Results 1,221-1,240 of 6,728 for speaker:John Curran

Oireachtas Reform: Motion (Resumed) (25 Mar 2009)

John Curran: It was more on the Deputy's side than ours now.

Oireachtas Reform: Motion (Resumed) (25 Mar 2009)

John Curran: I welcome the opportunity to contribute to this motion and debate tonight. I am disappointed at the manner in which Fine Gael has tabled this motion. To be blunt, I agree the whole area of Dáil reform needs to be the subject of debate and discussion, but this needs to be done in a detailed manner. The motion as presented tonight, which refers to reducing the number of Ministers of State...

Written Answers — Community Development: Community Development (26 Mar 2009)

John Curran: I would refer the Deputy to my replies to questions number 43 on 4th March and questions numbered 304, 305 and 306 on 10th March 2009 concerning the suspension of this Programme. To date, nearly 500 applications have been received. Of these, around 250 have been either recommended for funding or found to be ineligible or incomplete. Six applications were withdrawn. The remaining projects...

Written Answers — Closed Circuit Television Systems: Closed Circuit Television Systems (31 Mar 2009)

John Curran: The Scheme of Community Support for Older People is administered and funded by my Department with the services delivered by local community and voluntary groups. It currently provides individual grants in respect of the once-off installation costs of socially monitored alarms, small items of physical security and in the case of qualifying older people living on our offshore islands, interior...

Written Answers — National Drugs Strategy: National Drugs Strategy (1 Apr 2009)

John Curran: As the Deputy will be aware, the first phase of the Dial-to-Stop Drug Dealing Campaign operated across five Local and Regional Drugs Task Forces areas in late 2008. These campaigns were funded by my Department (€100,000) and the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform (€50,000). Following Government approval, €300,000 has been allocated from the Dormant Accounts Fund for 10...

Financial Resolution No. 11: General (7 Apr 2009)

John Curran: I move: That it is expedient to amend the law relating to inland revenue (including value-added tax and excise) and to make further provision in connection with finance.

Written Answers — Community Development: Community Development (9 Apr 2009)

John Curran: My Department is aware of the issues and process that led to the Pobal decision to withdraw the LDSIP contract from the organisation in question. I do not see an interventionist role for me in the matter. My Department and Pobal are working to secure arrangements so that the area will receive the necessary resources from a range of relevant programmes.

Social Welfare Bill 2009: Second Stage (Resumed) (22 Apr 2009)

John Curran: To be of assistance to the Deputy, although it is not the high end of the market, rents in Clondalkin have come down.

Haulage Licensing. (22 Apr 2009)

John Curran: A road haulage operator's licence is granted under section 2 of the Road Traffic and Transport Act 2006 and entitles the holder to carry on a road haulage business for hire or reward. Further statutory regulations govern various details regarding the application process. An international licence enables the holder to carry goods for hire and reward throughout Ireland and the European Union....

Community Support for Older People. (22 Apr 2009)

John Curran: I thank the Deputies for raising this matter. I am particularly pleased, personally, to have the opportunity to address this debate this evening. I had responsibility for this matter before today and I am pleased to have responsibility for it again.

Community Support for Older People. (22 Apr 2009)

John Curran: I am very pleased to have the opportunity to be back in this position. My Department has operated the scheme of community support for older people since mid-2002, when the Department was first established. The scheme, as originally devised in 1996, was based on the simple concept of helping people active in their communities to maintain contact with older people in their neighbourhood....

Written Answers — Community Development: Community Development (22 Apr 2009)

John Curran: I propose to take Questions Nos. 520 to 522, inclusive, together. I refer the Deputy to my reply to Question No. 98 on 9 April last.

Written Answers — Security of the Elderly: Security of the Elderly (23 Apr 2009)

John Curran: I propose to take Questions Nos. 164 and 166 together. The Scheme of Community Support for Older People was suspended on 7th April. This was done with a view to affording my Department the opportunity to review its operation over the next few months and re-launching it later in the year. Earlier this week, I met with representatives of organisations involved with issues affecting older...

Seanad: Care of the Elderly (23 Apr 2009)

John Curran: I thank Senator Fitzgerald for raising this matter on the Adjournment. I am pleased to have the opportunity to address this issue and will attempt to respond to the points raised as directly as possible. My Department has operated the scheme of community support for older people since it was established in mid-2002. It was originally devised in 1996, based on the simple concept of helping...

Seanad: Care of the Elderly (23 Apr 2009)

John Curran: Continuous monitoring has nothing to do with the Department. It is a matter between the individual customer and the commercial companies which supply the monitoring. The customer pays a monitoring fee of between €50 and €100 per annum, and that will continue. I have a concern about real and genuine need. Throughout the years we dealt with about 6,000 applicants per annum. Last year we...

Written Answers — Departmental Bodies: Departmental Bodies (28 Apr 2009)

John Curran: On 6 March, 2009, the chairperson of the National Consultative Committee on Racism and Interculturalism (NCCRI) wrote to my predecessor on behalf of the Board of the NCCRI. In the course of that letter, the chairperson stated that that body is currently in the process of winding down. She also conveyed a number of recommendations on behalf of the Board regarding the need to continue to focus...

Written Answers — Security of the Elderly: Security of the Elderly (28 Apr 2009)

John Curran: The Scheme of Community Support for Older People was suspended on 7th April. This was done with a view to affording my Department the opportunity to review its operation over the next few months and re-launching it later in the year. Last week, I met with representatives of organisations involved with issues affecting older people and I have agreed with them a process that will set the broad...

Written Answers — Community Development: Community Development (28 Apr 2009)

John Curran: I propose to take Questions Nos. 332 and 335 together. The Community Development Programme was closed to new applicants following a government decision in 2004. Should the programme re-open to new groups, communities in RAPID areas would receive priority consideration for inclusion. In the meantime, I have asked my officials to examine the existing resources within the locality with a view to...

Written Answers — Security of the Elderly: Security of the Elderly (28 Apr 2009)

John Curran: An incomplete application was received from the group referred to by the Deputy in mid 2008. Documentation in respect of the expenditure of the previous grant awarded to this group in 2006 was not supplied with the new application, as required under the criteria for the Scheme. Officials in my Department have been in contact with this group on several occasions requesting this further...

Written Answers — Security of the Elderly: Security of the Elderly (28 Apr 2009)

John Curran: The purpose of the Scheme of Community Support for Older People, which was suspended on 7th April last, was to encourage and assist the community's support for older people by means of a community based grant scheme to improve the security of its older members. Funding under the Scheme was provided for door-locks, door-chains and window locks; for security lighting; for smoke alarms and for...