Results 421-440 of 1,109,773 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:Jackie Cahill OR speaker:Norma Foley OR speaker:Darragh O'Brien OR speaker:Paul Donnelly OR speaker:Pippa Hackett OR speaker:James O'Connor OR speaker:Rose Conway-Walsh OR speaker:Noel Grealish OR speaker:Richard Bruton OR speaker:Patrick Costello OR speaker:Heather Humphreys OR speaker:James Browne OR speaker:Thomas Pringle OR speaker:Peadar Tóibín OR speaker:Willie O'Dea OR speaker:Seán Ó Fearghaíl OR speaker:Darren O'Rourke OR speaker:Richard Bruton6 OR speaker:Michael Ring OR speaker:Cathal Berry OR speaker:Seán Haughey) in 'Committee meetings'

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

James O'Connor: We are not getting anywhere. I want us to reflect on the second part. In regard to the bike shelter, is information available yet on who the requests came from? Do we have to wait until afterwards?

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

James O'Connor: That is perfect. In the final two minutes that remain to me, I am sorry to frustrate other members of the committee about domestic matters in Cork East, but Storm Babet was major. It flooded nearly 700 homes and businesses. I appreciate the amount of time Mr. Casey has spent down there. It has been noticed. I want the witnesses to keep coming. I do not want to continuously undermine...

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

James O'Connor: I thank the Chair. First and foremost, I want to acknowledge that 12 months have passed since Storm Babet. A huge body of work has been undertaken locally by the local authority and in conjunction with the OPW in 2023 in trying to advance the Midleton flood relief scheme, which has been long overdue. I wish to acknowledge that at the start of my remarks. I might come back to Mr. Casey...

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

James O'Connor: Okay. How many Members requested this work?

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

James O'Connor: Was the letter issued to the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission, the OPW directly, or was it referred onto them by An Ceann Comhairle?

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

James O'Connor: Right. Does Ms Collier have a copy of that correspondence?

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

James O'Connor: Can she provide that letter to me?

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

James O'Connor: Can Ms Collier provide the names of the Members on that list?

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

James O'Connor: Can Ms Collier find that information for me now?

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

James O'Connor: We need that information before the end of the meeting.

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

James O'Connor: There needs to be accountability on this. It is hard to know where to start. For an agency in charge of 2,500 properties across the State, there is an unmerciful amount of, what we call, blindfolded trust on the OPW's side of the table. This has done inordinate damage to the reputation of our national Parliament and to the public's perception of what the State is spending hard-earned...

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,...