Results 3,521-3,540 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: General Scheme of the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (28 Oct 2020)

Richard Bruton: I thank Professor FitzGerald. He commented that one of the frustrations for the Climate Change Advisory Council was in securing access to modelling data in order to get a full picture. He also noted that line Departments ought to participate more in the research that leads to the council's conclusions. I could not agree with him more on that. As a former Minister, I can say that one of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: General Scheme of the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (27 Oct 2020)

Richard Bruton: I thank the witnesses for their presentations. Most members will agree that the Act, as it stands, relies heavily on political accountability, including the power of the Oireachtas committees and that of accountability through these Houses. I can certainly see the logic of some of the legal changes that the witnesses have proposed, for example, to strengthen the wording to achieve due...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: General Scheme of the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (27 Oct 2020)

Richard Bruton: They were both handling the same issues.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: General Scheme of the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (27 Oct 2020)

Richard Bruton: It was really on the scope of litigation and tightening up many of these legislative proposals such as having annual targets and perhaps having the view that each year 7% should be delivered, as advocated by some people. Does that create a vehicle where we will be regularly in the courts taking on groups at the very time we are trying to socialise the need to make dramatic change? I refer...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: General Scheme of the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (27 Oct 2020)

Richard Bruton: My questions are similar. In our system we have groups such as Teagasc, which is an agricultural research body. It contains much of the cutting-edge thinking about what can be done. It seemed strange to cut it out of an advisory council when many of the issues will be with regard to how agriculture can be adapted. The other issue is that although the EPA is a State body it is in itself...

Residential Tenancies Bill 2020: Second Stage (22 Oct 2020)

Richard Bruton: I thank the Acting Chairman. We will have to get binoculars to help him. I welcome the legislation and I thank the Minister for introducing it. I listened to Deputy Barry but my reading of the Bill is that it puts a freeze on any termination notice. It does not lead to the sort of cliff edge at Christmastime that he was talking of. That may be of consolation to him. We really need...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Crime Prevention (22 Oct 2020)

Richard Bruton: 8. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if her attention has been drawn to a study (details supplied) calling for a fresh approach to policing, crime prevention and youth engagement; and if she will consider the way in which working across Government the ambitions of this report can be fulfilled. [30682/20]

Written Answers — Department of Trade, Enterprise and Employment: Health and Safety Authority (21 Oct 2020)

Richard Bruton: 21. To ask the Minister for Trade, Enterprise and Employment if he is satisfied that the Health and Safety Authority has the necessary enforcement powers to ensure business premises are safe. [31783/20]

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Primary Medical Certificates (21 Oct 2020)

Richard Bruton: 50. To ask the Minister for Finance if legal issues have arisen following a court case in respect of primary medical certificates; his plans to rectify the issue in a timely way in order that eligible persons are not adversely affected; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31797/20]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (21 Oct 2020)

Richard Bruton: 140. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will provide an analysis of the make-up of the student population whose teacher marks were adjusted as part of the standardisation process, showing in particular, the distribution of the cases adjusted by gender, distinguishing up-marks from down-marks, adjustments to different grade levels and other data to support the claim that the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (21 Oct 2020)

Richard Bruton: 148. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if a person on the pandemic unemployment benefit is entitled to take up a full-time study as an undergraduate; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31801/20]

Written Answers — Department of Health: Covid-19 Pandemic (21 Oct 2020)

Richard Bruton: 220. To ask the Minister for Health his views on and the position regarding the enforcement of the behaviour of customers, for example, mask wearing and social distancing; and his views on whether the requirement to call in An Garda Síochána for such issues is unduly cumbersome. [31783/20]

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Budget 2021 Support Measures for Enterprise: Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (21 Oct 2020)

Richard Bruton: Can the Department do the same for climate action? There must be some similarly low-hanging fruit in the climate agenda.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Budget 2021 Support Measures for Enterprise: Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (21 Oct 2020)

Richard Bruton: Do we have a very tight time limit?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Budget 2021 Support Measures for Enterprise: Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (21 Oct 2020)

Richard Bruton: I am asking in terms of the overall session.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Budget 2021 Support Measures for Enterprise: Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (21 Oct 2020)

Richard Bruton: That is not too bad. To some extent I am revisiting some of the issues I raised. Specifically, we have had very strong agencies like Enterprise Ireland which has been very focused on export-oriented sectors. Given the structural changes that are happening, do we need to take that type of more developmental approach to other strategic areas of the economy? With the national economic plan...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: General Scheme of the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (21 Oct 2020)

Richard Bruton: Having held the ministerial brief, I know Professor Sweeney has made a major contribution in this area. I agree with much of what he says and there is potential to strengthen this Bill. Professor Sweeney favours putting annual targets into the Bill and cites the Scottish example. The approach in the Bill, as I understand it, is that two carbon budgets will be set and there shall be no...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (20 Oct 2020)

Richard Bruton: 98. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of additional new opportunities being provided at third level and in further education for 2021 between those going via the CAO system, under Springboard, apprenticeship and PLC; the number of these now in place; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30680/20]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Climate Action Plan (20 Oct 2020)

Richard Bruton: 112. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the new initiatives in education and research his Department is planning in 2021 designed to accelerate capacity to deliver the infrastructures and the practices to underpin ambitions for reductions in emissions damaging to climate. [30681/20]

Written Answers — Department of Trade, Enterprise and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic (20 Oct 2020)

Richard Bruton: 127. To ask the Minister for Trade, Enterprise and Employment if he has received a submission from a body (details supplied) seeking relaxation on deadlines and compliance rules due to the exceptional pressures created by Covid-19; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31113/20]