Results 27,881-27,900 of 28,255 for speaker:Éamon Ó Cuív

Written Answers — Rural Development: Rural Development (26 Jan 2005)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I propose to take Questions Nos. 601 to 606, inclusive, and 613 together. Current policy on rural development is set out in the White Paper on rural development, Ensuring the Future, published in 1999. Over five years later, while there has been significant change in rural areas and indeed throughout the country, the vision of the long-term future of Irish rural society articulated in the...

Written Answers — Acht na dTeangacha Oifigiúla 2003: Acht na dTeangacha Oifigiúla 2003 (26 Jan 2005)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Tá ocht n-ordú logainmneacha déanta agam go dtí seo faoi fhorálacha Acht na dTeangacha Oifigiúla 2003. Clúdaíonn na horduithe sin ainmneacha na n-aonad riaracháin sna ceantair Ghaeltachta móide ainmneacha na n-aonad riaracháin i sé chontae eile. Tá na horduithe seo go léir ar fáil ar shuíomh Idirlín na Roinne Gnóthaí Pobail, Tuaithe agus Gaeltachta www.pobail.ie. Tugann na...

Written Answers — Rural Social Scheme: Rural Social Scheme (26 Jan 2005)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The scheme, the details of which were announced in May 2004, accepted its first participants in July 2004 and the numbers have been increasing steadily since then. Substantial progress has been made in this time. There are 1,026 participants on the rural social scheme. I expect the participant numbers will continue to increase and that all 2,500 places will be availed of by early this year.

Written Answers — Freedom of Information: Freedom of Information (26 Jan 2005)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The State, semi-State, State-sponsored and statutory bodies under the aegis of my Department that are not subject to the Freedom of Information Acts are the National Advisory Committee on Drugs, An Foras Teanga, Arramara Teoranta, the Dormant Accounts Fund Disbursement Board and Waterways Ireland. Proposals are being developed in the Department of Finance in the context of plans to extend the...

Written Answers — Coimisiún Craolacháin na hÉireann: Coimisiún Craolacháin na hÉireann (26 Jan 2005)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Rinne Coimisiún Craolacháin na hÉireann suirbhé le déanaí chun leibhéal spéise an aosa óig timpeall na tíre i gcláir raidió trí mheán na Gaeilge a thomhas. Bhí an suirbhé comh-mhaoinithe ag an gcoimisiún, ag mo Roinn féin agus ag Foras na Gaeilge. D'fhoilsigh Coimisiún Craolacháin na hÉireann torthaí an tsuirbhé sin ar 20 Eanáir 2005 agus tá i gceist agam na torthaí...

Written Answers — Road Network: Road Network (26 Jan 2005)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The road in question has been examined by officials of my Department. An estimate for repairs to the road has been obtained from Mayo County Council and the application will be taken into consideration with other cases when funding is next being allocated.

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (26 Jan 2005)

Éamon Ó Cuív: In my response to Question No. 40 on 14 December 2004 and to previous questions in the matter, I set out the facts in regard to the grant paid to this company. The position remains unchanged.

Written Answers — Ministerial Appointments: Ministerial Appointments (26 Jan 2005)

Éamon Ó Cuív: No non-Civil Service appointments have been made by me, in my Department, since the Cabinet reshuffle in September 2004.

Seanad: Dormant Accounts (Amendment) Bill 2004: Report and Final Stages. (8 Dec 2004)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The effect of this amendment is to delete section 10 of the Bill. Section 10 is consequential to the board's chain regarding decision making in that it moves the accountability of the chairperson to the Public Accounts Committee for decisions under disbursements made by the former board. Removal of this section would create an anomaly whereby the board would no longer make decisions on...

Seanad: Dormant Accounts (Amendment) Bill 2004: Report and Final Stages. (8 Dec 2004)

Éamon Ó Cuív: This amendment would apply the Freedom of Information Act to all aspects of the administration of the board under this Bill and the principal Act. Following the enactment of this legislation, the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act will apply with regard to the operation of Departments involved in the process of receiving and assessing applications for assistance from the dormant...

