Results 21,341-21,360 of 27,945 for speaker:Michael McGrath

Written Answers — Department of Health: Accident and Emergency Services Provision (17 Jul 2014)

Michael McGrath: 683. To ask the Minister for Health the number of persons who presented at accident and emergency units in each year from 2010 to 2013 who were not in possession of a medical card or a letter of referral from a GP; the amount raised from the charge applied to such persons; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32442/14]

Written Answers — Department of Health: Orthodontic Service Provision (17 Jul 2014)

Michael McGrath: 699. To ask the Minister for Health the number of children currently on a waiting list for orthodontic assessment and for orthodontic treatment in Cork City and County; the steps being made by the Health Service Executive to reduce these waiting lists; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32608/14]

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Waiting Lists (17 Jul 2014)

Michael McGrath: 703. To ask the Minister for Health if he will provide certain information regarding public hospital waiting lists for surgery (details supplied). [32633/14]

Written Answers — Department of Health: Nursing Home Repayment Scheme (17 Jul 2014)

Michael McGrath: 719. To ask the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) in County Cork will receive payment in respect of the fair deal nursing home support scheme; if payment will be back dated to the date on which they received approval for inclusion in the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32733/14]

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Irish Airlines Superannuation Scheme (17 Jul 2014)

Michael McGrath: 755. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the steps he is taking to ensure the deferred members of the Irish Aviation Superannuation Scheme are treated in a fair and equitable manner; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32032/14]

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Air Services Provision (17 Jul 2014)

Michael McGrath: 757. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will consider establishing a PSO route for air services between Cork Airport and Dublin Airport in view of the need for air connectivity between the country's two largest cities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32185/14]

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Pre-Budget Submissions: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jul 2014)

Michael McGrath: That is really high, is it not?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Pre-Budget Submissions: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jul 2014)

Michael McGrath: Does Mr. Harty have figures on the typical cost to the State of supporting somebody to stay in the home as opposed to the typical cost through the nursing home scheme? I accept some people are higher dependency than others and perhaps, eventually, have to be in a long-stay facility. Has Mr. Harty the numbers to back up what he is saying?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Pre-Budget Submissions: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jul 2014)

Michael McGrath: If it is so clear cut, why is there such resistance to it? If it makes sense financially and it keeps people happy, what is the barrier?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Pre-Budget Submissions: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jul 2014)

Michael McGrath: I would like to ask Mr. Hanan about the poverty proofing of budget proposals, to which he referred in his statement. I believe we would all agree in principle with that. The question is how it would work in practice and to what extent it would slow down and make more bureaucratic the decision-making process. Ultimately, the Government and the Legislature have to make decisions. How would...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Pre-Budget Submissions: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jul 2014)

Michael McGrath: I will group my last two questions. With regard to Ms Fahy's work with the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, what role does personal debt play in the whole situation? Obviously, many people who rely on support from the St. Vincent de Paul are experiencing unemployment and are in very low income households, but not all I suspect, and many would have very high mortgages, credit union loans,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Pre-Budget Submissions: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jul 2014)

Michael McGrath: I welcome our guests and thank them for their presentations. I will start with the pre-budget document from Social Justice Ireland. There has been debate for some time about refundable tax credits. It is included in Social Justice Ireland's proposal to deal with what it generally calls the working poor. That is an accurate description of a cohort of people in Ireland today. The proposal...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Pre-Budget Submissions: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jul 2014)

Michael McGrath: Basically, if somebody's tax liability is not sufficient to absorb all their PAYE credit and their personal tax credit, they would be refunded the difference.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Pre-Budget Submissions: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jul 2014)

Michael McGrath: The main purpose of it is to incentivise people to take up employment, even if the pay attached to it is not great. However, taking the refund into account, it provides an extra incentive to work.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Pre-Budget Submissions: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jul 2014)

Michael McGrath: There are barriers facing people on social welfare at present who wish to get back into work, even if they have an offer of employment. Ms Murphy has identified one avenue for dealing with that. Another issue is the area of secondary benefits. The rent supplement, in particular, appears to be the main barrier. Holding on to that if one gets work is a problem. The medical card is another...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Pre-Budget Submissions: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jul 2014)

Michael McGrath: Mr. Claffey drew attention to the issue of broadband in rural communities in his submission. Will he give his view on the level of broadband provision in rural areas in general? He says what is required is an investment strategy to deliver fibre-based broadband to the last 500,000 rural homes. Is that the number of homes in Ireland that do not have fibre-optic broadband at present?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Pre-Budget Submissions: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jul 2014)

Michael McGrath: There are approximately 2 million households in the country, so Mr. Claffey is saying that about one in four do not have access to fibre-optic broadband. However, the Government has various programmes for rolling out broadband in rural areas. Is Mr. Claffey saying that is not making an impact and is not making inroads into that deficit?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Pre-Budget Submissions: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jul 2014)

Michael McGrath: This is addressed to Mr. Harty. We regularly hear from the Government that the priority is to allow people to stay in their home for as long as possible due to the cost of long-stay nursing home facilities and so forth and the cost of having people in acute hospitals. The experience on the ground appears to be quite different, certainly from my point of view as a practising politician. One...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Living City Initiative (16 Jul 2014)

Michael McGrath: 68. To ask the Minister for Finance the position regarding the living city initiative; when he expects the scheme to commence; the details of the operation of the scheme; the exact geographic areas to which it will apply; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31987/14]

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Mortgage to Rent Scheme Applications (16 Jul 2014)

Michael McGrath: 169. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the position regarding a mortgage to rent case in respect of persons (details supplied) which is currently awaiting approval; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31796/14]