Results 321-340 of 15,342 for speaker:Helen McEntee

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (10 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: I thank the Deputy. There is a record €6 billion being invested in all our different housing policies and only in recent weeks the Minister for housing secured additional funding, so we are doing everything we can to support not just the development of new homes, the bringing back of homes into stock and the development of social housing, but also to support every person to be able to...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (10 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: My number one priority is to make sure that every child has a school place come this September - not just this September but next September and beyond - and that we have the right structures in place such that children, families and parents do not have to fight as they have done in the past. I am very much aware of the situation in Dungarvan, County Waterford. I have been working with my...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (10 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: I thank our ambulance workers and our paramedics for the unbelievable job they do in keeping us safe. This issue came to light only recently, and my understanding is that there is a review or the Revenue Commissioners are looking at this. Nobody should be disadvantaged or unable to do their job because of the situation the Deputy has outlined. My understanding is that a ruling is expected...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (10 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: I welcome the students from Tara Hill to the Dáil. I absolutely agree with the Deputy on the need to support our own sector here at home. I have a brother who is very much involved in it, and the work they do and the content they produce is phenomenal. As regards the details, this was brought to Cabinet just this week, and the Minister was very clear that while there will be a...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (10 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: To be very clear on this, there are no aircraft carriers landing here with any type of ammunition.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (10 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: It is not something that is allowed. It has never been approved.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (10 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: It is not happening. We need to be very careful about saying that this is an absolute fact.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (10 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: My understanding is that, as the Deputy has rightly outlined, we do not have a national quota on this. At the time when this was being divvied up, there was not a track record of commercial fishing for bluefin tuna. Obviously, that has changed. What we have now is a small bluefin tuna bycatch quota which is available to Ireland, primarily for use in our important Northern Ireland albacore...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (10 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: I do not think anybody thinks mistreatment of any animal, whether an animal in the food chain or an animal in our home or a pet, is acceptable. We need to make sure that where there are very clear laws and procedures that should be in place, they are adhered to. As the daughter of a farmer, I would say the vast majority of farmers comply with these regulations and treat their animals...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (10 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: The Attorney General is looking at this and, yes, it was brought to Cabinet this week. We need to assess the report and look at the potential options that are here. The Deputy is right that of the eight orders, only one came forward with something substantial. There were some other minor offers from two of them but really we need to make sure that everybody who is responsible and everybody...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (10 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: I apologise as I am not aware of the details of the case. It is obviously essential people can access the care they need as quickly as possible. I will bring this to the Minister for Health and see if there is any way in which she can provide support.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (10 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: There is a very clear commitment in the programme for Government to review the current policy, as it exists, that you cannot drive a school bus over the age of 70. There have been reasons set out as to why that is the case but it is important we review it. We have approximately 7,900 buses across the country that bring children to and from school every day but we need more. We need to be...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (10 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: I thank the Deputy. We all know and remember this case, which was a devastating case for Noah's family. As it is an ongoing investigation, the Deputy will appreciate I cannot comment on what is happening there. I can say that with any investigation of this kind, the Garda will always support, cooperate and do what it can in this type of investigation and, certainly, if there is work the...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (10 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: I wish all of our students well and acknowledge the stress they are under and, indeed, the preparation under way at the moment. To clarify first and foremost from the information I have, 25% of students from last year will not apply this year.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (10 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: On average, approximately 13% every year reapply for the next year and the indications are that this year will be no different. On top of that, every year, irrespective of whether there have been fluctuations or not, eight to nine out of ten students will get one of their top three choices. It is really important to stress that to students. It is not 25%, it is most likely about 13% and...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (10 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: I thank the Deputy. This is an issue I know is ongoing and there is significant engagement between the Minister for Transport, the DAA and other relevant bodies in this regard. The Deputy is right; we are an island and we rely heavily on our airports and our air connectivity so it is really important we are not in any way disadvantaged. However, it is also important that we support the...

Ceisteanna ó na Comhaltaí Eile - Other Members’ Questions (10 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue and acknowledge the huge amount of work he has done in bringing autism to the fore and ensuring it is firmly front and centre on the Government agenda. The programme for Government clearly sets out and clearly prioritises the need to implement an autism innovation strategy and put it on a statutory footing, so that something will always be there and...

Ceisteanna ó na Comhaltaí Eile - Other Members’ Questions (10 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: The Deputy is right in that we need to be better at forward planning and to do better. That is why, this year, we are about 40% ahead of where we were this time last year. That is why I intend that, by this time next year, we will have identified children and have children who know exactly where they will be going to school. It has to be the case that every single child is treated equally....

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (10 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: I reassure the Deputy and, most important, the parents and their children that the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, and I, working with the NCSE and the Department, will ensure the children have school places come September and do everything possible to make sure those places, in so far as it is possible, are within the children’s communities and that they have the right resources...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (10 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: The knee-jerk reaction or response to anything that goes wrong - to call for people to be sacked or removed from a board - does not help anybody. It does not actually change the fact that we need to make progress, that we need people in place to be able to make sure the children's hospital can open, and that we need to make sure any recommendations coming from the reports we have discussed...