Results 61-80 of 382 for speaker:Seán Connick

Hospital Services (29 Sep 2010)

Seán Connick: I will be taking this Adjournment matter on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Mary Harney, and I thank Deputy Sherlock for raising the question. Patient safety is central to the delivery of health services and people must have confidence in the care they receive and have the best possible outcomes. The overwhelming consensus among clinical experts, as...

Decentralisation Programme (17 Jun 2010)

Seán Connick: Under the decentralisation programme, 140 staff of the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs were due to decentralise to Knock Airport. However, following a decision in 2008 by An Bord Pleanála to refuse planning permission for the development of the Department's headquarters at Knock Airport, the Government decided in October 2008 to proceed with the decentralisation of the...

Local Authority Housing (17 Jun 2010)

Seán Connick: I thank Deputy Andrews for giving me an opportunity to outline the significant funding and progress on refurbishment of vacant Dublin City Council flats in Dublin South-East and elsewhere. My colleague, the Minister of State with responsibility for housing and local services, Deputy Michael Finneran, supports an ambitious social housing programme with new and ongoing projects under way...

Departmental Offices (17 Jun 2010)

Seán Connick: I thank Deputy Timmy Dooley for raising this matter with me. On 15 July last year, the Government approved a plan for a reorganisation of my Department's local office network. The plan involves reducing, from 57 to 16, the number of offices from which my Department will operate district veterinary, forestry and agricultural environment and structures support services. To this end nine new...

Swimming Pool Projects (17 Jun 2010)

Seán Connick: I am taking this Adjournment matter on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Health and Children. I thank the Deputy for raising it and I am pleased to take the opportunity to outline the position on funding for the Daughters of Charity services at St. Vincent's Centre, Navan Road, Dublin 7. I reaffirm the Government's commitment to providing high quality services for all people with a...

Banking Reports: Motion (16 Jun 2010)

Seán Connick: Deputy Burton has the wrong Fianna Fáil man there.

Banking Reports: Motion (16 Jun 2010)

Seán Connick: It would do very well.

Banking Reports: Motion (16 Jun 2010)

Seán Connick: He did that.

Banking Reports: Motion (16 Jun 2010)

Seán Connick: How much money are we talking about?

Greenhouse Gas Emissions (26 May 2010)

Seán Connick: There are compelling environmental and economic reasons why reducing Irish livestock numbers as a means of achieving emissions reductions cannot be justified. In the first instance, such a policy would be counterproductive in terms of reducing global greenhouse gas emissions. Ireland is a leading exporter of beef and dairy produce and any shortfall of Irish produce, on EU or world markets,...

Greenhouse Gas Emissions (26 May 2010)

Seán Connick: I thank Deputy Cregan for raising this issue and giving us the opportunity to address some of the concerns within the agriculture sector in this regard. As he alluded to, the agri-food sector is of significant systemic importance. "Systemic" is a word used quite liberally in other sectors but in terms of the agriculture sector, this has a turnover of €24 billion and 150,000 employed...

Greenhouse Gas Emissions (26 May 2010)

Seán Connick: I thank Deputy Doyle for raising the question. I will be raising the issue in one of the latter questions where we deal with the bio-mass energy. Anaerobic digestion is a part of that. In 2006, as part of the national development programme, a commitment was given to the delivery of anaerobic digesters. In 2007, ten projects were given the go-ahead. Unfortunately, none of those projects...

Greenhouse Gas Emissions (26 May 2010)

Seán Connick: I am astonished Deputy Sherlock has time to read the TResearch magazine. I must try to make a little time to get going at it. At this stage, I think I will have to stay up all night. I acknowledge the fact that there is a great deal of science going into the agri-food sector in terms of our production, something I welcome. I would be concerned to see any impact on that from a cuts...

Forestry Sector (26 May 2010)

Seán Connick: My Department actively encourages forest owners to thin their crops. Thinning improves the quality of final crop trees and can provide a source of intermediate income for forest owners. In recent years my Department, in conjunction with COFORD, has funded a number of projects to encourage thinning in the private forestry sector and to develop markets for the small diameter timber produced by...

Forestry Sector (26 May 2010)

Seán Connick: I acknowledge the point the Deputy made in the first instance. We accept there was a cut in that regard. The forest road scheme is now open for grant applications and they are currently being processed. I do not have a date for when the processing of applications will be completed. As the Deputy is aware, there is an increased opportunity for those involved in the forestry sector to use...

Forestry Sector (26 May 2010)

Seán Connick: I am aware of it. I spoke as recently as last night to SmartPly. I got the opportunity to visit the plant last week as it is down the road in New Ross in my neighbourhood. There is a positive and a negative in this instance. It is a good news story for farmers in that it will put a floor on the price of pulp wood, however, there are difficulties in other respects. In my role as Minister...

Forestry Sector (26 May 2010)

Seán Connick: No, I cannot. That is a matter for the Department of Finance. I am aware of the issue. I was lobbied on it by people in my constituency following the budget last year. It caused a lot of difficulty for some people who had committed to the forestry scheme. In the past 40 years forestry in this country has increased from 1% cover to 10% cover. People were very forward thinking in the 1970s...

National Disability Strategy (25 May 2010)

Seán Connick: I am replying to this Adjournment matter on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Health and Children. I thank Deputy Cregan for raising this matter and I am pleased to take this opportunity to outline the position on the funding of the Brothers of Charity services in Limerick. I would like to reaffirm the Government's commitment to the national disability strategy and its long-term...

Hospital Services (25 May 2010)

Seán Connick: I thank Deputy Lynch for raising this matter. I assure her that reconfiguration is also a buzzword in Wexford and the south east. I will be taking this Adjournment matter on behalf of my colleague, Deputy Mary Harney, Minister for Health and Children. The Government is committed to ensuring delivery of the best quality health services possible, in an effective and efficient way. We are...

Social Welfare Benefits (25 May 2010)

Seán Connick: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. It is timely and most appropriate for him to do so at this stage. The back to school clothing and footwear allowance scheme provides a once-off payment to eligible families to help them to meet the extra costs that arise when children start school each autumn. The allowance is not intended to cover the cost of sending children to school. As the...