Results 1,201-1,220 of 3,797 for speaker:Ciarán Cannon

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Higher Education Funding: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Dec 2016)

Ciarán Cannon: I thank all the witnesses for their contributions and for sharing their knowledge and wisdom on an issue of immense importance to all of us. Dr. Day referred to autonomy. I agree wholly with her on the point about the autonomy afforded to our universities and how they can use the resources available to them. This has been a recurring theme in our discussions in this room. I agree that...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Higher Education Funding: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Dec 2016)

Ciarán Cannon: I thank all the witnesses for their enlightening contributions. They are a credit to their institutions and, indeed, to their families and communities which have supported them. I was fortunate to have visited the Irish consulate in Boston three years ago. There I met two recently graduated law students who were working as interns and enjoying the experience immensely. One of them had...

Select Committee on Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs: Estimates for Public Services 2016
Vote 33 - Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht (Revised) (1 Dec 2016)

Ciarán Cannon: On the delivery of Leader in the aforementioned east Galway, and I thank the Minister for her concern, as she is aware, issues have arisen with the establishment of an entity chosen to deliver Leader in east Galway. A very significant number of communities have been actively engaging with Galway Rural Development Company over the past four to five years. They engaged for three reasons -...

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2016
Vote 26 - Education and Skills (Supplementary) (30 Nov 2016)

Ciarán Cannon: I am fine.

Written Answers — Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Rural Development Programme Funding (29 Nov 2016)

Ciarán Cannon: 50. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the schemes and supports available within her Department in 2017 to help support rural communities; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37408/16]

Written Answers — Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Commemorative Events (29 Nov 2016)

Ciarán Cannon: 54. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht her plans for the final phase of the 1916 centenary programme; her views on the success of the past year and the way she will build on this in future years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37407/16]

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Higher Education Funding: Discussion (24 Nov 2016)

Ciarán Cannon: I thank both of the speakers and the whole team for the exceptionally valuable work they have done in producing the report. It is exceptionally important that we act on it sooner rather than later. In the engagement with the heads of all of our third-level institutions nationally there was obviously discussion around funding to support that third-level structure, but was there any...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs: Sustaining Viable Rural Communities: Discussion (Resumed) (23 Nov 2016)

Ciarán Cannon: I would like to ask the Irish Men's Sheds Association a question. I have had an exceptionally positive experience in working with those involved in some local men's sheds. What are the biggest challenges in establishing men's sheds in rural and urban communities? How can the machinery of the State - local and national - help them in overcoming these challenges?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Report of the Expert Group on Future Funding for Higher Education: Discussion (10 Nov 2016)

Ciarán Cannon: I welcome all the representative of the universities. This is an exceptionally valuable opportunity for us as parliamentarians to be able to engage with them and gauge their opinion on how we should move forward. The critical point is that we move forward and that there is no further prevarication or procrastination in respect of what is an exceptionally difficult challenge, and what is,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Report of the Expert Group on Future Funding for Higher Education: Discussion (10 Nov 2016)

Ciarán Cannon: As part of the overall review process, does the autonomy question need to be addressed now? Rather than somehow kicking it down the road again, should it be an integral part of the assessment of what we are doing right now?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Report of the Expert Group on Future Funding for Higher Education: Discussion (10 Nov 2016)

Ciarán Cannon: It is accountability and autonomy.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs: Sustaining Viable Rural Communities: Discussion (Resumed). (9 Nov 2016)

Ciarán Cannon: I thank all the representatives for taking the time to come here to make presentations to us this morning. I will respond with a quick overview of those presentations. I would say to the representatives from two banks, which, quite rightly, are described as our pillar banks, that we are approaching the end of what has been an exceptionally difficult period economically for the country. I...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs: Sustaining Viable Rural Communities: Discussion (Resumed). (9 Nov 2016)

Ciarán Cannon: I thank all the witnesses for taking the time to appear before the committee, present to us and offer us a very fascinating insight into some of the ideas they have for sustaining and reviving our rural towns and villages through their commercial activity. I am a somewhat vested interest in this regard. I own a small rural business. I am a small rural retailer. I sell alcohol in a pub...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs: Sustaining Viable Rural Communities: Discussion (Resumed). (9 Nov 2016)

Ciarán Cannon: As a publican I despair at the idea that if one can somehow make it more difficult to buy alcohol in retail settings, it will rejuvenate the rural pub. It will not. That is a fallacy and I do not support it at all.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs: Sustaining Viable Rural Communities: Discussion (Resumed) (26 Oct 2016)

Ciarán Cannon: I have three brief questions for the witnesses, the first of which is predominantly for Enterprise Ireland. In regard to venture capital for start-ups, particularly in small market towns in rural Ireland, has the idea of credit union involvement been explored? If it has, I am not aware of it. The credit unions are entities within all towns throughout the country that have an inherent...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs: Sustaining Viable Rural Communities: Discussion (Resumed) (26 Oct 2016)

Ciarán Cannon: My first question is for both Údarás na Gaeltachta and the Western Development Commission. I live in a little village approximately 25 minutes drive from the periphery of Galway city. My perception is that Galway city is the primary driver of economic growth in that whole western region. I am sure most of us here share that opinion. The údarás has been exceptionally...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs: Sustaining Viable Rural Communities: Discussion (Resumed) (26 Oct 2016)

Ciarán Cannon: I have an initial 30 seconds for the Western Development Commission again. I am returning to the issue of upscaling. What sort of engagement does it have with the education and training boards, ETBs, across the region in determining what skills shortages there are and how they can be addressed? What potential job creation opportunities are available across our rural regions? How can the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs: Sustaining Viable Rural Communities: Discussion (Resumed) (26 Oct 2016)

Ciarán Cannon: Just to be clear, was it a part of the submission that Údarás na Gaeltachta suggested there should not be a merger?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs: Sustaining Viable Rural Communities: Discussion (Resumed) (26 Oct 2016)

Ciarán Cannon: In its expert assessment and knowledge of where locally our strengths lie for the future, has the Western Development Commission decided as an entity that there are specific sectors in which we can really make jobs happen? The witnesses seem to be very ambitious on biomass, which is great. Are we spreading our resources too thinly and trying to cover too many bases? Should we focus simply...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs: Sustaining Viable Rural Communities: Discussion (Resumed) (26 Oct 2016)

Ciarán Cannon: An extraordinary step.