Results 1-20 of 27,347 for and speaker:Richard Bruton

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Sports Funding (30 May 2024)

Richard Bruton: 10. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if she plans to modify the criteria for the next call for applications for the sports capital grant; when she is likely to be in a position to announce the criteria; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24424/24]

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (29 May 2024)

Richard Bruton: I welcome the establishment of the task force to rejuvenate Dublin city centre to make it thriving, attractive and safe. David McRedmond will come up with innovative ideas and will integrate across agencies, including, local authorities, the NTA and the HSE. The key to success will be the provision of a budget to fund cross-sector and cross-silo initiatives. I would be keen that, in...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Businesses: Discussion (Resumed) (29 May 2024)

Richard Bruton: I have a question on that. The risk-based assessment model is essentially an iterative one with a to-and-fro. Eventually standards, codes and approaches will evolve but given the speed at which the technology is evolving, does the model have much chance of keeping pace? I worry about what might be called the democratic deliberative process. The horse has largely already bolted in terms of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Businesses: Discussion (Resumed) (29 May 2024)

Richard Bruton: ...be interested to know how the company manages that internally. At Government level, we have got used to things like whistleblowing legislation, risk-proofing of every new Act for certain features, and board and Cabinet-level reports, or whatever. To what extent is that sort of infrastructure developed within our guests' companies so that this is not a kind of additional add-on to what is...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: School Curriculum (28 May 2024)

Richard Bruton: 9. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she has information on the number of post-primary schools which do not deliver the civil, social and political curriculum; if she has assessed whether disadvantaged schools in particular lose out; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23891/24]

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Finalisation of Draft National Energy and Climate Plan and the National Long-Term Strategy: Discussion (28 May 2024)

Richard Bruton: I thank the Minister for his presentation. I understand his frustration. I hear the Opposition continually looking for higher targets but then opposing the measures proposed, whether a carbon tax or planning reform, to allow us to deliver more quickly. There is a political dilemma to upping our ambition. The EU has set targets for renewables, efficiency and effort sharing. On which...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Finalisation of Draft National Energy and Climate Plan and the National Long-Term Strategy: Discussion (28 May 2024)

Richard Bruton: If I dump my ten-year-old Mini Minor and buy an electric SUV, I add approximately 20 million tonnes to emissions in Korea - I do not know what the figure is - but-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Finalisation of Draft National Energy and Climate Plan and the National Long-Term Strategy: Discussion (28 May 2024)

Richard Bruton: With the development plan, there is consultation, then it is adopted and we go ahead. We seem to have another consultation on EV charging even though that has been in every plan you have published and those that were published before you.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Finalisation of Draft National Energy and Climate Plan and the National Long-Term Strategy: Discussion (28 May 2024)

Richard Bruton: ...our economic strategy for a very long period. We have to manage this sensitively, as the Minister is outlining, because if we allow short-term constraints to result in investment going elsewhere and Ireland's sector being postponed, it will have a huge impact. We have to look at this issue in a very balanced way and I commend the Minister on the sensible approach he is trying to take...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (28 May 2024)

Richard Bruton: 21. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the investment which has been made from excellence funds to promote creative collaboration among clusters of schools; and if she has plans to expand investment of this sort. [23892/24]

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Tax Exemptions (28 May 2024)

Richard Bruton: 170. To ask the Minister for Finance if he has received a submission to extend a VAT exemption to counsellors and psychotherapists; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23935/24]

Business Support Package: Statements (Resumed) (23 May 2024)

Richard Bruton: I thank the Ceann Comhairle for the opportunity to speak during this debate. First, I congratulate the Minister of State, Deputy Higgins, and wish her well. Business and, indeed, all of enterprise is going through a period of rapid transition. Just looking out the back window, there was the financial crisis, followed by the Covid closures, the Ukraine crisis and the impact that has had...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (23 May 2024)

Richard Bruton: First, I welcome the 52,500 new housing starts in the past 12 months, acknowledge the progress the Minister is making and welcome his openness to new ideas. In that context, I ask him to seriously consider a housing trust dedicated solely to promoting right-sizing for people who want to do so. Ireland is a country where 90% of people in my age bracket are overprovided with homes and would...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Artificial Intelligence (23 May 2024)

Richard Bruton: 8. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he has assessed the potential impact of artificial intelligence on the content of the jobs of those currently in the workforce, and the reskilling that may be necessary to ensure the capacity of workers to adapt; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23310/24]

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Artificial Intelligence (23 May 2024)

Richard Bruton: As the Minister well knows, artificial intelligence will rapidly disrupt established ways of doing things as it integrates into our world. It will disrupt education and its delivery, but it will also disrupt many workplaces and create skill needs. To what extent is this now anticipated? What planning and strategies are being put in place?

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Artificial Intelligence (23 May 2024)

Richard Bruton: I appreciate that there is a strategy in place but that strategy is four years old and, with the pace of this, changes occur within months. The enterprise committee, of which Deputy Stanton is also a member, heard this week that only 5% of companies are engaged in any sort of reskilling for the onset of artificial intelligence. We need an accelerated programme in areas such as Skillnet...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Artificial Intelligence (23 May 2024)

Richard Bruton: To give the Minister an example, we had the major consultancy firms in before the committee. They have every staff member now going through a process of understanding and equipping themselves to deal with the disruption, and opportunity, indeed, of artificial intelligence. Will the Minister of State consider putting some of his senior staff through a programme such as that in order to build...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (23 May 2024)

Richard Bruton: 21. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to indicate the growth of take-up by the public service and by the multinational sector of the new model of apprenticeships; if he considers that new initiatives are necessary to promote them; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23314/24]

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Artificial Intelligence (23 May 2024)

Richard Bruton: 78. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he has assessed the opportunities, constraints and challenges for Ireland to take a leadership position in the development of artificial intelligence; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23312/24]

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Departmental Data (23 May 2024)

Richard Bruton: 119. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of business start-ups and business closures, both companies and unincorporated businesses; if he has considered a review of policy tools in the area of start-up, and early-stage resilience and survival of enterprises; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23313/24]