Results 16,421-16,440 of 20,459 for speaker:Frances Fitzgerald
- Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Estimates for Public Services 2016
Vote 20 - An Garda Síochána (Supplementary)
Vote 22 - Courts Service (Supplementary) (30 Nov 2016) Frances Fitzgerald: Yes.
- Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Estimates for Public Services 2016
Vote 20 - An Garda Síochána (Supplementary)
Vote 22 - Courts Service (Supplementary) (30 Nov 2016) Frances Fitzgerald: To confirm, this does not involve an extra spend; it is about a reallocation but all within the justice group of Votes. There is no extra money involved. It is about reallocating money from areas in which there has been an underspend and moving it to areas that we have prioritised, for example, ICT and the purchase of Garda vehicles. There was an underspend in the areas I outlined. As...
- Leaders' Questions (1 Dec 2016)
Frances Fitzgerald: I thank the Deputy. Island Ferries took the decision to cease services to Inis Mór last night, as the Deputy has outlined. I have to agree with him that this is extremely disappointing. I understand there will be a full meeting of Galway County County at 12 noon today, where this will be the subject of discussion. This is primarily a dispute between the company and Galway County...
- Leaders' Questions (1 Dec 2016)
Frances Fitzgerald: I did respond to the Deputy's points. It is not a question of hoping but of doing. I have made very clear that the Minister of State has been heavily involved in whatever way he can be to ensure that a resolution is found. The most important people are not the operators, the council or the Department but the islanders who need a service. Our focus today should be on ensuring that we get a...
- Leaders' Questions (1 Dec 2016)
Frances Fitzgerald: -----and, of course, there should be continuity of services.
- Leaders' Questions (1 Dec 2016)
Frances Fitzgerald: There was obviously a very full discussion in the Seanad yesterday on this topic. The first point I want to make is that we are committed to progressing this issue and the Minister, Deputy Coveney, is committed to it, as he made very clear in his Seanad speech yesterday, in which he outlined in detail the range of issues that need to be considered before the Government moves forward on this....
- Leaders' Questions (1 Dec 2016)
Frances Fitzgerald: We are taking the issue seriously but unlike Deputy McDonald, we must have a detailed reply to the range of questions that arise from extending the franchise.
- Leaders' Questions (1 Dec 2016)
Frances Fitzgerald: Detailed information is required and a detailed analysis must be carried out. The Deputy is calling for this at a principled level, but the Government must examine it in detail and look at the implications. One recommendation of the Constitutional Convention, for example, was that only those who had lived in Ireland should qualify for the franchise. Obviously that must be examined because...
- Leaders' Questions (1 Dec 2016)
Frances Fitzgerald: That needs to be done. Does Sinn Féin have the answers? Has it presented a paper with all of these answers? I do not think it has-----
- Leaders' Questions (1 Dec 2016)
Frances Fitzgerald: -----but at a principled level, it calls for the extension of the franchise. We are doing the work that any Government would need to do and are being supported by Fianna Fáil in that.
- Leaders' Questions (1 Dec 2016)
Frances Fitzgerald: We all have family members who are affected. Sinn Féin does not have a monopoly in that regard. We all have family members living abroad and Members right across this House care about this issue.
- Leaders' Questions (1 Dec 2016)
Frances Fitzgerald: That is why the Constitutional Convention was asked to examine it and why an options paper is being developed. That paper will be presented to Cabinet.
- Leaders' Questions (1 Dec 2016)
Frances Fitzgerald: It will be ready and presented in January.
- Leaders' Questions (1 Dec 2016)
Frances Fitzgerald: I thank the Deputy for his acknowledgement of the improvements in the economy, which are being sustained at this point. The Deputy's point is that if the economy continues to improve we will have more choice regarding the very difficult decisions that still have to be taken. We made clear in the budget that we wanted to sustain the economy to invest in public services. It is very important...
- Leaders' Questions (1 Dec 2016)
Frances Fitzgerald: It is a fairly general question, and the Deputy knows well how these decisions work in Cabinet. The decision we took earlier this year when there was extra revenue was clear. A substantial sum of money was put into the health services and a number of other areas, including justice and education. The Deputy is well aware of how these processes work. It is important to recognise, and to...
- Leaders' Questions (1 Dec 2016)
Frances Fitzgerald: The overall point is to welcome the continued growth in the economy which gives those choices. If we did not have that growth, we would not have the choices. There were no choices for many years in this country-----
- Leaders' Questions (1 Dec 2016)
Frances Fitzgerald: -----when we began to deal with this crisis in 2011, as the Deputy well knows.
- Leaders' Questions (1 Dec 2016)
Frances Fitzgerald: We have all been touched by the individual stories of women who had horrendous experiences with symphysiotomy. That is the reason the previous Government made a decision in July 2014 that we should not just listen to these stories but do something about them. A very distinguished judge, Ms Justice Maureen Harding Clark, was asked to carry out this report. It was agreed by the Government to...
- Leaders' Questions (1 Dec 2016)
Frances Fitzgerald: We all know women suffered some horrendous consequences as a result of having a symphysiotomy. That is why the Government wanted to take as humane and dignified an approach as we possibly could to help these women. As I said, every effort was made in the report by Ms Justice Harding Clarke to do just that. I believe 185 women applied to the scheme who could not establish that they had a...
- Questions on Proposed Legislation (1 Dec 2016)
Frances Fitzgerald: It is a priority for this session.