Results 81-100 of 11,654 for speaker:Helen McEntee

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Developments in Renewable Energy Technologies and Practices: SEAI (9 Apr 2014)

Helen McEntee: I thank the witnesses for their presentation. I would agree with most of my colleagues that the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland does a good job and has progressed considerably in the past few years. I note Meath has benefited in four different areas from its projects last year. Possibly, a lot that is good is not seen due to the negative talk at present, in particular, on wind...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Developments in Renewable Energy Technologies and Practices: SEAI (9 Apr 2014)

Helen McEntee: What kind of relationship does SEAI have with private wind energy companies?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Broadcasting Rights: Gaelic Athletic Association (15 Apr 2014)

Helen McEntee: I thank both gentlemen for their contributions today and for the work that they do for the organisation. The GAA is a fantastic organisation. A lot of my questions have been asked and the delegation has answered them extremely well. I come from a very strong GAA family, grew up around it and have seen the work of its fantastic community and what that generates. The only fear that we...

Competition and Consumer Protection Bill 2014: Second Stage (Resumed) (16 Apr 2014)

Helen McEntee: I welcome the opportunity to speak on this legislation. I welcome the Bill and thank the Minister for bringing it forward. It has been long awaited for many different reasons. I wish to focus my contribution on the agricultural sector and the smaller producers in particular, that is, those growing fruit and vegetables and selling them on to the larger multinational corporations. I met...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Design of Ballot Papers: Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (16 Apr 2014)

Helen McEntee: I will make a quick observation because I must speak in the Chamber. I agree with Deputy Kitt. We should get information beforehand and see what it looks like. There was confusion in our literature where we mentioned voting "Yes" and an X in the box. When people see X, they think of "No". What is handed out beforehand can make a big difference. If the literature was handed out...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Bodies Establishment (30 Apr 2014)

Helen McEntee: 343. To ask the Minister for Social Protection when she expects the Pension Charges Working Group, set up to initiate actions that followed up on the Report on Pension Charges will be established; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19011/14]

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: School Transport Scheme: Bus Éireann (7 May 2014)

Helen McEntee: I thank the witnesses for their attendance. As for the legal advice, I wish to associate myself with the comments by Deputies Coffey and O'Donovan. As Deputy Ann Phelan has touched on some of the questions I had wished to ask, I will turn briefly to the tendering process. Companies that have been going through this process for years and which have had contracts for years may suddenly find...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: School Transport Scheme: Bus Éireann (7 May 2014)

Helen McEntee: I asked a question about the bus crash in Kentstown.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: School Transport Scheme: Bus Éireann (7 May 2014)

Helen McEntee: Have there been calls for the company to publish it?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: EU Energy Policy: European Commission (8 May 2014)

Helen McEntee: I thank the witnesses for the presentations. It is logical to set targets. Renewable energy is self-explanatory and although fossil fuels will not disappear in this or the next generation, I would like to think we can plan for the future. It was indicated that it is no longer proposed to set member state targets but if something is not mandatory, people may not put in the same effort. Are...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Road Network (27 May 2014)

Helen McEntee: 971. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he or his Department received proposals from Meath County Council over the past ten years to construct a bridge over the River Blackwater in Navan, County Meath; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22386/14]

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: EU Telecommunications and Energy Councils: Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (28 May 2014)

Helen McEntee: My apologies for arriving late. The Minister has touched on projects of common interest, PCIs, and funding. Who decides on that and what are the criteria? Cost has been a major factor in respect of the EirGrid North-South interconnector. They are trying to do it as cheaply as possible so that it does not appear on people's energy bills. Will the fact that the project has not gone ahead,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Textbooks Rental Scheme (29 May 2014)

Helen McEntee: 38. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills in respect of schools that are already operating a book rental scheme (details supplied), if such schools will be given some financial support to maintain their schemes; if he will reconsider his decision; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23284/14]

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Green Paper on Energy Policy: Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (4 Jun 2014)

Helen McEntee: I thank the Minister for appearing at the committee two weeks in a row. I am delighted to hear that the Minister of State, Deputy O'Dowd, will shortly make an announcement on biomass fuels. A number of proposed projects in Meath focus not just on miscanthus but also on sugar beet, among other crops. That we are largely dependent on oil for transport means that many of these projects will...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Green Paper on Energy Policy: Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (4 Jun 2014)

Helen McEntee: The Minister referred to the workshops and the various themes within the paper. Will the Minister let us know when these take place? I completely agree that we need to expand our infrastructure and that we need it for the future. There are projections of 3% of GDP growth this year and 4% the following year. Even if we are economical with our energy, we need to expand. However, certain...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Wind Energy Guidelines (1 Jul 2014)

Helen McEntee: 338. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if any planning application lodged under the current wind energy guidelines will be subject to new guidelines should they be published before the application has been approved or denied (details supplied). [28398/14]

Topical Issue Debate: Cancer Screening Programmes (2 Jul 2014)

Helen McEntee: I thank the Minister for Health for taking this issue and my colleague, Deputy O'Donnell, for raising it. BreastCheck, which is the national free screening programme for breast cancer, currently extends to women aged between 50 and 64 years of age. It is a fantastic programme. The only figures available to me are from 2012 but I assume that the figures for last year and this year are...

Topical Issue Debate: Cancer Screening Programmes (2 Jul 2014)

Helen McEntee: I thank the Minister for his response. After 15 years there have been over 950,000 mammograms, which is great news. As Deputy O'Donnell noted, these women are somebody's mother, sister, aunt or grandmother. It is more difficult for people to recover from an illness later in life and deaths from breast cancer are the second highest rate in the 60-69 age group. We are missing four years of...

Mental Health Services: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members] (2 Jul 2014)

Helen McEntee: I welcome the opportunity to speak on this Bill because this is an issue that affects everybody. Sometimes our debates on Private Members' business or legislation can be focused on particular sectors or groups of people but mental health does not discriminate on the grounds of age, gender or nationality. Mental health is a vital issue for the nation and I agree with the motion. As policy...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: National Broadband Plan: Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (2 Jul 2014)

Helen McEntee: While the Minister wants to move away from speeds, his note on the delivery of the national broadband plan stated that by 2015 he wanted more than half of the population to have between 70 and 100 Mbps. Are we on target for that? Deputy O'Mahony hit the nail on the head regarding the recent announcement. People in the 40 targeted locations are anxious that it be rolled out as fast as...