Results 381-400 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (24 Jun 2010)

Mary Hanafin: The total expenses claimed (which includes mileage and subsistence), the cost of foreign and domestic travel by air, and official entertainment incurred by the Secretary General of my Department in the course of his duties are detailed below: 2008 2009 YTD 2010 Expenses claimed 4,636.89 2,281.74 885.65 Travel 606.95 65.78 62.98 Official Entertainment 1,089.02 229.85 304.15

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (24 Jun 2010)

Mary Hanafin: The total expenses claimed (which includes mileage and subsistence), the cost of foreign and domestic travel by air, and official entertainment incurred by the three Assistant Secretaries of my Department in the course of their duties are detailed below: Expenses claimed 2008 2009 YTD 2010 A/Sec Tourism 6,029.86 2,934.49 1,270.44 A/Sec Sport 7,423.39 6,172.08 917.09 A/Sec Arts & Culture...

Tourism Industry: Motion (Resumed) (23 Jun 2010)

Mary Hanafin: It is a matter for the Minister for Finance.

Tourism Industry: Motion (Resumed) (23 Jun 2010)

Mary Hanafin: I have done it.

Tourism Industry: Motion (22 Jun 2010)

Mary Hanafin: Yes. I wish to share time with Deputy Margaret Conlon. I thank Deputy Upton for tabling this motion. The fact that we will discuss tourism for three hours will help bring the importance of tourism centre stage. I am genuinely delighted to have the opportunity to engage in a debate on an important industry to the economy, and not just in a general sense. The fact that it is in every...

Written Answers — Swimming Pool Projects: Swimming Pool Projects (22 Jun 2010)

Mary Hanafin: The current round of the Local Authority Swimming Pool Programme, operated by the Department of Tourism, Culture and Sport provides grant aid to a maximum of €3.8m to Local Authorities, towards the capital cost of new swimming pools or the refurbishment of existing pools. Where a project is being undertaken by an organisation other than a local authority, the project must be considered,...

Written Answers — Departmental Offices: Departmental Offices (22 Jun 2010)

Mary Hanafin: There are no Government-run or commercially run cafés or restaurants in my Department. Canteen space is provided in both the Killarney office of my Department and in the National Archives (which forms part of my Department), but no canteen facilities are provided privately or publicly save any financed by the staff themselves. Accordingly, the issue of a policy to source food locally does...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (22 Jun 2010)

Mary Hanafin: My Department currently has seven operational credit cards for use in respect of official expenditure by the authorised card holder. The names of the signatories and associated credit limits are listed below. Mr. Con Haugh Limit €6,350(minimum) Mr. Niall Ó Donnchú Limit €6,350(minimum) Mr. Paul Bates Limit €6,350(minimum) Ms Susan McGrath ...

Written Answers — Departmental Agencies: Departmental Agencies (22 Jun 2010)

Mary Hanafin: In respect of the staff in semi state or similar bodies under the aegis of my Department whose remuneration includes bonuses, decisions to award payments in any instance are not made by me as Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport but, rather, by the boards of the agencies concerned, subject to the terms and criteria contained in the agreed associated remuneration schemes. Accordingly, the...

Written Answers — Ministerial Staff: Ministerial Staff (22 Jun 2010)

Mary Hanafin: Since June 2007, my Department has had four special advisors namely, Mr. Frank Lahiffe, Mr. Tom Rowley (advisors to the late Minister Brennan), Ms Michelle Hoctor (advisor to former Minister Cullen) and my advisor, Ms Averil Power. The total amount claimed on expenses (which would include mileage, subsistence and entertainment) for each year since June 2007 and the related breakdown is...

Written Answers — Departmental Correspondence: Departmental Correspondence (22 Jun 2010)

Mary Hanafin: The Department endeavours to meet the following standards in relation to responding to written correspondence, as set out in our Customer Charter 2010. Written representations are acknowledged within 5 working days of their receipt, with a definitive reply provided to the vast majority of them within 20 working days. In cases where there will be a delay in replying, an interim reply is...

Written Answers — Sports Events: Sports Events (17 Jun 2010)

Mary Hanafin: I have not had any such discussions.

Written Answers — Tourism Industry: Tourism Industry (16 Jun 2010)

Mary Hanafin: According to figures compiled by Fáilte Ireland, there were just over 60,000 registered hotel rooms in Ireland in 2009, compared with approximately 42,900 in 2003 and 26,350 in 1996. The existing hotel stock is regarded as more than sufficient to meet current levels of demand. In a report commissioned by the Irish Hotels Federation and prepared by Peter Bacon and Associates, Economic...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (15 Jun 2010)

Mary Hanafin: My Department has not spent any money on legal and professional advisors in relation to the National Aquatic Centre. In general, legal advice to my Department is provided through the offices of the Chief State Solicitor and the Attorney General. Over the last 8 years expenditure of this nature in respect of the National Aquatic Centre was incurred by Campus and Stadium Ireland Development...

Confidence in the Taoiseach and the Government: Motion (15 Jun 2010)

Mary Hanafin: I wish to share time with the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Innovation, Deputy Batt O'Keeffe. I welcome the opportunity cúpla focail a labhairt ar an ábhar tabhachtach seo. The Opposition's main thesis appears to be that the increases in public expenditure during what became known as the Celtic tiger years were unnecessary and wasteful. I believe this to be a remarkable argument...

Confidence in the Taoiseach and the Government: Motion (15 Jun 2010)

Mary Hanafin: The Taoiseach, Deputy Cowen, when Minister for Finance was described by Fine Gael as Ebenezer Scrooge. The Labour Party described his spending as hopelessly inadequate and totally insufficient. There is a great deal of revisionist rhetoric going on today. The reality is that the Opposition was not then asking us to spend less money but was screaming at us to continue to spend more. At no...

Confidence in the Taoiseach and the Government: Motion (15 Jun 2010)

Mary Hanafin: I am not highlighting these issues to be partisan in terms of the nature of this debate as obviously that would not be helpful to anybody and will not get us out of the mess we are in. However, it shows that the Opposition parties accepted the same independent advice and forecasts that informed us as it was the best international and national advice at the time. The Government acted on that...

Confidence in the Taoiseach and the Government: Motion (15 Jun 2010)

Mary Hanafin: It is clear that far from being a waste of money every parish and child in the country has benefited from the expenditure on education.

Confidence in the Taoiseach and the Government: Motion (15 Jun 2010)

Mary Hanafin: When it came to spending on school buildings, expenditure increased from €600 million to €700 million to €800 million. The situation has been transformed all over the country. There is not one child, parent or teacher in any school who will say that because of the manner in which expenditure overran, their school should not have been built. Every one of those projects were valuable....

Confidence in the Taoiseach and the Government: Motion (15 Jun 2010)

Mary Hanafin: Many of the good things that have happened have spurred on communities to do more for themselves. This debate is about confidence in the Taoiseach and about this Government as a team which will work to get us through the next couple of years.