Results 741-760 of 1,055,321 for in 'Dáil debates' OR (speaker:Heather Humphreys OR speaker:Colm Burke OR speaker:Jackie Cahill OR speaker:Malcolm Noonan OR speaker:James O'Connor OR speaker:Cormac Devlin) in 'Committee meetings'

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Local Drug and Alcohol Task Forces: Discussion (6 Nov 2024)

Colm Burke: This comes under the Department of Education.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Local Drug and Alcohol Task Forces: Discussion (6 Nov 2024)

Colm Burke: One issue is intimidation. I am sure the Senator has come across it in his constituency. People are being intimidated and money is being paid because a member of the family owes money to a dealer. This is about a co-ordinated approach. As I said, 30 Garda inspectors have been appointed around the country to co-ordinate within each individual region of the Garda force. The idea is to make...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Local Drug and Alcohol Task Forces: Discussion (6 Nov 2024)

Colm Burke: If they know anyone in their local community, we are talking about training people in that area. We have talked to the gardaí about this. The gardaí are prepared to meet people, not necessarily in their own home but in a place where it is not obvious they are meeting the gardaí, because their biggest challenge is that they are afraid of being seen going into a Garda station...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Local Drug and Alcohol Task Forces: Discussion (6 Nov 2024)

Colm Burke: The issue of dual diagnosis of mental health issues and drug addiction issues is one area where there is a challenge. We need to fast-track it. While some people in mental health services might say this is a drug addiction issue and nothing to do with them, drug addiction services might then say this is a mental health issue and they are getting no support. It is important that we have a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Local Drug and Alcohol Task Forces: Discussion (6 Nov 2024)

Colm Burke: Housing bodies such as Depaul, whose representatives I have met, are doing a lot of work on that. People have come through rehabilitation and the bodies have provided housing for them. I was in Usher's Island in the past two weeks, where the Simon Community has opened a brand new facility. It has 100 separate rooms with en suite bathroom facilities. When I was there, 51 people were moving...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Local Drug and Alcohol Task Forces: Discussion (6 Nov 2024)

Colm Burke: Visiting the centres throughout the country certainly has helped me because every place you go you learn something new. You learn about the challenges they are facing and the new changes that have occurred as regards drug use. It is one of the things that is well worth doing. In fairness to the Department officials, they have a direct link not only in getting in information but also in...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Local Drug and Alcohol Task Forces: Discussion (6 Nov 2024)

Colm Burke: Thank you.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Local Drug and Alcohol Task Forces: Discussion (6 Nov 2024)

Colm Burke: The Merchants Quay project, the target date for which is 15 September, and the Usher's Island project for the Simon Community in Dublin are two very good projects. There are also the day facilities. In fairness to the HSE and Cork City Council, my Department had a meeting with them and the Department of housing. Everyone was working together to try to get that project to the next stage....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Local Drug and Alcohol Task Forces: Discussion (6 Nov 2024)

Colm Burke: If I may, it is important that I thank you as well, but also the staff of the committee, who have worked very hard in making sure all the people the committee needs to bring in for its meetings are brought in. It is not an easy thing to do at times. I thank the staff for all their work over the years I was on the committee. I was on the committee from 2011 before I became a Minister of...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development (Supplementary) (6 Nov 2024)

Heather Humphreys: I thank the committee for the opportunity to present this request for substantive and technical Supplementary Estimates for the Department of Rural and Community Development. The substantive Estimate comprises: an additional €10 million in funding for the local improvement scheme; an additional €2 million in current funding for social inclusion supports, through the community...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development (Supplementary) (6 Nov 2024)

Heather Humphreys: A few of us are.

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development (Supplementary) (6 Nov 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Since 2017, we have put €170 into the local improvement scheme and as 5,000 roads have been completed during that time, there has been a lot of progress. I have written to the Minister for Transport on numerous occasions and every time I stand up in the Dáil I ask my colleagues to raise this with the Minister for Transport because these are roads, after all. I do not know if I...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development (Supplementary) (6 Nov 2024)

Heather Humphreys: We have to look at all of these things and it will be in the context of the funding available to the islands, full stop. I take the Deputy's point and I acknowledge the community development projects are very important and drive projects on the island. I do not believe there is specific extra funding for them at the minute apart from what was outlined in the budget. I do not have a figure...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development (Supplementary) (6 Nov 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The savings on the Supplementary Estimate relate to slower than anticipated progress on one major library project in Swords, as well as delays in some minor projects, including the completion of some My Open Library projects. In terms of the capital for libraries, there is a libraries fund but a lot of capital comes from the rural regeneration fund because, in many places across the country...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development (Supplementary) (6 Nov 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Yellow Flag programme is funded through the Dormant Accounts Fund, which we manage. Other Departments make their pitches and get allocated funding and those decisions are brought to the Government. Every Department has its own slice of the cake and we manage our piece as it relates to the work we do. I am unsure, but I believe the Yellow Flag programme falls under the Department of...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development (Supplementary) (6 Nov 2024)

Heather Humphreys: As far as I know, the Deputy needs to raise the matter with the Minister for Education. I am not sure.

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development (Supplementary) (6 Nov 2024)

Heather Humphreys: I have no problem writing to the Minister about it either. It is not a great deal of money and the programme is worthwhile.

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development (Supplementary) (6 Nov 2024)

Heather Humphreys: They all spend it. Different Departments get different funding for different programmes. Once they get the funding, it is up to them to ensure they have enough to roll out their programmes. They sometimes have to put in money from their own departmental budgets. I encountered that with a social protection programme. I believe it was the EmployAbility programme. I had to invest...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development (Supplementary) (6 Nov 2024)

Heather Humphreys: We launched a new public library strategy in July of last year, called “The Library is the Place: Information, Recreation, Inspiration”. I launched it when I was visiting Portlaoise library. An old store – Shaw’s – had been transformed into a beautiful library. It is a fabulous building with loads of rooms, some of which are used as meeting rooms and so...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development (Supplementary) (6 Nov 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The community centre investment fund started off with repairs and refurbishment works for existing community centres. The second tranche I launched was for new community centres across the country. There were a number of them. They were centres for new communities. More people had moved into areas but had no community centres. It was particularly noticeable. Two such centres in Galway...