Results 29,741-29,760 of 74,100 for speaker:Bernard Durkan

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Beds Data (4 May 2016)

Bernard Durkan: 157. To ask the Minister for Health the extent to which spare wards or beds capacity has existed at any of the general hospitals that experience overcrowding in accident and emergency departments in the past number of weeks; the steps he has taken to address this issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8912/16]

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Waiting Lists (4 May 2016)

Bernard Durkan: 158. To ask the Minister for Health the degree to which he can reduce waiting times for elective procedures in hospitals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8913/16]

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Waiting Lists (4 May 2016)

Bernard Durkan: 178. To ask the Minister for Health when an operation at Tallaght hospital will be facilitated for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9028/16]

Written Answers — Department of Health: Drugs Payment Scheme Coverage (4 May 2016)

Bernard Durkan: 179. To ask the Minister for Health if there is a means test available whereby money spent on the maintenance of a sleep apnoea machine can be offset against moneys spent under the drugs payment scheme if a case where a person (details supplied) purchases above the top limit of €144 per month but does not receive the full payment in refunds for money spent on prescriptions; and if he...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Summer Works Scheme Applications (4 May 2016)

Bernard Durkan: 259. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if and when she will facilitate funding for a new roof for the physical education hall for a school (details supplied) under the summer works scheme, with particular reference to the health and safety of users of the hall; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9026/16]

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Sport and Recreational Development (4 May 2016)

Bernard Durkan: 338. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the extent to which he continues to make contact with various promoters in the sporting sector worldwide with a view to encouraging the location of major events here, with obvious economic benefit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8920/16]

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Public Transport (4 May 2016)

Bernard Durkan: 339. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the degree to which rail and bus services in County Kildare are co-ordinated to meet the requirements of commuters in the various towns and villages throughout the county in full; the extent to which he continues to be appraised in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8921/16]

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Sports Capital Programme Applications (4 May 2016)

Bernard Durkan: 341. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will provide grant assistance of €80,000 to a school (details supplied) under the sports capital grant scheme to facilitate the remaining fundraising required by the school which has undertaken a huge amount of successful fundraising to meet the required costs of €230,000 for the overall project, with particular...

Written Answers — Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Waterways Issues (4 May 2016)

Bernard Durkan: 349. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if she can accommodate access to shore power and water, and safe access to boats for a person (details supplied) who is being requested to move by Waterways Ireland; the reason no alternative space with access to shore power has been offered to date, with particular reference to the fact that it is required for medical reasons; and...

Committee on Housing and Homelessness: Construction Industry Federation (3 May 2016)

Bernard Durkan: I welcome Mr. Parlon and his colleagues. What intrigues me most is the €300,000 starter house and the ability of the average loan applicant to service a loan. As the Chairman knows, we are supposed to be well paid. I would not be able to service that type of loan for a starter house, and I am sure I am not the exception. In Mr. Parlon's calculations, what regard was had for the...

Committee on Housing and Homelessness: Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland (3 May 2016)

Bernard Durkan: First, on the point that the current crisis is a direct consequence of a lack of a national strategy, in my view it is a consequence of a bad national strategy in which a change took place approximately 15 years ago when there was an over-reliance on the private rental sector to deliver everything. During the boom, rents achieved the same level the mortgages. There is obviously a...

Committee on Housing and Homelessness: Institute of Professional Auctioneers and Valuers (3 May 2016)

Bernard Durkan: I welcome our guests and thank them for giving of their time to discuss this important issue. To refer to the last item first, have the witnesses identified the true building cost of a house at €100 per square foot? I have information to the effect that it could cost considerably less than that. That would mean building by direct labour but it would be considerably less. There are...

Committee on Housing and Homelessness: Institute of Professional Auctioneers and Valuers (3 May 2016)

Bernard Durkan: I wish to comment.

Committee on Housing and Homelessness: Institute of Professional Auctioneers and Valuers (3 May 2016)

Bernard Durkan: Yes, and I believe it is a crucial point. This is where the nub of the problem lies. The Department of Social Protection replaced the local authorities in providing homes for people who are now on the housing list. I strongly disagree with my colleague from an adjoining constituency, Deputy Cowen. Even it is only for the short term, it is only postponing from today what is going to happen...

Committee on Housing and Homelessness: Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government (28 Apr 2016)

Bernard Durkan: Would it be possible to bank two or three questions for the Minister to answer? Otherwise, we will very late in the day.

Committee on Housing and Homelessness: Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government (28 Apr 2016)

Bernard Durkan: I thank the Minister for coming before the committee and giving of his time. I congratulate him and his colleagues on their efforts in Government over the past number of years. It was a period that was fraught with difficulty at times, particularly in respect of access to finance. This must be acknowledged. I agree with Deputy Coppinger about the extent to which the public housing...

Committee on Housing and Homelessness: Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government (28 Apr 2016)

Bernard Durkan: Can a period spent in the private rental sector be used by local authorities when determining eligibility for a loan? If a person is able to rent in the private sector on his or her own account without subsidisation, he or she should be eligible for a local authority loan. Regarding shared ownership loans, the rental part of the equity should become the subject of tenant purchase schemes...

Committee on Housing and Homelessness: Housing Agency (28 Apr 2016)

Bernard Durkan: I am sorry that I was absent. I am concerned about using large-scale developments comprising 300 or 400 houses to solve the problem. In various local authority areas throughout the country there is an over-concentration on what could be called socially deprived areas. Large developments might make for good economics but they do not make for good social cohesion. We all deal regularly with...

Committee on Housing and Homelessness: Housing Agency (28 Apr 2016)

Bernard Durkan: No, I have not. That is a rubbish suggestion. I said nothing of the sort.

Committee on Housing and Homelessness: Housing Agency (28 Apr 2016)

Bernard Durkan: I said nothing of the sort, and Deputy Coppinger knows that. I want to emphasise that over-concentration on the kind of development about which I spoke is not a good way to resolve the problem and will result in ghettoisation. We do not want that and we have seen it happen before. Trying to twist, for publicity purposes-----