Results 1,941-1,960 of 3,935 for speaker:Sorca Clarke

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (13 Oct 2022)

Sorca Clarke: 101. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the steps that he is taking to address the staffing crisis in the childcare sector to ensure the continued provision of adequate childcare across the State. [50733/22]

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Direct Provision System (13 Oct 2022)

Sorca Clarke: 147. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will provide an update on the plan to abolish direct provisions centres across the State. [50732/22]

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Departmental Funding (12 Oct 2022)

Sorca Clarke: 30. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if a grant will be made available to those households upgrading to a wood pellet stove; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50696/22]

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (12 Oct 2022)

Sorca Clarke: 77. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of inspections of rental accommodation by local authority that have taken place in 2021 and to date in 2022; and the number of inspectors allocated to carry out inspections of rental accommodation in each local authority in tabular form. [50695/22]

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Data (12 Oct 2022)

Sorca Clarke: 114. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she will provide a breakdown of supplementary welfare allowance applications to date in 2022, by county; the number of applications awarded; the number refused; the total amount paid out; and the reason given for the payments, in tabular form [50694/22]

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (12 Oct 2022)

Sorca Clarke: 221. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his attention has been drawn to the continued shortage of wood pellets for use in wood pellet stoves and the impact this will have this winter on householders who have removed solid fuel heating systems and rely on wood pellet stoves to heat their homes. [50697/22]

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Ministers and Secretaries Act 1924: Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (12 Oct 2022)

Sorca Clarke: I thank the Chair. It is a pleasure. I am not a member of this committee; I am substituting for somebody else. It is my first time here. Could I return to something Mr. Moloney said to my colleague, Deputy Mairéad Farrell. It related to the disciplinary options open to a Minister and written warnings. I fully accept that I may have picked up Mr. Moloney incorrectly. If I did,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Ministers and Secretaries Act 1924: Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (12 Oct 2022)

Sorca Clarke: It was starting to appear a bit like a spider's web to me, whereby you could be branching off into all kinds of separate angles at a rate of knots. Mr. Moloney referred to civil servants above principal officer grade not being subject to the disciplinary code. Did I hear that correctly?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Ministers and Secretaries Act 1924: Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (12 Oct 2022)

Sorca Clarke: Is it the Government?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Ministers and Secretaries Act 1924: Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (12 Oct 2022)

Sorca Clarke: What is the process involved regarding Secretaries General? I am struggling to understand. There seem to be so many processes or potential processes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Ministers and Secretaries Act 1924: Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (12 Oct 2022)

Sorca Clarke: Am I correct in saying there is not really much of a structured approach and that situations could be dealt with on a case-by-case basis?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Ministers and Secretaries Act 1924: Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (12 Oct 2022)

Sorca Clarke: Even from a workers' rights perspective, I find that a little mind-boggling. That is probably the correct term to use. Mr. Moloney referred to the Rafter report and the Mulcahy report. The accountability of Secretaries General was reviewed in 2002 by a working group. The report pointed out the potential of bringing Secretaries General within the remit of the existing disciplinary...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Ministers and Secretaries Act 1924: Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (12 Oct 2022)

Sorca Clarke: Mr. Moloney referred to the ongoing review into this issue. Let me refer to other jurisdictions, as referred to by Deputy Jim O'Callaghan. In the United States, for example, Ministers can dismiss senior officials within the limits set down by a certain law that is in place. In Canada, the Prime Minister appoints those in the two most senior levels of officials and has the power to remove...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Ministers and Secretaries Act 1924: Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (12 Oct 2022)

Sorca Clarke: It is rather peculiar. The Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence is considering amending and consolidating Acts that date back to the mid-1940s. I refer to really historical Acts. In Mr. Moloney's experience, does he believe there is a better way to do this? Does he believe the current system is working? If we have had so many reports, reviews and amendments of various Acts, is...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Ministers and Secretaries Act 1924: Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (12 Oct 2022)

Sorca Clarke: I thank Mr. Moloney and his team.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Report of the Citizens’ Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (Resumed) (12 Oct 2022)

Sorca Clarke: That is what I mean; around a timeframe. However, this annoyance pales into insignificance compared to the annoyance and frustration felt by women outside and inside this building. We have been speaking about Article 41.2 for longer than I have been alive. It was the biggest single policy issue at the time the Constitution was being drafted so this is not a new issue. I agree with the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Report of the Citizens’ Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (Resumed) (12 Oct 2022)

Sorca Clarke: Options.