Results 1-20 of 34,352 for speaker:Seán Fleming

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Schools Building Projects (30 Apr 2024)

Seán Fleming: I thank the Deputy for raising this matter as it gives me the opportunity, on behalf of the Minister for Education, to provide an update to the House on the current position in respect of the campus project in Dunshaughlin for Dunshaughlin Community National School and Coláiste Ríoga. The Deputy will be aware that every Deputy in the House is inundated with various school projects....

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Schools Building Projects (30 Apr 2024)

Seán Fleming: I again thank the Deputy. I assure him the Dunshaughlin school campus project is a significant priority for the Department of Education, which will continue to liaise with the school and its patron body on interim accommodation requirements and will provide any updates about the progress of the school building project we have been discussing. The Deputy has read a list of serious...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Schools Building Projects (30 Apr 2024)

Seán Fleming: I am pleased to hear that. The school building project for Dunshaughlin Community National School involves the construction of eight new classrooms, as the Deputy is aware, and accommodation, including two classrooms for children with special educational needs and ancillary accommodation. The location, as the Deputy is aware, is on the Dublin Road and the campus site will also incorporate...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Renewable Energy Generation (30 Apr 2024)

Seán Fleming: I thank Deputy Stanton for his further contribution, highlighting the significance, importance and timeliness of this project proceeding. In advance of a comprehensive review of the national ports policy in 2013, which had just commenced, the Department of Transport, in conjunction with the Irish Maritime Development Office, carried out an assessment of the options for Irish commercial State...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Renewable Energy Generation (30 Apr 2024)

Seán Fleming: I thank the Deputy for raising this question today. I am answering on behalf of the Minister for Transport. It should be recognised that with its vast coastline and strong winds, Ireland has the opportunity to harness clean and renewable energy from offshore wind. This will not only reduce our emissions from electricity but also allow us to electrify and reduce our emissions in the...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: International Protection (30 Apr 2024)

Seán Fleming: I thank Senator O'Loughlin for raising this very important issue in respect of Newbridge. No doubt this is an issue in many areas throughout the country. The Department of integration, and I am speaking on behalf of the Minister, currently relies on the private commercial market, not the private residential rental market, to supply accommodation to house international protection applicants....

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: International Protection (30 Apr 2024)

Seán Fleming: I can give the Senator one bit of advice of further information about how many the system is designed for. What I can say is a similar situation arose in my constituency recently. Certain local people went to the local authority to find out the planning status of the house that was in question. It was a private house that had been done up and it was put up. Planning permission is required...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence (30 Apr 2024)

Seán Fleming: On behalf of the Minister for Justice, Deputy McEntee, I thank Senator Boylan for raising this matter. I assure the Senator that the Minister and colleagues in government recognise stalking for the serious offence it is. Stalking is a crime that not only undermines the fabric of our society, it also infringes upon the safety, dignity and freedom of victims. We are aware that this is an...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence (30 Apr 2024)

Seán Fleming: I again thank the Senator for raising this matter and for the further elaboration in response to my opening statement. We will continue to treat stalking with the gravity it demands and we encourage all victims of stalking to report it to An Garda Síochána. Offences now carry potential sentences of up to ten years. Some of these offences had previously only carried sentences of...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Defence Forces (30 Apr 2024)

Seán Fleming: I thank Senator Clonan for raising this matter and welcome the opportunity to speak on it on behalf of the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence. I listened carefully to everything the Senator said. Some of it was most interesting. The level of detail in the points he made is helpful to us. Ireland has always been a strong supporter of the United Nations and peacekeeping. Our...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Defence Forces (30 Apr 2024)

Seán Fleming: How could I refuse a request like that? I will speak to the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence about meeting the United Nations veterans. I do not think any of us does not know our local post and my one in Portlaoise is very active. The veterans turn out on occasion after occasion and are so proud of the service they have given abroad over the years. Many of them have done several...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Illegal Dumping (30 Apr 2024)

Seán Fleming: I thank the Senator for raising this issue. I am taking this Commencement matter on behalf of my colleague, Deputy Eamon Ryan, the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications. The Minister of State, Deputy Ossian Smyth, also has a clear role in this area due to the data protection issue. The Circular Economy and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2022 advanced a number of priority...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Illegal Dumping (30 Apr 2024)

Seán Fleming: I thank the Senator. The Department has allocated €3 million to local authorities as part of the anti-dumping initiative for 2024. Since 2017, €18 million has been provided to local authorities across the country to support more than 1,700 projects. Local authorities continue to work with the State agency to identify problems. That funding does not specifically relate to...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Diaspora Issues (30 Apr 2024)

Seán Fleming: The Government is very much aware of the challenges which people can face when returning to live in Ireland. The current Diaspora Strategy 2020-2025 undertakes to monitor barriers to returning emigrants and to remove them, where possible. It also undertakes to improve the provision of information to diaspora communities about returning home. These undertakings reflect the findings of the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Humanitarian Aid (23 Apr 2024)

Seán Fleming: In recent years Ireland has not provided direct funding to Sahrawi refugee camps in Algeria. However, we provide very significant core, unearmarked funding to United Nations humanitarian agencies operating in the camps including the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the World Food Programme (WFP). This core funding gives the agencies the flexibility to plan and target funding in...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Budgets (23 Apr 2024)

Seán Fleming: The Government's Emigrant Support Programme provides funding to non-profit organisations and projects that support Irish communities overseas. It is an integral part of the Government's approach to diaspora engagement, as outlined in Global Ireland: Ireland’s Diaspora Strategy 2020-2025. While the initial focus of the programme was on organisations providing welfare services to Irish...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Diplomatic Representation (16 Apr 2024)

Seán Fleming: Ireland will be represented at the 9th Our Ocean Conference in Athens by our Ambassador to Greece along with the Maritime Affairs Attaché of Ireland's Permanent Representation to the European Union. Ireland commends Greece for hosting this important event and we share Greece’s view that environmental protection of the seas and oceans is a matter of global importance. ...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Funding (16 Apr 2024)

Seán Fleming: I am very concerned at the extreme levels of violence in Haiti and the lack of access for essential supplies of food and medicine. Through the Irish Aid programme, Ireland provided €2.8 million to support humanitarian and development programmes in Haiti in 2023. Over €2 million of this was provided through Irish NGOs, Concern, GOAL and Plan International Ireland, with...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Disability Services (11 Apr 2024)

Seán Fleming: 195. To ask the Minister for Health to outline the current service in relation to the provision of physiotherapy and occupational therapy in a location (details supplied) for adults and separately for children; how many whole-time equivalent staff are providing this service and the number of people on the waiting list and the time of the longest waiter on the list; and if he will make a...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Middle East (9 Apr 2024)

Seán Fleming: The priorities in Gaza must be an immediate ceasefire, the unconditional release of hostages held by Hamas, ensuring accountability for violations of international humanitarian law, and addressing the stark humanitarian needs of the Palestinian people. Humanitarian access to Gaza and a massive scaling up of aid are essential to meet the extreme levels of need of the population. ...