Results 2,981-3,000 of 5,132 for speaker:Trevor Ó Clochartaigh
- Seanad: Local Government Reform Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (20 Dec 2013)
Trevor Ó Clochartaigh: I am asking about the companies.
- Seanad: Local Government Reform Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (20 Dec 2013)
Trevor Ó Clochartaigh: It is a very important issue. The Minister is saying that too much money is being spent on administration in the companies. Can he tell us where the evidence for that is and perhaps between now-----
- Seanad: Local Government Reform Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (20 Dec 2013)
Trevor Ó Clochartaigh: Could the Minister furnish Senators with that evidence before Report Stage? We have a number of weeks before we are back in session. I would like to see that evidence in document form. The local development sector would not agree with what the Minister has just said, therefore, if he could furnish us with whatever reports he has that prove that point, I would welcome that. The Minister...
- Seanad: Local Government Reform Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (20 Dec 2013)
Trevor Ó Clochartaigh: It goes to the issue around-----
- Seanad: Local Government Reform Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (20 Dec 2013)
Trevor Ó Clochartaigh: -----local development companies and the way they are managed. It is the Minister who is casting aspersions on a number of companies in terms of them not being managed properly, therefore, rather than political rhetoric we would like the facts and figures in terms of his comment that these companies are spending too much on administration.
- Seanad: Local Government Reform Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (20 Dec 2013)
Trevor Ó Clochartaigh: It is, yes.
- Seanad: Local Government Reform Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (20 Dec 2013)
Trevor Ó Clochartaigh: I move amendment No. 40: In page 46, line 27, to delete “local and” and substitute “the”.The amendments relate to the local groups that would be covered by the section. Amendment No. 43, for example, refers to improving the efficiency with which publicly-funded local and community development resources are used. This returns us to an earlier question we...
- Seanad: Local Government Reform Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (20 Dec 2013)
Trevor Ó Clochartaigh: He is a Corkman.
- Seanad: Local Government Reform Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (20 Dec 2013)
Trevor Ó Clochartaigh: We are only €8 million short.
- Seanad: Local Government Reform Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (20 Dec 2013)
Trevor Ó Clochartaigh: It was European funding.
- Seanad: Local Government Reform Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (20 Dec 2013)
Trevor Ó Clochartaigh: That is not what was promised.
- Seanad: Local Government Reform Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (20 Dec 2013)
Trevor Ó Clochartaigh: I need to come back in on this.
- Seanad: Local Government Reform Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (20 Dec 2013)
Trevor Ó Clochartaigh: The Minister mentioned the report of the working group on active citizenship, which was set up ten weeks ago. It strikes me as very strange that it was only set up ten weeks ago, when the Bill has been in the making for so long.
- Seanad: Local Government Reform Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (20 Dec 2013)
Trevor Ó Clochartaigh: I want to clarify for the Minister that according to information I received -----
- Seanad: Local Government Reform Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (20 Dec 2013)
Trevor Ó Clochartaigh: According to information I received yesterday from the Community Workers Co-operative, CWC, the report of the working group on active citizenship is imminent and the Minister has said we will see it soon. The CWC is concerned that the recommendations of the group will be included as a last-minute amendment to the Bill. Is that going to happen? Will we see Report Stage recommendations being...
- Seanad: Local Government Reform Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (20 Dec 2013)
Trevor Ó Clochartaigh: It is important to clarify that issue. I welcome the €1 million extra for the Gaeltacht areas, but I would not really see it as extra. The Minister is aware that €17 million of Leader funding was supposed to go to Gaeltacht areas, but because of the unmitigated disaster that was MFG, this was not forthcoming. The €1 million is only €1 million towards the...
- Seanad: Local Government Reform Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (20 Dec 2013)
Trevor Ó Clochartaigh: Gaeltacht areas have been severely hit by the way the Minister has reallocated the funding. He keeps changing the goal posts in regard to Leader spending. The Minister keeps talking about the fact that under the new model the decisions will be made and because there will be elected representatives on the committees, the process will be democratic. Surely the Minister knows that there are...
- Seanad: Local Government Reform Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (20 Dec 2013)
Trevor Ó Clochartaigh: Yes, that is why we are saying that whoever holds the cheque book makes the decisions. They will probably do it at the behest of whatever Minister is in place.
- Seanad: Local Government Reform Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (20 Dec 2013)
Trevor Ó Clochartaigh: Not necessarily. Democracy would keep it as close to the people as possible and let them have more input into what is happening. There are elected representatives on the boards of Galway Rural Development, GRD, Fóram Chonamara, Comhar na nOileán at present -----
- Seanad: Local Government Reform Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (20 Dec 2013)
Trevor Ó Clochartaigh: Will the Minister clarify what will happen to the companies under the new model? Will they still exist or will they be liquidated? If so, who will deliver on the ground locally and who will be the employers?