Results 781-800 of 34,585 for speaker:Seán Fleming

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: School Meals Programme (29 Jun 2022)

Seán Fleming: I appreciate the disappointment and frustration for the new DEIS schools that are keen to access the school meals programme. The level of interest in the programme is a clear sign of the need for its expansion and that is something we are committed to doing. I have had contact from schools that did not make the new DEIS allocations this year. That is the next group in line because there...

Emergency Budget: Motion [Private Members] (28 Jun 2022)

Seán Fleming: It said the measure proportionately benefited people on lower incomes compared with those on higher incomes. For people with an income of only a few hundred euro a week, the extra €200 meant much more to them than it did to a person on a higher income. Another report noted that measures to reduce taxes and levies on diesel and petrol, which Sinn Féin calls for every day of the...

Emergency Budget: Motion [Private Members] (28 Jun 2022)

Seán Fleming: I move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following: "notes that: — the annual rate of consumer price inflation, as measured by the European Union's Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices, has picked up sharply in recent months, reaching a multi-decade high of 8.3 per cent in May; — the key driver of inflation at present...

Insurance Reform: Statements (22 Jun 2022)

Seán Fleming: I thank the 30 Deputies who contributed to this debate on insurance reform. One of Deputies stated that it is a dry topic. Anybody who contributed to the debate understands that insurance is a real issue that affects every household and business in Ireland. I will summarise one or two points I made at the beginning in case some Deputies were not present. The biggest sector in the...

Insurance Reform: Statements (22 Jun 2022)

Seán Fleming: I welcome the opportunity to address the Dáil on the issue of insurance reform. This is a key priority for the Government as a whole and has been a key focus of my post as the Minister of State with responsibility for insurance issues. As all Members of this House will be keenly aware, a well-functioning insurance industry is vital for a healthy and vibrant economy. The pricing and...

Seanad: Consumer Credit (Amendment) Bill 2022: Committee and Remaining Stages (22 Jun 2022)

Seán Fleming: I thank the Senator for moving the amendment on behalf of his colleagues. I am aware that his party has a great interest in this legislation and I engaged with Deputy Doherty in the Dáil on the same amendment on all Stages of the Bill in recent weeks. Lower interest rates are better for consumers and that is why the key purpose of this legislation is to reduce interest rates. Members...

Seanad: Consumer Credit (Amendment) Bill 2022: Committee and Remaining Stages (22 Jun 2022)

Seán Fleming: I understand the Senator's point regarding credit unions. Wearing my hat as Minister of State with responsibility for credit unions, I would encourage everyone who is seeking a short-term loan for a family event - it is something that people used to do - to join his or her local credit union where possible. I fear that some of the people in question have exhausted their credit limits with...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Derelict Sites (16 Jun 2022)

Seán Fleming: Everyone would agree with the Deputy's last point. When you get a letter from Revenue, you have to take it seriously. The Revenue Commissioners will get you eventually. Even if you are dead, Revenue will get what you owe from your estate. That is one of the sure things in life. I understand that the operation of the legislation - the complications and implications involved - was very...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Derelict Sites (16 Jun 2022)

Seán Fleming: I concur with everything the Deputy said. We all agree that we should be able to move on this more quickly. I acknowledge the work of the Joint Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage which put a lot of time into its report on this issue. I am not personally aware of any Private Members' Bill but that can be discussed in Government circles and with relevant Ministers. I...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Insurance Coverage (16 Jun 2022)

Seán Fleming: I thank Deputy Ó Murchú for raising this issue, which we have discussed previously. I appreciate and acknowledge his interest in this area. He is concerned to help various groups that are affected by limited access to public liability insurance. The Government recognises the concerns felt by many groups regarding the cost and availability of insurance and has prioritised...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Insurance Coverage (16 Jun 2022)

Seán Fleming: In certain cases, local authorities may not want to get involved but sometimes they can be pushed. This is especially true for semi-public areas but whether they can be taken in charge by local authorities is a separate issue. Regarding new insurance businesses in Ireland, I joined IDA Ireland at a conference last Tuesday in Amsterdam at which the agency was meeting potential new...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Insurance Coverage (16 Jun 2022)

Seán Fleming: I have been directly involved in encouraging the insurance industry to provide cover to certain sectors. The equine industry had a problem last year but we got that sorted out last spring. I was told last Christmas that there was no insurance available for ice rinks but two rinks succeeded in getting insurance. The situation with regard to play and activity groups is that a new American...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Departmental Policies (16 Jun 2022)

Seán Fleming: I propose to take Questions Nos. 10 and 27 together. I thank the Deputies for their questions. The decline in consumer spending in the first quarter of this year was mainly due to the mobility restrictions introduced because of the omicron wave of the pandemic. The Deputy referred to recent engagement with the Central Statistics Office, CSO, in his question. On the question of the cost...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Departmental Policies (16 Jun 2022)

Seán Fleming: I will not go through the full list of measures we have introduced on an almost bimonthly basis since 1 January. Most recently, we reduced the rate of VAT for the hospitality sector to increase employment. The main task we have is getting people back to work. The best way of dealing with poverty in a household is to have an earned income in the house. That is better than the alternative....

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Departmental Policies (16 Jun 2022)

Seán Fleming: We will continue to assist households in dealing with the cost of living where it is possible to do so. It is imperative that policies are designed in a manner that does not increase inflation. Putting more Government and taxpayer money into the economy to try to counteract the effects every time there is an increase in inflation rates would add to the inflationary pressure. Budgetary...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Derelict Sites (16 Jun 2022)

Seán Fleming: I thank the Deputy and appreciate his raising this matter. Addressing vacancy and dereliction, and maximising the use of the existing housing stock, is a priority objective of the Government, as evidenced in the Housing for All strategy. One of the four pathways in the plan is specifically dedicated to this area. The Minister for Finance has been advised by his colleague, the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Departmental Reviews (16 Jun 2022)

Seán Fleming: I thank the Deputy for the additional questions. I do not have some of the information to hand. I will ask officials to forward to the Deputy as much information as possible on her questions in the coming days. I am not sure whether information on the cost of the review can be provided. I do not know the answer to that. There is a broader issue. I am generally in favour of the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Credit Unions (16 Jun 2022)

Seán Fleming: To date in 2022, I have had 13 meetings with various credit union stakeholders, including the representative bodies, the Credit Union Advisory Committee, CUAC, and individual credit unions. I have also spoken at the AGMs of the Irish League of Credit Unions, the Credit Union Development Association, CUDA, and the Credit Union Managers Association, CUMA, as well as at the National Supervisors...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Credit Unions (16 Jun 2022)

Seán Fleming: The proposals being brought to Cabinet are specifically for legislation. They concern the 12 topics on which we want to legislate and there is agreement on those. After the proposals have been brought to Cabinet, I hope they will go for pre-legislative scrutiny as quickly as possible. On the timeline for getting the legislation through the Dáil in the second half of this year, the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Credit Unions (16 Jun 2022)

Seán Fleming: The Deputy raised a number of points, which merit a more detailed discussion on another occasion, given the time constraints today. The levies the credit unions pay have been cut by 55% since this Government came into office, resulting in a very substantial saving of around €6 million. Three different credit union proposals have been approved by the Central Bank for lending to...