Results 1,501-1,520 of 9,814 for speaker:Steven Matthews

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Electoral Reform Bill 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Jun 2021)

Steven Matthews: That was more than five minutes so I must ask only one of the witnesses to respond very briefly.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Electoral Reform Bill 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Jun 2021)

Steven Matthews: I thank Mr. Doorley for his brief responses. It is now my turn to ask questions. In your opening statement, Mr. Doorley, you said that 22% of young people are not registered to vote, which means that 78% are registered. That actually seems quite high. What would be the average level of registration among the various age cohorts? Of the 78% that are registered, how many actually go out...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Electoral Reform Bill 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Jun 2021)

Steven Matthews: That could be one of this committee's recommendations vis-à-visthe electoral commission. We could suggest that it examine voter turnout among those young people who are registered. Over the past couple of years, we have seen a lot of youth engagement with the political system. I am thinking of the climate strikes in particular, as well as the two referendums on marriage equality and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Electoral Reform Bill 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Jun 2021)

Steven Matthews: Thank you, Mr. Doorley. On that same point, Mr. Joyce gave us a figure of approximately 50,000 in terms of the size of the Traveller community. Does he have any idea how many Travellers are on the electoral register? Has any research been done on that? If people are on the register and their voting card arrives, there is a possibility they will vote but if they are not on the register,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Electoral Reform Bill 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Jun 2021)

Steven Matthews: I thank Mr. Joyce. I must cut myself short now in order to be fair to everybody else. I apologise to Ms Lane. I wanted to ask her about the fact that female politicians seem to get much more online abuse than their male counterparts and to hear her views on the cowardly pile-ons from far right and racist groups that we often see on Twitter. It is incumbent on every politician and everyone...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Electoral Reform Bill 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Jun 2021)

Steven Matthews: Yes. Would the witnesses like to respond to the Senator's two previous questions that we did not have an opportunity to get to earlier?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Electoral Reform Bill 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Jun 2021)

Steven Matthews: Go ahead Ms Lane.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Electoral Reform Bill 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Jun 2021)

Steven Matthews: I thank Mr. Doorley and Senator Fitzpatrick. We now move to a Fine Gael slot. Who would like to contribute?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Electoral Reform Bill 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Jun 2021)

Steven Matthews: Go ahead Senator.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Electoral Reform Bill 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Jun 2021)

Steven Matthews: I thank Senator Cummins and call Mr. Doorley.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Electoral Reform Bill 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Jun 2021)

Steven Matthews: I would appreciate it if Ms Lane could be as brief as possible because we are coming to the end of the session.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Electoral Reform Bill 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Jun 2021)

Steven Matthews: I thank Ms Lane and Senator Cummins. We are out of time. I thank Ms Brack, Mr. Joyce, Mr. Doorley, Ms McCarthy Flynn and Ms Lane for their attendance. It has been an interesting and engaging two hours during which I think we have learned a lot. Our guests' opening submissions and the answers they have given to questions will feed into our pre-legislative scrutiny report. If there were...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (22 Jun 2021)

Steven Matthews: 63. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the number of successful and unsuccessful applications for the music and entertainment business assistance scheme to date; if her attention has been drawn to the concerns of sectoral interests regarding the qualifying criteria for the scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33214/21]

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (22 Jun 2021)

Steven Matthews: The music and entertainment business assistance scheme, MEBAS, was launched recently. I know the Minister and her officials put a lot of time and effort into it and met with a broad range of people involved in the music and entertainment sector. The Oireachtas committee meets regularly with them as well. At our most recent meeting, they expressed concern about some of the complexity...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (22 Jun 2021)

Steven Matthews: I thank the Minister for the update. If I read the reply correctly, only three of 300 applications have been refused, which is a refusal rate of only 1%. That would speak to the scheme having some success. I note that the Minister mentioned the other scheme that was launched recently as well, providing €25 million for the live performance support scheme, which will provide an...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (22 Jun 2021)

Steven Matthews: I thank the Minister, who raises an important point. Often, when we go to see a show or we go to be entertained, we see who is standing on the stage but we have to recognise that many more people are operating front of house, backstage, in production, in decor and in everything else it has taken to get that entertainer on the stage. It is important the schemes recognise them as well. In...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (22 Jun 2021)

Steven Matthews: I was not made aware of that.

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Budget 2021 (22 Jun 2021)

Steven Matthews: 97. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the status of the €50 million awarded in Budget 2021 to support the live entertainment sector; and the details of the applications and awards made under schemes announced by her Department. [33232/21]