Results 141-160 of 235 for going forward speaker:Michael Collins

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (7 Nov 2019)

Michael Collins: There are many promises made in the programme for Government in the area of health, but there has been a serious deterioration in the health service being delivered to people during the lifetime of the Government. Almost every area of the health service is in crisis. Today I will deal with the issue of home care hours. During the past year there has been an embargo on the provision of new...

Industrial Development (Amendment) Bill 2019 [Seanad]: Second Stage (24 Oct 2019)

Michael Collins: ...the Ludgate Hub has brought to Skibbereen in west Cork. We need to attract future investment like this to west Cork to generate more jobs and sustain the future of rural Ireland. IDA Ireland's ongoing work to increase foreign direct investment in Ireland needs to be supported. We need to look at empowering IDA Ireland to acquire property for future development, not just for immediate...

Financial Resolutions - Budget Statement 2020 (8 Oct 2019)

Michael Collins: ...crumbs are more valuable to the people than they are. We all know that the budget is being dubbed a "pre-election, pre-Brexit budget". The feelings created in this budget are an attempt from the Government to scare the people into accepting more unjust taxation. The Government provides a few crumbs from the table to keep people quiet, but I know that the people of Ireland and rural...

Housing (Regulation of Approved Housing Bodies) Bill 2019: Second Stage (Resumed) (25 Sep 2019)

Michael Collins: ...ask that the Minister of State comment on the matter in his response. If a council intends to purchase a house where people live, I assume they are not allowed to stay in the house. Where do they go? They receive a letter to tell them they must leave. It has happened numerous times in my constituency. I will search the archives for letters related to the matter. I am not raising...

Agrifood and Rural Development: Motion (24 Sep 2019)

Michael Collins: I am happy to bring forward this motion tonight, along with my colleagues in the Rural Independent Group, to address the ongoing and much-publicised issues facing the beef sector. Over the past eight years since Fine Gael came into government, beef farmers have experienced huge price volatility. It is our belief that the Government stood idly by and did nothing to assist the struggling...

Beef Sector: Statements (17 Sep 2019)

Michael Collins: ...for a period, it could well trigger an end to the protest. Is this possible? We want to bring an end to the protest. Farmers are angered and hurt by comments being made by everybody. We are not going to point any more fingers here. We are just trying to find a solution and a way forward. A serious and fair increase to the base price could trigger an end to this protest.

EU-Mercosur Trade Agreement: Motion [Private Members] (10 Jul 2019)

Michael Collins: ..., protested outside the Dáil. Most of them left their wellingtons behind them because many beef farmers know it is all over because the Government has sold them down the swanny and they are going down the tubes. The Government should be proud of itself. Those farmers are angry because they have listened to Ministers and the Taoiseach finding a nice way out of saying they are...

National Minimum Wage (Protection of Employee Tips) Bill 2017: Second Stage [Private Members] (18 Jun 2019)

Michael Collins: I support this Bill and commend Sinn Féin on bringing it forward. It will make a great difference for all hospitality workers in Ireland. It will give them a legal right to their tips and all restaurants would be required to introduce a system which fairly distributes tips among staff. Up to now many felt that there was a wrong being done to workers in this sector. There is no doubt...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (12 Jun 2019)

Michael Collins: ...However, the Independents in the Dáil were not listened to and the Government, together with Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin, panicked to give away the rights of Irish fishermen once again. Fast forward just two months, and we now see the shocking error we have made as the Scottish Government has made it very clear to this Government that it intends to fully protect its...

Rural and Community Development: Statements (Resumed) (29 May 2019)

Michael Collins: ...catchment areas of schools that were closed in order that children might be transported to central schools. This is known as the closed-central school rule. This rule was discontinued by the previous Government as one of a series of cuts relating to rural Ireland. Its discontinuation caused great problems for many parents. During the negotiations to form a Government, rural Deputies...

