Results 1,521-1,540 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (28 Mar 2023)

Richard Bruton: 431. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will list the schools in the Donaghmede/Howth/Dublin 13 area at primary and at secondary level; in each case, if she will indicate the denomination of the school; if they admit boys or girls; the pupil capacity of the school; the present level of enrolment; and if she has plans to provide more school places in the catchment. [15425/23]

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (23 Mar 2023)

Richard Bruton: This week, the ESB reported €650 million in profits with most of this coming from more than trebling of profits in its generation business. The ESB pays the Government a €327 million dividend but other companies in the generation business do not pay any such dividend. Does the Tánaiste feel measures such as a windfall tax and capping on renewables are adequate to address...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: School Patronage (23 Mar 2023)

Richard Bruton: The difficulty is that many elements of the approach taken militated against consensus and, in fact, it went far further than that and has now resulted in deep divisions within the school community. Among the problem areas was, first, that a very rapid decision was expected about the next school year. Second, there were no data or surveys prior to the initiation of discussions. Third, the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: School Patronage (23 Mar 2023)

Richard Bruton: Would the Minister not agree with me that some very basic design processes were absent? Give the notion of a rapid decision in a complex situation, this should have been allowed to be phased over a period. As there were no data, no surveys and no anticipation of what might be the views of parents, it ended up that one of the criteria used was the number of children opting out of religion...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: School Patronage (23 Mar 2023)

Richard Bruton: 59. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she is satisfied with the model being piloted for the transfer of patronage in schools; and if modifications in that approach are planned. [14233/23]

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: School Patronage (23 Mar 2023)

Richard Bruton: The question I am going to ask will be familiar to the Cathaoirleach Gníomhach. It relates to the pilot process for achieving a transfer of patronage. We had an example in our constituency recently and it went badly wrong, essentially because of a lack of anticipation of how a successful process could work. It needs to be changed if we are to have success. In a constituency like...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan 2023: Discussion (Resumed) (23 Mar 2023)

Richard Bruton: I welcome the Minister to the committee. I would like to get an impression of where we are. I know that from the climate plan, the first year of the five-year period, 2021, was below what was predicted, obviously for unusual reasons. What is the sense of where 2022 will land compared with the sort of pathway that was spelled out in the plan? It looks like about 11 point something or other.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan 2023: Discussion (Resumed) (23 Mar 2023)

Richard Bruton: Can I ask the Minister a few quick questions and he might take them? I am time-limited. On the roll-out of Bus Connects, it seems to me that it is painfully slow, and I wonder if there is any way of injecting some acceleration into that? I know it requires dealing with a lot of physical and planning issues. For my second question, I would be interested to know a little more about the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan 2023: Discussion (Resumed) (23 Mar 2023)

Richard Bruton: Will it be up to each council to apply if, say, it wants to have six mobility hubs and to have them approved by the fund? Alternatively, will there be a centralised design that could result in much quicker implementation? I fear local authorities comprise another bottleneck in rolling out any initiative of the kind in question.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan 2023: Discussion (Resumed) (23 Mar 2023)

Richard Bruton: It is simply about labelling the embodied tonnage, just to-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan 2023: Discussion (Resumed) (23 Mar 2023)

Richard Bruton: In an area such as mine where there is rapid growth in development, many of the areas are not in charge and, as a result, there will be no mobility hub, electric vehicle, EV, chargers, ramps or cycling lanes. This is a serious problem if we are trying to ensure newly emerging communities will start out in a sustainable environment. We could probably say these planning permissions should...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan 2023: Discussion (Resumed) (23 Mar 2023)

Richard Bruton: These areas have been built and are not prospective, but they are not in charge and that will await all sorts of approvals regarding the handover.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan 2023: Discussion (Resumed) (23 Mar 2023)

Richard Bruton: I apologise but it is not a question of speeding it up. This gap exists and it will see our newly developing areas not adopt sustainable modes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan 2023: Discussion (Resumed) (23 Mar 2023)

Richard Bruton: Will that be for prospective planning permission or-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan 2023: Discussion (Resumed) (23 Mar 2023)

Richard Bruton: The problem in the here and now is that substantial communities have been developed without the option of any of these elements, which we know are essential for sustainable mobility.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan 2023: Discussion (Resumed) (23 Mar 2023)

Richard Bruton: Local authorities will deny that and say they cannot build mobility hubs, EV chargers, cycle lanes or anything else.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan 2023: Discussion (Resumed) (23 Mar 2023)

Richard Bruton: I do not wish to delay the meeting, but I will set out the way that happens. The council uses a long checklist, including whether sewerage systems meet certain standards, and a bond and will not agree to taking something in charge until the bond has covered that checklist or the developer has done work to a standard. It is torturously slow.

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Ukraine War (23 Mar 2023)

Richard Bruton: 31. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence if he will outline the implications of the ongoing war in Ukraine for Ireland's security and defence. [14231/23]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Policy (23 Mar 2023)

Richard Bruton: 86. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will indicate how her Department assesses standards of literacy and numeracy at school entry and through primary education. [14232/23]

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Code (23 Mar 2023)

Richard Bruton: 288. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she will review the way in which savings and assets are treated in means-test assessments, since the very stringent valuation rules risk becoming a deterrent to saving for a fruitful retirement; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14461/23]