Results 961-980 of 11,433 for speaker:Michael Kitt

Overseas Development Aid. (1 May 2008)

Michael Kitt: I completely agree with Deputy Timmins's praise for the WFP. I have long been a supporter of it. Deputy Timmins said that climate change has led to droughts and other climate-related difficulties in major cereal-producing countries such as Australia and Ukraine. The switch from the production of cereals as foodstuffs to the production of bio-fuels, most notably in the US where a Government...

Overseas Development Aid. (1 May 2008)

Michael Kitt: I can only say that I will support the World Food Programme. I might add that we established a hunger taskforce, which was timely given that we established it before the issue of global food prices arose. That hunger taskforce has the input of 15 national and international experts. It was established by the Government to identify what Ireland can do to assist international efforts to...

Overseas Development Aid. (1 May 2008)

Michael Kitt: I propose to take Questions Nos. 13 and 99 together. The Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General has overall responsibility for the independent audit of all Government expenditure, including the Irish Aid budget. The Comptroller and Auditor General has reported on the appropriation accounts for Vote 29 for the period 2002 to 2006. The 2007 report of the Comptroller and Auditor General...

Overseas Development Aid. (1 May 2008)

Michael Kitt: We are in line with international norms where the practice is that internal audits are not published but are made available to the supreme audit institution in the state in question. In principle, we could publish these internal audits if our capacity to get our work done were not undermined as a result. However, if the trust we have built with individuals and organisations were undermined...

Overseas Development Aid. (1 May 2008)

Michael Kitt: I will investigate that and report to the Deputy.

Health Service Records. (1 May 2008)

Michael Kitt: I am taking this Adjournment matter on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Mary Harney. I thank Deputy Lynch for raising this issue. The HSE has confirmed that it was notified yesterday that patient records from the former Cork Regional Hospital, now Cork University Hospital, and St. Finbarr's Hospital had been found in a disused landfill site in Glounthane,...

Mental Health Services (1 May 2008)

Michael Kitt: I am taking this Adjournment matter on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Mary Harney, and I thank Deputy Neville for raising it. A Vision for Change, the report of the expert group on mental health policy, which was launched in January 2006, contains some 200 recommendations. The report has been accepted by Government as the basis for the future development...

Mental Health Services (1 May 2008)

Michael Kitt: However, implementation of A Vision for Change is dependent to a much greater extent on the remodelling of existing resources than on new additional funding. Additional investment must be phased in parallel with the reorganisation of mental health services and resources. In the context of ever-rising demands for health resources, mental health expenditure should be closely monitored to...

Controlled Substances. (1 May 2008)

Michael Kitt: I am taking this Adjournment debate on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Mary Harney. I thank Deputy for raising the matter, which I understand refers to the availability of medicinal cannabis for the treatment of multiple sclerosis. The Misuse of Drugs Act 1977 and regulations made thereunder regulate and control the import, export, production, supply and...

Written Answers — Overseas Development Aid: Overseas Development Aid (1 May 2008)

Michael Kitt: The current situation in Ethiopia is of concern to me and is constantly monitored by our Embassy in Addis Ababa. The situation in parts of Ethiopia appears to be deteriorating with escalating numbers of moderately and severely malnourished people presenting at nutrition centres. The fact that many adolescents are already severely malnourished indicates a critical situation already in the...

Written Answers — Food Security Issues: Food Security Issues (1 May 2008)

Michael Kitt: Rising oil prices have resulted in the diversion of food crops into bio-fuel production and there is now a recognised linkage between the recent increase in energy prices and the resultant increase in food prices. This has been one of the contributors to the recent rise in global food prices. Other factors have also played a role in food price increases. The rapid growth in some Asian...

Written Answers — Millennium Development Goals: Millennium Development Goals (1 May 2008)

Michael Kitt: The eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), adopted in the year 2000 as part of the commitments undertaken by Heads of Government at the Millennium Summit, represent a framework for international economic and social development up to the year 2015. The most important element of the MDGs is that they give us a measurable set of targets, in order that we can determine if progress has been...

Written Answers — Genetically Modified Organisms: Genetically Modified Organisms (1 May 2008)

Michael Kitt: Ireland does not provide food aid directly to any African country. Ireland does however provide financial support to emergency food aid programmes. Such financial support is provided both through the European Commission and through the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP). The European Commission does not provide food aid in kind. Rather, the European Commission provides financial...

Written Answers — Overseas Development Aid: Overseas Development Aid (1 May 2008)

Michael Kitt: I believe that research is central to improving the quality of our aid programme at all levels — the global, regional and country levels. Implementing the findings of well targeted research means better and more effective aid programmes. The Advisory Board for Irish Aid (ABIA) has a mandate to commission research of the highest international standards. The Board funds ongoing research in...

Written Answers — AIDS Prevention: AIDS Prevention (1 May 2008)

Michael Kitt: Recent data released by the United Nations Joint Programme on AIDS (UNAIDS) demonstrate that the global HIV prevalence — the number of people living with HIV — has levelled off and that the number of new infections has fallen. This is primarily due to much improved surveillance methodologies, along with some positive impacts of HIV programmes. However, in 2007 over 33 million people were...

Seanad: Turbary Rights (21 May 2008)

Michael Kitt: I thank Senator McFadden for raising this important issue. I welcome the opportunity to clarify a number of issues regarding the future of turf cutting in Ireland and to confirm that turf cutting can continue as normal on most bogs. It is only on the relatively small area of designated peatlands that cutting must cease to preserve what remains of our best bogland for future generations....

Written Answers — Library Projects: Library Projects (22 May 2008)

Michael Kitt: I intend shortly to launch Branching Out — Future Directions, a policy document which will drive the development of the public library service in Ireland over the next five years. A number of ICT initiatives which have been implemented throughout the library service in recent years will continue to be developed, to enhance the quality of access to a rich diversity of information which is...

Written Answers — Fire Service: Fire Service (22 May 2008)

Michael Kitt: The Department has continued to support the modernisation programme for the fire services with increased capital investment and the development and implementation of programmes initiated under the Fire Services Change Programme. The programmes are developed having regard to best practice internationally. The Department's community fire safety programmes are aimed at shifting the focus from...

Written Answers — Fire Service: Fire Service (27 May 2008)

Michael Kitt: The information sought in the Question is not available in my Department. It is a matter for each fire authority to decide whether or not to charge for any of its fire services. I understand that Dublin City Council is recouped part of the cost of its fire and emergency services from the adjoining three county councils and the Health Service Executive.

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (27 May 2008)

Michael Kitt: The Radiological Protection (Amendment) Act, 2002 provided, inter alia, the statutory basis for the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland (RPII) to administer a radon remediation grant scheme in respect of houses from moneys to be provided by the Oireachtas. Such a scheme could require significant public expenditure and administrative resources. It would be difficult for a demand...