Results 2,441-2,460 of 2,964 for speaker:James O'Connor

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (24 Nov 2021)

James O'Connor: 114. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding school bus capacity reverting to 100% in view of the increase in Covid-19 cases in school children (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [57961/21]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (23 Nov 2021)

James O'Connor: 171. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the steps she is taking to address the shortage of substitute teachers in both primary and second-level schools. [57337/21]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (23 Nov 2021)

James O'Connor: 165. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the supports Budget 2022 has provided for capital planning; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [57300/21]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: National Development Plan (23 Nov 2021)

James O'Connor: 365. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the details of the capital funding allocation for education within the National Development Plan 2021-2030; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [57301/21]

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Passport Services (18 Nov 2021)

James O'Connor: I apologise; I am coming directly from the Committee of Public Accounts. This an important issue. I do not, for one second, underestimate the challenges that have faced the Department of Foreign Affairs and the passport unit. Between Brexit and Covid, it has not been nice and we need to acknowledge that in the House. An important issue is there will be enormous growth in the number of...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Passport Services (18 Nov 2021)

James O'Connor: 14. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if there will be a reduction surrounding first-time passport applications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56562/21]

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment
Chapter 6 - Covid-19 Restart Grant Schemes (18 Nov 2021)

James O'Connor: At the outset, I wish Deputy Stanley well in his recovery. I thank Dr. Quinn for being here. She has outlined a couple of the key points around the gross expenditure of the Department and its growth in 2020 in comparison to 2019 as the Department reacted to the situation around Covid-19. Looking at the restart grant, there seems to be quite a number of concerns around the whole process to...

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment
Chapter 6 - Covid-19 Restart Grant Schemes (18 Nov 2021)

James O'Connor: I will interrupt to build on a point that Dr. Quinn was making. She mentioned there are approximately 250,000 businesses that fit the bill. In terms of the support scheme, an original estimate expected approximately 80,000 businesses to take up the support.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment
Chapter 6 - Covid-19 Restart Grant Schemes (18 Nov 2021)

James O'Connor: According to information we have received in briefings, there were approximately 57,500 applications. Some 49,300 had been approved to a value of approximately €195 million. Would Dr. Quinn explain the gap between the estimate and the uptake? What does she feel is the rationale as to why that happened? As I have said, many businesses that were deserving of support did not receive it.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment
Chapter 6 - Covid-19 Restart Grant Schemes (18 Nov 2021)

James O'Connor: I apologise but I must interrupt Dr. Quinn. She will be aware that I do not have the luxury of time. In the context of the process relating to the restart grant, the Department's service level agreement with the local authorities provided for the review of the restart grant scheme when approvals across 31 local authorities reached more than €200 million. Approximately two months...

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment
Chapter 6 - Covid-19 Restart Grant Schemes (18 Nov 2021)

James O'Connor: That is interesting. Credit is due in many ways with regard to the work the Department has done. There have obviously been flaws and issues, however, and the job of this committee is to identify them and to try to the processes involved. That said, we have to acknowledge that there was a lot of very hard work done rapidly to try to help businesses out. Nobody here disputes that, but,...

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment
Chapter 6 - Covid-19 Restart Grant Schemes (18 Nov 2021)

James O'Connor: One particular flaw that has been repeatedly raised with me by councillors in my party - I am sure other colleagues here would agree - regarding the restart grant relates to the geographical imbalance in terms of the grant and the allocation being dependent on each local authority. There is an opportunity here for the Department to look at the geographical breakdown in terms of the different...

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment
Chapter 6 - Covid-19 Restart Grant Schemes (18 Nov 2021)

James O'Connor: I thank Dr. Quinn. There is one other key question I want to ask. The Department has oversight of Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland, which have quite large budgets of more than €1 billion and €280 million, respectively. Many areas in the Cork East constituency, which I represent, and in other parts of the country that are outside of the greater Dublin area suffer from high...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (18 Nov 2021)

James O'Connor: 50. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the position regarding the speed of applications being processed through the Passport Office; his views on the best way to improve to process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56561/21]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Administration (17 Nov 2021)

James O'Connor: 108. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will consider closing schools on 17 December 2021 for the Christmas holidays to enable families to spend Christmas with vulnerable loved ones; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56284/21]

Written Answers — Department of Health: Childcare Services (17 Nov 2021)

James O'Connor: 221. To ask the Minister for Health the status of the new HIQA guidelines, specifically the regulations to replace the National Standards for Foster Care with the new Child Care Services Standard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56272/21]

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Services (17 Nov 2021)

James O'Connor: 224. To ask the Minister for Health when respite services will resume in Fermoy Community Hospital for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56276/21]

Written Answers — Department of Health: Vaccination Programme (17 Nov 2021)

James O'Connor: 226. To ask the Minister for Health the position regarding booster vaccines for persons under 60 years of age that have serious underlying health conditions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56283/21]

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: National Development Plan 2021-2030: Discussion (17 Nov 2021)

James O'Connor: I thank the Minister for being here to discuss the national development plan, which is an extremely important document covering over €165 billion of Government capital expenditure in the coming years. I have more national-focused questions. Is the Minister confident he can get through the Department's workload in terms of capital projects, planned expenditure and the capital envelope...