Results 1,161-1,180 of 15,491 for speaker:Eamon Gilmore

Order of Business (12 Dec 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: The Order of Business is No. 10a, Supplementary Estimates for Public Services [Vote 3] - back from committee; No. 10, the Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) (Amendment) Bill 2013 [Seanad] – motion to instruct committee (resumed); and No. 21, Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) (Amendment) Bill 2013 [Seanad] - Report and Final Stages (resumed)....

Order of Business (12 Dec 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: Yes. This issue was dealt with at the health committee this morning. I believe the discussion lasted over an hour and a half.

Order of Business (12 Dec 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: The issue here-----

Order of Business (12 Dec 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: -----as is normally the case when issues like this come back from committee, is that they are taken without debate on the floor of the House.

Order of Business (12 Dec 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: The legislation in respect of the introduction of free GP care for children under the age of six is being prepared by the Minister of State, Deputy White, and by the Minister, Deputy Reilly. We expect to have that legislation before Government in the very near future. In respect of the National Treasury Management Agency (No. 1) Bill, the intention is to publish that this session. We...

Order of Business (12 Dec 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: First, the HSE service plan is not delayed. There is a process for considering the HSE service plan, that is, it is submitted to the Minister for Health. That has been done. There is a period of 21 days within which the Minister for Health considers the plan. That 21 days runs to Monday next, 16 December, and the Minister for Health will have made his decision on the service plan by then.

Order of Business (12 Dec 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: It is laid before the House. There is a formal process for doing it. Second, the Deputy asked about the Charities Bill and the establishment of the charities regulation authority. The full implementation of the Charities Act, including the establishment of the authority and the register of charities, had resource implications and had to be examined in the context of the urgent need to...

Leaders' Questions (12 Dec 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: Let us be clear on this matter. The HSE conducted the audit and established that the top-up payments were being paid. That was done at the request of the Minister for Health. The Government and the Minister for Health are determined to ensure that there will be transparency on these payments so that the public, who contribute to charities, can have confidence that their money is going...

Leaders' Questions (12 Dec 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: The ESRI published two reports yesterday although Deputy Donnelly referred to only one of them. Every year it publishes a report on what it terms the distributional impact of the budget measures, based on what it calls the Switch model. The ESRI also published a second report which studied the impact of social transfers on people at risk of poverty. In the report on the distributional...

Leaders' Questions (12 Dec 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: -----on working people. We managed to take 330,000 people out of the universal social charge. We reversed the cut in the minimum wage and in this year's budget we are providing free GP care to children aged under six years. The second ESRI report looked at the impact of social transfers in reducing the risk of poverty and the findings are unambiguous. Social transfers, including...

Leaders' Questions (12 Dec 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: First,the Government already has taken in charge of it. In May 2012, the Health Information and Quality Authority, HIQA, published a report on the governance of Tallaght hospital. It emerged from that report that an employee in that hospital was receiving additional payments since 2005. On foot of that report, the Minister for Health asked the HSE to carry out an audit of all the section...

Leaders' Questions (12 Dec 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: While the Deputy now states she is aware of that, as that was not clear from her question, let me explain it to her. As a result of that audit, each agency was asked to revert to the HSE. Some came back very quickly showing that they were complying, others came back showing they were not and in the case of some others, it was necessary to follow through with them. However, this was an...

Leaders' Questions (12 Dec 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: I note Deputy McDonald herself was hard enough to find last week to be vox popped on matters in which there might have been some public interest. This exchange this morning is quite interesting, in that there used to be a time when the Opposition would come into the Chamber and would raise issues with the Government regarding things the Government was not doing. It must be extraordinary...

Leaders' Questions (12 Dec 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: To be clear, the issue of the top-up payments in the section 38 agencies is a matter with which the Government already has dealt and continues to deal. I understand that the representatives of the Mater hospital - which has a role in the superannuation arrangements with the CRC - are due to appear before the Committee of Public Accounts on 19 December.

Leaders' Questions (12 Dec 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: I agree with Deputy McGrath that it is important public confidence is retained and renewed in charitable organisations and that people who contribute to charities can have confidence their contributions are used for the purposes for which they are intended, in other words, that they go to front-line services. That is why the measures being taken to deal with the issues of top-up payments and...

Leaders' Questions (12 Dec 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: The first thing I wish to deal with is the issue of public confidence in charities. It needs to be made clear to people who contribute to charities or people who are contemplating contributing to charities that the act is being cleaned up and that the problems identified in respect of top-ups or excessive payments - whatever we call it - to senior management staff and senior executives in...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Middle East Issues (11 Dec 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: I propose to take Questions Nos. 28, 29 and 32 to 35, inclusive, together. I remain seriously concerned about the situation in Gaza, both the long term situation and the recent deterioration caused by a reduction in the power supply. My Department monitors the situation in Gaza closely, including through regular contact with UNRWA and UNOCHA, the main UN agencies active there, as well as...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Diplomatic Representation (11 Dec 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: Ireland's diplomatic and consular network is comparatively modest in size and includes 56 Embassies, 7 multilateral Missions and 10 Consulates General and other offices. In addition to their country of primary accreditation, many Ambassadors are also accredited to additional countries on a non-resident basis which enhances the cost-effectiveness of our external representation. Our missions...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Websites (11 Dec 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: My Department recently invested in upgrading our online services to the public for the first time since 2005. This essential upgrade of our ICT infrastructure allows my Department to support Irish citizens at home and abroad through a suite of bespoke services including the Passport Tracking Service and a Passport Application Guide. In addition, the Citizen Registration service allows Irish...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: EU Directives (11 Dec 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: No EU directive relating to the policy remit of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is awaiting transposition into Irish law.