Results 581-600 of 1,321 for speaker:Áine Collins

Early Childhood Care and Education: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members] (12 Feb 2014)

Áine Collins: The Government set up the new Child and Family Agency to focus on early intervention and family support.

Early Childhood Care and Education: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members] (12 Feb 2014)

Áine Collins: The community childcare subvention scheme assists in providing quality child care at reduced rates to disadvantaged and low-income working parents. There are three fantastic community child care facilities in my area in Ballydesmond, Banteer and Bothar Bui. However, they are hugely challenged in terms of maintaining these services and struggle even more with rates bills, which they must pay...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Disabled Drivers and Passengers Scheme (12 Feb 2014)

Áine Collins: 55. To ask the Minister for Finance if he will direct the Revenue Commissioners to be flexible on a case-by-case basis in their approach to the type of vehicle, particularly the engine size criteria, as the current regulation of 2,000 cc does not suit certain specific applicants, that is, farmers who need 3 litres plus engines to enable them to participate to some extent in family farm work....

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (13 Feb 2014)

Áine Collins: We are all talking about fundamental principles. The procedures of this committee are very important and have been set down for a long time. If we want to change them that is fine, but we must have a discussion and find out how to do it. We cannot change something because it does not suit us after the event. In hindsight, we should have had a discussion before we invited Sergeant McCabe...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (13 Feb 2014)

Áine Collins: If he requires clarification on something, perhaps we can facilitate him.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Forthcoming Competitiveness Council: Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (18 Feb 2014)

Áine Collins: I welcome the Minister and his officials. I am delighted to hear that food labelling is on the agenda for the forthcoming meeting. I understand that sugar is the main issue in this regard, particularly with regard to the number of ways its presence can be disguised in food through labelling. Sugar is linked to obesity, especially in children. I do not know what is the nature of our...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: County Enterprise Boards (Dissolution) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (18 Feb 2014)

Áine Collins: I concur with the Minister. Cork will have LEOs and rural development Leader groups so the consumers will know where to go and have access to a wide range of services. People will be able to communicate in the network and there are business people from civil society. People will be asked to step up; although some are good at sitting back and complaining about the State not doing enough,...

Health Service Executive (Financial Matters) Bill 2013: Second Stage (Resumed) (19 Feb 2014)

Áine Collins: When the Health Service Executive was established in January 2005 it replaced the existing ten health boards. At the time the health boards were regarded as problematic from a governance perspective. To a certain extent this view was correct. Ten different systems without any co-ordination were obviously going to be ineffective. Also, as technology developed, systems had to develop. The...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Firearms Licences (25 Feb 2014)

Áine Collins: 521. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality if An Garda Síochána and his Department are engaged in a joint consideration in respect of firearms licensing matters; if so, the stage the process is at; and the reason he considers that a review is necessary at this stage. [9245/14]

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Appointment Delays (25 Feb 2014)

Áine Collins: 685. To ask the Minister for Health the reason a person (details supplied) in County Cork who is ill and who urgently requires cataract treatment has to wait for a preliminary appointment until April 2015, despite the fact that substantial medical-psychiatric evidence has been submitted by their doctors. [9360/14]

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Strengthening the Start-up Community: Discussion (25 Feb 2014)

Áine Collins: I thank all the witnesses for their work on this subject, which is long overdue. Mr. O’Sullivan knows that I have been interested in this area for quite a while. I agree that it must start with education policy. The witnesses are familiar with the secondary school programme run by Jerry Kennelly in Tralee. That should have become a national programme but it needs to start at an...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Strengthening the Start-up Community: Discussion (25 Feb 2014)

Áine Collins: We need to change that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Strengthening the Start-up Community: Discussion (25 Feb 2014)

Áine Collins: It needs to be simplified.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Strengthening the Start-up Community: Discussion (25 Feb 2014)

Áine Collins: The rollover of relief needs to be included.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Strengthening the Start-up Community: Discussion (25 Feb 2014)

Áine Collins: That is an interesting point. I was not aware of that blockage, but we can look at it. The seed capital scheme has never worked because it is too difficult. That is another system that has been in place for years. Even when there was money around, people were not using the scheme because it was too onerous to activate it. A person needed the money to invest in shares before it could be...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Strengthening the Start-up Community: Discussion (25 Feb 2014)

Áine Collins: Another proposal would be that any tax back be invested in shares in order that a business would not have to find the money on the first day to invest in the shares and then draw back the tax, which could take quite a while. The issue with the EIS is similar in that it is too onerous a task. If we are serious about trying to fill that gap, what we should really do is let people invest in a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Strengthening the Start-up Community: Discussion (25 Feb 2014)

Áine Collins: It has been very successful.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Strengthening the Start-up Community: Discussion (25 Feb 2014)

Áine Collins: It is at a low cost to the employer initially because it can be very expensive otherwise.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Strengthening the Start-up Community: Discussion (25 Feb 2014)

Áine Collins: The Tús programme deals with people who may have never received work experience or do not have a third level education. They were traditionally builders or tradesmen. They were happy to become involved in community projects to keep up their skills to be ready to re-enter employment. The commercialisation of technology is a significant problem and has involved an expenditure of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Strengthening the Start-up Community: Discussion (25 Feb 2014)

Áine Collins: The Companies Registration Office, CRO, provides that service. If people are sole traders they have to register their own business name. If they have a partnership they can register as a business partnership and they get a number. The same applies if one is a company or a company limited by guarantee. Obviously, if one gets charged for status that is a Revenue issue but the CRO provides...