Results 2,761-2,780 of 2,815 for speaker:Tony Killeen

Seanad: Special Educational Needs. (17 Nov 2004)

Tony Killeen: I thank the Senator for affording me the opportunity to clarify the position of the Department of Education and Science on the new arrangements for the allocation of resource teaching support to primary schools, including the Presentation primary school, Tuam, County. Galway. The proposed new system for resource teacher allocation involves a general allocation for all primary schools to cater...

Seanad: Special Educational Needs. (17 Nov 2004)

Tony Killeen: In the particular case of the Presentation primary school, Tuam, I wish to advise the Senator that, as a school with most disadvantaged status in the context of the urban dimension of Giving Children an Even Break, the most favourable ratio of 80:1 would apply. The rationale for a pupil teacher ratio of 150 pupils for every teacher in mixed schools to support pupils with higher incidence...

Seanad: Hospital Services. (17 Nov 2004)

Tony Killeen: I thank Senator Kenneally for raising this matter on the Adjournment and for giving me this opportunity to set out the current position on the provision of radiation oncology services nationally. I wish to reiterate the position as set out by the Tánaiste, that the Government is committed to making the full range of cancer services available and accessible to cancer patients throughout...

Seanad: Community Employment Schemes. (17 Nov 2004)

Tony Killeen: I thank Senator Bannon for raising this issue and affording me the opportunity to clarify the situation. Following our recent appointments, the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Deputy Martin, and I reviewed current policy on the operation of the FÁS employment schemes, which comprise community employment, jobs initiative and social economy programmes. In undertaking this...

Written Answers — Proposed Legislation: Proposed Legislation (16 Nov 2004)

Tony Killeen: There is no statutory requirement on employers to pay employees who are absent due to illness except, however, under the sick pay provisions in various employment regulation orders of the Labour Court for certain sectors of employment as follows: aerated waters and wholesale bottling; agricultural workers; catering; contract cleaning; hairdressing — Dublin; law clerks; provender milling;...

Written Answers — Flexible Work Practices: Flexible Work Practices (16 Nov 2004)

Tony Killeen: One of the tasks assigned to the national framework committee for work-life balance policies, when it was established under the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness in 2000, was to support and facilitate the development of a package of practical measures that can be applied at the level of the enterprise. One such measure was the provision of direct financial assistance to organisations...

Written Answers — Employment Statistics: Employment Statistics (16 Nov 2004)

Tony Killeen: Figures supplied by the Central Statistics Office show that the annual average number of hours worked per week by workers in the manufacturing sector, part-time and full-time, in 2003 was 39.8. The corresponding figures for 1993 and 1983, respectively, were 40.3 and 40.6. Figures are only available for the manufacturing sector and separate data for full-time and part-time workers is not...

Written Answers — Proposed Legislation: Proposed Legislation (16 Nov 2004)

Tony Killeen: The Law Reform Commission in its consultation paper on corporate killing of October 2003 recommended that a new offence of corporate killing be established which would be prosecuted on indictment, without exclusion of any entity whether incorporated or not. The offence would apply to acts or omissions of a high managerial agent, which would be treated as those of the undertaking. To reflect...

Written Answers — Legislative Provisions: Legislative Provisions (16 Nov 2004)

Tony Killeen: Section 13 of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Bill 2004 places a duty on employees, while at work to, ensure that he or she is not under the influence of an intoxicant to the extent that he or she is in such a state as to endanger his or her own safety, health or welfare at work or that of any other person, or if reasonably required by his or her employer, submit to any appropriate,...

Written Answers — National Minimum Wage: National Minimum Wage (16 Nov 2004)

Tony Killeen: I understand that in accordance with the commitment in the mid-term review of part 2 of Sustaining Progress, the Labour Court has been asked to review the national minimum wage. The review is underway. As yet I have not received a recommendation on the minimum wage on foot of this review. As provided for in the legislation, the Labour Court will consult with such persons it considers...

Written Answers — Employment Support Services: Employment Support Services (16 Nov 2004)

Tony Killeen: On foot on an undertaking in the programme for Government to review the functions of the Employment rights bodies, a review group was established in September 2003 to examine the coherence and user-friendliness of procedures operating in the area of employment rights compliance. Membership of the review group consisted of representatives of the bodies covered by the review and representatives...

Written Answers — Redundancy Payments: Redundancy Payments (16 Nov 2004)

Tony Killeen: Legislation to increase statutory redundancy payments was enacted only last year by means of the Redundancy Payments Act 2003. This increased the level of redundancy payments from a half a week's pay per year of service under the age of 41 and one week's pay per year of service over the age of 41, plus one bonus week, to two week's pay per year of service, plus a bonus week. The increase...

Written Answers — Proposed Legislation: Proposed Legislation (16 Nov 2004)

Tony Killeen: The Unfair Dismissals Acts 1977-2001 as they stand do not apply to a person who has been in the continuous service of the same employer for less than one year, and there are no proposals in place at present to amend this provision. However the requirement of one year's continuous service does not apply where the dismissal results from: an employee's pregnancy, giving birth or breastfeeding or...

Written Answers — Employment Action Plan: Employment Action Plan (16 Nov 2004)

Tony Killeen: Since 1998, under the Irish national employment action plan, FÁS has been systematically engaging with unemployed young people and adults, early in their unemployment spell, to prevent a drift into long-term unemployment. Implementation commenced initially with persons under 25 years of age who had reached six months on the live register and who were referred by the Department of Social and...

Consumer Rights Enforcer Bill 2004: Second Stage. (16 Nov 2004)

Tony Killeen: It would be premature to proceed with the Bill given that a report on the matter is only a few months from completion. I acknowledge, however, that there is considerable merit in proceeding with legislation at an appropriate time. The Bill would simply rename the office of the Director of Consumer Affairs which already exists as an independent statutory office under section 9(5) of the...

Consumer Rights Enforcer Bill 2004: Second Stage. (16 Nov 2004)

Tony Killeen: All businesses cannot be tarred with the same brush. The efforts of many to provide real value and service to the consumer must be acknowledged. They have come to appreciate the value of a satisfied customer, seeing a professional approach to quality customer service as a key part of business strategy. The logic of such an approach is irrefutable. A satisfied customer will obviously return...

Consumer Rights Enforcer Bill 2004: Second Stage. (16 Nov 2004)

Tony Killeen: Agreed.

Consumer Rights Enforcer Bill 2004: Second Stage. (16 Nov 2004)

Tony Killeen: I commend Deputy Hogan for bringing forward the Consumer Rights Enforcer Bill 2004. We usually deal with motions during Private Members' time and I always commend Members on the opposite side of the House who take the trouble to prepare a Bill. On this occasion Deputy Hogan has done the House a service by providing an opportunity to discuss some important issues which arise in regard to...

Consumer Rights Enforcer Bill 2004: Second Stage. (16 Nov 2004)

Tony Killeen: He said that was no good and that he had a customer who promised that if he was elected, he would reduce it straight away.

Consumer Rights Enforcer Bill 2004: Second Stage. (16 Nov 2004)

Tony Killeen: I will not name anybody. In any event, he indicated that in view of the fact that somebody else was prepared to deliver the goods immediately he would vote for them. In the excitement of the election campaign I forgot all about it until about six months later when I was back at the petrol station and the same fellow was filling a car with diesel. He told me that I was right, that it cannot be...