Results 461-480 of 1,019,974 for in 'Dáil debates' OR speaker:Marc Ó Cathasaigh in 'Committee meetings'
- Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Tribunals of Inquiry (16 May 2024)
Micheál Martin: We have indicated that the tribunal will be located in Smithfield. There were issues to discuss regarding legal representation, costs and so on. That is all sorted. I anticipate the commencement order being signed within the next fortnight. My officials will bring the commencement order for me to sign. It is normally the case that, once we appoint a chairperson, that chairperson...
- Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Tribunals of Inquiry (16 May 2024)
Catherine Connolly: The Tánaiste has gone back a little bit. What happened here, the length of time and the whole lot, was simply unacceptable. It took a documentary to spur the Government into action but that is now history. At this point, have the administrative staff been appointed? Is a full team now in place? When will the statutory instrument be signed? Will it be signed today or tomorrow? Are...
- Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Tribunals of Inquiry (16 May 2024)
Micheál Martin: As I said in my previous reply, I expect to sign that commencement order within a fortnight, if not sooner. A tribunal has to do a lot of preparatory work before hearings are announced. That is normal and allows for people to make submissions and so forth. I do not anticipate any difference from the legal representation parties have had in previous tribunals of inquiry. A lot of progress...
- Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Defence Forces (16 May 2024)
Defence Forces
- Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Defence Forces (16 May 2024)
Brendan Griffin: 5. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence if he will further review the pandemic recognition payment for Defence Forces personnel who worked in test centres to make sure all deserving individuals received the payment, given that some did not; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22112/24]
- Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Defence Forces (16 May 2024)
Brendan Griffin: This question relates to Defence Forces personnel who worked in Covid testing and vaccination centres during the pandemic. Many of these people worked in these centres for 12 to 16 months and provided a very valuable resource but they have not been considered for the pandemic recognition payment. This is wrong. Can the matter be reviewed? Some specific personnel did great work but did not...
- Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Defence Forces (16 May 2024)
Micheál Martin: I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. As he will know, in January 2022, the Government announced a Covid-19 pandemic recognition payment for front-line public sector healthcare workers to recognise their unique role during the pandemic. At Government level, the Department of Health has primary policy responsibility for this initiative, having received the consent of the Department of...
- Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Defence Forces (16 May 2024)
Brendan Griffin: Perhaps, on foot of this question, the Tánaiste might initiate a review. My understanding is that all members were initially on lists created by their units but that those lists were not fully accepted at a higher level. Apparently, the criteria specified that only those military personnel who were physically administering vaccines or taking swabs would ultimately receive the payment....
- Public Accounts Committee: 2022 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 26 - Office of Minister for Education (16 May 2024) Marc Ó Cathasaigh: I thank our guests for their presentations and briefing documents. I do not intend to be especially negative but as we are discussing this business of forward planning, essentially what we are hearing is there is nothing to see here and move on. All of us know the situation from different representations we have received. By way of example, one should never talk about policy based on a...
- Public Accounts Committee: 2022 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 26 - Office of Minister for Education (16 May 2024) Marc Ó Cathasaigh: It is a real issue. I want to ask about the modelling the Department uses in respect of the provision of special classrooms. We are seeing a lot of response to demand. If there is a demand for special classrooms, then the Department may or may not provide them. Again, I could talk about Tramore but I will not at this point. We have discussed this issue but I am not sure whether that was...
- Public Accounts Committee: 2022 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 26 - Office of Minister for Education (16 May 2024) Marc Ó Cathasaigh: That is not the language I used or would use. I do not think there is systemic failure. I think the vast majority of children in our school system are well provided for and I reiterate I did not use that language.
- Public Accounts Committee: 2022 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 26 - Office of Minister for Education (16 May 2024) Marc Ó Cathasaigh: There are international examples of prevalence rates, particularly with autism, and we have no reason to think our population is different. I was not going to go there but as Ms McNally raised the issue of climate, I will refer to an issue that I raised with the Department at the education committee when we were discussing the public sector performance report. What the industry calls...
- Public Accounts Committee: 2022 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 26 - Office of Minister for Education (16 May 2024) Marc Ó Cathasaigh: I am sorry to interrupt but we do not consider, as part of that roadmap, emissions as people travel to and from school. Am I correct in that?
- Public Accounts Committee: 2022 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 26 - Office of Minister for Education (16 May 2024) Marc Ó Cathasaigh: Yes but we need to be properly planning the active travel infrastructure. We can look at all the behavioural things that we like but the actual hard infrastructure has to be there, particularly when we are talking about children, whether at primary or secondary. We can lecture to people all we want about how 14-year old children should not be in a car going to school but if there is no...
- Public Accounts Committee: 2022 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 26 - Office of Minister for Education (16 May 2024) Marc Ó Cathasaigh: I am sorry to cut in again but ten minutes is incredibly short and I have a list of questions as long as my arm. I am not buttering my own parsnips here but I want to talk about Gaelscoileanna in Dublin 2, 4, 6 and 8. I raise this because I have a passion for the Irish language. The people of south Dublin need a Gaelscoil but they are not getting one. There is a problem with the model...
- Public Accounts Committee: 2022 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 26 - Office of Minister for Education (16 May 2024) Marc Ó Cathasaigh: If I get a second opportunity to ask questions, I will raise a range of different subjects but I have one final question on school transport for now. The Department's own briefing note refers to pilot projects for 2024 and 2025. I would like a little bit more meat on the bones on that, including the possibility of integrating with public transport services and so on. The other point I...
- Public Accounts Committee: 2022 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 26 - Office of Minister for Education (16 May 2024) Marc Ó Cathasaigh: I want to return briefly to the subject of school transport and an issue highlighted in the special report in 2017. This is spare capacity in the fleet. There are people who have the bus ticket but use it a day a week because that is the day they do not have the car or somebody is off or whatever else it is. I am not aware of it from any of the bus routes that I know. Are people tracking...
- Public Accounts Committee: 2022 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 26 - Office of Minister for Education (16 May 2024) Marc Ó Cathasaigh: I can understand the challenge but the common frustration that we hear voiced is that the school bus passes those people who want a seat on it and they see empty seats.
- Public Accounts Committee: 2022 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 26 - Office of Minister for Education (16 May 2024) Marc Ó Cathasaigh: The kid could be sick or whatever it is.
- Public Accounts Committee: 2022 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 26 - Office of Minister for Education (16 May 2024) Marc Ó Cathasaigh: It is something that needs to be worked on.