Results 5,341-5,360 of 20,459 for speaker:Frances Fitzgerald

Questions on Proposed Legislation (21 Jul 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: I will ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Employment, Deputy Mary Mitchell O'Connor, to respond to the Deputy on that matter. The Government has made clear its commitment to the minimum wage. The report published in that regard this week sets out the standard that applies. I will also ask the Minister to investigate the particular circumstances outlined by the Deputy.

Questions on Proposed Legislation (21 Jul 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: It is new politics.

Questions on Proposed Legislation (21 Jul 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: Deputy McDonald will be aware that yesterday the Minister, Deputy Coveney, announced his very comprehensive approach to the housing crisis in this country. Pillar 4 of that plan focuses on improvements in the rental sector. The Minister is committed to developing a comprehensive strategy for the rental sector by quarter 4 of 2016. Work is beginning immediately on the strategy for the...

Questions on Proposed Legislation (21 Jul 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Minister will address his approach to that issue as he further develops the housing action plan.

Questions on Proposed Legislation (21 Jul 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: I reiterate that this is a priority area. The Deputy referenced the many different items in the programme for Government. In regard to what will happen next week, a memo will be brought to Cabinet by the Minister of State, Deputy McEntee, on the prioritisation of work on a task force to deal with issues in regard to youth mental health.

Questions on Proposed Legislation (21 Jul 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: Yes. It will seek to enhance our services and ensure focus on the type of work that needs to be done with regard to young people up to 25 years of age. The task force will bring together all of the different services, including community services, public and private, to develop a programme that can be applied to every community. Work in that regard is under way. A memo will be brought to...

Leaders' Questions (21 Jul 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: In response to Deputy Lowry, the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport is well aware of the issues the Deputy has outlined and will consider them in the context of the budget. I will bring to his attention once again the points the Deputy has made today. Clearly, as people begin to see the kind of investment that now is possible because of the recovery, they will not - as the Deputy...

Leaders' Questions (21 Jul 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: Ireland is committed to achieving the transition to a competitive low-carbon climate-resilient and environmentally sustainable economy and as the Deputy stated, it makes sense to so do. Access to secure, clean, affordable energy is essential to our future economic growth and our ability to attract and retain investment to Ireland and to build Irish enterprise depends on our ability to...

Leaders' Questions (21 Jul 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: In line with the new procedures, I will ask the Minister, Deputy Naughten, to respond directly since he has been mentioned by the Deputy in respect of the negotiations, which were based on scientific evidence.

Leaders' Questions (21 Jul 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: It is not simple rhetoric. It is borne out by the action plans that have been put in place already. Obviously, we all hear what the Deputy is saying about the particular situation in relation to Ryan and the tragedy that that is. However, make no mistake: we have a Minister of State for the Department of Health focusing on mental health issues and bringing forward plans. We have increased...

Leaders' Questions (21 Jul 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: I acknowledge and am very aware, as are all Fine Gael councillors and Deputies, that the capital budget for local and regional roads is still recovering. There is a huge amount of work to be done. It is still recovering after the economic crash. That is why the new partnership Government will increase the budget for this infrastructure very dramatically by 50% in the years ahead and as the...

Leaders' Questions (21 Jul 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: It will not have any impact on the services because what is very clear, in particular in relation to dementia, is that there is a very strong commitment to increased investment. That is partly driven by the agreement between the Department of Health, the HSE and Atlantic Philanthropies, which represented a combined investment of €27.5 million. Just some weeks ago a total of...

Leaders' Questions (21 Jul 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: The reality is that there is now further investment. The money is available and is being given as a priority to the Department of Health to increase home care packages. That is one of the specific goals within the increased investment. That will become more obvious in the weeks and months ahead. Because the economy is growing and we took the right decisions there is further investment in...

Leaders' Questions (21 Jul 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: As Deputy McDonald recounted that individual story, everyone's thoughts in this House are with the family of the young man who lost his life so tragically. Mental health is a priority. We all know it has not been a priority in this country for decades but there is increased investment to ensure that young men and women get the kind of services they need at times of acute psychological...

Leaders' Questions (21 Jul 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: Let me put the Deputy's points into context. It is important to remember that the CSO is independent and has commented on its figures and some processes it intends to examine further. We regularly discuss the independence of bodies in the House when they report on various issues. The CSO is an independent body that reports on figures. The GDP figures released were affected by...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Coroners Service (21 Jul 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: As the Deputy is aware Coroners are quasi-judicial office holders who are independent in their functions. Neither I nor my Department has any role in relation to the issuing of a Coroner's Certificate or a Death Certificate. Further, the office of the Registrar of Births, Marriages and Deaths and the legislation governing the registration of deaths comes the remit of the Department of...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Proposed Legislation (21 Jul 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: On 21 October 2015, the Government published a roadmap to Ireland’s ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which outlines the considerable legislative changes to be undertaken to enable Ireland to ratify the Convention, along with the estimated deadline of end-2016 for ratification. The Roadmap to Ratification, which is available on...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Maternity Leave (21 Jul 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: As the Deputy will be aware, legislation which creates an entitlement to two weeks' Paternity Leave and Benefit has just passed in the Seanad and will be enacted as quickly as possible. This legislation in addition to the existing payment of maternity benefit means that the State now offers a total of 28 weeks of paid support to parents upon the birth of their child. It is my intention that...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Vetting Applications (21 Jul 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: I am informed by the Garda authorities that records at the Garda Central Vetting Unit indicate that no Garda Vetting application has been received from the registered organisation concerned in respect of the individual referred to by the Deputy. In the circumstances, I suggest that the individual referred to contacts the authorised signatory of the registered organisation directly.

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Staff Sick Leave (21 Jul 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: The information sought by the Deputy in relation to sick leave for the years 2011 to 2015 is set out in the table below. Uncertified sick leave is now classed/referred to as self-certified sick leave. Year Percentage of working days lost due to certified sick leave Percentage of working days lost due to uncertified sick leave 2011 3.65% 0.36% 2012 4.01% 0.31% 2013 3.55% 0.27% 2014...