Results 9,821-9,840 of 11,359 for speaker:Matt Carthy

Covid-19 (Social Protection): Statements (28 Jan 2021)

Matt Carthy: Five minutes.

Covid-19 (Social Protection): Statements (28 Jan 2021)

Matt Carthy: I have a number of short questions. I would appreciate it if I could engage in a question and answer session with the Minister and Minister of State. The Minister will be aware that the decision to tax the pandemic unemployment payment came as a shock to people who were already feeling very vulnerable. On several occasions, I have heard people refer to it as a "kick in the teeth". The...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (28 Jan 2021)

Matt Carthy: In November, the Tánaiste told the Dáil that he had requested that his adviser get a copy of the confidential draft agreement for the general practitioner, GP, contract on 10 April 2019. The Tánaiste told the Dáil that his adviser got this second copy from the Department of Health, which the Tánaiste then posted to the home address of Dr. Maitiú Ó Tuathail,...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Covid-19 Tests (28 Jan 2021)

Matt Carthy: 290. To ask the Minister for Health the average waiting time before a person unable to attend a Covid-19 test centre in person is contacted by a community health team; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4908/21]

Written Answers — Department of Health: Covid-19 Pandemic (28 Jan 2021)

Matt Carthy: 291. To ask the Minister for Health the number of outbreaks of Covid-19 in meat processing plants by county from 1 November 2020, in tabular form. [4909/21]

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Food Safety Standards (28 Jan 2021)

Matt Carthy: 343. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the intended timeframe for the establishment of a food ombudsman; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4905/21]

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Organic Farming Scheme (28 Jan 2021)

Matt Carthy: 344. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of new places that will be provided on the organic farm scheme in 2021; the criteria that will apply; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4906/21]

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Irish Aviation Authority (27 Jan 2021)

Matt Carthy: 163. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his plans to amend the Irish Aviation Authority Act 1993; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4447/21]

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Health Services Provision (27 Jan 2021)

Matt Carthy: 868. To ask the Minister for Health the number of physician assistant hours that have been allocated to County Cavan in each of the years 2017 to 2020; the number of physician assistant hours that will be allocated in 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4448/21]

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Health Services Provision (27 Jan 2021)

Matt Carthy: 869. To ask the Minister for Health the allocated number of early intervention and school aged zero to 18 teams to counties Cavan and Monaghan in 2020 and 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4449/21]

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Hospital Facilities (27 Jan 2021)

Matt Carthy: 870. To ask the Minister for Health the planned start date for construction on the endoscopy wing at Cavan General Hospital; the expected duration of construction works; the estimated overall costs of the project; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4450/21]

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: EU Directives (27 Jan 2021)

Matt Carthy: 919. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when he plans to publish the statutory instrument to implement the EU unfair trading practices directive; the public consultation process that will be conducted before the adoption of the statutory instrument; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4445/21]

Public Accounts Committee: 2019 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Communications, Climate Action and Environment (22 Jan 2021)

Matt Carthy: I thank Mr. Griffin and his colleagues for being with us this afternoon. I want to ask questions with respect to the Department's relationship with EirGrid. I note the Minister is a shareholder in EirGrid. Could Mr. Griffin give an outline of what that means in practice in terms of the engagements on the management and running of the company?

Public Accounts Committee: 2019 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Communications, Climate Action and Environment (22 Jan 2021)

Matt Carthy: Obviously, good financial management is important to the Department and the State because-----

Public Accounts Committee: 2019 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Communications, Climate Action and Environment (22 Jan 2021)

Matt Carthy: Apologies. The point I was making was that there is a vested interest in the Department and the wider Government apparatus that EirGrid is financially successful and prudent because when it is successful it returns a dividend to the State. I understand that dividend has been around €4 million for a number of years. Is that correct?

Public Accounts Committee: 2019 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Communications, Climate Action and Environment (22 Jan 2021)

Matt Carthy: The advertising spend of EirGrid is a very unusual spend, as far as I am concerned, considering that EirGrid does not have any competitors and its customers have no choice but to engage with it. It would appear that advertising spend would be strange. Over the five years leading up to, I think, 2019, EirGrid spent €8.6 million on what is described as selling and advertising. That is...

Public Accounts Committee: 2019 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Communications, Climate Action and Environment (22 Jan 2021)

Matt Carthy: Does Mr. Griffin see any rationale as to why a company that has no competitors and whose customers have no choice but to use it would be spending multiples of millions on advertising campaigns? We have all seen it. One cannot go on social media without seeing promotion by EirGrid. It is the same when one watches a football match. Current affairs programmes on a number of local radio...

Public Accounts Committee: 2019 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Communications, Climate Action and Environment (22 Jan 2021)

Matt Carthy: On that point-----

Public Accounts Committee: 2019 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Communications, Climate Action and Environment (22 Jan 2021)

Matt Carthy: To conclude on one brief point, EirGrid is not good at outreach, although it is apparently very good at spending millions of euro on advertising. My constituency is affected by one of its primary planned projects and its engagement has been very poor. Its advertising campaign has done the opposite of what the Department set out as the objective because it has antagonised people even more....

Public Accounts Committee: 2019 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Communications, Climate Action and Environment (22 Jan 2021)

Matt Carthy: I want to go back to the issue of the relationship between the Department and EirGrid. As the Secretary General rightly said, EirGrid is involved in the development of some substantial infrastructure. I note from a previous freedom of information request, secured by the newspaper The Northern Standard, that the relationship seems to be a strange one, in that EirGrid was even consulted and...