Results 21-40 of 1,062,243 for in 'Dáil debates' OR in 'Committee meetings' (speaker:Tom Kitt OR speaker:Éamon Ó Cuív OR speaker:Éamon Ó Cuív61 OR speaker:Brian Stanley OR speaker:Patrick Costello OR speaker:Aengus Ó Snodaigh)

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (3 Oct 2024)

Jack Chambers: As I have said in reply to others, the Government is hugely committed to supporting the nursing and midwifery workforce. There are over 27,000 more staff working in our health system than there were at the beginning of 2020. That is a 23% increase over this period and includes more than 9,000 additional nurses and midwives. OECD statistical data shows that Ireland has more practising...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (3 Oct 2024)

Bernard Durkan: I again bring to the attention of the House the activities of Pepper Asset Management. Some of its operatives are behaving in a very aggressive manner in the pursuit of vulnerable long-term borrowers who, for compelling reasons, were not able to service their loans. Those loans were sold to vulture funds, some at a fraction of the face value, but people are now being pursued aggressively...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (3 Oct 2024)

Jack Chambers: As the Deputy will be aware, the Central Bank and the Department of Finance have advanced significant reforms in this area to support households that face difficulties with their mortgages. There is a clear framework for how that engagement is meant to occur. If there are specifics that the Deputy wants to raise with my office, we will engage with him on the issue.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (3 Oct 2024)

Bernard Durkan: I will do that. I thank the Minister.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (3 Oct 2024)

Claire Kerrane: The budget announced this week by the Minister will see the average cost of a tank of petrol or diesel rise by €12, making Ireland one of the most expensive countries in Europe for fuel. For workers and families in rural communities, particularly those such as mine in counties Roscommon and Galway, this will make it even more expensive to run a car, which is, of course, a necessity in...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (3 Oct 2024)

Jack Chambers: As a Government, we introduced temporary reductions in excise rates of 21% and 16% per litre of petrol and diesel, respectively, in 2022, when energy prices in our economy were very high. That was worth approximately €1.2 billion to consumers. We gradually changed excise rates as the global price of petrol and diesel fell. Fuel prices in our economy have fallen significantly. They...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (3 Oct 2024)

Claire Kerrane: I ask the Minister to just deal with the issue.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (3 Oct 2024)

Éamon Ó Cuív: With the days getting shorter and the dark evenings getting longer, and with the clocks due to change in a few weeks, does the Minister agree that visibility for road users, particularly vulnerable road users, is important? My question has two parts. Has consideration been given to making it mandatory for cyclists to wear high-visibility jackets of some type after sunset? They are of great...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (3 Oct 2024)

Jack Chambers: I thank the Deputy. The area of road safety is one over which I previously had responsibility. I know the Minister of State, Deputy Lawless, and the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, are putting intensive work into supporting a lot of road safety policy areas. That is being advanced in the context of the road traffic legislation this year and other reforms intended to support pedestrians and...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (3 Oct 2024)

Seán Ó Fearghaíl: Before going to our next questioner, I ask Members to join me in offering a warm céad míle fáilte to Ms Arena Williams, a Labour Party member of the New Zealand Parliament, who is in the Visitors' Gallery with Deputy Howlin. She is very welcome.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (3 Oct 2024)

Patrick Costello: Progress is finally being made by the Office of Public Works, OPW, on a bridge over the River Liffey connecting to the Irish National War Memorial Gardens in the Dublin South-Central constituency. This bridge was originally planned in the 1930s. It has, however, been reported that the bridge will be closed in the early evenings. This seems to be ridiculous. The war memorial gardens are...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (3 Oct 2024)

Jack Chambers: I thank the Deputy. I am not familiar with the specific operational matters that may have been set out by the OPW. I appreciate the point the Deputy has raised for residents and the wider community in the area. I will reflect that to the Minister of State with responsibility for the OPW. It is important that the OPW responds to the concerns and needs of residents and the wider community...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (3 Oct 2024)

Jack Chambers: I acknowledge and thank the workers in Kerry and elsewhere who provided unprecedented public service at a time when we needed all workers on the front-line. We have a long-standing policy on abatement of pay for people who come back to the public service. The Minister, Deputy Donohoe, co-ordinates wider pension and pay policy so I will reflect the matter raised by the Deputy with him. We...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (3 Oct 2024)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: Waterford is unique among the five cities in Ireland for not having a stand-alone university. Other cities have a university and a technological university. The reality is SETU, or WIT as it was, has had to play that role within the region. We made a promise to the people of Waterford, and the wider south east, that SETU will be a university of scale and of substance. We had a very...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (3 Oct 2024)

Jack Chambers: As a Government TD, the Deputy will be aware of the unprecedented investment in education, healthcare and wider supports for the Waterford and south-east region. There was a positive result when it came to the veterinary college and I know from speaking to the Minister, Deputy Butler, and others that there is ongoing engagement when it comes to further supports or broadening out the...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (3 Oct 2024)

John Brady: Yesterday, retained fire fighters rejected a paltry offer from the Government in relation to their retainer payment. This is yet another slap in the face for retained fire fighters right across the State. Last year, the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, stated he would be their champion and fight tooth and nail for a significant increase in the retainer payment. This led to a suspension...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (3 Oct 2024)

Seán Ó Fearghaíl: No, please Deputy. You cannot come in here and accuse a colleague of lying.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (3 Oct 2024)

(Interruptions).

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (3 Oct 2024)

John Brady: He told the retained fire fighters he would be their champion-----

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (3 Oct 2024)

Seán Ó Fearghaíl: The Deputy is out of order.