Results 6,021-6,040 of 6,728 for speaker:John Curran
- Written Answers — Residency Permits: Residency Permits (2 Apr 2008)
John Curran: Question 868: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the status of a person (details supplied) who has made an application for leave to remain in the State. [11736/08]
- Written Answers — Medical Cards: Medical Cards (13 Mar 2008)
John Curran: Question 83: To ask the Minister for Health and Children her views on making an amendment to the medical card scheme whereby people in receipt of a medical card or general practitioner visit card when reaching age 66 will be entitled to keep the card permanently without any further reviews. [11120/08]
- Written Answers — Medical Cards: Medical Cards (13 Mar 2008)
John Curran: Question 84: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if she will make changes to the income guidelines governing the issue of medical cards and general practitioner visit cards, bearing in mind that increases in social welfare payments and general pay increases have resulted in people who previously met the criteria for a particular card now exceeding the income guidelines and not having...
- Written Answers — Residency Permits: Residency Permits (12 Mar 2008)
John Curran: Question 254: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform when he expects a decision to be made regarding an application for long-term residency made by a person (details supplied) in Dublin 22. [10859/08]
- Capitation Grants: Motion (Resumed) (12 Mar 2008)
John Curran: I wish to share time with Deputies Charlie O'Connor, Niall Blaney and Martin Mansergh. While I welcome the opportunity to contribute to this debate, I do not support the motion. Reading a print-out of the text of this week's Private Members' business in my constituency office on Friday afternoon, I was taken aback by its lack of detail. One of the shortest motions to come before the House,...
- Capitation Grants: Motion (Resumed) (12 Mar 2008)
John Curran: I will address that issue. The solution, according to the motion, is to double the capitation grant without trying to evaluate the scale of financial difficulty.
- Capitation Grants: Motion (Resumed) (12 Mar 2008)
John Curran: Its promise is to double the capitation grant within the lifetime of the Government, not within one year. The cost of the measure proposed in the motion is in the region of â¬80 million. Is that the best value for money or return on expenditure we can achieve in the education system?
- Capitation Grants: Motion (Resumed) (12 Mar 2008)
John Curran: Many speakers did not make that argument. The previous speaker, for example, did not focus specifically on increasing capitation grants. Instead, he would like additional money spent elsewhere, specifically on reducing class sizes. This would not be achieved by increasing capitation grants.
- Capitation Grants: Motion (Resumed) (12 Mar 2008)
John Curran: We must determine how the money being spent will have the greatest impact and achieve the best outcome. The motion, as framed, does not consider this aspect. I am often lectured by Opposition Deputies on the fact that the most recent Fine Gael-Labour Party coalition was the first Government to return a budget surplus.
- Capitation Grants: Motion (Resumed) (12 Mar 2008)
John Curran: Did it increase capitation grants? The Opposition frequently calls on the Government to index link various increases. The Government has gone further and introduced increases in capitation grants in primary education well in excess of inflation. Other grants are also available. The motion should have considered the issue in much greater detail.
- Capitation Grants: Motion (Resumed) (12 Mar 2008)
John Curran: No. Even in the current year, with much talk of less money being available and the economy not growing at the same rate as in previous years, the education budget has been increased by almost â¬700 million or 8%, which is ahead of inflation and in excess of the increases allocated to many other Departments. These additional funds are being spent in a variety of ways. To address a point...
- Capitation Grants: Motion (Resumed) (12 Mar 2008)
John Curran: With the education budget increasing, choices need to be made as to where these additional resources should be allocated.
- Capitation Grants: Motion (Resumed) (12 Mar 2008)
John Curran: The motion calls for the capitation grant to be doubled. Not every school is in financial difficulty and their difficulties are not always of the scale the Deputies suggest. For this reason, the motion is incorrect. I am in favourââ
- Capitation Grants: Motion (Resumed) (12 Mar 2008)
John Curran: I am suggesting that not all schools need the rate of increase proposed in the motion.
- Capitation Grants: Motion (Resumed) (12 Mar 2008)
John Curran: I will address those questions. The capitation fee is not the only funding provided to schools to cover their day-to-day expenses. Reading the motion, one could arrive at that conclusion. They also receive the ancillary services grant of â¬150 per student per annum, a substantial amount, and the capitation grant of â¬178 per pupil per annum.
- Capitation Grants: Motion (Resumed) (12 Mar 2008)
John Curran: Even in the current year, the capitation grant increased by â¬15 or 9%.
- Capitation Grants: Motion (Resumed) (12 Mar 2008)
John Curran: The rate of increase far exceeds the inflation rate. The Government will meet its commitment to double the capitation grant by 2012, albeit not in one year as suggested by the Labour Party. Several hundred schools in disadvantaged areas receive additional funding through the DEIS project and enhanced capitation rates are available for special schools or classes in schools.
- Capitation Grants: Motion (Resumed) (12 Mar 2008)
John Curran: A range of additional financial supports are available. I reject Deputy Brian Hayes's suggestion that the Minister is not fully engaged with hand-to-mouth school finances. My contribution is made on the basis of my experience for more than a decade of being a member of the board of management of a school in Clondalkin, which is not a particularly affluent area of Dublin. The school, which...
- Capitation Grants: Motion (Resumed) (12 Mar 2008)
John Curran: All schools would gladly accept a 100% increase in the capitation grant, although this would cost â¬80 million. Other issues raised by Deputies are also worthy of consideration but are being omitted by the very nature of the motion.
- Capitation Grants: Motion (Resumed) (12 Mar 2008)
John Curran: Years of neglect have meant that some schools have inherent problems and have high heating bills and maintenance costs. It would be possible to run them more efficiently if other remedies were implemented, such as major improvements in the fabric of the buildings. A range of projects and issues need to be addressed. Doubling the capitation grant is a popular proposal but would not deliver...