Results 15,861-15,880 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Leaders' Questions (13 Oct 2016)

Richard Bruton: I thank the Deputy for her question. It is important to bear in mind that well over 200,000 Irish jobs are directly dependent on our trade. In the face of Brexit which will put pressure on companies selling into the UK market, it is important that Irish businesses gain access to other markets such as the Canadian market. This is an agreement which has been negotiated between the European...

Leaders' Questions (13 Oct 2016)

Richard Bruton: I am surprised at the Deputy, when she is the very one who opposed the FEMPI legislation which applied progressive cuts and under which the cut in the Taoiseach's pay was 41% and people, while those on the very lowest rates of pay were not subject to any cut.

Leaders' Questions (13 Oct 2016)

Richard Bruton: The legislation to provide for a fair allocation of the burden was brought before the House and voted on, but Deputy Mary Lou McDonald was one of the those who refused to support it.

Leaders' Questions (13 Oct 2016)

Richard Bruton: Deputy Mary Lou McDonald is shedding crocodile tears when she says some individuals should not receive pay increases.

Leaders' Questions (13 Oct 2016)

Richard Bruton: We are being very clear. The Government will lead on this issue. Once again, Ministers will not be accepting the pay increases to be awarded under the restoration of pay arrangement that applies elsewhere. That is to be welcomed.

Leaders' Questions (13 Oct 2016)

Richard Bruton: Of course, an independent analysis has been done by the Department responsible for developing these programmes.

Leaders' Questions (13 Oct 2016)

Richard Bruton: The problem we are addressing is that many builders cannot afford to provide the top-up funding needed to get starter homes. Large estates of 100 houses or more are not being built.

Leaders' Questions (13 Oct 2016)

Richard Bruton: The Minister has taken direct action to help the starter home market, which is a very important part of the market.

Leaders' Questions (13 Oct 2016)

Richard Bruton: For example, he is making provision for an affordable housing scheme under which developers, many of whom are not back in the market, can get access to cash on a guarantee that they will make homes available at affordable prices.

Leaders' Questions (13 Oct 2016)

Richard Bruton: They are also getting upfront payment in respect of social homes. We continue to have a problem which the Deputy seems to ignore, namely, that young people are paying expensive rents and cannot put together the deposit the Central Bank, for proper reasons, has set. We do not want a repeat of the banking bubble, which is the reason the Central Bank has set down requirements. The Government...

Leaders' Questions (13 Oct 2016)

Richard Bruton: I thank Deputy McDonald for her question. I am surprised she is not praising the Government for providing an increase for 850,000 people who have not received an increase for eight years, including carers, people with disabilities, people on invalidity pension, blind persons and the unemployed. I would have thought the Deputy would particularly welcome the fact that, for the first time, we...

Leaders' Questions (13 Oct 2016)

Richard Bruton: I welcome the budget housing initiative. There is to be a 49% increase in the capital allocation for housing next year, a significant investment that underpins the detailed action plan for housing issued by the Minister, Deputy Simon Coveney. Action is to be taken under the plan across a range of areas. As admitted by the Deputy, it provides for the provision of 47,000 social homes. There...

Leaders' Questions (13 Oct 2016)

Richard Bruton: The measure has been designed directly to help the very people to which Deputy Darragh O'Brien refers, namely, young people seeking to get on the home ownership ladder. They are living in expensive rental accommodation and find it difficult to put a deposit together. This is a measure which has been designed directly to assist them.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Support Schemes (13 Oct 2016)

Richard Bruton: The main support available to assist students with the cost of higher education is the student grant scheme. I understand that the individual in question already holds a level 8 degree. One of the criteria in the student grant scheme relates to 'progression'. This means that a student must be moving from year to year within a course, having successfully completed the previous year or be...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Patronage (13 Oct 2016)

Richard Bruton: In April 2016 applications were invited for the patronage of nine new post-primary schools to be established in 2017 and 2018, including the new post-primary school to serve the Limerick City & Environs (South-West) area. The closing date for receipt of applications for this process was 8 June 2016.  Patrons submitted with their application a parental preference template in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (13 Oct 2016)

Richard Bruton: The Deputy will appreciate that in the absence of all of the relevant details that would be contained in an individual's application form, including those relating to nationality, residency, previous academic attainment and means, it would not be possible for me to say whether or not a student would qualify for a grant or what level of grant would be appropriate. The decision on...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Support Schemes (13 Oct 2016)

Richard Bruton: The main support available to assist students with the cost of higher education is the student grant scheme. One of the criteria in the student grant scheme relates to 'progression'. This means that a student must be moving from year to year within a course, having successfully completed the previous year or be transferring from one course to another, where the award for the subsequent...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Staff (13 Oct 2016)

Richard Bruton: Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) are allocated to Special Schools and to mainstream Primary and Post Primary schools to assist children with special educational needs who also have additional and significant care needs. There are currently no plans to extend this to the PLC programme. However, PLC participants may be eligible to supports under the Fund for Students with...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Costs (13 Oct 2016)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 41, 45, 50, 56, 58, 59, 61, 63, 64, 66, 71 and 72 together. I am aware of the report referred to by the Deputies. I strongly support any measures that can be put in place to reduce costs for parents. All schools must be sensitive to the financial pressures on parents in making decisions, not just about school uniforms or books, but about any matter that has...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport Expenditure (13 Oct 2016)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 42, 43, 46, 51, 62 and 67 together. As committed to in the Programme for Government, a review of the concessionary charges and rules element of the School Transport Scheme has been undertaken. School transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department. During the 2015/16 school year in the region of 114,000 children,...