Results 10,081-10,100 of 13,254 for speaker:Seán Sherlock

Equal Status (Amendment) Bill 2013: Second Stage (Resumed) [Private Members] (3 Jul 2013)

Seán Sherlock: In the five minutes available I will do my best to address the contents of the Bill. The Bill proposes to extend the discrimination grounds in the Equal Status Acts, which deal with provision of goods and services, but not in the Employment Equality Acts, which cover employment, by adding five or six new grounds for discrimination which have been articulated by Deputy Stanley. The existing...

Other Questions: State Examinations Issues (3 Jul 2013)

Seán Sherlock: In general terms, we understand the concerns expressed by the Deputies. There is no intention whatsoever to move away from the model of interaction with parents and that kind of continual monitoring of the students' work and their interaction in the classroom and so on with teachers. We want to ensure we continue to have standardised testing in areas such as English reading, science and...

Other Questions: State Examinations Issues (3 Jul 2013)

Seán Sherlock: I take the points the Deputy made but I do not agree with her that teachers are professionally developed-out; they are not. As in any profession, we must ensure 100% of the profession take up continuing professional development when it is offered, including the various types of continuing professional development which will become available for this very process. This is an evolving process...

Other Questions: State Examinations Issues (3 Jul 2013)

Seán Sherlock: Evidence has repeatedly shown that "unless the examination changes, nothing else will." Ireland is highly unusual in international terms in having externally set, moderated and marked examinations at the end of lower secondary school. As some 90% of students now complete senior cycle, the junior certificate is no longer a high-stakes examination for the overwhelming majority of students....

Topical Issue Debate: Decline in Town Centres (20 Jun 2013)

Seán Sherlock: The objective of the guidelines in the manual is to provide a clear framework for the continued development of the retail sector in a way that provides certainty for retailers and communities by strengthening national planning policy requirements for all planning authorities. The remainder of the response will be available to the Deputy. I will respond to Deputy Troy’s supplementary...

Topical Issue Debate: Decline in Town Centres (20 Jun 2013)

Seán Sherlock: What ideas does Deputy Troy have?

Topical Issue Debate: Decline in Town Centres (20 Jun 2013)

Seán Sherlock: I will stay here for a while.

Topical Issue Debate: Decline in Town Centres (20 Jun 2013)

Seán Sherlock: When was that?

Topical Issue Debate: Decline in Town Centres (20 Jun 2013)

Seán Sherlock: How long was Fianna Fáil in government?

Topical Issue Debate: Decline in Town Centres (20 Jun 2013)

Seán Sherlock: Can Deputy Troy not understand the cynicism on this side of the House when we hear proposals of that nature?

Topical Issue Debate: Decline in Town Centres (20 Jun 2013)

Seán Sherlock: The memorandum of understanding, MOU, signed by the troika introduced the property tax. Fianna Fáil negotiated agreement with the troika, which is a sovereign agreement. I do not know the Deputy’s position on the property tax but it should be a significant revenue stream for local authorities and should redress the balance in terms of the burden over many decades that has been...

Topical Issue Debate: Decline in Town Centres (20 Jun 2013)

Seán Sherlock: I beg your indulgence, Acting Chairman. We saw the demise of development contributions which were a major source of income for local authorities during the boom years. Cork County Council spent wisely on building up social infrastructure but the funding has practically disappeared. I agree that one can no longer rely on rate payers – businesspeople – to fund local government....

Topical Issue Debate: Decline in Town Centres (20 Jun 2013)

Seán Sherlock: I am rather disappointed because I thought there might be some imaginative ideas from the Deputy opposite in respect of discussing the actions the Government is taking to address the decline of town centres throughout the country. The Deputy referred to towns within his constituency which are probably similar in character to those in my constituency. I have analysed the situation in the...

Topical Issue Debate: Special Educational Needs Expenditure (20 Jun 2013)

Seán Sherlock: I wish to reiterate two points. The year-on-year growth in the overall student population is 1.3% and the demand for additional teaching resources from the NCSE has grown by 10%. If we are to be serious about this issue, we must interpret that dynamic, which has not yet been done. The NCSE is not yet in a position to provide a clear analysis of the underlying reasons for the large increase...

Topical Issue Debate: Special Educational Needs Expenditure (20 Jun 2013)

Seán Sherlock: There is no overall reduction in resource teacher numbers for the coming school year. The number of posts available to the National Council for Special Education for allocation is 5,265, which is the same as last year. We must ensure we provide the service. That 5,265 is in addition to the 4,450 learning support teachers provided to all schools to support children with less complex...

Topical Issue Debate: Special Educational Needs Expenditure (20 Jun 2013)

Seán Sherlock: I thank the Deputies for raising this issue as it gives me an opportunity to clarify the position on behalf of the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Ruairí Quinn. While I acknowledge the point made by Deputy Joan Collins regarding the presence of the senior Minister, it should be noted that I am a Minister of State at the Department of Education and Skills. The Government has...

Topical Issue Debate: Anti-Social Behaviour (20 Jun 2013)

Seán Sherlock: I am taking this matter on behalf of the Minister for Justice and Equality, who is attending an engagement in Brussels in his capacity as Minister for Defence. I thank Deputy Broughan for raising a matter of significant public importance. Extended periods of good weather are no excuse for the type of anti-social behaviour referred to by Deputy. The Minister has been informed by the Garda...

Topical Issue Debate: Anti-Social Behaviour (20 Jun 2013)

Seán Sherlock: To be frank and honest with the Deputy, as I am not the line Minister I am not in a position to answer his specific questions about legislation on minimum pricing and transport. I will, however, refer his questions to the relevant Ministers. The Portmarnock and Howth areas are patrolled from Malahide and Howth Garda station. Malahide Garda station is in the Coolock Garda district, while...

Topical Issue Debate: HIV Incidence (20 Jun 2013)

Seán Sherlock: To reiterate, I agree wholeheartedly with the points made by Deputy Buttimer, specifically his point that 52% of those concerned are from the heterosexual community. We must bear that in mind in determining strategies. I am not aware of the membership of the high level group affected but I hope it is reflective of all communities. To reinforce the point made by Deputy Buttimer, there is a...

Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Bill 2012: Second Stage (Resumed) (20 Jun 2013)

Seán Sherlock: In addition, an initiative has been introduced to allow committees to conduct an ex ante examination of the Votes for which they are responsible with the relevant Ministers. There is also a drive to produce published performance measurement information in the REV. The Department is engaging proactively with the Oireachtas committee secretariat to improve the timeliness and quality of the...