Results 1,201-1,220 of 1,181,980 for in 'Dáil debates' OR (speaker:Paul Gavan OR speaker:Hildegarde Naughton OR speaker:Kieran O'Donnell OR speaker:Seán Canney OR speaker:Seán Fleming OR speaker:Seán Sherlock OR speaker:Francis Noel Duffy OR speaker:Richard Bruton OR speaker:Richard Bruton6 OR speaker:Leo Varadkar OR speaker:Brendan Griffin OR speaker:Marian Harkin OR speaker:Stephen Donnelly OR speaker:Éamon Ó Cuív OR speaker:Paul Donnelly OR speaker:Matt Shanahan OR speaker:Richard Boyd Barrett OR speaker:Éamon Ó Cuív88 OR speaker:Gary Gannon OR speaker:Niall Collins OR speaker:Mattie McGrath OR speaker:Robert Troy OR speaker:Steven Matthews OR speaker:Pauline Tully OR speaker:Jackie Cahill OR speaker:Mairead Farrell OR speaker:Cathal Berry OR speaker:Aindrias Moynihan OR speaker:Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire OR speaker:Violet-Anne Wynne OR speaker:Matt Carthy OR speaker:Brian Leddin OR speaker:Seán Haughey OR speaker:Paul Murphy OR speaker:Thomas Gould OR speaker:Michael Healy-Rae OR speaker:Danny Healy-Rae OR speaker:Éamon Ó Cuív14 OR speaker:Jennifer Carroll MacNeill OR speaker:Eoin Ó Broin OR speaker:Peadar Tóibín OR speaker:Éamon Ó Cuív19 OR speaker:Malcolm Noonan) in 'Committee meetings'

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Engagement with Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications on COP29 (22 Oct 2024)

Richard Bruton: I welcome the Minister. What is his assessment of how changes in the geopolitical landscape, to put it at its most euphemistic, the output of war, the increasing tensions, the increasing sense of retaliatory measures between different states which we look to to co-operate in the context of reducing emissions, have put a dampener on progress that can be made at COP29? Are these countries...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Engagement with Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications on COP29 (22 Oct 2024)

Brian Leddin: I thank the Minister and Deputy Bruton. We will go to Senator Higgins, who is joining us from her office.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Engagement with Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications on COP29 (22 Oct 2024)

Brian Leddin: I will give the Minister a chance to respond. I will check whether colleagues want to come back in for another round. If not, I will come back to the Senator.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Engagement with Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications on COP29 (22 Oct 2024)

Richard Bruton: I was struck by the statistic the Minister provided that, of the 473 GW of renewable energy put in place, only 2.7 GW is in Africa. Has the Minister been able to probe what is going on there? I recently met the Moroccan ambassador to Ireland and he identified great opportunity in this area, to which he is very committed. What are the barriers? Are they funding barriers or are they more...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Engagement with Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications on COP29 (22 Oct 2024)

Richard Bruton: The structural question is whether all these microeconomic matters are addressed at the UN or if it is solely the macroeconomic thing of how much money is in the pot.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Engagement with Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications on COP29 (22 Oct 2024)

Brian Leddin: I thank the Minister for his opening statement. I will invite members to ask their questions. Would Deputy Whitmore like to go first?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Engagement with Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications on COP29 (22 Oct 2024)

Brian Leddin: I am mindful of the time.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Engagement with Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications on COP29 (22 Oct 2024)

Brian Leddin: We will just let the Minister answer.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Engagement with Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications on COP29 (22 Oct 2024)

Brian Leddin: Do colleagues want to come in again? No. We are at the end of the session. I thank the Minister and his officials for coming in today and engaging with us ahead of the Minister's trip to COP29, where he will take up that important role. On behalf of the committee, I congratulate the Minister on his selection. He is the first Irish representative to hold a senior negotiating position at...

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.

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?

Report of the Joint Committee on Assisted Dying: Motion (Resumed) (17 Oct 2024)

John Lahart: For the public who may be watching, this debate was scheduled for later in the evening but, obviously, business moved much more quickly, and it is concluding now. I am very grateful for the opportunity to speak on it. I will not be supporting any motions on this next week. While I understand why Deputy Kenny is doing that and bringing it forward, because he has very much championed the...

Report of the Joint Committee on Assisted Dying: Motion (Resumed) (17 Oct 2024)

Bernard Durkan: I thank the Deputy. Does Deputy Kenny wish to finish off his interrupted closure?

Report of the Joint Committee on Assisted Dying: Motion (Resumed) (17 Oct 2024)

Gino Kenny: I have said it all.