Results 21-40 of 17,748 for speaker:Brendan Smith

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Further and Higher Education (23 May 2024)

Brendan Smith: I thank the Minister for his reply. He would be very welcome to visit Cavan Institute, which has been a very successful institute since its establishment. I was very much involved with Cavan Institute as I was the chair of the first board of management of the college. I was involved in having the initial buildings and accommodation provided. It was actually the first dedicated PLC college...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Further and Higher Education (23 May 2024)

Brendan Smith: I can assure the Minister that Cavan and Monaghan ETB will work very diligently on this. It has put together a very strong business case to advance this accommodation proposal. I do not think that we in this House can emphasise enough the importance of the further education sector. Over the years I have seen many young people who may have come from communities where there was not a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (23 May 2024)

Brendan Smith: 40. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills when the proposed building project at Cavan Institute will proceed to the next stage; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23272/24]

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

Brendan Smith: 121. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the measures he is taking to help small-scale manufacturing, retail and hospitality businesses meet the challenge of cost pressures; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23087/24]

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Wastewater Treatment (23 May 2024)

Brendan Smith: 212. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the up-to-date position regarding an application submitted by a local authority (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23482/24]

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (23 May 2024)

Brendan Smith: 241. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if assistance will be given to farmers who do not have a forest plantation or are not availing of any forestry schemes to have ash dieback trees removed where such trees pose a danger to public safety due to their locations along public roads; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23332/24]

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: All-Island Economy: Discussion (Resumed) (23 May 2024)

Brendan Smith: I apologise for missing the earlier part of the contributions because I was in the Chamber for questions to the Minister of further and higher education. I welcome the contribution of the witnesses here today. They question a lot of the IIEA report and it is good to have the varied opinions and the questioning. It is extremely important. In Professor Doyle's statement, I notice he refers...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: All-Island Economy: Discussion (Resumed) (23 May 2024)

Brendan Smith: On the differential in the figures Professor Doyle has just quote, I have often heard from people, particularly those living in Britain who may be home on holidays, talking about the good social protection systems here in comparison to what they are in receipt of in London, for example. I presume Northern Ireland is not better than London regarding state pensions.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: All-Island Economy: Discussion (Resumed) (23 May 2024)

Brendan Smith: Is there no equalisation within pension recipients?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: All-Island Economy: Discussion (Resumed) (23 May 2024)

Brendan Smith: Professor Doyle is saying there are different levels of payment depending on when someone entered into a pension scheme.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: All-Island Economy: Discussion (Resumed) (23 May 2024)

Brendan Smith: I recall meeting an Irish lady who was a young widow and she told me she was getting a widow's pension in London that was half of what her sister, who lived here in this State, was getting.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: All-Island Economy: Discussion (Resumed) (23 May 2024)

Brendan Smith: Right. Our system, for all its deficits, is much better than that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: All-Island Economy: Discussion (Resumed) (23 May 2024)

Brendan Smith: Professor Doyle also mentioned economic growth in his opening statement. Unfortunately, I did not get the chance to study his opening statements in detail and I missed his oral presentation. None of the presentations referred to the growth in the all-island economy since 1998. I have often said in this committee that one of the unsung successes of the Good Friday Agreement is the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: All-Island Economy: Discussion (Resumed) (23 May 2024)

Brendan Smith: In his presentation, Professor McGuinness referred to the share of educated workers employed. The sectoral productivity in the Republic increases with the share of educated workers employed and levels of investment. Is that investment public sector investment plus foreign direct investment?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: All-Island Economy: Discussion (Resumed) (23 May 2024)

Brendan Smith: Roughly, how does that divide between public, international and domestic investment?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: All-Island Economy: Discussion (Resumed) (23 May 2024)

Brendan Smith: Would Dr. Bergin hazard a guess at it?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: All-Island Economy: Discussion (Resumed) (23 May 2024)

Brendan Smith: Presumably foreign directly investment is a significant part of the whole broad investment.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: All-Island Economy: Discussion (Resumed) (23 May 2024)

Brendan Smith: In Professor McGuinness's paper, he stated: More recent research has found evidence of educational downgrading in both regions, whereby a person’s educational attainment actually falls below that of their parents. I am shocked with that research. In our role, we mix with people. We are very much up to date with what is going on in our communities and across our constituencies....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: All-Island Economy: Discussion (Resumed) (23 May 2024)

Brendan Smith: I must go to a question.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: All-Island Economy: Discussion (Resumed) (23 May 2024)

Brendan Smith: I am sorry.