Results 7,021-7,040 of 9,395 for speaker:Jim O'Callaghan

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 1 - President's Establishment (Revised)
Vote 2 - Department of the Taoiseach (Revised)
Vote 3 - Office of the Attorney General (Revised)
Vote 5 - Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (Revised)
Vote 6 - Chief State Solicitor's Office (Revised) (24 Apr 2024)

Jim O'Callaghan: Does the Taoiseach agree with me that politicians who made the crucial decisions at the time should not be fearful of a review body recommending that some of those decisions might, and perhaps should, have been made differently? That would not be a criticism of the judgment calls made by people at the time.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 1 - President's Establishment (Revised)
Vote 2 - Department of the Taoiseach (Revised)
Vote 3 - Office of the Attorney General (Revised)
Vote 5 - Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (Revised)
Vote 6 - Chief State Solicitor's Office (Revised) (24 Apr 2024)

Jim O'Callaghan: Of course.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 1 - President's Establishment (Revised)
Vote 2 - Department of the Taoiseach (Revised)
Vote 3 - Office of the Attorney General (Revised)
Vote 5 - Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (Revised)
Vote 6 - Chief State Solicitor's Office (Revised) (24 Apr 2024)

Jim O'Callaghan: The final issue I want to raise is migration. I agree with the Taoiseach that migration has been very good for this country. In fact, we sometimes do not give ourselves praise for handling well issues with which other countries have had difficulty. We have handled immigration particularly well in this country over the past 25 years, since it began to happen. Before then, it was something...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 1 - President's Establishment (Revised)
Vote 2 - Department of the Taoiseach (Revised)
Vote 3 - Office of the Attorney General (Revised)
Vote 5 - Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (Revised)
Vote 6 - Chief State Solicitor's Office (Revised) (24 Apr 2024)

Jim O'Callaghan: It is a fair comment. The reason the accommodation starting point is used a lot is that people see, with the situation like that on Mount Street, that there is a great and demonstrable difficulty in providing accommodation. The numbers of people seeking international protection are increasing significantly. I would say there will be 20,000 applicants this year. Does the Taoiseach agree...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 1 - President's Establishment (Revised)
Vote 2 - Department of the Taoiseach (Revised)
Vote 3 - Office of the Attorney General (Revised)
Vote 5 - Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (Revised)
Vote 6 - Chief State Solicitor's Office (Revised) (24 Apr 2024)

Jim O'Callaghan: It looks that way. At some stage, as well as frantically trying to provide accommodation for the people coming in and joining the application process, there is a legitimate entitlement to look at the other end of the equation to see what steps we can take to try to reduce the numbers coming here. People may be offended by that statement but I say it because it is not fair on the individuals...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 1 - President's Establishment (Revised)
Vote 2 - Department of the Taoiseach (Revised)
Vote 3 - Office of the Attorney General (Revised)
Vote 5 - Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (Revised)
Vote 6 - Chief State Solicitor's Office (Revised) (24 Apr 2024)

Jim O'Callaghan: One of the interesting points the Minister for Justice made yesterday was that more than 80% of the people seeking international protection in Ireland are coming over the Border from the United Kingdom. That presents a very challenging circumstance, because if people arrive into our ports, there are circumstances where we can have some level of control in respect of that. Are there any...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: European Year of Skills 2023: Discussion (Resumed) (30 Apr 2024)

Jim O'Callaghan: I welcome our guests to the committee. I will start with Mr. Beausang. I assume there is much interaction between his Department and the Department of Education in respect of the promotion of policies for skills, especially since it is really important to try to target people when they are in secondary school. Is that correct?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: European Year of Skills 2023: Discussion (Resumed) (30 Apr 2024)

Jim O'Callaghan: Mr. Brownlee mentioned transition year modules. I would have thought they were essential in trying to direct people at an important developmental age of 15 or 16 years towards what may be suitable for them. How does he think they are working?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: European Year of Skills 2023: Discussion (Resumed) (30 Apr 2024)

Jim O'Callaghan: We had a guy before the committee last week who got an interest in being an electrician while he was in school. He had the advantage that his father was involved in the business. I do not think he availed of any schemes during TY. What does Mr. Brownlee think can be done to try to assist students to identify where their skill and application may lie at a time when they are perhaps unaware...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: European Year of Skills 2023: Discussion (Resumed) (30 Apr 2024)

Jim O'Callaghan: Another cohort SOLAS is targeting, rather than those going through secondary school, are people who have left school but have not developed skills by the time they leave. SOLAS is trying to get them back into training. Mr. Brownlee mentioned the eCollege national online learning service and said it was going well. Does Mr. Beausang agree with that? Is he aware of that and does he agree it...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: European Year of Skills 2023: Discussion (Resumed) (30 Apr 2024)

Jim O'Callaghan: If, for example, I am a 25-year-old man who is looking to get involved in skills, how will I become aware of eCollege? How is that brought to my attention? Is there any online promotion of it?

Ceisteanna - Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (30 Apr 2024)

Jim O'Callaghan: 3. To ask the Taoiseach if he will report on his attendance at the recent conference in Paris on the invasion of Ukraine. [14156/24]

Ceisteanna - Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (30 Apr 2024)

Jim O'Callaghan: The meeting in Paris in February commemorated the second anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. I am sure the Taoiseach's predecessor, who attended it on our behalf, and the other leaders of the EU were fairly consistent in their desire to ensure that there was continued support for Ukraine. Obviously, from this country's point of view, we are limited in what we can do with regard...

Ceisteanna - Questions: An Garda Síochána (30 Apr 2024)

Jim O'Callaghan: 10. To ask the Taoiseach if he will provide an update on the work of the policing reform implementation programme office in his Department. [14093/24]

Ceisteanna - Questions: An Garda Síochána (30 Apr 2024)

Jim O'Callaghan: I do not know how members of An Garda Síochána can keep on top of the amount of laws there at present. Sometimes we see gardaí involved in situations and ask why they are not implementing, say, section 7 of the Criminal Justice (Public Order) Act or as I was saying in respect of Mount Street, the Roads Act 1993. There is such a vast amount of legislation that people in this...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Road Traffic Accidents (30 Apr 2024)

Jim O'Callaghan: 216. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the steps he will take to ensure that data on road traffic accidents is made available to researchers in order that they can advise on the best steps to be taken to confront rising accidents and fatalities on our roads; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19385/24]

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Electric Vehicles (30 Apr 2024)

Jim O'Callaghan: 220. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the measures available for management companies that wish to install electric vehicle chargers within their apartment block but where ESB Networks have confirmed that there is not enough local power to accommodate this; whether any support is available to management companies seeking to introduce this environmentally friendly measure;...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Pension Provisions (30 Apr 2024)

Jim O'Callaghan: 225. To ask the Minister for Finance whether there are plans to incentivise young people to invest in their own retirement outside of employment pension schemes and whether the 41% tax on the unrealised gains of exchange traded funds after eight years is acting as a disincentive to people investing in their own retirement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18799/24]

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Rental Sector (30 Apr 2024)

Jim O'Callaghan: 241. To ask the Minister for Finance the total number of rent tax credit claims made in each of the years 2022, 2023 and 2024, by county, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19338/24]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (30 Apr 2024)

Jim O'Callaghan: 344. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of primary school teachers in 2023-2024; the provisional allocation for 2024-2025, by county, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19333/24]