Results 5,741-5,760 of 6,728 for speaker:John Curran

Seanad: Charities Bill 2007: Committee Stage (4 Dec 2008)

John Curran: That is the point. I have spoken to many of the groups and they genuinely believe there would be a change in their tax status and that revenues would accrue to them that they would not otherwise get. That is not the case. As I emphasised at the beginning, we are trying to maintain the status quo. I have a great sympathy and passion for sport, but the Bill reflects the status quo. I am...

Seanad: Charities Bill 2007: Committee Stage (4 Dec 2008)

John Curran: I do not know either.

Seanad: Charities Bill 2007: Committee Stage (4 Dec 2008)

John Curran: Unfortunately, we are maintaining the status quo. In an effort to be helpful, I highlighted that provision is made in the legislation for a mandatory review within five years.

Seanad: Charities Bill 2007: Committee Stage (4 Dec 2008)

John Curran: Before discussing the amendments, in an effort to be helpful I wish to make some opening comments. The Second Stage debate took place in the House recently and a number of points were raised. Some of them will be addressed in the amendments before the House today. However, a couple of other items were raised, either in this House or in the Dáil, and I wish to inform Members of my...

Seanad: Charities Bill 2007: Committee Stage (4 Dec 2008)

John Curran: It is not a speech. I am making it up as I go along.

Seanad: Charities Bill 2007: Committee Stage (4 Dec 2008)

John Curran: Pre-signed mass cards have been an issue for some time. We are in consultation with the Attorney General and I hope I can bring forward an amendment in that regard on Report Stage. There is an Opposition amendment on the same issue down for debate today. Following the Second Stage contributions regarding public representatives being precluded from membership of the new authority, I expect...

Seanad: Charities Bill 2007: Committee Stage (4 Dec 2008)

John Curran: The issues to which I specifically referred are not dealt with by way of amendment today. I was signalling my intention that they would be presented later. I am conscious there are issues and amendments related to human rights and it is my intention to deal with those at that stage. I was signalling some of the issues raised, for which we do not have amendments today, to indicate to people...

Seanad: Charities Bill 2007: Committee Stage (4 Dec 2008)

John Curran: No, because the amendments on Report Stage to which I referred have already been clearly identified. There is nothing in them which we have not already dealt with, for example, the mass card issue. The amendments do not contain anything of a substantial nature that has not already been addressed. They have been scrutinised by legal advisers in the Attorney General's office and I am...

Seanad: Charities Bill 2007: Committee Stage (4 Dec 2008)

John Curran: While it is unlikely that there are many, if any, single trustee charities, on the basis of legal advice, amendment No. 2 amends the definition of "body" to cater for such a scenario. Amendment No. 12 is purely technical. The text to be removed is not considered necessary, based on legal advice. Amendments Nos. 22, 23 and 34 are very similar and propose the use of the word "enactment"...

Seanad: Charities Bill 2007: Committee Stage (4 Dec 2008)

John Curran: Amendments Nos. 4 and 42 have emerged from interdepartmental consultation relating to how a charity might act on dissolution. A fundamental principle of the Bill as currently drafted is that a charity should apply all its property for the stated charitable purpose, even when the charity is dissolved. In the course of the consultation, the possibility emerged that some charities might not be...

Written Answers — Garda Investigations: Garda Investigations (3 Dec 2008)

John Curran: As the Deputy will be aware, my Department operates a number of community programmes details of which are available on the Department website, www.pobail.ie. Each of the programmes has rules and arrangements governing them and my Department has controls in place in relation to all of its programmes to secure the prudent management of its funds and the operation of its schemes. The programmes...

Written Answers — Departmental Programmes: Departmental Programmes (3 Dec 2008)

John Curran: My Department funds, and in some cases administers, a range of programmes to enable members of communities to be active participants in identifying and meeting their own development needs, working alongside the Statutory Agencies and others involved in local development initiatives. Details of the various programmes, measures and schemes operated by my Department are available on my...

Written Answers — National Drugs Strategy: National Drugs Strategy (3 Dec 2008)

John Curran: As the Deputy is aware, there are a number of Departments and agencies involved in the implementation of the National Drugs Strategy. However, the level of State funding on drug-related issues can be difficult to estimate as the costs associated with services provided by An Garda Síochána, the Prison Service, the HSE and others deal with drug misuse as part of their wider daily services....

Leaders' Questions (3 Dec 2008)

John Curran: It is called leadership.

Written Answers — Crime Prevention: Crime Prevention (2 Dec 2008)

John Curran: The Dial-to-Stop Drug Dealing Campaign, which I launched in September, is being rolled in three phases through the Local and Regional Drugs Task Forces. As the geographical spread of the Drugs Task Forces does not necessarily replicate local authority areas, the campaigns are not being delivered on a local authority area basis. A breakdown of the areas covered by Local and Regional Drugs...

Written Answers — Consumer Protection: Consumer Protection (2 Dec 2008)

John Curran: The matter of the sale of so called bogus Mass cards has been the subject of debate during the passage of the Charities Bill 2007 through both the Dáil and the Seanad, where Committee Stage is scheduled for 4th December 2008. I am taking legal advice as to whether it is possible to make provision in the Bill to address this particular practice with a view, subject to the legal advice...

Written Answers — National Drugs Strategy: National Drugs Strategy (26 Nov 2008)

John Curran: The closing date for submissions for the new National Drugs Strategy 2009-2016 was in June last. While the group referred to by the Deputy did not make a formal submission, I did meet with them recently to discuss their five-year plan and I found the meeting to be most informative. In relation to the document Alcohol/Drugs – Parishes Respond, I will ask the Steering Group which is charged...

Written Answers — National Drugs Strategy: National Drugs Strategy (26 Nov 2008)

John Curran: As the Deputy is aware, the majority of expenditure allocated to community groups through my Department for drugs initiatives is channelled through the Drugs Task Forces. The Local Drugs Task Forces (LDTFs) were set up to develop and implement a drugs strategy for their respective areas. As part of their brief, the Task Forces were responsible for assessing the nature and extent of the...

Written Answers — Community Development: Community Development (26 Nov 2008)

John Curran: In the current economic environment, there is a critical need to ensure that resources are directed in a targeted and effective manner and that the public receive the maximum benefit from the schemes we provide. As with other Government Programmes and initiatives, the amount of funding available for the overall Community Development Programme will be somewhat less in 2009. This will present...

Written Answers — Community Development: Community Development (26 Nov 2008)

John Curran: Since June 2002 the cost to my Department of installing and maintaining the SPEAK data collection package has been €215,465. My Department is currently undertaking an examination of the usefulness of SPEAK as a self-evaluation, planning and monitoring tool for Community Development Projects and it is expected that the results of this examination will be available shortly.