Results 101-120 of 1,118,480 for in 'Dáil debates' OR in 'Committee meetings' (speaker:Ciarán Cuffe OR speaker:David Stanton OR speaker:Robert Troy OR speaker:Bernard Durkan OR speaker:Imelda Munster OR speaker:Michael Collins OR speaker:Catherine Murphy OR speaker:Gino Kenny OR speaker:Roderic O'Gorman OR speaker:Darren O'Rourke OR speaker:Eamon Ryan OR speaker:Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire OR speaker:Anne Rabbitte OR speaker:Rose Conway-Walsh OR speaker:Martin Kenny OR speaker:Cathal Crowe OR speaker:Aindrias Moynihan OR speaker:James Lawless OR speaker:James O'Connor OR speaker:Aengus Ó Snodaigh OR speaker:Maurice Quinlivan OR speaker:Joan Collins OR speaker:Joe McHugh OR speaker:Alan Farrell OR speaker:Richard Bruton OR speaker:Aengus Ó Snodaigh25 OR speaker:Aengus Ó Snodaigh20 OR speaker:Aengus Ó Snodaigh27 OR speaker:Aengus Ó Snodaigh3 OR speaker:Aengus Ó Snodaigh26 OR speaker:Aengus Ó Snodaigh23 OR speaker:Mark Ward OR speaker:Brendan Griffin OR speaker:Fergus O'Dowd)

Maternity Protection Bill 2024 [Seanad]: Second Stage (17 Oct 2024)

Mairead Farrell: I thank Deputy Whitmore. We move now to the Independent Group. I call Deputy Connolly.

Maternity Protection Bill 2024 [Seanad]: Second Stage (17 Oct 2024)

Catherine Connolly: Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCathaoirleach Gníomhach. Fáiltím roimh an deis cúpla focal a rá faoin ábhar seo. Tá sé thar a bheith tábhachtach. Aontaím leis an mBille agus aontaím go bhfuil gá práinneach leis an mBille a chur tríd an Dáil. I welcome the opportunity to say a few words on this. The Minister has...

Maternity Protection Bill 2024 [Seanad]: Second Stage (17 Oct 2024)

Jennifer Whitmore: I also welcome this legislation and commend the Minister on bringing it to this point. I hope we will get it through all the processes. It seems the Minister is determined to do so and that is welcome. This is a very important Bill to close all the gaps we have seen in legislation relating to maternity leave in recent years. The provision on illness is particularly important. The...

Maternity Protection Bill 2024 [Seanad]: Second Stage (17 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: It is built in.

Maternity Protection Bill 2024 [Seanad]: Second Stage (17 Oct 2024)

Jennifer Whitmore: I am delighted to hear that because it is really important. With regard to maternity leave for Oireachtas Members that is also very welcome and something we have been waiting a long time for. To date we have expected women either not to serve as politicians or to hide when they get pregnant and not go back to work. We made it very difficult for them. Enabling this is something I hope...

Maternity Protection Bill 2024 [Seanad]: Second Stage (17 Oct 2024)

Claire Kerrane: Deputy Sherlock is most welcome. I thank the Minister and welcome this important legislation. It is clear the Minister was very adamant this was done and passed and that we would move swiftly to do so. I commend him in this regard. This legislation has important elements. I welcome them and acknowledge all the Minister's work in this regard. Allowing the postponement of maternity leave...

Maternity Protection Bill 2024 [Seanad]: Second Stage (17 Oct 2024)

Jim O'Callaghan: I welcome the opportunity to speak in this debate. I commend the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, on bringing forward this legislation into these sittings of the Oireachtas. It may be recalled that on 20 March this year, I introduced the Maternity Protection (Amendment) Bill 2024. It sought, in effect, to do exactly the same as the Minister is seeking to do in this legislation. Obviously, I am...

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Supplementary) (17 Oct 2024)

Eamon Ryan: I thank the Cathaoirleach and the committee for this opportunity to present details of this Supplementary Estimate as it relates to programmes A and B of Vote 29 - environment, climate and communications. The main purpose of the Supplementary Estimate is to provide additional funding of €520 million for the fourth electricity costs emergency benefit scheme, €3.32 million for...

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Supplementary) (17 Oct 2024)

Richard Bruton: I commend the Minister on the work he has done in the Department. He has made a real mark. We now have legislation and a framework for implementing our climate ambition. We have made significant progress and many good initiatives have been rolled out, such as the loan scheme that was recently put in place. It would be churlish not to recognise the effort, commitment and progress that the...

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Supplementary) (17 Oct 2024)

Eamon Ryan: I very much appreciate the Deputy's kind words. This will sound like a mutual appreciation society but much of what we have been able to do in the past four years was because there was a platform laid in what the Deputy had done with the likes of the waste-action plan and circular economy. The Climate Action Plan 2019 set the format that inspired the new legislation and I could go on. At...

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Supplementary) (17 Oct 2024)

Darren O'Rourke: Sorry about that. I am sure the problem was at the committee's end. I thank the Minister. We have political differences and argue on detail and policy, but a huge amount of work has happened during the Minister's tenure. I acknowledge that and wish him well for the future. There may be opportunities again in the Dáil or in committee, but just in case there are not I want to express...

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Supplementary) (17 Oct 2024)

Eamon Ryan: I thank Deputy O'Rourke for his kind words. I am blushing now. I had better get out of the place quickly before something goes wrong, but I appreciate his comments very much. I will speak to a couple of points on the electricity credit. First, I again need to look to my officials here who have been responsible. It was initiated and designed in our Department and delivered by our...

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Supplementary) (17 Oct 2024)

Richard Bruton: I commend the progress made on this by the Department. As the Minister rightly alluded, we had a considerable battle to get this approved, and I was gratified about a year ago to see the Minister's colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Ossian Smyth, issue a reply indicating that the present calculation of the benefits was double the benefits estimated at the time it was approved. That...

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Supplementary) (17 Oct 2024)

Eamon Ryan: I remember I had concerns at the time about the ownership of the assets with regard to the national broadband plan, but not the underlying economic logic and rationale. There was reasonable cross-party consensus about proceeding even if there were concerns about aspects of it. In this country we can sometimes work to reach consensus in the political system. The deposit refund scheme worked...

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Supplementary) (17 Oct 2024)

Richard Bruton: I also advocated for the "disruptive technologies" programme, where €500 million-----

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Supplementary) (17 Oct 2024)

Eamon Ryan: That is where project finance is given for those ideas that are-----

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Supplementary) (17 Oct 2024)

Richard Bruton: We have medical device companies and ICT companies; we have wonderful resources. We are probably better placed than almost any state to think about a transformative programme in this area. It would be a low-cost toe in the water. It would be harder to integrate the State, as the Minister said, but it would be a good first step.