Seanad: Dormant Accounts (Amendment) Bill 2004: Report and Final Stages. (8 Dec 2004)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Ba mhaith liom buíochas a ghlacadh leis na Seanadóirí ar fad as ucht an pháirt bhríomhar a ghlacadar sa díospóireacht. Ta súil agam go bhfuil an Bille níos fearr anois ó tá roinnt leasaithe déanta ann. Rinne mé iarracht éisteacht lena moltaí agus tá súil agam nuair a achtófar an Bille go bhfeidhmneofar go cothrom agus go cuíé. I thank Senators for their useful and robust...

Seanad: Dormant Accounts (Amendment) Bill 2004: Report and Final Stages. (8 Dec 2004)

Éamon Ó Cuív: On the question of decision making, the board must have three criteria, namely, appropriate skills, regional balance and gender balance. The next issue is whether it is for capital or current expenditure. It can be for both but in certain ways it lends itself to capital expenditure because capital expenditure by its nature is one-off. The next issue raised is whether it is for current...

Seanad: Dormant Accounts (Amendment) Bill 2004: Report and Final Stages. (8 Dec 2004)

Éamon Ó Cuív: My experience of various organisations over the years is that when one takes out the political process they become over-cautious, over-regulated and unable to deal with the realities of people's lives. A wise civil servant, whom I admired and who could be strict, always warned people about dangers. Once, in Northern Ireland, he said to me, "The reality is, you cannot survive without us." The...

Seanad: Dormant Accounts (Amendment) Bill 2004: Report and Final Stages. (8 Dec 2004)

Éamon Ó Cuív: They agree it was right to interfere and the system which existed was not good enough. It did not deliver people their rights. I have huge sympathy for the wording of the amendment. I thought long and hard as to whether there was any way to amend that part of the Bill which baldly states the Government may approve the submission with or without amendment. I weighed the matter carefully and...

Seanad: Dormant Accounts (Amendment) Bill 2004: Report and Final Stages. (8 Dec 2004)

Éamon Ó Cuív: A substantial amount of money has been sanctioned by the board. Under the current system, I have never queried anything it has done. My approval is already required in cases involving amounts greater than €300,000. The only case I queried was where current funding was provided and I asked a legitimate question regarding sustainability. It is a fair question for a Minister to ask. I did not...

Seanad: Dormant Accounts (Amendment) Bill 2004: Report and Final Stages. (8 Dec 2004)

Éamon Ó Cuív: There is not a great deal of difference between the Cabinet or myself being involved.

Seanad: Dormant Accounts (Amendment) Bill 2004: Report and Final Stages. (8 Dec 2004)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Maybe but maybe not. It was a legitimate and well-founded question. I am genuinely concerned that much of this money has been dealt with in such a way as to raise serious questions about sustainability. People from all walks of life come to me and ask about these bodies. "Who are they?" they say, "I never heard of them in my area. I did not know they existed." I shrug my shoulders and say the...

Seanad: Dormant Accounts (Amendment) Bill 2004: Report and Final Stages. (8 Dec 2004)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Senator Ryan might become a Minister from the Senate. There are precedents, such as Senators Seán Moylan and James Dooge.

Seanad: Dormant Accounts (Amendment) Bill 2004: Report and Final Stages. (8 Dec 2004)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Stranger things have happened.

Seanad: Dormant Accounts (Amendment) Bill 2004: Report and Final Stages. (8 Dec 2004)

Éamon Ó Cuív: A Senator cannot become Taoiseach or Minister for Finance but can get any other job. However, no matter who has the job of making decisions, whether it is a Leader company or a peace project, one is told a certain political group has control, does not follow fair criteria and decisions are upside down. A valid case was mentioned on the Adjournment last week, but I had to wash my hands of it...