Results 3,501-3,520 of 6,728 for speaker:John Curran

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Issues Facing Lone Parents: Discussion (Resumed) (12 Jan 2017)

John Curran: That was an interesting concluding point. I thank Mr. Allen.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Issues Facing Lone Parents: Discussion (Resumed) (12 Jan 2017)

John Curran: I will come back to you, Deputy Brady. You have gone over time. I will come back to you if there is time remaining.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Issues Facing Lone Parents: Discussion (Resumed) (12 Jan 2017)

John Curran: I would like to thank Focus Ireland and One Family for their presentations. I do not want to reiterate the points made but Focus Ireland made a very specific point, which the committee was really taken with, and Deputy Brady referred to it. At the outset, we were told that 25% of families are one parent families, whereas 65% of homeless families are one parent families. That is rather...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Issues Facing Lone Parents: Discussion (Resumed) (12 Jan 2017)

John Curran: Who wants to start with those?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Issues Facing Lone Parents: Discussion (Resumed) (12 Jan 2017)

John Curran: I thank Ms Kiernan, Ms Maher, Ms Connolly, Ms O'Reilly and Mr. Allen for attending this meeting and for their positive engagement on and responses to the matters raised, which were informative and appreciated by the committee. This module of our work is near completion. We will suspend for a few minutes to allow the Department officials to take their seats.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Issues Facing Lone Parents: Discussion (Resumed) (12 Jan 2017)

John Curran: I welcome Ms Simonetta Ryan, Mr. Niall Egan, Ms Erika Klein and Ms Fiona Ward from the Department of Social Protection. As they will appreciate, the committee is nearing conclusion of its piece of work on lone parents. The Department officials, as the opening witnesses, set out the issue for committee members. The committee then heard submissions from a number of other witnesses. Before...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Issues Facing Lone Parents: Discussion (Resumed) (12 Jan 2017)

John Curran: I thank the departmental officials for their attendance and for providing an updated report. While it is only a few months since they last appeared, we have moved on a great deal in the meantime. I have a specific request. I presume when the tendering process has successfully concluded that a document will be produced specifying the work of the tender, in other words, the procedure to be...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Issues Facing Lone Parents: Discussion (Resumed) (12 Jan 2017)

John Curran: The committee has a specific interest in this work because the Department will have an independent entity doing research on the matter. The committee would like to see this to help us conclude our work. We would like to see the parallels but we are not looking for the outcome. I fully accept that the Department is precluded from providing details until the tender process is complete.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Issues Facing Lone Parents: Discussion (Resumed) (12 Jan 2017)

John Curran: Deputy John Brady made a point about the report on barriers to entry to third level education for lone parents. The programme for Government committed to publishing the report before the budget was announced. The departmental officials reiterated a line from the Minister for Education and Skills, that there was a draft and that it would have influenced the budgetary process. They are now...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Issues Facing Lone Parents: Discussion (Resumed) (12 Jan 2017)

John Curran: I ask Deputy Brady to be very brief.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Issues Facing Lone Parents: Discussion (Resumed) (12 Jan 2017)

John Curran: I am not disagreeing with Deputy Brady but the Department of Education and Skills is the lead Department in preparation. In fairness, these officials do not have control of that situation. I am not here to defend them, but it is the Department of Education and Skills.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Issues Facing Lone Parents: Discussion (Resumed) (12 Jan 2017)

John Curran: I thank Ms Ryan, Ms Klein, Ms Ward and Mr. Egan for their attendance today and their update on this issue. Finally, as the review is under way, they might keep this committee informed. When somebody is appointed in respect of the tender, I would appreciate it were the structure of the review to be made known to the committee.

Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) (16 Dec 2016)

John Curran: I wish to speak briefly and directly to the amendment as presented, which calls for a report on the causes of delays in the construction of housing. While the amendment is well-intentioned, I contend that many of these causes have been well researched by the all-party Committee on Housing and Homelessness, other committees and the Minister's report, Rebuilding Ireland. The bigger and more...

Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) (16 Dec 2016)

John Curran: He spoke last night.

Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) (16 Dec 2016)

John Curran: I will not reiterate the debate in full that we had yesterday and I will observe the two-minute rule. Specifically, I raised the issue yesterday that the 4% increase was something we were not comfortable living with, not because of an ideological perspective but because it was something coming on top of a very high market. The market has been out of control. The issue is one of...

Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) (16 Dec 2016)

John Curran: Yesterday evening, as the Minister is aware, we were bogged down with this issue. I appreciate the fact the Minister took some time to review it. The formula that the Minister has produced seems to address the concerns. The initial formula that was provided had the unintended consequence that the first review that would come as somebody entered a pressure zone could result in an increase...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Road Safety Strategy (16 Dec 2016)

John Curran: 35. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality if she and the Minster for Transport, Tourism and Sport will liaise to review the legislation surrounding the use of quads by youths in housing estates and public parks; the difficulties being experienced by An Garda Síochána in seizing, apprehending and retaining these quads; the actions she proposes to take to address this growing...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Direct Provision System (16 Dec 2016)

John Curran: 60. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the reason for the continuing fall in Garda Reserve numbers in the Dublin western metropolitan region; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40456/16]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (16 Dec 2016)

John Curran: 152. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills following budget 2017 which makes provision for an increase in the number of teachers and the number of special needs assistants to cater for a growing number of students, his plans to increase the number of psychologists available to NEPS in view of the increasing demand for their services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40488/16]

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Animal Welfare (16 Dec 2016)

John Curran: 423. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his plans to ban wild animal circuses here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40490/16]