Results 6,761-6,780 of 7,404 for speaker:Mick Wallace

Other Questions: Public Sector Staff Remuneration (10 Oct 2012)

Mick Wallace: The Minister could answer the question.

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Properties (10 Oct 2012)

Mick Wallace: To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the number and location of empty buildings owned by the State; the cost to the Exchequer per annum of each of these buildings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43385/12]

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Properties (10 Oct 2012)

Mick Wallace: To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the cost to the State per annum of unused buildings owned by the State in terms of maintenance, security, insurance and any other relevant costs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43384/12]

Other Questions: Universities Global Ranking (9 Oct 2012)

Mick Wallace: At a time of scarce and reducing resources, I also have reservations about the manner in which universities are being assessed. I note the assessment is based on a number of factors, namely, research, teaching, employability and internationalisation. Only last week, I met two lecturers from different departments at University College Dublin who were at pains to point out that the university...

Other Questions: School Funding (9 Oct 2012)

Mick Wallace: My two youngest children completed transition year in recent times and their experiences of it were massively different. My daughter's transition year programme was extremely well structured. She had a brilliant time and gained a great deal from it. However, the same emphasis was not placed on transition year in the school my son attended. I remain of the view that it was better that he...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Staffing (9 Oct 2012)

Mick Wallace: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to commence the remaining sections of the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act 2004; his further plans to commence section 13 and the sections relating to the introduction of a personal education plan for each student with special educational needs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43044/12]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: University Legal Fees (9 Oct 2012)

Mick Wallace: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide a breakdown in tabular form of the amount paid by each of the universities in legal fees for the years 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011; if he will provide in tabular form the legal firms representing each of the universities and the amount they received in respect of this representation for the same years; if he will set out the...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Fiscal Policy (9 Oct 2012)

Mick Wallace: To ask the Minister for Finance his views on the research carried out by the Nevin Economic Research Institute which argues that the fiscal adjustment of €3.5 billion planned for Budget 2013 could destroy 29,000 jobs in the economy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43365/12]

Other Questions: Tax Code (4 Oct 2012)

Mick Wallace: The Minister should read The Betrayal of the American Dream. It is very good.

Other Questions: Tax Code (4 Oct 2012)

Mick Wallace: To ask the Minister for Finance his views on a memorandum prepared for the US Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations which states that Microsoft used Irish subsidiaries to reduce its US tax bill by $2.43 billion in 2011; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42321/12]

Other Questions: Tax Code (4 Oct 2012)

Mick Wallace: This is almost the same subject matter as that of the last question. The Minister is probably familiar with research conducted by Mr. Colm Keena. In The Irish Times last week, he showed that Microsoft reduced its US tax bill by more than €1.8 billion in 2011 by using Irish subsidiaries. The company has two branches in this country. Microsoft Ireland Operations Limited, which employs...

Other Questions: Tax Code (4 Oct 2012)

Mick Wallace: The book to which I referred reads: "... the ruling class is defined by its ability to move money beyond the reach of government supervision. This has been accomplished in various ways, but the most important is arguably the establishment of a belief that government has no business in business". We need to change how the world works. The Minister believes that, as with the financial...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Tax Code (4 Oct 2012)

Mick Wallace: To ask the Minister for Finance his views on the use of aggressive tax structures by multinational corporations such as Microsoft in order to save itself billions in taxes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42322/12]

Addiction Services: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members] (3 Oct 2012)

Mick Wallace: I have an 18 year old son and I checked the matter with him recently. In his class of 30, only four students smoked so things have improved and there has been much work done to counteract the harm of smoking, including advertising. Advertising is an area that we certainly need to look at due to the volume of advertising thrown at people and the content. With regard to content, we see far...

Addiction Services: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members] (3 Oct 2012)

Mick Wallace: I commend Deputy O'Sullivan on tabling the motion, and the aspiration, to prioritise addiction as a health issue, not primarily as a criminal one, and ensure the necessary allocation of resources, is a noble one. I would like to speak about alcohol because for too long we have not recognised it as a drug. We think of it almost as part of our diet. At this stage it is so interwoven into who...

Addiction Services: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members] (3 Oct 2012)

Mick Wallace: One cannot play sport at this level and abuse alcohol, which emphasises the value of sport. It is in the State's interest to invest as much money as it possibly can in sport. Every sport is beneficial.

Addiction Services: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members] (3 Oct 2012)

Mick Wallace: It is amazing how much sport can help with the problems we encounter in these areas. I am a great believer in education, and we need to target alcohol. We must teach people more and be more specific about the harm of alcohol. Improvements have been made over the years with regard to cigarettes. I can remember in my last year in secondary school that 40 out of the 60 pupils in the two...

Other Questions: National Monuments (3 Oct 2012)

Mick Wallace: The Minister said that any matters relating to the development of the site would be an issue for the developer and local authority. He also said that 1916 belongs to the people. In my view, the site also belongs to the people. Given the developer in question is knee deep in NAMA and NAMA is a State body the site in question belongs to the taxpayer.

Other Questions: National Monuments (3 Oct 2012)

Mick Wallace: My telephone is switched off. It is strange that the State has not taken more control over this site given the taxpayer owns it. It would be obvious to most people looking at the over-design project that it was designed for a different time, that a scaled back version of it would make more economic sense and would facilitate development of the historical quarter, which will be good for...

Other Questions: National Monuments (3 Oct 2012)

Mick Wallace: The Minister said that planning permission was granted to the developer. However, the developer is involved with NAMA, which now owns the site. As such, NAMA owns the planning permission. The Minister has more control than he realises. My understanding is that once a developer is involved with NAMA it is within its remit to control the sites involved, which are owned by the taxpayer. Is...