Results 1,621-1,640 of 1,185,404 for in 'Dáil debates' OR in 'Committee meetings' (speaker:Eamon Scanlon OR speaker:Joan Burton OR speaker:Marc Ó Cathasaigh OR speaker:Imelda Munster OR speaker:Joan Burton0 OR speaker:Patrick O'Donovan OR speaker:Cathal Crowe OR speaker:James Browne OR speaker:Pat Buckley OR speaker:Michael McGrath OR speaker:Denis Naughten OR speaker:Gerald Nash OR speaker:Seán Haughey OR speaker:Damien English OR speaker:Charlie McConalogue OR speaker:Paul McAuliffe OR speaker:Michael Lowry OR speaker:Michael Ring OR speaker:Joan Burton1 OR speaker:Heather Humphreys OR speaker:Colm Brophy OR speaker:Emer Higgins OR speaker:Seán Crowe OR speaker:Mark Ward OR speaker:Joe O'Brien OR speaker:Kieran O'Donnell OR speaker:Niall Collins OR speaker:Richard Boyd Barrett OR speaker:Seán Ó Fearghaíl OR speaker:Joan Collins OR speaker:Pippa Hackett OR speaker:Holly Cairns OR speaker:Bernard Durkan OR speaker:Seán Ó Fearghaíl4 OR speaker:Dessie Ellis OR speaker:Seán Ó Fearghaíl9 OR speaker:Michael Creed OR speaker:Alan Farrell OR speaker:Carol Nolan OR speaker:Joan Burton4 OR speaker:Brendan Griffin OR speaker:Brian Stanley OR speaker:John Brady OR speaker:Seán Fleming OR speaker:Pádraig O'Sullivan OR speaker:Brian Leddin OR speaker:Louise O'Reilly OR speaker:Gino Kenny)

Finance Bill 2024: Second Stage (16 Oct 2024)

John McGuinness: I continue from where the previous speaker left the argument. There is a huge case to be made for small businesses. They are under enormous pressure. That is not a whinge; it is a fact. We have failed to understand the challenges that face small cafés, restaurants, retailers, food outlets and clothing outlets. We do not seem to understand what it takes for them to make a profit in...

Finance Bill 2024: Second Stage (16 Oct 2024)

Peadar Tóibín: I have never seen a Finance Bill in the history of the State that seeks to buy the votes of citizens so brazenly. It is incredible. Even the one-off payments are designed to happen just before and after the election. This is not the Government’s money it is using to buy votes, but the citizens’, which it is leveraging to put itself back into government. Fine Gael has been in...

Finance Bill 2024: Second Stage (16 Oct 2024)

James Lawless: Four years.

Finance Bill 2024: Second Stage (16 Oct 2024)

Peadar Tóibín: It has been eight years. Fianna Fáil was in a confidence and supply arrangement with the then Government, which meant the latter only existed because of Fianna Fáil’s support. It is like this Government is trying to hypnotise the people of Ireland with shiny coins to make them forget what has happened over the past ten years. That is wrong. The Finance Bill should have...

Finance Bill 2024: Second Stage (16 Oct 2024)

Seán Canney: I welcome the opportunity to speak on the Bill. First, I will speak about a situation that is pertinent to what we are talking about and has arisen in my town, Tuam. The Pieta service has operated there for the past ten years in a purpose built unit, but due to a lack of funding it is now pulling out of its facility that was purpose built with the sweat and tears of local people. The...

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Business of Select Committee (16 Oct 2024)

Alan Farrell: The minutes of our previous committee meetings on 7 and 28 February and 26 June have been circulated to members. Are the imeachtaí agreed? Agreed.

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Service 2024
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Supplementary) (16 Oct 2024)

Alan Farrell: The purpose of this meeting is to consider the Supplementary Estimates for Public Services 2024 in respect of Vote 29 - Programme D - Environment, Climate and Communications. I remind members that the committee has no role in approving the Estimates. What we are doing constitutes an ongoing opportunity for the committee to examine departmental expenditure in order to make the process more...

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Service 2024
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Supplementary) (16 Oct 2024)

Ossian Smyth: I thank the Chair and the committee for this opportunity to present details of this Supplementary Estimate for my Department. This Supplementary Estimate is required to provide additional funding of €30 million for the national broadband plan because it will exceed its planned delivery for this year. Other elements of the Supplementary Estimate include: funding of €520 million...

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Service 2024
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Supplementary) (16 Oct 2024)

Alan Farrell: For the information of members, this meeting is scheduled to be short. There is a speaking list. I thank the Minister for coming in and outlining information. I was not aware of the stark fact that in the region of 4,200 homes are being connected every month.

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Service 2024
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Supplementary) (16 Oct 2024)

Ossian Smyth: They are people who have subscribed to the service. About 10,000 homes are passed with fibre, so the fibre is going pass the kerbs outside those homes. The 4,200 homes are actually subscribing. The numbers will keep increasing. We expect that eventually 80% of people in rural Ireland will subscribe to the service.

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Service 2024
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Supplementary) (16 Oct 2024)

Alan Farrell: I thank the Minister of State for that welcome additional information. I call Deputy O'Rourke.

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Service 2024
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Supplementary) (16 Oct 2024)

Ossian Smyth: Deputy O'Rourke and I and Deputy Ó Murchú have worked together through ups and downs on this project over the past number of years. Deputy O'Rourke will remember that during the pandemic there were delays to the project. It eventually looked as though it would be eight months delayed compared with its original schedule. The project was signed in December 2019 and the contract...

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Service 2024
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Supplementary) (16 Oct 2024)

Alan Farrell: I thank Deputy O’Rourke. For my part, before I call in Deputy Feighan, I wish to say that it is fantastic to see this project working so quickly and efficiently. The additional information the Minister of State provided with regard to the number of homes that are being connected, at 10,000 per week-----

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Service 2024
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Supplementary) (16 Oct 2024)

Ossian Smyth: Per month.

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Service 2024
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Supplementary) (16 Oct 2024)

Alan Farrell: Per month excuse me. It is a pretty astonishing number. It is fantastic to see. Arising from Deputy O'Rourke's contribution in respect of areas in urban environments where there are gaps, I am aware of a further gap. It might be a matter for ComReg but the Minister of State might have a view on it or it might have arisen before. There are a number of estates built in the noughties with...

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Service 2024
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Supplementary) (16 Oct 2024)

Ossian Smyth: The country has been divided up into two areas: the intervention area where NBI operates and the non-intervention area, which is the urban areas which are commercially viable. We got approval from the European Commission to have NBI operate and be subsidised within the intervention area. If a person is not in that area, the NBI is not going to reach them. The NBI has to provide 100%; it...