Results 12,781-12,800 of 18,496 for speaker:Brendan Smith

Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Second Stage (Resumed) (5 Jul 2017)

Brendan Smith: This Bill is all about internal Cabinet politics. It is about Fine Gael’s absolute and urgent need to placate the Minister, Deputy Ross, and to keep him sweet for the coming months. It is why we have been landed with this flawed and poorly constructed Judicial Appointments Commission Bill and it is why we are devoting, if not wasting, so much time on it. The bitter reality is...

Early Childhood Care and Education: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members] (5 Jul 2017)

Brendan Smith: I also welcome and am happy to support this motion. As will be obvious from all the contributions here this evening, there are huge pressures on the child care sector. The sector has developed rapidly since the late 1990s, which is a very welcome development. I know from representing two rural counties that up until that time, there were little or no services in rural Ireland. Thankfully,...

Written Answers — Department of Health: National Dementia Strategy Implementation (5 Jul 2017)

Brendan Smith: 157. To ask the Minister for Health if he will consider the issues raised in correspondence by a national organisation (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31580/17]

Written Answers — Department of Health: Primary Care Centres Provision (5 Jul 2017)

Brendan Smith: 195. To ask the Minister for Health the status of a project (details supplied); when this project will proceed to the next stage; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31698/17]

Written Answers — Department of Health: Primary Care Centres Provision (5 Jul 2017)

Brendan Smith: 196. To ask the Minister for Health the status of a project (details supplied); when this project will proceed to the next stage; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31699/17]

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Services Funding (5 Jul 2017)

Brendan Smith: 208. To ask the Minister for Health if he will ensure an equal distribution of funding throughout a community health area (details supplied) in respect of the provision of health services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31743/17]

Written Answers — Department of Health: Legislative Measures (5 Jul 2017)

Brendan Smith: 209. To ask the Minister for Health his views on the concerns outlined by an organisation (details supplied) regarding the Health and Social Care Professionals (Amendment) Bill 2017; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31750/17]

Other Questions: Schools Building Projects Status (6 Jul 2017)

Brendan Smith: 10. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if a building project at a school (details supplied) will proceed to construction stage without further delay in view of the urgent need to provide additional and upgraded permanent school accommodation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31731/17]

Other Questions: Schools Building Projects Status (6 Jul 2017)

Brendan Smith: As the Minister, Deputy Bruton, is well aware, this project, the Holy Family School at Cootehill, is of utmost importance. This school was established in 1966 and one of its founders was our former colleague in this House, Dr. Rory O'Hanlon. It serves the catchment area of Cavan and Monaghan and it is the only special needs school we have in either county. Since 2002, the school population...

Other Questions: Schools Building Projects Status (6 Jul 2017)

Brendan Smith: I thank the Minister. I raised a Topical Issue on 6 April. At that time, the concern of the board of management and the parents association was the detailed stage 2b submission and the Department had not given permission for the pre-tender qualification process to commence in tandem with the examination of the submission. That evening, I requested the Minister to ask the Department to...

Other Questions: Schools Building Projects Status (6 Jul 2017)

Brendan Smith: I thank the Minister. Those of us who have the privilege of representing the constituency of Cavan-Monaghan and having had interaction with the school on many occasions over the years know that it is a school of which we are all proud. Successive principals, the current principal, Rachel Moynagh, all her staff, the board of management and successive parents associations have worked to...

Topical Issue Debate: School Transport Eligibility (6 Jul 2017)

Brendan Smith: I appreciate the selection of this subject by the Office of the Ceann Comhairle. I am very glad the Minister of State, Deputy Halligan, is here to deal with this Topical Issue. I appreciate his engagement with me and other Members in regard to school transport. The issue pertains in particular to the start of the school year last year. The Minister of State facilitated meetings with...

Topical Issue Debate: School Transport Eligibility (6 Jul 2017)

Brendan Smith: 7 o’clock I welcome the Minister of State’s forthright response and his obvious determination to bring about a resolution to these difficulties. It will not cost millions of euro. The moneys involved are small amounts, yet it is so important to families. We know families are stressed out at the beginning of the school year with various back-to-school costs. Additional...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (6 Jul 2017)

Brendan Smith: 52. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will give urgent consideration to the ongoing requests of the board of management and parents' association to have a building project (details supplied) proceed to construction stage at an early date. [31732/17]

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Procurement Contracts (6 Jul 2017)

Brendan Smith: 88. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if his attention has been drawn to the increasing concerns of contractors within the construction sector here regarding to the procurement of public contracts due to unfair competition from contractors, particularly from Northern Ireland, which have a lower cost base and continue to gain further advantage with the procurement of...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Procurement Contracts (6 Jul 2017)

Brendan Smith: 89. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform his plans to protect businesses in the construction sector which are facing unfair competition from contractors, particularly from Northern Ireland, which have a lower cost base and are tendering and gaining public contracts at costs below those viable for contractors based here that meet all their statutory obligations in terms of...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: EU Migration Crisis (6 Jul 2017)

Brendan Smith: 129. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the new steps the EU will take to safeguard the human rights of migrants in Libya; if official EU inspections of the human rights conditions in detention centres will take place; if proper systems of registering persons held in detention centres will be implemented in view of the concerns raised regarding the treatment of migrants in...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: EU Migration Crisis (6 Jul 2017)

Brendan Smith: 130. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his views on whether it is right for the EU to continue to fund the Libyan coast guard service following reports of the Libyan coast guard physically abusing migrants at sea in view of the evidence of appalling humanitarian conditions in the detention centres to which migrants are returned by the Libyan coast guard and the concerns raised...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Organ Harvesting in China: Discussion (6 Jul 2017)

Brendan Smith: I extend a warm welcome to the witnesses for this part of the meeting which is on the matter of organ harvesting in China: Mr. David Matas, Mr. Ethan Gutmann, Dr. Enver Tohti Bughda, Dr. James McDaid, Dr. Conall O'Seaghdha and Ms Dongxue Dai. We will hear their opening statements before going into a question and answer session with the members of the committee. Before we begin I remind...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Organ Harvesting in China: Discussion (6 Jul 2017)

Brendan Smith: We work late here every night.