Results 9,081-9,100 of 18,496 for speaker:Brendan Smith

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Staff Recruitment (6 Nov 2012)

Brendan Smith: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the plans he has to designate a Chief Risks Officer and appoint a professionally qualified Head of Finance in his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48402/12]

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: National Internship Scheme (6 Nov 2012)

Brendan Smith: To ask the Minister for Social Protection if she will refer to the qualifying criteria for employers who wish to partake in job bridge national internship scheme; if tax-compliant self-employed persons who have no employees/cannot afford to take on an employee qualify for the internship scheme and if not, the number of self-employed persons in this category who have applied to be included in...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Household Charge Exemptions (6 Nov 2012)

Brendan Smith: To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if a person (details supplied) who is not liable to pay the household property charge but who nonetheless paid the charge can obtain a refund of the charge they paid in error; the reason it is taking so long for him to obtain the refund; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48396/12]

Other Questions: Public Sector Pay (7 Nov 2012)

Brendan Smith: To ask the Minister for Defence if he will give an undertaking to maintain the border allowance for those Defence Forces personnel currently in receipt of it; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48501/12]

Written Answers — Department of Health: Care of the Elderly (8 Nov 2012)

Brendan Smith: To ask the Minister for Health the action he will take on foot of the recent NESC report Quality and Standards in Human Services in Ireland: Home Care for Older People; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48935/12]

Written Answers — Department of Health: Medical Card Eligibility (8 Nov 2012)

Brendan Smith: To ask the Minister for Health the numbers of discretionary medical cards that have been withdrawn to date in 2012; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48950/12]

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: North-South Implementation Bodies (13 Nov 2012)

Brendan Smith: To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if analysis of the Peace Programme have been carried out; if such analysis will inform the introduction of the successor programme to the Peace III Programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49411/12]

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Transport (13 Nov 2012)

Brendan Smith: To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality if a patrol car will be allocated to a Garda station (details supplied) in County Monaghan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49589/12]

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces Reserve (13 Nov 2012)

Brendan Smith: To ask the Minister for Defence if he will confirm that the training centre for the Reserve Defence Forces will remain in Cavan town; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49590/12]

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Misappropriation of Irish Aid Funds in Uganda: Discussion with Irish Aid (13 Nov 2012)

Brendan Smith: I welcome Mr. Rogers and his colleagues. It is welcome that we are getting an early report on what is intolerable behaviour at official level in Uganda. Every Minister reports the expenditure profile of his or her Department to Government on a monthly or bimonthly basis. Why did the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade not have an ongoing expenditure profile system in place when it has...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Misappropriation of Irish Aid Funds in Uganda: Discussion with Irish Aid (13 Nov 2012)

Brendan Smith: We are discussing Uganda today and I hope that we will not be back here another day discussing a similar incident in some other programme country. In that context, there would be some merit in working with other donor countries, many of whom are EU members, to send out a message that there are rigorous and robust systems in place to ensure the effectiveness of the substantial aid programme....

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Northern Ireland Issues (14 Nov 2012)

Brendan Smith: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the discussions he has had with the Northern Executive and with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland following the recent murder of a prison officer; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50248/12]

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Northern Ireland Issues (14 Nov 2012)

Brendan Smith: I thank the Tánaiste for his reply and agree with every word he uttered regarding this brutal murder. I condemn in the strongest terms the brutal murder of David Black, who was shot several times. By all accounts he was an exemplary officer and it appears from newspaper reports that a new paramilitary grouping has claimed responsibility following the merger of other groups. Such...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Northern Ireland Issues (14 Nov 2012)

Brendan Smith: It was pathetic to hear the group responsible use the excuse of tensions in the jail as being the cause of this murder. Tensions in the jail are not an excuse for violence, never mind the wilful taking of a life. Groups commonly referred to as dissident groups can be the incubators of violent extremism. Therefore, the activities of these and other vigilante groups must be dealt with. Such...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Overseas Development Aid (14 Nov 2012)

Brendan Smith: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the progress that has been made to date on reviewing the auditing system in his Department in view of misappropriation of overseas development aid funds by Ugandan officials; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50249/12]

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Overseas Development Aid (14 Nov 2012)

Brendan Smith: As previous speakers said, we had a good meeting yesterday with the Tánaiste's officials, who went through this matter in great detail. Everyone agreed that the systems need to be robust and rigorous. Mr. Rogers made the important point that this negative publicity is particularly "dispiriting" given that so much progress has been made in Uganda through the Irish Aid programme. There...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Overseas Development Aid (14 Nov 2012)

Brendan Smith: I welcome the Tánaiste's final comments in regard to that appointment and consider it a worthwhile development. One other suggestion I made to his officials yesterday was that we need the utmost co-operation with the other donor countries working in those partnership countries, by and large, other EU member states. This is to give out a message that misappropriation of even 1 cent will...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Human Rights Issues (14 Nov 2012)

Brendan Smith: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the progress that has been made to date in supporting imprisoned Irish trained doctors in Bahrain who have had their appeals rejected; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50162/12]

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Human Rights Issues (14 Nov 2012)

Brendan Smith: I agree with the Tánaiste that this is a serious issue. Our Oireachtas colleague, Senator Averil Power, and a former constituency colleague of yours, a Cheann Comhairle, and the Tánaiste, Mr. David Andrews, travelled to Bahrain some time ago to raise the issue. I compliment the eminent and distinguished orthopaedic surgeon in Cappagh Hospital and the Mater Hospital, Professor...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Middle East Peace Process (14 Nov 2012)

Brendan Smith: I thank the Minister for his reply. We discussed this issue at length in the last session of Question Time. My tabling of the question was to ensure it is kept on the agenda. Will the Minister tell us at which Council meeting he hopes to have a full discussion of this matter? Will it be before the end of the year or will it go into the Irish Presidency? It is alarming, and has been for...