Results 1-20 of 23,068 for speaker:Paddy Burke

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (29 May 2024)

Paddy Burke: I would like to raise an issue in relation to the rail services. I compliment Iarnród Éireann on a tremendous service throughout the length and breadth of the country which is improving daily. I call for an extra service for the western line, from Heuston Station to Westport and Ballina, in the morning. There is no service, between 7 a.m. and 12.45 p.m., from Dublin to Westport...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: School Staff (28 May 2024)

Paddy Burke: I thank the Cathaoirleach and welcome Minister of State, Deputy Anne Rabbitte to the House. I raise this issue as it has been brought up with me on a number of occasions in the last couple of weeks. It relates to the permanency of primary school teachers the length and breadth of the country. I understand from a number of those teachers that the vast majority of them are employed on a...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: School Staff (28 May 2024)

Paddy Burke: I acknowledge the response by the Minister of State. I agree that the pay increases in recent years have been quite significant. Despite that, there are enormous challenges facing those young people. As the Minister of State said, those in the last year of a contract in particular have no chance of getting a loan. We all know about the Central Bank rules on accessing finance and drawing...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (28 May 2024)

Paddy Burke: I also welcome our visitor from Maine and hope she has a successful trip in Ireland. It will not be long until the preparations for budget 2025 have been made. I raise the issue of holding the VAT rate at 9% and having a distinction between food and accommodation. Small restaurants, bars and pubs provide a great service not just to our economy but also to the tourism industry. They...

Seanad: Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings System Bill 2024: Second Stage (28 May 2024)

Paddy Burke: I welcome the Minister to the House. This is probably one of the most important pieces of legislation we will pass in this House for many years. We are dealing with ordinary people's money going forward and we are going to make provision for people who will be retiring in the next 30 to 40 years and way beyond. This is, therefore, hugely important. The preamble in the explanatory...

Seanad: Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings System Bill 2024: Second Stage (28 May 2024)

Paddy Burke: On Tuesday, 11 June 2024.

Seanad: Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings System Bill 2024: Second Stage (28 May 2024)

Paddy Burke: Tomorrow morning at 10.30 a.m.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (22 May 2024)

Paddy Burke: I welcome Deputy Bruton to the House. I also welcome a group from Castlebar. I raise the issue of providing an extra respite bed at the Sacred Heart Hospital in Castlebar. There is only one respite bed in the hospital and there is huge demand for respite. We all know the great work that carers carry out. When a respite appointment is cancelled it causes huge disappointment for the...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (16 May 2024)

Paddy Burke: I wish to also be associated with the expressions of sympathy to the Slovak people in respect of the attack on their Prime Minister. We wish him a speedy recovery. I wish to raise an issue related to school transport. I have a situation where a student only qualifies to go to one school and there are two schools in the town. The schools are very close to each other and a person can walk...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (15 May 2024)

Paddy Burke: I wish to raise two housing issues. If a person builds his or her own house but starts the work before applying for a council loan from Mayo County Council then he or she will not get the loan, which I think is crazy. If people have a certain amount of work completed and then decide they do not have enough of their own money to complete the work then they will not get a council loan. I...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (9 May 2024)

Paddy Burke: I support Senator O'Loughlin with regard to the Garda pension. I have raised this issue previously and I fully support her on it. I want to raise an issue regarding potholes and side subsidence of roads. With the constant rain we have had over the past six months, there is a considerable number of potholes. There is also subsidence along the sides of the roads. More and more people are...

Seanad: Gnó an tSeanaid - Business of Seanad (8 May 2024)

Paddy Burke: Do not speak about it unless you have all the facts.

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Recycling Policy (8 May 2024)

Paddy Burke: I welcome the kids from sixth class, rang a sé, from County Meath to the House as well. I welcome my colleague from Mayo, the Minister of State, Deputy Alan Dillon. As I think this is first session in the Seanad, I wish him a very long and bright future as a Minister of State, and that he would be back many times to this House. I first put this issue to the Department of...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Recycling Policy (8 May 2024)

Paddy Burke: I thank the Minister of State for the response. However, there is no great light at the end of the tunnel in this. It seems that the Department does not mind what is thrown into the skip. The value of all this is that parts are recycled. For parts to be recycled and a carbon footprint to be attached to them, they have to be physically taken out of the car that is being recycled. That...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (8 May 2024)

Paddy Burke: I welcome our guests from Kenya as well and I hope they have a very successful trip to Ireland. I will join with the Cathaoirleach and other Members in proposing a vote of sympathy to the late Michael D'Arcy Snr., who was a former Member of this House and the Dáil, a Minister of State, and a county and town councillor. He had a distinguished political career over a very long period....

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (2 May 2024)

Paddy Burke: I would also like to be associated with the welcome for the Polish ambassador and his distinguished guests to the Distinguished Visitors Gallery. They are welcome. I propose a vote of sympathy to the D'Arcy family on the death of Michael D'Arcy Snr., who was a Member of both this House and the Dáil. He was Minister of State, a TD and a Senator. I served in this House with him for a...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: School Accommodation (21 Mar 2024)

Paddy Burke: I thank the Cathaoirleach for taking this Commencement matter. I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Collins, to the House. Castlebar Educate Together National School was started by a group of people in 2015. They organised an old national school, the Burren National School, but the parents rejected this. It was not suitable. It was outside Castlebar and did not have what was...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: School Accommodation (21 Mar 2024)

Paddy Burke: I thank the Minister of State for outlining what the Department is doing. I know he can appreciate the difficulty that the school faces in operating over a number of campuses. It is quite difficult, particularly with small kids. I ask for a site to be identified immediately. I am sure that there is some fundraising that the school will have to do as well. It needs to be able to get on...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (21 Mar 2024)

Paddy Burke: I also express my thanks and good wishes to the Taoiseach, Deputy Varadkar, a man who has experience at Cabinet as Minister, Tánaiste and Taoiseach over a 13-year period. He has been an excellent ambassador for the country, a great Taoiseach and a great Minister over the past 13 years. I wish him well and thank him for his public role for the country over those years. I support also...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (14 Feb 2024)

Paddy Burke: Much has been said recently about the revival of the Irish language. We should start with planning guidelines with regard to Gaeltacht areas. Planning guidelines should be weighted in favour of people living in Gaeltacht areas, whether they are from the area or from outside and want to move into the Gaeltacht areas. The language is dying in some areas and this could be a way to revive it...