Results 1-20 of 1,985 for speaker:Matt Shanahan

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

Matt Shanahan: I congratulate the Minister of State also on his recent elevation and wish him the best of luck in his position. I will speak on affordable housing and housing in general. We have an affordability issue across the board. There is no doubt we have entered into a very different period in the past five to seven years, particularly post-pandemic, as regards the economic and regulatory...

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

Matt Shanahan: Recently, there was recognition in this House of a 43-year-long struggle for social justice. We have another one now, which is the Waterford Crystal factory pensions issue, which has been going on for 32 years. It was visited by "Prime Time" last week, which brought up new information that showed there was understanding between the Irish Pensions Trust and the factory workers, where over...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Small Companies Administrative Rescue Process: Discussion (8 May 2024)

Matt Shanahan: Ms Marray said 11,000 customers have not engaged. She also referred to those customers whose debt is less than €5,000. Was the figure 60,000 or 6,000?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Small Companies Administrative Rescue Process: Discussion (8 May 2024)

Matt Shanahan: I thank the witnesses. I will address the Department first on SCARP. The committee looked for such a process and it is good to see it up and running and obviously rescuing companies. As for the survival rate, it is important that the Department collate data to show how companies are performing on the other side of this process. The Department and Revenue are very close to and understand...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Small Companies Administrative Rescue Process: Discussion (8 May 2024)

Matt Shanahan: The reason I asked the question is that I have a perception, let us say, that the Department at times does not sufficiently understand what is going on in small and micro-businesses in terms of the challenges. If it does not understand why a company is coming into SCARP, I suggest that is something it needs to understand. It is not enough to say that a practitioner has brought the case to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Small Companies Administrative Rescue Process: Discussion (8 May 2024)

Matt Shanahan: My point is that it is important the Department has a good handle on that because it generally liaises with the local enterprise offices. If I am coming to a LEO with a business plan and talking to a LEO adviser, it would be helpful if the LEO adviser had some publication or otherwise from the Department, which said it was seeing significant challenges in the sector that were sector wide as...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Small Companies Administrative Rescue Process: Discussion (8 May 2024)

Matt Shanahan: They have all availed of the warehouse scheme and have not come to Revenue yet, so it is obvious they are in trouble if they cannot engage on €5,000. The next question is around what do you do. If Revenue puts them out of business, there is a cost, potentially, in employment. There is also the question of understanding. The non-payment of debt is a big problem in the small...

Gambling Regulation Bill 2022: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (1 May 2024)

Matt Shanahan: The previous day I contributed on this, I said to the Minister of State that he had engaged, unwittingly, in the law of unintended consequences. I understand where the legislation is trying to go and what it is trying to achieve but I believe, as has been highlighted by others, there was not awareness of what exactly was being proposed and the impacts it was going to have, particularly with...

Gambling Regulation Bill 2022: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (1 May 2024)

Matt Shanahan: This issue was brought up with the Minister of State during a previous debate the other night in this Chamber. I was quite surprised how strident he was in sticking to his guns. I echo what my colleagues have said today. I made a point to the Minister of State the other day regarding the kinds of voluntary organisations that are involved in raising money. I specifically pointed out to him...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (1 May 2024)

Matt Shanahan: When this Government was formed in 2020 there was a post office, a GP practice and an active Garda station in Gaeltacht na nDéise. Despite all the ráméising in this House about protecting our Irish language, having it listed as an official EU working language, mandatory publishing and broadcasting as Gaeilge, the Government supports required to protect our teanga are not in...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Role and Operation of the Health and Safety Authority: Discussion (1 May 2024)

Matt Shanahan: I thank the Chair and guests. I am old enough to have worked in a number of different sectors. I remember when the HSA came on board it was not always seen as a welcome introduction into the workplace. It does important work, however. The figures speak for themselves, in terms of improvement across the economy in the protection of workers. Some of my colleagues have touched on points I...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Role and Operation of the Health and Safety Authority: Discussion (1 May 2024)

Matt Shanahan: As I said, there needs to be constant vigilance in the sector, in particular at high stress times and when trained manpower is not available. That is a problem. Years ago, every farm had a farm labourer who had worked there for 20 or 30 years and was quite skilled at what they did. The problem is that farmers are now drafting in children after junior or leaving certificate years for...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Role and Operation of the Health and Safety Authority: Discussion (1 May 2024)

Matt Shanahan: I have one final question in relation to the remote working environment. First, does the HSA have any information on whether potential cases are being taken against employers for occupational accidents where people are working remotely? What is the trajectory of that? Second, has the HSA produced any KPIs for workers themselves so they can understand this? If, for example, I am working...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Role and Operation of the Health and Safety Authority: Discussion (1 May 2024)

Matt Shanahan: Recently enough, we have supported the rights of workers to request remote working, but it seems that this is being done in a way in which somebody can look for remote work in their home, but the onus potentially falls entirely on the employer to ensure the suitability of the premises. It would be helpful if the HSA could provide some information on how employees assess their own...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Role and Operation of the Health and Safety Authority: Discussion (1 May 2024)

Matt Shanahan: That is okay. As I said, it would be helpful to have clearer guidance on that. Many people, particularly in Dublin, are working in flat complexes, are walking up and down the stairs and are probably carrying boxes and computer peripherals and what have you as part of their work. Employers cannot be responsible for every single aspect of it.

Petrol and Diesel Excise Rate Increases: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members] (30 Apr 2024)

Matt Shanahan: This motion seeks that the Government would scrap plans to increase the price of petrol and diesel on 1 August and yet again on 9 October. It also seeks to reverse the price increase that took place on 1 April. The main rationale to the motion is to recognise fuel prices have risen by more than 30% in the past three years and to recognise the significant and pronounced negative effect this...

Petrol and Diesel Excise Rate Increases: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members] (30 Apr 2024)

Matt Shanahan: Pardon?

Petrol and Diesel Excise Rate Increases: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members] (30 Apr 2024)

Matt Shanahan: Even if the Government did do that I can tell the Minister of State, from people I am talking to that-----

Petrol and Diesel Excise Rate Increases: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members] (30 Apr 2024)

Matt Shanahan: I have been down in Waterford and I have seen very few houses that have been retrofitted.

Petrol and Diesel Excise Rate Increases: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members] (30 Apr 2024)

Matt Shanahan: I have seen very few people engaging in a retrofitting scheme and everybody who has looked at it tells me it is not affordable for them.