Results 4,821-4,840 of 11,114 for speaker:Damien English

Report of the Committee on Housing and Homelessness: Motion (Resumed) (14 Jul 2016)

Damien English: Does Deputy Boyd Barrett want Deputy Durkan's time as well?

Topical Issue Debate: Irish Water Administration (14 Jul 2016)

Damien English: There is no secret about that.

Topical Issue Debate: Irish Water Administration (14 Jul 2016)

Damien English: To be clear, the Bill before the House relates to water, not to the Irish Water utility. The single water utility remains, and the Government has no intention of changing that. We strongly believe in the concept of a single water utility delivering the service and infrastructure requirements throughout the country, for both the domestic and non-domestic sectors. I have no doubt that in...

Topical Issue Debate: Local Authority Funding (14 Jul 2016)

Damien English: I understand the point the Deputy is making. When I went into this Department, I noticed some of the figures he has presented to the House. It seems that some counties do well for historical reasons. This is constantly being monitored. The Minister, Deputy Coveney, and I are very conscious of the pressures on the county councils. Councils in the greater Dublin region, in particular,...

Topical Issue Debate: Irish Water Administration (14 Jul 2016)

Damien English: I thank Deputy Ó Caoláin for raising this issue and giving me a chance to bring some clarity to it. This process will affect his county and my county in the first instance. As it is rolled out, it will affect other counties as well. Irish Water has been responsible for public water services with effect from 1 January 2014. The Water Services (No. 2) Act 2013 provides that Irish...

Topical Issue Debate: Local Authority Funding (14 Jul 2016)

Damien English: I thank the Deputy for giving me the opportunity, on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Coveney, to outline the importance of the equalisation fund for local authorities such as Carlow County Council in the context of the local property tax allocations. I was lucky enough to be in Carlow recently to meet up with the Deputy, representatives of the local authority and some Chamber of Commerce...

Electoral (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2016: Committee and Remaining Stages (14 Jul 2016)

Damien English: I thank everyone for the time they gave to this short Bill last night. I appreciate that it was brought in at short notice. Deputy O'Callaghan had left the Chamber by the time I addressed the concerns he had raised. I spoke to his colleague about them. We can address the issue he raised regarding the register at a later stage.

Electoral (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2016: Second and Subsequent Stages (13 Jul 2016)

Damien English: I will address some of the issues in reverse. The timing for Bills is no longer a Government decision. It is for the Business Committee, which decided that the House would not sit on Friday. That is the reason for being here so late tonight and tomorrow tonight. It is not my choice. I would facilitate any time for the Deputies, but that is Dáil reform. It is working well for some...

Electoral (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2016: Second and Subsequent Stages (13 Jul 2016)

Damien English: It is unfair to say that. I come across people of all ages who are not registered.

Electoral (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2016: Second and Subsequent Stages (13 Jul 2016)

Damien English: I do not agree with the Deputy. Saying that it is just the working class is unfair on the working class. People of all ages-----

Electoral (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2016: Second and Subsequent Stages (13 Jul 2016)

Damien English: I do not agree with the Deputy on that. Maybe she will just accept that.

Electoral (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2016: Second and Subsequent Stages (13 Jul 2016)

Damien English: Regarding the selection process, the same process was used for the Constitutional Convention, and everyone was happy with how the convention worked - the same criteria, the same logic used by the polling company and the same register. That is all that I am saying. It worked well. I hope that it works well and speedily in this instance. That is the intention. No matter what process we...

Electoral (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2016: Order for Second Stage (13 Jul 2016)

Damien English: I move: "That Second Stage be taken now."

Electoral (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2016: Second and Subsequent Stages (13 Jul 2016)

Damien English: I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." The purpose of the Electoral (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2016 is to enable the register of electors to be used for selecting members of the citizens' assembly. The provisions in the Bill are along the lines of the Electoral (Amendment) Act 2012 passed by the Oireachtas when arrangements were being made for the membership of the then...

Citizens' Assembly: Motion (13 Jul 2016)

Damien English: I take it that the Sinn Féin amendment has already been moved.

Citizens' Assembly: Motion (13 Jul 2016)

Damien English: I will address that in my concluding remarks.

Citizens' Assembly: Motion (13 Jul 2016)

Damien English: I will address the issues in the amendment that has been proposed by Sinn Féin.

Citizens' Assembly: Motion (13 Jul 2016)

Damien English: Should I wait until after I have spoken for five minutes before doing so?

Citizens' Assembly: Motion (13 Jul 2016)

Damien English: I would like to address a couple of issues that have arisen during the debate. Deputies have expressed concern about how the citizens’ assembly will work. We have also heard a great deal of praise for the Constitutional Convention, which worked well in certain areas. I understand that the recommendations it made in certain areas are still outstanding. This new assembly will not...

Citizens' Assembly: Motion (13 Jul 2016)

Damien English: I move:That Dáil Éireann: approves the calling of a Citizens’ Assembly to consider the following matters and to make such recommendations as it sees fit and report to the Houses of the Oireachtas:(i) the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution; (ii) how we best respond to the challenges and opportunities of an ageing population; (iii) fixed term parliaments; and (iv) the...