Results 1,081-1,100 of 3,895 for speaker:John Halligan

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: National Literacy and Numeracy Strategy (20 Feb 2018)

John Halligan: In December 2016, the EU Council adopted the Upskilling Pathways: New Opportunities for Adults Recommendation which aims to help adults acquire literacy, numeracy and digital skills to develop a broader set of skills through progressing towards an upper secondary qualification or equivalent. The recommendation envisages that implementation will build on existing national...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (20 Feb 2018)

John Halligan: Apprenticeship is a demand driven educational and training programme, which aims to develop the skills of an apprentice in order to meet the needs of industry and the labour market. Consequently, the number of apprentices being registered is determined by employers within each sector. My Department is committed to supporting the increased registration of apprentices across all sectors. New...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Data (15 Feb 2018)

John Halligan: There are currently 34 apprenticeships in operation in Ireland, which includes nine new consortia-led apprenticeships recently developed in areas such as hospitality, insurance, accounting and financial services. Two further programmes in ICT, network engineer and software developer, have been validated by Quality and Qualifications Ireland, QQI, and will have their first intake of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (15 Feb 2018)

John Halligan: As the Deputy is aware, apprentices undertaking one of our craft apprenticeships are paid a training allowance, equivalent to their net take home pay on the job, by their local Education and Training Board (ETB) while attending their off-the-job training phases. During their on-the-job training they are paid a salary by a SOLAS approved employer. Craft apprenticeships are generally four...

Roads Maintenance: Motion [Private Members] (13 Feb 2018)

John Halligan: First-----

Roads Maintenance: Motion [Private Members] (13 Feb 2018)

John Halligan: Shall I continue?

Roads Maintenance: Motion [Private Members] (13 Feb 2018)

John Halligan: I will start again. First, I take the opportunity to acknowledge and welcome the points made by the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Shane Ross, and the other contributors to this debate. Our road network plays an integral part in society and in our economic recovery in terms of, for example, supporting the lives of those socialising and working in rural communities, job...

Roads Maintenance: Motion [Private Members] (13 Feb 2018)

John Halligan: It is all very well to come along and criticise the Government but let me remind those in Fianna Fáil of the state in which they put the country in the first place that meant we were not able to spend the money where we wanted to spend it.

Roads Maintenance: Motion [Private Members] (13 Feb 2018)

John Halligan: As I said, given the scale of the economic crisis and subsequent funding constraints for many years, it must be acknowledged that it will take some time.

Roads Maintenance: Motion [Private Members] (13 Feb 2018)

John Halligan: However, given the size of our roads network, I echo the Minister’s point that it will be important to ensure resources are managed as effectively as possible so that the best value with the greatest impact may be achieved. I am sure that the combined efforts of the Department, the road management office and local authorities will greatly contribute to this objective. Planning for...

Roads Maintenance: Motion [Private Members] (13 Feb 2018)

John Halligan: It would be folly of me to say that we do not have a problem with the road network. Do not forget that Fianna Fáil was in government for approximately 20 years but did not do much about it.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (13 Feb 2018)

John Halligan: An apprenticeship for HGV drivers, led by the Irish Road Haulage Association and a consortium of industry and education and training providers, is due for roll out by September 2018. The programme is close to completion and is currently being reviewed by the consortium to ensure that it will meet the current and future skills needs of the transport and logistics industry and in particular to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport Provision (13 Feb 2018)

John Halligan: School transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department. Currently over 115,000 children, including almost 12,000 children with special educational needs, are being transported in over 4,500 vehicles on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country covering over 100 million kilometres annually. The child in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Data (13 Feb 2018)

John Halligan: The information requested by the Deputy is set out in the following table. Apprentice Registrations 2014 2015 2016 2017 CONSTRUCTION Brick & Stonelaying 20 26 52 60 Carpentry & Joinery 185 291 399 443 Painting & Decorating 11 19 27 44 Plastering 9 7 18 34 Plumbing 318 289 345 532 Stonecutting & Stonemasonry 16...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Ministerial Meetings (13 Feb 2018)

John Halligan: The Chief Scientific Adviser (CSA) meets with relevant Government Ministers on a regular basis and meets with new Ministers when they take responsibility for their portfolio. I have met with Professor Mark Ferguson on a number of occasions since my appointment as Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation in late November 2017. I am not aware of any formal requests for advice from the...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Industrial Development (13 Feb 2018)

John Halligan: The National Health Innovation Hub (Health Innovation Hub Ireland), a joint initiative of the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation and the Department of Health, was launched in September 2016 following a competitive process.  Health Innovation Hub Ireland involves a consortium of formal collaborators which include University College Cork, Cork Institute of Technology,...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Research Funding (7 Feb 2018)

John Halligan: In the context of the Deputy's first question, what he says is correct regarding researchers and developers overseas. However, based on the amount of money we put into research and development in Ireland, it is fair to say that we have outstanding research centres - 17 in total. We had the ability and funding to open three research centres last year, within a very tight fiscal space,...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Research Funding (7 Feb 2018)

John Halligan: The 2018 allocation to the programme for research in third level institutions, PRTLI, is €14.3 million. A portion of the 2018 PRTLI allocation for 2018 will be used to part-pay outstanding bills for PRTLI cycle 5 projects. There were 33 projects funded in cycle 5, with the final two completed in mid-2017. The Department is now in the final stages of addressing the remaining payments...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Research Funding (7 Feb 2018)

John Halligan: It would be remiss of me not to agree with the Deputy on this. I believe we should be investing more in research and development. The difficulty is we have come from a tight fiscal space and five years of recession. It is always difficult to decide on which areas to place funding to boost the economy or deliver sustainability. While the 2018 allocation of €14 million is small...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Research and Development Funding (7 Feb 2018)

John Halligan: Innovation 2020, Ireland’s strategy for research and development, science and technology, contains a commitment to support excellent research across the full continuum from basic research to the creation and development of research-informed innovative products, processes and services. Government investment in R&D includes funding for programmes that encompass all disciplines...