Results 2,201-2,220 of 2,283 for speaker:Matt Shanahan

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Childcare: Impact of Covid-19 (23 Jun 2020)

Matt Shanahan: Ms Ní Sheaghdha highlighted the difference in infection rates in healthcare workers between the public and private sectors. I think much of that can probably be explained by the fact that Covid patients were not being directed to the private care facilities. However, we can expect outbreaks of Covid in the future when I imagine there will be a different streamlining of Covid patients....

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Childcare: Impact of Covid-19 (Resumed) (23 Jun 2020)

Matt Shanahan: I thank all the childcare providers for appearing before the committee today. I will return to an issue that was raised on the floor earlier, that is, sustainability. I caught a bit of a radio debate coming up this morning. If my understanding is correct, the ratio of children to childcare staff in the pods is 8:1. The person speaking also highlighted the fact that a second person would...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Childcare: Impact of Covid-19 (Resumed) (23 Jun 2020)

Matt Shanahan: Deputy Sherlock made a point earlier about the potential for many of these groupings to speak with one voice and lobby on that basis in order that Deputies can understand the whole panoply of issues involved. An issue which came up this morning and is coming up here again is that of funding and whether the groups have provided some sort of funding horizon of what they believe their...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Childcare: Impact of Covid-19 (Resumed). (23 Jun 2020)

Matt Shanahan: I thank the departmental officials for attending today. I wish to cover the costs to business, in particular that of insurance which was discussed already. Earlier the witnesses from Crann advised that the average insurance cost per facility was between €6,000 and €9,000 per annum with only one or two injury claims in a year - I do not know the extent of the claims. Those...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Childcare: Impact of Covid-19 (Resumed). (23 Jun 2020)

Matt Shanahan: Will the Department provide any expertise to people trying to renegotiate utility and other costs? The officials might give me a written response on that. The sole traders obviously fell outside the scope of the Covid supports. Have the Department any way of supporting them? Is it undertaking any mitigation exercises to allow them to come back into the marketplace which will be...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Nursing Homes (Resumed) (18 Jun 2020)

Matt Shanahan: I will direct questions to Mr. Reid or Mr. Breslin. Something that might come through here and be shown up by the expert panel is that one of the most likely vectors for disease has been agency staff who were transiting between different care homes. That is a function of the private nature of nursing home care. As previous speakers noted, 80% of such care is provided in the private sector....

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Nursing Homes (Resumed) (18 Jun 2020)

Matt Shanahan: I thank Mr. Walsh for that. It is just that I am under time pressure. I will direct a couple of questions to the Secretary General, Mr. Breslin. In terms of congregated settings, there is an outstanding issue which is between the section 38 and section 39 workers. Is there any opportunity or policy coming down the track which will redress the differences in pay, structures, etc.? In...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Nursing Homes (Resumed) (18 Jun 2020)

Matt Shanahan: I asked about the section 38 versus section 39 workers.

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: State's Response to Impact of Covid-19 on Gaeltacht Areas and the Islands (18 Jun 2020)

Matt Shanahan: Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire agus lucht an Roinne. Tá brón orm nach bhfuil mo Ghaeilge a dóthain chun comhrá a dhéanamh agus cuirfidh mé mo cheisteanna trí Bhéarla. In a previous meeting I asked on behalf of Conradh na Gaeilge about the publication of coronavirus information as Gaeilge and the Minister of State said that he is happy with the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (16 Jun 2020)

Matt Shanahan: 175. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the position on an extension at a school (details supplied); the reason for the delay in permitting the school to proceed to tender; if the application will be progressed as speedily as possible; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10587/20]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (16 Jun 2020)

Matt Shanahan: 207. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if a decision has been made on whether to run the July provision programmes to accommodate students with special needs; if his attention has been drawn to the impact on children with complex conditions such as autism, intellectual disabilities and special needs (details supplied); if he is considering opening schools to enable school-based...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Covid-19: Impact on the Fiscal Position (16 Jun 2020)

Matt Shanahan: I would like to return to a point previously touched on by Deputy McGuinness concerning the SME sector. I would like to reflect on some of the points the witnesses made in their analysis of SMEs' financial health, rude or otherwise. I am quite close to the SME sector. I share Deputy McGuinness's concerns about the financial well-being of a lot of businesses at the beginning of the Covid-19...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Covid-19: Impact on the Fiscal Position (16 Jun 2020)

Matt Shanahan: I will ask a question about what I describe as regionality. I represent Waterford where there has been a low instance of Covid-19 and the county would have come out of the crisis much sooner but we did not have an opportunity to exit lockdown ahead of anybody else. Do the reports that IFAC gives to the Government reflect sectoral analysis by geography as well as by sector as it relates to...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Covid-19: Impact on the Fiscal Position (16 Jun 2020)

Matt Shanahan: Has IFAC looked at any other incentive programmes such as a national bond or a special savings incentive account, SSIA, programme? Will the council recommend any such measure to the Government?

Covid-19 (Sport): Statements (11 Jun 2020)

Matt Shanahan: Before I get off the subject of transport, could I ask the Minister a couple of other questions on it? Will he consider supporting a VAT rate of 0% for the private bus and coach operators? I am aware that he has been lobbied on this. There is a VAT anomaly in respect of Northern Ireland, as he probably knows. He should give the operators a level playing field and allow them to have some...

Covid-19 (Sport): Statements (11 Jun 2020)

Matt Shanahan: An advisory council-----

Covid-19 (Sport): Statements (11 Jun 2020)

Matt Shanahan: An additional eight people have been recorded as having passed due to Covid-19 so, as good as we are going and despite the progress we feel we have made through the lockdown, we must stay as vigilant as ever. Again, we thank our health services. Covid-19 has presented significant challenges to many sectors but the Minister's portfolio of transport, tourism and sport is seeing especially...

Covid-19 (Sport): Statements (11 Jun 2020)

Matt Shanahan: It is part of the Minister's brief.

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: World Health Organization: Public Health Advice (11 Jun 2020)

Matt Shanahan: I thank Dr. Nabarro for his contribution. As someone who is member of an independent grouping and called for the use of face masks many weeks ago, I support his stand. It is to be hoped that what he is saying today may have repercussions for national policy. Could I ask a more medical question? There is some suggestion that the elderly in this country would have done a lot better if we...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: World Health Organization: Public Health Advice (11 Jun 2020)

Matt Shanahan: As Dr. Nabarro says, Ireland is following a similar trajectory to other countries. In terms of the influenza season, which will probably kick in any time from October on, has Dr. Nabarro any thoughts about whether humidity increases the risk of aerosolisation or the pathogen remaining aerosolised for longer and whether that increases the risk of transmission? In terms of the profiling of...