Results 1-20 of 236 for going forward speaker:Martin Kenny

Agriculture Appeals (Amendment) Bill 2024: Second Stage (11 Jul 2024)

Martin Kenny: ...manner. That is the big problem many people have. This legislation to monitor that and try to bring a sense of focus to appeals is very welcome. There are some little changes which will be put forward that may even enhance. I hope the Minister will consider some of those, especially in the context of how the independence of the board can be assured. It is not enough for something to...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Rail Network (4 Jul 2024)

Martin Kenny: We all look forward to the publication of the review and to advancements being made in respect of all the issues around rail on the island. It is vital infrastructure that we need to see developed. We all recognise that, in the context of climate change, rail is one of the key pieces of infrastructure which will put us in a safe place in regard to meeting our commitments. However, we still...

Tackling All Forms of Domestic, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence: Statements (3 Jul 2024)

Martin Kenny: ...of domestic violence or abuse, often sexual abuse, as well as domination and a whole range of things. There is no refuge in my county, Leitrim, or the surrounding counties. There is nowhere to go. There are no refuges in Cavan, Longford, Roscommon or Sligo. There has to be a recognition that we signed up to the Istanbul Convention and ratified it in 2019. It states that there needs...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Postal Services (27 Jun 2024)

Martin Kenny: There is one comment I want to make about An Post in the context of its parcel service. The Minister mentioned it as well. Every road in the country we go down, we see nothing but couriers delivering all kinds of stuff. They are all private businesses and they are all obviously able to compete and make money. It seems very strange to me that An Post cannot be in that field and cannot be...

Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2024: Second Stage (19 Jun 2024)

Martin Kenny: ...to look after children in their local community. While the Bill opens up the possibility that people will have the option of getting some compensation and an element of recognition, if it is going to drive more people out of the business, it will fail. That needs to be recognised. I acknowledge the Bill is at an early stage and has a distance to travel. I hope the Minister and...

Committee on Public Petitions: Business of Joint Committee (30 May 2024)

Martin Kenny: I thank Mr. Doocey for his presentation. We have been through this. I thank all those who have appeared before the committee, put forward their cases and discussed this issue. Deputy Harkin is right that we should not be having a competition and that we should be trying to focus on results. That is really what we want to try to do. We are in a new age in which we are seeking to...

Dentistry Services: Motion (22 May 2024)

Martin Kenny: I thank the Social Democrats for bringing forward this motion. It is an issue in every constituency in the country and it is certainly an issue in my constituency in regard to the school dental service. Parents contact me regularly where their children have gone into sixth class and have never seen a dentist and go on to secondary school without seeing a dentist. This is happening...

Road Safety and Maintenance: Motion [Private Members] (15 May 2024)

Martin Kenny: I thank the Labour Party for bringing forward this motion. We have discussed the issue of road safety many times in this House over the past number of months. To date this year, there have been 72 funerals of people who have died on our roads. People who have been seriously injured are probably a multiple of that, and the impact that has on communities is something that is very distressful...

Affordable Housing: Motion [Private Members] (8 May 2024)

Martin Kenny: ...as well, we meet an awful lot of people. That is where we get our information. That is when we find out what is really happening across the length and breadth of the country. I was in south Sligo at the weekend. I met a woman who moved home from abroad in the past couple of years. She lived in Dublin for a while. They are now renting a house there and paying quite high rent from...

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Road Traffic Bill 2024: Committee Stage (28 Feb 2024)

Martin Kenny: ...this is a real definition of what we are talking about here. With regard to the issue around whether we are making the local authority bound to it, the Minister of State is really saying that the Government is not prepared to put the money forward. This is basically what it comes down to. This is about binding to it and this is what it is doing. It is making sure that it actually...

Healthcare Provision in Rural Communities: Motion [Private Members] (21 Feb 2024)

Martin Kenny: I thank the Rural Independents for bringing forward this motion. Rural healthcare, and particularly GP services, is in crisis across every constituency. Certainly across my constituency, we continually have people contacting our office. These are people who have moved into the area or who have moved from Dublin or abroad but they cannot get a GP. All of the GPs are full. That is the...

Commissions of Investigation (Amendment) Bill 2023: Second Stage [Private Members] (15 Feb 2024)

Martin Kenny: ...to them for half their lives and about the way they felt that society, the State, the church and everyone else treated them, which was so badly. They had hoped that something different was finally going to happen and that they would be listened to. Then the report came out. They looked at the contents, which did not match what they had told people. Then those who produced the report...

Recent Developments in Northern Ireland: Statements (14 Feb 2024)

Martin Kenny: ...the mark and show that we also will work to make that happen and provide for people. The reality is that the Good Friday Agreement delivered a peace, but delivering a lasting settlement that is going to be there forever requires work, ongoing work and continuous work. This is why it is so important that all aspects of politics on this island come together to ensure we give it the fair...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Large-scale Capital Projects: Transport Infrastructure Ireland (14 Feb 2024)

Martin Kenny: If a sound proposal is put forward and is going to roll forward, waiting for six to eight months for it to get the nod when there is no change or serious questions to be asked about it seems a little bit frustrating.

Coroners (Amendment) Bill 2024: Second Stage (8 Feb 2024)

Martin Kenny: The Bill is welcome. Sinn Féin will not oppose its passage. We hope to see it speedily go through the various Stages. On the Bill itself, we all recognise there have been serious issues with the Coroner Service, particularly with regard to delays. Dublin has been the victim of many of these problems. This legislation will deal with Dublin specifically or almost entirely. The issue...

Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman (Amendment) Bill 2023: Second Stage (8 Feb 2024)

Martin Kenny: We welcome many of the provisions in this Bill, and it goes some way to dealing with the difficulties people have. As Deputy Doherty has outlined, there are many people who are in serious difficulty and who are finding it hard to manage because their loans have been sold to vulture funds, which do not fall under this and do not have access to any recourse when they have a complaint or...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Road Safety (1 Feb 2024)

Martin Kenny: The difficulty here is that we do not believe that the projects you are putting forward are actually working and delivering. In The Irish Timesthis week we have seen a report that the Department of Transport wrote to the RSA in 2023 and asked for a plan in regard to enhanced road safety. It came back with that plan and the RSA looked for funding of €6 million to roll it out. The...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Large Energy Users Rebalancing Subvention: Discussion (23 Jan 2024)

Martin Kenny: I accept that and I am not disputing that industry can put forward a very valid argument for making changes at any time. It is its entitled to do that, to lobby and to seek relief wherever it can. The question here is about how appropriate it was to put this in place and that it would recur every year, with very little opportunity for review of its impact. Even when we produce legislation...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Defective Building Materials (18 Jan 2024)

Martin Kenny: I thank the Minister of State. First, we have learned nothing new. We are aware that this has happened and that on 26 September, Sligo County Council engaged with the Housing Agency and commenced its investigations. According to the last letter I got in early December, the report was in draft form. We now need to see the report being brought forward. I am concerned about the use of the...