Results 281-300 of 1,051,388 for in 'Dáil debates' OR (speaker:Tom Kitt OR speaker:Kieran O'Donnell OR speaker:Niall Collins OR speaker:Louise O'Reilly) in 'Committee meetings'

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (26 Jun 2024)

Heather Humphreys: -----and ask him to come back to the Deputy with a response.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (26 Jun 2024)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I regret that I must again raise an issue I have raised many times on Questions on Policy or Legislation. I refer to the issue of Travellers on halting sites living in substandard trailers or caravans. There is a very limited pilot scheme called the caravan loan scheme whereby local authorities are given an allocation of caravans every year for replacement purposes. That scheme only...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (26 Jun 2024)

Heather Humphreys: I do not have the relevant details here, so I will ask the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, to respond to the Deputy directly. I take the point that there is no point in buying second-hand trailers. New trailers are needed. I will raise the matter with the Minister and ask him to reply to the Deputy directly. As the Deputy stated, he has raised this matter on a number of occasions. It...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (26 Jun 2024)

Fergus O'Dowd: If a person has a derelict house, he or she will get a grant of €70,000 to put it back into commission. If a person has a vacant home, he or she will get a grant of €50,000. For an elderly person or a person with a disability living in the home, the maximum grant is €30,000. That is an unacceptably low figure and has not been raised for some years, even though the...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (26 Jun 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Those grants are very useful to have houses adapted for people with disabilities who, perhaps, cannot use the upstairs of the house any longer. They are very popular grants. I am aware they are being looked at. I will raise the issue with the Minister of State, Deputy Alan Dillon, and ask him to come back to the Deputy directly with a response.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (26 Jun 2024)

Claire Kerrane: The Family Resource Centres National Forum held its pre-budget briefing yesterday. I met with Louise from the Boyle Family Resource Centre at the briefing. From visiting the latter centre and the centres in Castlerea, Ballaghaderreen and Roscommon, I am aware that they provide so many supports and services that otherwise would not exist in those communities. These services include...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (26 Jun 2024)

Mary Butler: I thank the Deputy for the question. I am a fantastic advocate for family resource centres as well. They do phenomenal work the length and breadth of the country. As far as I understand, their funding comes from the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Deputy O'Gorman and his Department. I have been engaging with him because we are hoping to do some projects...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (26 Jun 2024)

Pauline Tully: Friday next, 28 June is International Neonatal Screening Day. Can the Minister please provide an update on the roll-out of spinal muscular atrophy, SMA, in the national newborn blood spot screening programme, or the heel-prick test as we refer to it? Will she indicate when she expects the first baby to be tested in Ireland with this potentially devastating disease? The Minister for Health,...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (26 Jun 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Since May 2022, babies are being screened for nine conditions, up from eight previously. Last year, the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, approved recommendations from the national screening advisory committee to add a further two new conditions to the programme. This would bring to 11 the number of conditions screened for as part of what is commonly known the heel-prick test in Ireland, which is...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (26 Jun 2024)

John Lahart: I thank the Minister for taking the question. On a similar theme, Members may be aware that I chair an informal all-party Oireachtas committee on rare diseases. We held one of our regular meetings yesterday. Ireland used to be a world leader in newborn blood screening, or the heel-prick test as Deputy Tully referred to it. Countries in eastern Europe seem to have leapfrogged us...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (26 Jun 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The advances in technology and the treatments for many of these conditions are continually emerging. This is very welcome and it is why the expansion of the newborn blood spot screening is a priority for this Government. Significant progress has been made over the past two years. We have gone from eight up to 11, but we acknowledge there is more to do. Les Martin and others have been...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (26 Jun 2024)

Alan Kelly: This week the Health Research Board reported an increase in the incidence of cocaine addiction across our country. I believe in a health-led approach to deal with this. We have a real issue, however, with the so-called middle classes in this country creating a narrative that cocaine use is okay. Cocaine is everywhere in society. It is in every corner of Ireland now. It is in every...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (26 Jun 2024)

Michael Lowry: In 2016, the Irish Cancer Society published a report entitled Park the Charges in a bid to have hospital parking charges waived for cancer patients. The Government pledged to act on this but nothing happened. In 2020, the Government committed to putting a cap on these charges but nothing happened. In 2022, the Irish Cancer Society published a report which highlighted the hidden costs of...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (26 Jun 2024)

Stephen Donnelly: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. It can be an issue for families, particularly when they are already dealing with all the trauma and difficulty of undergoing cancer treatment. It can be a difficult time. We have taken important steps, some of which were called for by the Irish Cancer Society. Probably the biggest it called for was the abolition of inpatient charges. That is now...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (26 Jun 2024)

Mattie McGrath: I wish to raise the issue of the chronic shortage of gardaí on the ground in County Tipperary. Despite the rising population and the increase in immigration, Garda numbers are in a worrying decline. As of 30 April 2024, the force stands at a total of 14,000-odd members, with just over 11,050 serving as rank-and-file gardaí. This is in stark contrast to the overall strength of...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (26 Jun 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The top priority of the Minister for Justice, Deputy McEntee, is supporting stronger, safer communities. That includes an ongoing focus on increasing the strength of An Garda Síochána. As the Deputy knows, only recently there was a further campaign to get more reserve gardaí on board. I met one of these individuals in recent days. They have been making a huge contribution...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (26 Jun 2024)

Catherine Connolly: Unfortunately, the relevant Minister has left. I hope the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, will be able to answer my question. Like other TDs, I draw her attention to a letter in which those in direct provision who have permission to stay were given an eviction notice for 5 July. In the particular case of which I am aware, both parents work. They have a child who has moved three times - from a...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (26 Jun 2024)

Heather Humphreys: I will raise this matter directly with the Minister. I do not have details on it. I will get him to send the Deputy a response.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (26 Jun 2024)

Jackie Cahill: I raise a road safety issue. The timing of cutting and trimming at junctions and around road signs is happening later each year. It is almost July. The majority of junctions in my county, Tipperary, have not been maintained. Visibility at those junctions is greatly reduced. In rural areas in particular, road signs coming up to junctions are completely obscured because of plant growth. I...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (26 Jun 2024)

Heather Humphreys: I agree with Deputy Cahill. A lot of grass is growing out over signs and some could do with a good wash as well. I love to see local authorities trying to make more efforts to ensure that people can see these signs. The latter is very important, especially for those who are not familiar with the roads on which they are travelling. There are many tourists on the roads at this time of the...