Results 1,101-1,120 of 11,433 for speaker:Michael Kitt

Irish Economy: Motion (17 Feb 2009)

Michael Kitt: On average, the deduction will be 7.5%. I said at many meetings I attended that we would like to hear whatever proposals other parties, Independent Deputies or other stakeholders have to make on the issue. We can discuss these matters in a co-operative way. One issue raised at many meetings is the divide that has been promoted between the private and public sectors. I very much regret...

Irish Economy: Motion (17 Feb 2009)

Michael Kitt: I would like the issue addressed. We know why the link arose between pay and pensions and that changes came into play after 1995. I hope we can confront the challenges facing us. We are facing a global recession and difficult decisions must be taken. The Minister for Finance has shown he has the courage to do that. He has certainly has put his best foot forward in terms of stabilising the...

Written Answers — Fire Stations: Fire Stations (17 Feb 2009)

Michael Kitt: The provision of funding for a fire station at Cloughjordan will be considered under future programmes having regard to the overall availability of resources, the spread of existing facilities and competing demands of fire authorities for available funds under the fire services capital programme. In autumn 2008, the fire authority indicated that improvement to the fire station at Templemore...

Written Answers — Fire Stations: Fire Stations (17 Feb 2009)

Michael Kitt: The provision of a fire service in its functional area, including the establishment and maintenance of a fire brigade, the assessment of fire cover needs, the provision of a premises and the making of such other provisions as it considers necessary or desirable, is a statutory function of individual fire authorities under section 10 of the Fire Services Act 1981. My Department's role is one...

Seanad: Planning Issues (17 Feb 2009)

Michael Kitt: I thank the Senator for raising this matter. There have been various Government statements in regard to planning policy and national roads over the past number of years, going back to the Development Control Advice and Guidelines issued in 1982 and the more comprehensive statement in 1985, Policy and Planning Framework for Roads, by the then Department of the Environment. Policy statements...

Seanad: Special Educational Needs (17 Feb 2009)

Michael Kitt: I thank Senators Buttimer and Healy Eames for raising this issue which I take on behalf of the Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Batt O'Keeffe. All pupils with a mild general learning disability have and will continue to have additional teaching resources to support their education. All primary schools have been allocated additional teaching resources to enable them to support...

Seanad: Special Educational Needs (17 Feb 2009)

Michael Kitt: Before the general allocation model was introduced, some schools grouped pupils with a mild general learning disability into special classes. Senators are aware that allocations to schools typically increase or decrease depending on pupil enrolment. In the case of classes for mild general learning disability the normal pupil teacher ratio that applies is 11:1. However, the Department of...

Seanad: Special Educational Needs (17 Feb 2009)

Michael Kitt: I undertake to bring the points the Senator has raised to the Minister's attention, particularly in respect of the Acts which were not mentioned in the question he put down.

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (18 Feb 2009)

Michael Kitt: I was here for some of the debate on the Bill and the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Gormley, has been dealing with this Bill. As Deputy Ellis said, one of the aspects this debate shows very clearly is that there is a very strong attachment in Ireland to county boundaries. That is understandable and I have the same issue in my county. The Minister made...

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (18 Feb 2009)

Michael Kitt: I thank the Senators for their contributions. First, I want to empathise with what Senator Glynn stated about parish boundaries and, indeed, county boundaries. He gave a good example in the case of the GAA and the pride of the parish. Indeed, that issue of the great empathy there is with parishes and with counties comes up quite a good deal in elections, whether in general elections or...

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (18 Feb 2009)

Michael Kitt: The referee was a Galway man.

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (18 Feb 2009)

Michael Kitt: The whole process starts with the census results, which are the starting point for the consideration of the proportionality of votes in each part of the country. In discussing the commission which gave us the constituencies under discussion, we are talking about a Government decision to draft a Bill. That decision was made and, as I said, it included a decision to accept the commission's...

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (18 Feb 2009)

Michael Kitt: I made this point previously, as has the Minister, Deputy Gormley, when he quoted the High Court judgment of Mr. Justice Budd. The judgment argued that although a system in the main based on counties has been adopted, there is nothing in the Constitution about constituencies based on counties. The Constitution does not provide for the formation of constituencies as far as practicable having...

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (18 Feb 2009)

Michael Kitt: The comments of Senator Hannigan are very interesting. I made the point before he arrived in the House——

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (18 Feb 2009)

Michael Kitt: The electoral commission announced by the Minister last week arises from a commitment in the programme for Government that refers to an independent electoral commission which would take responsibility for electoral administration and oversight and the implementation of modern and efficient electoral practices. In addition to a revision of constituency boundaries, it also proposes to take...

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (18 Feb 2009)

Michael Kitt: Even though we are straying from the Bill, the question of balanced regional development is a very interesting debate. One of my areas of responsibility is related to local services, so the point made by Senator Hannigan is a good one. We must ensure local services are promoted and protected, especially in some of the most rural areas. Dáil seats are based on population, and that is the...

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (18 Feb 2009)

Michael Kitt: Good.

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (18 Feb 2009)

Michael Kitt: It might be helpful if I outlined the law and practice in the area. I will start by quoting the Constitution. Article 16.2.6° states no law may be enacted by the Oireachtas providing for less than three members for a constituency. The relevant part of the Electoral Act 1997, which is being largely re-enacted in Part IV of the current Bill, provides that the constituency commission's terms...

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (18 Feb 2009)

Michael Kitt: We are discussing the nomination of candidates for the European Parliament elections. The Electoral Act 1997 sets out membership of a constituency commission, as follows: (a) (i) a judge of the Supreme Court, or (ii) following consultation with the President of the High Court, a judge of the High Court, nominated by the Chief Justice, who shall be the chairperson of the Commission, (b) the...

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (18 Feb 2009)

Michael Kitt: Section 15 amends the local elections regulations of 1995 by inserting articles 11 to 20 in substitution for the existing ones. These articles cover the nomination of non-party candidates at local elections, bringing the procedures into line with those enacted for Dáil elections in the Electoral (Amendment) Act 2007 and proposed in this Bill for European Parliament elections. The new...