Results 401-420 of 1,139,781 for in 'Dáil debates' OR (speaker:Tom Kitt OR speaker:Holly Cairns OR speaker:Mary Lou McDonald OR speaker:Michael McNamara OR speaker:Peter Fitzpatrick OR speaker:Ciarán Cannon OR speaker:John Brady OR speaker:Niall Collins OR speaker:Eoin Ó Broin OR speaker:Frank Feighan OR speaker:Mairead Farrell OR speaker:Leo Varadkar OR speaker:Louise O'Reilly OR speaker:Emer Higgins OR speaker:Maurice Quinlivan OR speaker:Paschal Donohoe OR speaker:James Lawless OR speaker:Charlie McConalogue OR speaker:Micheál Martin OR speaker:Darragh O'Brien OR speaker:Michael Ring OR speaker:David Stanton OR speaker:Pippa Hackett OR speaker:Róisín Shortall OR speaker:Mark Ward OR speaker:Seán Sherlock OR speaker:Michael McGrath OR speaker:Michael Fitzmaurice OR speaker:Willie O'Dea OR speaker:Éamon Ó Cuív OR speaker:Jackie Cahill OR speaker:Malcolm Noonan OR speaker:Patrick O'Donovan OR speaker:John Lahart OR speaker:Neasa Hourigan OR speaker:Jack Chambers OR speaker:Pádraig O'Sullivan OR speaker:Sorca Clarke OR speaker:Cathal Crowe OR speaker:Joe O'Brien OR speaker:Éamon Ó Cuív5 OR speaker:Violet-Anne Wynne) in 'Committee meetings'

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Financial Supports for Tertiary Level Students: Discussion (22 Oct 2024)

Sorca Clarke: I wish to ask a subsequent question. A considerable number of years ago, another circumstance presented to me, where the step-parent income was not taken into account. Is that still the case and how common is it? If that is the case, then it is not being assessed on household income. The income of the mother of the child was taken into the account but the mother’s husband’s...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Financial Supports for Tertiary Level Students: Discussion (22 Oct 2024)

Mairead Farrell: I am sorry that I was delayed. I have another committee meeting as well. The main issue that consistently comes up from students is accommodation. How many have dropped out at this point because they are unable to get accommodation? If they do not have the data for this year, are the numbers for last year available?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Financial Supports for Tertiary Level Students: Discussion (22 Oct 2024)

Mairead Farrell: Is USI going to compile it?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Financial Supports for Tertiary Level Students: Discussion (22 Oct 2024)

Mairead Farrell: An issue came up with me recently is that of somebody in digs who, as part of their SUSI application, was asked to provide a utility bill. Obviously if a person is in digs, he or she will not have a utility bill. Because of the lack of regulation in the sector, some students are going to pay cash. It does not give them the details. Is that a further reason to have digs regulation? Have...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Financial Supports for Tertiary Level Students: Discussion (22 Oct 2024)

Mairead Farrell: Another big issue that comes up a great deal is independence and proof of independence. I am not exactly sure, to be totally frank, how to change that. However, the whole issue of independence and people trying but not being able to prove their independence to get a grant s probably one of the main issues that I come across when it comes to SUSI. Do witnesses agree that is an issue?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Financial Supports for Tertiary Level Students: Discussion (22 Oct 2024)

Mairead Farrell: There was not a massive amount of change in the SUSI grants in the budget. Some of the thresholds changed. I asked the Minister how many students that would impact. He said about 3,000. If I am not mistaken, there are 15,000 in Galway alone, so it is impacting a very small number of people. Has USI noticed more and more that while people might think at the start that they are able to go...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Financial Supports for Tertiary Level Students: Discussion (22 Oct 2024)

Mairead Farrell: It is huge. I was contacted by a PhD researcher. Researchers do not pay tax on their stipend and are not able to get the renter's tax credit. Has USI raised that with the Department of Finance?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Financial Supports for Tertiary Level Students: Discussion (22 Oct 2024)

Mairead Farrell: In the future, though it should be immediate, we need to figure out what exactly affordable student accommodation is. Everybody needs to come together. I know we are waiting on the student accommodation strategy, which USI has raised countless times with me and, I am sure, with the Minister. It is frustrating that we still do not have that. We need to bring USI, the Department, Irish...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Financial Supports for Tertiary Level Students: Discussion (22 Oct 2024)

Mairead Farrell: My time is up. I thank the witnesses. They do significant work, which is stressful because they are dealing with people in serious crisis situations. It is trying to figure out how to help them. In many cases, unfortunately, there is very little help for people. Fair play to USI. I look forward to joining the witnesses on their protest.

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation Accounts 2023
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (22 Oct 2024)

Ciarán Cannon: Let us take the OPW's estimate of €70 million, bearing in mind how inaccurate some estimates have proven to be within the OPW recently in developing much smaller developments. Does it not cause Mr. Conlon a great degree of concern that the OPW is proposing to spend €70 million, at a minimum, on a national children's science centre in the middle of Dublin, a very busy city,...

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation Accounts 2023
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (22 Oct 2024)

Ciarán Cannon: It is not a question of it feeling threatened. I am suggesting it should become the national children's science centre, bearing in mind it is already there and is visited by up to 250,000 children every year. With an investment of a fraction of the €70 million of taxpayers' money we are proposing to spend, which I still think is a very conservative estimate, it could and should...

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation Accounts 2023
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (22 Oct 2024)

Ciarán Cannon: The potential of other facilities.

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation Accounts 2023
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (22 Oct 2024)

Ciarán Cannon: Has anyone from the OPW ever visited Explorium to see the facilities there?

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation Accounts 2023
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (22 Oct 2024)

Ciarán Cannon: Who was that?

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation Accounts 2023
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (22 Oct 2024)

Ciarán Cannon: Did the chairman and his officials publish any internal documents, report or correspondence engaging with other colleagues on the pros and cons of such a development?

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation Accounts 2023
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (22 Oct 2024)

Ciarán Cannon: I get the sense Mr. Conlon is not happy to find himself in this particular position.

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation Accounts 2023
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (22 Oct 2024)

Ciarán Cannon: It is.

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation Accounts 2023
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (22 Oct 2024)

Ciarán Cannon: Has there been a cost-benefit analysis carried out on the development of the project?

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation Accounts 2023
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (22 Oct 2024)

Ciarán Cannon: Bearing in mind that many of us are involved with communities across the country which have been subjected to serious flooding in the last couple of decades. When we approach the OPW as an entity to begin working with them and developing flood relief projects, these projects quite rightly are subjected to a rigorous and robust cost-benefit analysis process. I am at a loss to understand why...

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation Accounts 2023
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (22 Oct 2024)

Ciarán Cannon: The OPW does not have that right now?