Results 2,421-2,440 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

Leaders' Questions (19 Dec 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I am trying to reply to the Deputy's question.

Leaders' Questions (19 Dec 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: We have rebalanced the rights of borrowers and lenders under the biggest shake-up of personal insolvency law in the century. We have given those who bought their first homes during the bubble significant increases in mortgage interest relief. That is not the end of what we are trying to do. I accept the concerns which have been expressed and although the figures are hard to calculate, they...

Leaders' Questions (19 Dec 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: Whatever way it is to be done, nobody in the House wants to see people put out on the street because they cannot repay amounts.

Leaders' Questions (19 Dec 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: Nobody wants that.

Leaders' Questions (19 Dec 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: We all share the Deputy's concern. This is an evolving problem and we have taken steps to resolve it in a number of areas. That does not mean we will not take more steps if necessary. In some cases, it probably will be necessary.

Leaders' Questions (19 Dec 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The Government will not be found wanting.

Leaders' Questions (19 Dec 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I thank the Deputy for the expression of goodwill extended to me and my colleagues and, in particular, his recognition of colleagues who are not well. He mentioned a Deputy and a Senator and perhaps there are others. It is a sentiment I completely support and I thank him for raising it. I share the Deputy's concern, as does the Labour Party, about what has happened to the public housing...

Leaders' Questions (19 Dec 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I thank the Deputy for raising this matter and I share his concern. We are grappling with one thing many Administrations tried to do and found very difficult, to transfer to local authorities from the Department of Social Protection responsibility for the housing supplement so that one body deals with the area. Many have argued for it, including the body the Deputy cited. I will bring to...

Business of Dáil (19 Dec 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: Hear, hear.

Leaders' Questions (19 Dec 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: First, I thank the Deputy for his expressions of seasonal goodwill which my colleagues and I on the Government benches also extend to the Deputy and other Deputies and parties represented in the House. The Minister for Health, Deputy James Reilly, has a very difficult job to do and he has to be given time to do it. It is not easy. One of the issues that has been in the newspapers is the...

Leaders' Questions (19 Dec 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: -----the Deputy, as his party's spokeperson on health, will have ample time to go through the details with him, having regard to the fact that it was his party leader who established the HSE in the first place.

Leaders' Questions (19 Dec 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: No, as I said, the Minister for Health has probably got the most difficult job in the country, certainly in the Cabinet, in managing one of the largest spending Departments, with which the Deputy is familiar, one which, in many respects, is at the mercy of demand-led services which, in some cases, are very hard to predict. I have every confidence in the Minister that he will meet the targets...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Travellers Data (19 Dec 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: Statistics on the number of Traveller children attending primary schools are not collected by my Department on the basis of school patronage. Accordingly, the information sought is not readily available in the time-limit for reply. I have asked my Department to compile the relevant information and forward it to you as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (19 Dec 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The National Association for Principals and Deputy Principals (NAPD) is a recognised representative body for Principals and Deputy Principals at post-primary level. It is therefore permissible for a school to pay a subscription fee to it from state funds. However, any such decision is at the discretion of the board of management of each individual school. Given that such matters are dealt...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (19 Dec 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department has sought the assistance of, and is working closely with, Kildare County Council, the relevant Local Authority, in relation to identifying and acquiring a suitable site for the provision of permanent accommodation for the school to which he refers. As the Deputy will be aware, negotiations are at an advanced stage. Given the sensitivities...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Services Provision (19 Dec 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department provides for a continuum of special educational provision to be made available for children with special educational needs, so that regardless of the level of need of the child, educational provision can be made for them. Section 2 of the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act 2004 provides that all children with special...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (19 Dec 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: Private colleges operated on a for-profit basis are not listed as approved institutions for student grant purposes. The student grant scheme and the student support regulations which specify the criteria for approved courses as well as approved institutions, are widely available to the general public on my Department's website. Also they are available via the www.susi.ie and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Higher Education Courses Applications (19 Dec 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The Higher Education Access Route (HEAR) is a college and university admissions scheme which offers places on reduced points and extra college support to school leavers from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds. The scheme is operated by a number of higher education institutions and not by my Department. Admissions to the institutions are regulated by the institutions themselves. The...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (19 Dec 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The school building project referred to by the Deputy is at an advanced stage of architectural planning. An appeal to an Bord Pleanála has recently been concluded and the Design Team are working on the completion of stage 2(b) of Architectural Planning. When the Stage 2b Report has been submitted and reviewed, my Department will contact the Board of Management with regard to the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Freedom of Information Requests (19 Dec 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: For the Deputy's information, the following table sets out the information requested. Date 01/01/2012 – 31-12/2012 01/01/2013 – 16/12/2013 No. of FOI requests received 417 323 No. of requests search & retrieval fee sought 8 5 Maximum search & retrieval fee sought by the Department €962.47 €838.00 No. of requests not proceeded following...