Results 7,981-8,000 of 11,255 for speaker:Colm Burke

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Tax Reliefs (9 Jun 2020)

Colm Burke: 41. To ask the Minister for Finance if he will consider retaining farm consolidation relief (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9925/20]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: SOLAS Training and Education Programmes (9 Jun 2020)

Colm Burke: 97. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the measures undertaken to alleviate the situation facing workers whose safe pass accreditation expired prior to 1 March 2020 and that cannot now renew due to Covid-19 restrictions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9878/20]

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Marine Casualty Investigations Board (9 Jun 2020)

Colm Burke: 557. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the mechanism that exists to ensure that in circumstances in which the Marine Casualty Investigation Board makes a recommendation, they are implemented by either him or his Department as appropriate; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9887/20]

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Marine Casualty Investigations Board (9 Jun 2020)

Colm Burke: 558. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if, in circumstances in which the safety recommendations of a Marine Casualty Investigation Board report suggest remedial action to be taken by a private party, the mechanisms which exist to ensure that same are implemented; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9888/20]

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Business of Special Committee (9 Jun 2020)

Colm Burke: Yes, it is.

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Reopening the Economy: Public Health Advice (9 Jun 2020)

Colm Burke: Yes. I thank Professor Nolan and Dr. De Gascun for their presentations this morning and for the work they have done. I join them in thanking all the people who have worked on the front line and behind the scenes to ensure we have dealt with this in a proactive way in trying to reduce the number of deaths. Yesterday, New Zealand announced changes. The authorities there were highly...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Reopening the Economy: Public Health Advice (9 Jun 2020)

Colm Burke: If we have no new surge - and I hope we will not have any new surge in the coming weeks - are we still talking about three months before we are in a situation where we are totally out of the woods on this?

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Reopening the Economy: Public Health Advice (9 Jun 2020)

Colm Burke: I accept that. I mean in the sense of keeping it suppressed. The comment many of us have made about living with the virus has been misinterpreted. The best prediction we can make at the moment is set out in the national plan. It was called a "living document" when it was launched and has become a living document because it has found itself amenable to some acceleration as our progress in...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Reopening the Economy: Public Health Advice (9 Jun 2020)

Colm Burke: I wish to go back to the very start, when the committee was set up on 8 March and it followed on from there. The people we seem to have missed out on were those in nursing homes and mental health facilities and I am interested in learning from that. I note that this committee got a copy of letter recently, dated 2 April, to HIQA asking it to set out and deal with particular issues. Are...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Reopening the Economy: Public Health Advice (9 Jun 2020)

Colm Burke: I am concerned about the letter from the Department of Health to HIQA, dated 2 April, which reads: "I would be grateful if as a matter of urgency, you would commence the progression of this action and provide an update at the NPHET meeting on Friday 3rd April." There was a gap of four weeks before HIQA was asked to do something. Was there a presumption that this was being done? I ask Dr. De...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Reopening the Economy: Public Health Advice (9 Jun 2020)

Colm Burke: The Department wrote to HIQA on 2 April, so it must have been concerned that the work was not being done. Based on Dr. De Gascun's view from being involved in the committee, was an impression given that work was being done to deal with nursing homes at a very early stage? We now have a letter from the Department to HIQA on 2 April that clearly indicates that the Department was concerned...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Reopening the Economy: Public Health Advice (9 Jun 2020)

Colm Burke: There was a period of four weeks when perhaps something more proactive should have been done by working with the nursing homes, HIQA and the Department. What is Dr. De Gascun's view on that? Was there a presumption within the committee that this was already being done?

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Reopening the Economy: Public Health Advice (9 Jun 2020)

Colm Burke: This letter indicates that the Department was concerned that there was not a focus on those vulnerable groups.

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Reopening the Economy: Supports for Business (9 Jun 2020)

Colm Burke: I thank Mr. McDonnell and Mr. McCoy for their work and for their presentations today. I wish to go back to the funding available. I understand that the restart grant, which allows grants of between €2,000 and €10,000, is very much aimed at small businesses. Am I correct in saying there is €250 million in that fund?

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Reopening the Economy: Supports for Business (9 Jun 2020)

Colm Burke: The Covid-19 working capital scheme has €200 million available for loans. Enterprise Ireland has more than €180 million available in a sustaining enterprise fund. They are all available currently. Are these not very much geared to small enterprises in real terms?

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Reopening the Economy: Supports for Business (9 Jun 2020)

Colm Burke: My next question is for both witnesses. Have ISME and IBEC made detailed submissions to Government about what they want done?

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Reopening the Economy: Supports for Business (9 Jun 2020)

Colm Burke: Is it possible that those submissions would be made available to Members?

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Reopening the Economy: Supports for Business (9 Jun 2020)

Colm Burke: And in relation to IBEC?

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Reopening the Economy: Supports for Business (9 Jun 2020)

Colm Burke: I am aware that we received some documentation, but are there other proposals that we have not seen in the public domain that the organisations have made to the Government?

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Reopening the Economy: Supports for Business (9 Jun 2020)

Colm Burke: I turn now to the banks and an issue with which I have a big problem. A simple recent example concerns a person who is in a permanent, pensionable, State job. This person and her partner are having a house built on a site they own. They wanted to draw down €60,000 of the loan to pay the builder. The bank would not allow it to be drawn down, therefore the builder cannot now pay his...