 Feb 2017)

Damien English: In response to Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett and the Daft.iereport on rent increases, it is clear that there are acute rent pressures in the rental market; we all know that. Those pressures are driven by a number of factors - rising demand, lack of supply and the high costs indebted landlords face in servicing their loans. Those stresses are again confirmed in the latest data from the...

Topical Issue Debate: Housing Issues (15 Feb 2017)

Damien English: We have made the decision that in the rent pressure zones there will be a limit on increases to a maximum of 4%, one third of the rates in the daft.iereport today. The report reflects the situation before we published the rental strategy. Our intervention in these areas will help. I understand the Deputy wants us to move further backwards, but that is not something we are in a position to...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Social and Affordable Housing (16 Feb 2017)

Damien English: I thank the Senator for raising this important issue. I will highlight the statutory basis for the provision of social housing support. Under the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 and the associated regulations made thereunder, the assessment of households for social housing support - and the allocation of that support - is a matter for individual housing authorities in accordance...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Social and Affordable Housing (16 Feb 2017)

Damien English: I have tried to answer the question as best I can, and I think I have answered it. The Senator asked were there other examples. I said very clearly one local authority has been referred to in correspondence with us. That is being dealt with. I cannot be any clearer than that. One has been referred to us and we are investigating it. The Senator raised a few different issues. They are...

Seanad: Establishment of a Tribunal of Inquiry: Motion (16 Feb 2017)

Damien English: I am pleased to discuss the resolution with the House on behalf of the Tánaiste. People will understand that she is stuck at a question-and-answer session in the Dáil. In any event, it is good to be here again. The Tánaiste hopes to get here as quickly as possible. The Government has this morning approved draft resolutions to establish a tribunal of inquiry. The...

Seanad: Establishment of a Tribunal of Inquiry: Motion (16 Feb 2017)

Damien English: She is on Question Time in the Dáil.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Energy Efficiency (21 Feb 2017)

Damien English: Directive 2010/31/EU on the Energy Performance of Buildings requires that by 31 December 2020 all new buildings are nearly zero-energy buildings. Furthermore, it requires that after 31 December 2018 new buildings occupied and owned by public authorities are nearly zero-energy buildings. However, new social housing is not subject to the earlier 31 December 2018 date as social housing is not...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Land Issues (21 Feb 2017)

Damien English: The cost of land is market driven and is influenced by a large number of factors. My Department does not measure or track trends in land costs for residential developments, however, a number of initiatives have been established by my Department to open up lands for development in order to increase the supply of housing. A working group, chaired by my Department, with a broad range of...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Construction Industry (21 Feb 2017)

Damien English: Under the Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness, the Government is committed to a broad range of measures to tackle, among other things, some of the costs associated with the provision of housing in the interests of reducing construction overheads. A working group, chaired by my Department, has been established to undertake a detailed analysis, in conjunction with the...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Third Level Fees (21 Feb 2017)

Damien English: I thank Senator Billy Lawless for raising this matter. I want to apologise on behalf of my colleague, the Minister, Deputy Richard Bruton, who is engaged in the other House and cannot be here for this debate, although he wanted to be here because it is an important issue. I will begin by explaining the background to the current free fees schemes. Under the terms of the Department’s...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Third Level Fees (21 Feb 2017)

Damien English: That is something I would certainly welcome. I know from my previous role in the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation and my current one in the Department of Education and Skills that even from a skills point of view and from the point of view of our economy, many people such as the ones the Senator represents are abroad with the skills we need. From a construction point of view,...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Services for People with Disabilities (21 Feb 2017)

Damien English: Senator Murnane O'Connor made a very strong case. I understand the situation. I apologise that the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Richard Bruton, was not present to hear the strong case the Senator made. He is familiar with the Saplings school in Carlow, the great work that is done there. I understand there are 19 students, four teachers and 12 other staff. The Minister is...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Services for People with Disabilities (21 Feb 2017)

Damien English: I will pass on the information to the Minister, Deputy Bruton. The Department funds the rent for the current premises and is quite happy to fund the rent for an alternative premises. From the point of view of the Department, the board is responsible for the premises and is also best placed locally to find alternative accommodation. We understand it is looking for that, and will be happy to...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Rural Development Plan (22 Feb 2017)

Damien English: Lead responsibility for the Action Plan for Rural Development , which was launched on 23 January 2017, rests with my colleague, the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs. However, as the proposal listed at Action 8 therein relates to a planning matter, its delivery falls to my Department. The proposed action, which was also reflected in the Programme for a...