Building the Housing of the Future: Motion [Private Members] (10 Apr 2019)

Michael Collins: The homelessness figures have reached an all-time high, with 10,000 people currently homeless. Does this Government really realise that these are not just statistics, but real people who deserve the fundamental human right to safety and shelter? In this Chamber we have debated ways to relieve to current housing crisis over and over. I am baffled as to why, after all the hours of discussion...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (9 Apr 2019)

Michael Collins: ...in traffic on outdated roads starved of proper funding. I would point to the unfinished southern bypass in Bandon and the proposed two-phase relief road on the northern side of Bandon, which if it goes ahead in two phases would be a disaster for Bandon as we go forward. I point to the promised bypass for Innishannon, which was an election promise but it has not been delivered on. While...

Select Committee on Rural and Community Development: Estimates for Public Services 2019
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development (Further Revised) (3 Apr 2019)

Michael Collins: ...have voluntarily given access to their lands. They receive initial funds for stiles, probably from the €2 million provided, there is no long-term funding to make payments to farmers for allowing people to go through their lands. Such payments could be used to maintain the land. It is important that this be addressed for the sake of tourism and generating a small bit of an income...

Sea-Fisheries (Amendment) Bill 2017 [Seanad]: Committee and Remaining Stages (28 Mar 2019)

Michael Collins: ...the door for two years when he was asleep at the wheel in respect of this Bill. The Minister had the door shut solid on this and there was no chance of discussion for me or any of my colleagues on this issue. Do not go there. It was the Minister who shut the doors, not me. I am trying to protect Irish fishermen and their rights. Maybe I am wrong in some of the issues which are...

Sea-Fisheries (Amendment) Bill 2017: Second Stage (28 Mar 2019)

Michael Collins: ...this. This cannot be rushed through and it should not be rushed through. The island of Ireland has a coastline of 7,500 km. Fishing has always been important to coastal communities but extremely bad Government policies over the years have left fishing in ruins. An area known as the Irish Box was created in 1985. When Portugal and Spain joined the EU, both countries were banned from...

National Children's Hospital: Motion [Private Members] (12 Mar 2019)

Michael Collins: It saddens me greatly to be standing up here tonight and that the Rural Independent Group and I have again had to put forward a motion on the national children's hospital. The knowledge of the enormous cost overruns of the national children's hospital, and that people up and down the country will suffer in order to make up the €100 million funding gap, saddens me for sure. What...

Select Committee on Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs: Estimates for Public Services 2019
Vote 33 - Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht (Revised) (6 Mar 2019)

Michael Collins: ...and I have no argument with the way this money is being spent. The spending areas, including the Arts Council and national cultural institutions, are vital for the whole country. There is no point in going through what the Minister has already discussed in great detail. This level of funding, and probably much more, is required. The Minister is doing the best she can with the funds...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Rural Taxis and Rural Transport Programme: Discussion (27 Feb 2019)

Michael Collins: ...il. Then he threw more money at it. Again, it was not enough to touch the issue, which was the crisis being created in rural communities. I know there are shops and a number of other places where people want to go but the issue that hit the headlines was rural people wanting to go for a drink and go home, which they had been doing all their lives, but all of sudden they became...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Local Link and Rural Transport Programme: National Transport Authority (27 Feb 2019)

Michael Collins: ...might do one run in a night, or three runs on some nights. The point I am trying to make is that we have a system in place already. There are problems with it. There is no point in saying that there are not. The best way forward is for the NTA to sit down with the Local Link managers and the heads of taxi and hackney services and try to come up with a solution. They will certainly...

Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union (Consequential Provisions) Bill 2019: Second Stage (26 Feb 2019)

Michael Collins: With Brexit approaching, it will no doubt have important consequences for the Irish economy. It is vital that this Government navigates its way through these uncertain waters with its head well screwed on. We are all in the same boat, and it is so important that we work together and listen to the concerns of the people. Brexit poses a number of major challenges for healthcare, especially...