Results 2,521-2,540 of 3,444 for speaker:Shane Cassells

Other Questions: Television Licence Fee (21 Nov 2017)

Shane Cassells: The grant to RTÉ last year was €6.5 million less than the Estimate because income from television licence sales was lower than anticipated. The amount of the grant in 2016 was €179 million, which is roughly in line with the figure for 2015. The €6.5 million shortfall on the Estimate amounts to 40,000 licence payments of €160. While the licence fee has not...

Other Questions: Television Licence Fee (21 Nov 2017)

Shane Cassells: The third reason for the decline in income is that advertisers are copping on that viewing habits are changing. Services such as Netflix are also having an impact. The Minister is correct to focus on evasion. I would like to hear his thoughts on the recommendation that Revenue should become involved in collecting television licence fees. The print media model is broken and television...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Medicinal Products Reimbursement (21 Nov 2017)

Shane Cassells: 333. To ask the Minister for Health if kuvan,the only medical treatment available for phenylketonuria, will be made available to persons with this rare genetic disorder; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48828/17]

Questions on Promised Legislation (16 Nov 2017)

Shane Cassells: In July of this year, legislation went through the House to facilitate the hosting of the Rugby World Cup in 2023 which, at the time, was described by the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Shane Ross, as "the most energising piece of legislation" he had ever introduced in the Dáil. Yesterday, however, our bid did not seem to have the required energy, place kicking or...

Questions on Promised Legislation (16 Nov 2017)

Shane Cassells: I am asking for a report.

Questions on Promised Legislation (16 Nov 2017)

Shane Cassells: They did not believe us about the stadiums.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Appointments Status (14 Nov 2017)

Shane Cassells: 308. To ask the Minister for Health if an earlier hospital appointment can be arranged for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47825/17]

Public Accounts Committee: 2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Communications, Climate Action and Environment (9 Nov 2017)

Shane Cassells: My apologies for being absent earlier, but I was attending another committee meeting on the issue of local government funding at which I was fighting to obtain more money for county councils. I welcome Mr. Griffin and thank him for providing a copy of the presentation ahead of the meeting. I will begin by referring to RTÉ, although the issue was discussed earlier. Many like to...

Public Accounts Committee: 2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Communications, Climate Action and Environment (9 Nov 2017)

Shane Cassells: The Secretary General has stated the TV licence fee model to fund broadcasting is broken. The figures back that up. The licence fee has remained the same at €160 since 2008. Population and household numbers have risen, but RTÉ's TV licence fee income has fallen by more than 10%. Along with that, the figure for uncollected tax on TV sets exceeds RTÉ's annual losses. Mr....

Public Accounts Committee: 2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Communications, Climate Action and Environment (9 Nov 2017)

Shane Cassells: How are we going to fix this? We should be protecting the national broadcaster, but how can we do that if the commercial side is in trouble and the traditional licence fee model is broken?

Public Accounts Committee: 2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Communications, Climate Action and Environment (9 Nov 2017)

Shane Cassells: How would it work?

Public Accounts Committee: 2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Communications, Climate Action and Environment (9 Nov 2017)

Shane Cassells: I hope the conversations will take place because otherwise we will have a dead product. We will enter the space of American TV where commercially-owned channels can dictate editorial policy. I do not want to live in a world where I will have to watch the Irish version of Fox News to get my information. We either value journalists or we do not. We must wake up to the reality of what it...

Public Accounts Committee: 2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Communications, Climate Action and Environment (9 Nov 2017)

Shane Cassells: What is Mr. Griffin's view on the provision of support for other media, particularly print media? My party's spokesperson, Deputy Timmy Dooley, is looking at that issue. It is an industry that has equally been crucified. Some titles are selling only 60% of what they sold 15 years ago. Again, we have to ask if we value independent media, including print media. I am still a card-carrying...

Public Accounts Committee: 2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Communications, Climate Action and Environment (9 Nov 2017)

Shane Cassells: Deputy Timmy Dooley wants to bring forward proposals in this area. My next question is on land remediation and landfill sites. I spent a long time on a county council and wonder if the Department has looked at the potential exposure in this regard. In my county an illegal dump has recently been discovered in Timoole in Rathfeigh and the bill for 70,000 tonnes of waste, including 30,000...

Public Accounts Committee: 2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Communications, Climate Action and Environment (9 Nov 2017)

Shane Cassells: What is the role of the Department in respect of the emergency call answering service? In my home town of Navan the 999 service contract was awarded to BT Ireland, but BT Ireland has continuously outsourced the service. There were protests outside the centre last year because of the company's refusal to engage with the CWU. It is causing a lot of angst.

Public Accounts Committee: 2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Communications, Climate Action and Environment (9 Nov 2017)

Shane Cassells: It does not respect the WRC.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Local Government Finance: Discussion (9 Nov 2017)

Shane Cassells: I thank the Chairman for allowing me to contribute. I welcome the witnesses from every part of local government, from councillors to executives to oversight. It is a very interesting subject and I am delighted to participate in the meeting. I pay tribute to our elected representatives in local government. They play a key role in maintaining a strong local democracy. I also pay tribute to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Local Government Finance: Discussion (9 Nov 2017)

Shane Cassells: It did. Is Mr. O'Sullivan sure about that?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Local Government Finance: Discussion (9 Nov 2017)

Shane Cassells: I agree entirely with Councillor Geoghegan's remarks on the budgets for municipal districts. He is 100% correct. I served for 17 years on a local authority which went from there being a very significant budget for a large urban centre being replaced by a one-sheet budget for a municipal district. I do not disagree with Mr. O'Sullivan that they are doing good works but they are not...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Fuel Allowance Eligibility (9 Nov 2017)

Shane Cassells: 245. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the reason her Department and Tús do not inform employment support scheme participants of their entitlement to fuel allowance prior to entering such a scheme in view of the fact that, due to a technicality, persons are not given their fuel allowance entitlement if they apply for it after they have started on such a...