Results 41-60 of 1,095,210 for in 'Dáil debates' OR in 'Committee meetings' (speaker:Tom Kitt OR speaker:Rose Conway-Walsh OR speaker:Mick Barry OR speaker:Noel Grealish OR speaker:Leo Varadkar OR speaker:Norma Foley OR speaker:Stephen Donnelly OR speaker:Damien English OR speaker:Martin Heydon OR speaker:John Lahart OR speaker:Cathal Berry OR speaker:Jennifer Murnane O'Connor OR speaker:Colm Brophy OR speaker:Bríd Smith OR speaker:Dessie Ellis OR speaker:Matt Carthy OR speaker:Patrick O'Donovan OR speaker:Brendan Howlin OR speaker:Jack Chambers OR speaker:Darragh O'Brien OR speaker:Peadar Tóibín OR speaker:Paul Donnelly OR speaker:Paschal Donohoe OR speaker:Michael Collins OR speaker:Holly Cairns OR speaker:Dara Calleary OR speaker:Peter Fitzpatrick OR speaker:Catherine Martin OR speaker:Marc Ó Cathasaigh OR speaker:Ruairi Ó Murchú OR speaker:Cormac Devlin)

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Sport and Recreational Development (10 Oct 2024)

Paul Donnelly: In my area Tyrrelstown FC has been trying to resolve this issue for a number of weeks. Up to 50 girls are affected by this debacle. They have been offered the opportunity to play in the north Louth league. However, with a cost-of-living crisis how will teams travel up to Louth from Tyrrelstown every week? I heard today there is a possibility of the issue being resolved in January with a...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Sport and Recreational Development (10 Oct 2024)

Sport and Recreational Development

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Social Welfare Payments (10 Oct 2024)

Dara Calleary: That is a given. If somebody is in a vulnerable or emergency situation, payment can be made on the day. In 19% of cases, payment is made on the day. I genuinely assert that in my experience, the CWOs my office and I deal with have always been attuned to the urgency of any particular circumstance. I will ensure the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, is aware of Deputy Durkan's contribution.

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Hedge Cutting (10 Oct 2024)

Hedge Cutting

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Hedge Cutting (10 Oct 2024)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: I thank Deputy Durkan for taking the Chair to facilitate me in speaking on this matter. We are into open season on hedgerows again with hedgerow trimming or cutting, however we want to term it. It is also about hedgerow removal, which obviously has far more long-term consequences and a greater environmental impact. During the closed season, the Department of agriculture engaged in a...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Hedge Cutting (10 Oct 2024)

Dara Calleary: I am taking this on behalf of the Minister, Deputy McConalogue. The Minister believes that hedgerows are a significant component of the Irish landscape. We are fortunate in Ireland to have retained an extensive hedgerow network, with an estimated length of 689,000 km according to Teagasc research. As Deputy Ó Cathasaigh has said, hedgerows are multifunctional, acting not only as...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Social Welfare Payments (10 Oct 2024)

Bernard Durkan: I thank the Minister of State for his reply, which is exactly accurate. That is what the supplementary welfare payment is supposed to be. It is supposed to be a short-term interim payment while investigations are taking place. I was previously a Minister of State in that Department, so I am fairly familiar with it. I have never had that experience before either. Somebody obviously felt...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Employment Rights (10 Oct 2024)

Louise O'Reilly: The Minister tells me research is being conducted into the impact of paid sick leave. I could have saved the Department a fortune: the impact of paid sick leave being available to workers is that people who are sick can afford to not go to work. Hopefully they can afford to stay at home and get better and not bring whatever it is they have into their workplace and potentially infect other...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Employment Rights (10 Oct 2024)

Dara Calleary: Nobody is celebrating anything. I assure the Deputy that no official announcements have been made.

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Employment Rights (10 Oct 2024)

Louise O'Reilly: That is not the case.

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Employment Rights (10 Oct 2024)

Dara Calleary: The introduction of statutory sick leave marked a key policy development for this country. It was introduced by this Government. For the first time, employees have a statutory right to employer-paid sick leave. That was done without us having carried out any comprehensive analysis of the sick pay landscape in the country. The data being collected now will be valuable in bridging the gaps...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Social Welfare Payments (10 Oct 2024)

Social Welfare Payments

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Social Welfare Payments (10 Oct 2024)

Bernard Durkan: I apologise for my late entry. I assumed my matter was No. 4 but it is No. 1. I tabled this matter on the basis of a few experiences I have had in recent times. The first relates to a person who has serious health problems, who is not and will never be fit to work again. The person made an application for a disability allowance, which takes forever of course, as we all know. In the...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Social Welfare Payments (10 Oct 2024)

Dara Calleary: Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta. I have a different topic. It is in the social protection area but it relates to obtaining payments. We can shoehorn it into what the Deputy has just said. I am taking this matter on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Humphreys. In my time I have not had any such experience. I have been fortunate in that we have had an excellent relationship with the...

Select Committee on Health: Public Health (Tobacco) (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (10 Oct 2024)

Stephen Donnelly: I do not have an opening statement prepared. I thank the committee for facilitating today. I was keen for us to accelerate this legislation on the off-chance that the election is not in March of next year. It has the potential to save an awful lot of lives over many, many years. I thank colleagues for facilitating the session today.

Select Committee on Health: Public Health (Tobacco) (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (10 Oct 2024)

Stephen Donnelly: I thank Deputy Cullinane. I agree with the broad thrust of what the amendments do, which is in part to say, let us continue with the targeted research and also to explore other ways we can reduce harm. One of the specific ways the Deputy has looked at is the reduction of nicotine content or "denicotinisation", which is a new word to me.

Select Committee on Health: Public Health (Tobacco) (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (10 Oct 2024)

Stephen Donnelly: I agree with the thrust of what Deputy Cullinane is trying to achieve. I am not going to accept the amendments, not because I do not agree with what he is saying, but because we can go broader than this. I got a briefing from the Department in response to the Deputy's amendments. There are two points to make. One is we are doing the research all the time. The research is ongoing, be it...

Select Committee on Health: Public Health (Tobacco) (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (10 Oct 2024)

Stephen Donnelly: On 10 September, I brought a memorandum to the Cabinet on the proposed vaping legislation. I now have Government approval to draft the Bill. A comprehensive heads of Bill document is in place. My officials, including the two officials with me today, have put a lot of work into that. It was more complex than I originally envisaged. When we are restricting packaging and colouring, there is...