Results 6,741-6,760 of 7,200 for speaker:Cian O'Callaghan

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Committee Work Programme: Discussion (Resumed) (13 Oct 2020)

Cian O'Callaghan: Yes, that works.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Committee Work Programme: Discussion (Resumed) (13 Oct 2020)

Cian O'Callaghan: Deputy Ó Broin covered a lot of it. There has been a huge amount of work done internationally on land by, for example, the Scottish Land Commission. Countries like Germany do a lot more around land. It does bring down the cost of land and it does much more master planning. It is an entire category we could do in Ireland that is not covered under existing schemes. We can explore that...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Committee Work Programme: Discussion (Resumed) (13 Oct 2020)

Cian O'Callaghan: I agree with the Senator, those are two separate things. The extended approval process definitely needs to be looked at and sorting it out is one of the keys to sorting out the issues around social housing. The funding of maintenance and management of social housing stock must also be addressed. There are some proposals for doing that in the programme for Government. We are heading into...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Committee Work Programme: Discussion (Resumed) (13 Oct 2020)

Cian O'Callaghan: It ties into the payment approvals process because part of the way the Department justifies it is by stating that it is an accountability measure.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Committee Work Programme: Discussion (Resumed) (13 Oct 2020)

Cian O'Callaghan: It is important to invite in the outside bodies first. It would not be much use to have the Department witnesses in first and then to have all the questions we want to ask them subsequent to that. It is often the case that when the Department responds we might decide it is a fair enough response or that it is not and we should try to amend that aspect or whatever. I believe that order is...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Committee Work Programme: Discussion (Resumed) (13 Oct 2020)

Cian O'Callaghan: I agree with that. Lessons from Covid should be near the top of the agenda. If we are talking about the first four or five meetings we should include that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Committee Work Programme: Discussion (Resumed) (13 Oct 2020)

Cian O'Callaghan: We were asked as a committee to do that.

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces Representative Organisations (8 Oct 2020)

Cian O'Callaghan: 31. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence if he will remedy the breach of the European Social Charter by Ireland by allowing an association (details supplied) join a union; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28521/20]

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces Strength (8 Oct 2020)

Cian O'Callaghan: 47. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence if a shortage of personnel is affecting the operational efficiency of the Defence Forces; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28522/20]

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Community Employment Schemes (8 Oct 2020)

Cian O'Callaghan: 123. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the steps he is taking to provide community employment supervisors access to pensions in line with the 2008 Labour Court recommendation to provide access to an occupational pension scheme and the 2015 Lansdowne Road agreement that progress would be made on this issue during the lifetime of that agreement; and if he will make a...

Brexit and Business: Statements (7 Oct 2020)

Cian O'Callaghan: I back the comments on low pay by a previous Deputy. The best way to ensure economic recovery is to get money circulating in the economy by tackling low pay. When people on low pay get a pay increase it goes straight back into the local economy. It is circular. We can see from the data at the moment that people on higher incomes have a higher level of savings. Part of that is because...

Pre-European Council Meeting on 15 and 16 October: Statements (7 Oct 2020)

Cian O'Callaghan: I am sorry; I cannot see from up here.

Pre-European Council Meeting on 15 and 16 October: Statements (7 Oct 2020)

Cian O'Callaghan: I cannot see him at all but I presume he is in the back row.

Pre-European Council Meeting on 15 and 16 October: Statements (7 Oct 2020)

Cian O'Callaghan: Go raibh maith agat. I ask that the Minister of State would raise that. I know he has been very vocal on this issue, for which I thank him, but we cannot put Irish taxpayers' money into this fund that is going into member states where the basic rule of law and protections for democracy and human rights are not being observed. I ask that he would make that case strongly and ask the...

Pre-European Council Meeting on 15 and 16 October: Statements (7 Oct 2020)

Cian O'Callaghan: As I have said previously, the Achilles heel of the Northern Ireland protocol is that it relies on the UK to implement it. I said that before the UK effectively broke international law. There is a serious risk that we will have a Brexit without a trade deal. That will potentially mean the loss of some 700,000 jobs across the European Union. It is predicted that in the event of there being...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (7 Oct 2020)

Cian O'Callaghan: The programme for Government commits to an affordable housing scheme. The Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, has flagged that this will involve a shared equity scheme, presumably to be announced in the budget on Tuesday. There is a real danger that a shared equity scheme could lead to house price inflation and developers pushing up prices of new build homes. Given that there is a big gap...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Public Service Obligation Levy (7 Oct 2020)

Cian O'Callaghan: 29. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if his attention has been drawn to concerns the impact of a 130% increase in public service obligation levy will have on households of reduced socioeconomic means; his plans to support households that may not be able to afford an increase of this magnitude; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29148/20]

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (7 Oct 2020)

Cian O'Callaghan: 54. To ask the Minister for Finance if his attention has been drawn to reports that the full value of the employment wage subsidy scheme supports are not being provided to staff of an airline (details supplied); if he has engaged with the airline regarding such reports; if he will provide clarity regarding staff entitlements to back pay; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28988/20]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (7 Oct 2020)

Cian O'Callaghan: 127. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if equal weight was given to Irish, English and maths and the two best subjects of students from the junior certificate; if not, if different weighting per subject was used; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29003/20]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (7 Oct 2020)

Cian O'Callaghan: 128. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if a student’s specific percentage regarding leaving certificate 2020 and the calculated grades process result or overall grade was used from their junior certificate to calculate their leaving certificate 2020 results; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29004/20]