Results 861-880 of 1,088,636 for in 'Dáil debates' OR (speaker:Ciarán Cuffe OR speaker:Pauline Tully OR speaker:Martin Heydon OR speaker:Cathal Crowe OR speaker:Ciarán Cannon OR speaker:Heather Humphreys OR speaker:Neasa Hourigan OR speaker:Seán Fleming OR speaker:Matt Shanahan OR speaker:Seán Haughey OR speaker:Gino Kenny OR speaker:Verona Murphy OR speaker:Noel Grealish OR speaker:Steven Matthews OR speaker:Cian O'Callaghan OR speaker:Gary Gannon) in 'Committee meetings'

Electricity Costs (Emergency Measures) Domestic Accounts Bill 2024: Second Stage (9 Oct 2024)

Martin Browne: What is clear after the budget is that there is no Government plan to alleviate the pressures placed on households by the energy companies. While short-term measures are needed, Sinn Féin knows that to address the dysfunction in the Irish energy market, longer term measures also need to be taken. Wholesale energy prices have fallen by 75% since their peak, yet households are still...

Electricity Costs (Emergency Measures) Domestic Accounts Bill 2024: Second Stage (9 Oct 2024)

Richard Boyd Barrett: Of course, nobody who receives this credit before or after Christmas will be sorry to do so. As the ESRI has pointed out, however, the net effect of the Government’s budget is that some of the least well-off and most vulnerable households will be marginally less well off. That is pretty shameful. Given the astonishing, unprecedented budget surpluses and, of course, the Apple...

Electricity Costs (Emergency Measures) Domestic Accounts Bill 2024: Second Stage (9 Oct 2024)

Martin Kenny: Energy prices and the cost of fuel are some of the biggest issues facing people. I am always intrigued when I hear many of the various organisations that comment on the economy warning against investment in infrastructure and how it could create inflation. The truth is that the two biggest drivers of inflation in this country are the costs of housing and energy. Investing in those two...

Electricity Costs (Emergency Measures) Domestic Accounts Bill 2024: Second Stage (9 Oct 2024)

Jennifer Whitmore: This is the third year in a row debating emergency-----

Electricity Costs (Emergency Measures) Domestic Accounts Bill 2024: Second Stage (9 Oct 2024)

Gerald Nash: It is the fourth year in a row.

Electricity Costs (Emergency Measures) Domestic Accounts Bill 2024: Second Stage (9 Oct 2024)

Jennifer Whitmore: This is the fourth year in a row in which we are debating emergency measures and talking about one-off payments. At what stage is it no longer an emergency and a one-off payment? The fact it is being referred to in this way is indicative of a Government that has far too much money with no vision, ideas or real solutions to these problems which face so many people. If the Government had...

Electricity Costs (Emergency Measures) Domestic Accounts Bill 2024: Second Stage (9 Oct 2024)

Thomas Gould: We in Sinn Féin recognise that ordinary people are really struggling with the cost-of-living crisis and the failure of this Government to properly tackle it. We have the highest energy bills in Europe, including high gas bills. People are really struggling. That is why we believe the €250 the Government is offering does not go far enough. We believe that at least €450...

Electricity Costs (Emergency Measures) Domestic Accounts Bill 2024: Second Stage (9 Oct 2024)

Gerald Nash: I am pleased to speak on this Bill for the Labour Party. The State will have spent, I think, close to or in excess of €2 billion in energy credit payments since the onset of the energy crisis. We know only too well that this is by definition an untargeted measure. It is universal in nature and has been explained away as a once-off emergency measure to help people through a temporary...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Rail Timetables: Iarnród Éireann (9 Oct 2024)

Steven Matthews: I join Deputy Smith in welcoming Deputy Farrell on his appointment to the role of Cathaoirleach. He has made many contributions to the committee over the years so he is very well suited to take up the chair. I acknowledge the work Senator Horkan and Deputy Carey did beforehand. I welcome Mr. Meade and Mr. Kenny to the committee again. They are always very willing to come in and engage...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Rail Timetables: Iarnród Éireann (9 Oct 2024)

Steven Matthews: The answer to when do we do it is that we start doing it now. There is no better time than now to do it. The situation is not going to get any better. The all-Ireland strategy is good because it does not just talk about running more trains or increasing frequency. It also refers to providing the matching infrastructure that is needed to do that. We cannot just keep cramming trains on the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Rail Timetables: Iarnród Éireann (9 Oct 2024)

Steven Matthews: That is good to know. We talked about electrification. DART+ will nearly treble the capacity of the current electrified system. Where we bring the battery trains in the electric fleet onto the high-frequency lines, they have much better acceleration capacity and braking capacity. We can get more fleet in and more services operating. Even setting aside the efficiency of electric units in...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Rail Timetables: Iarnród Éireann (9 Oct 2024)

Steven Matthews: I was kind of enjoying them. I was hoping you would keep going.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Rail Timetables: Iarnród Éireann (9 Oct 2024)

Steven Matthews: I have a final question to ask which is to do with Wicklow. The DART extension to Wicklow town, including a stop at Kilcoole, was included in the National Transport Authority's greater Dublin area strategy two or three years ago. Work is ongoing on design of that extension. Could Mr. Meade give me an update today on how work is progressing on the DART extension to Wicklow town?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Rail Timetables: Iarnród Éireann (9 Oct 2024)

Steven Matthews: Thank you, that is all from me.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Rail Timetables: Iarnród Éireann (9 Oct 2024)

Cathal Crowe: I apologise for being late. I had a meeting at home. I also travelled by car today which is very rare. It is the first time in months. Usually when I am on the train I am one of the first into the room. I thank Mr. Meade and Mr. Kenny not just for being here today but for their continuous engagement. They are fantastic in how they lead out the organisation. I am a regular train user...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Rail Timetables: Iarnród Éireann (9 Oct 2024)

Cathal Crowe: I thank Mr. Kenny. On the greater uptake in usage, is there any additional detail that can be given about the early morning trains that originate in Munster but pass through all the commuter belt towns from Portlaoise on through Newbridge, Celbridge and so on? They are nice, calm trains until they get to Portlaoise and then suddenly there are people standing in the carriages. It all...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Rail Timetables: Iarnród Éireann (9 Oct 2024)

Cathal Crowe: On the modernising of the fleet, carriage B was traditionally the catering carriage with much of it being taken up with the catering facilities, kitchen and bar area. That does not seem to be a feature of travel anymore. Will it be phased back operationally or will those become more redundant and be replaced with seating?