Results 81-100 of 161 for going forward speaker:Fergus O'Dowd

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Thirty-fifth Amendment of the Constitution (Water in Public Ownership) (No. 2) Bill 2016: Discussion (4 May 2017)

Fergus O'Dowd: ...person who has seen it but he states in his official submission, "My officials are working with the Office of the Attorney General on the issues arising, in order to provide advice to me and the Government, as this Bill progresses through the Oireachtas, and possibly on bringing forward some amendments to address some of the issues I have outlined." The Minister is being reasonable. He...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Implications for Good Friday Agreement of UK Referendum Result: Discusssion (Resumed) (12 Jan 2017)

Fergus O'Dowd: ...stability in the North and there has to be an Administration that is seeking to reach a consensus and that meet the witnesses face to face and listen to their views. It does not make sense to be going into this dark night, which Brexit is, if there is not an Administration in the North and if there is not consensus. We are members of different bodies and we are parties to the Good Friday...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness: Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government (14 Sep 2016)

Fergus O'Dowd: ...I very much liked what I saw. I would agree with the proposal that we would continue to build those houses. If they have the 60-year warranty which the Minister said applies to them, then that is good enough for me and for everybody else. There are a number of issues relating to local authorities. I agree with my colleague, Senator Murnane O'Connor. I would make two points. I agree...

Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) Bill 2016: Second Stage (6 Jul 2016)

Fergus O'Dowd: Ba mhaith liom comhghairdeas a dhéanamh leis an Leas-Cheann Comhairle nua. Níl sé fógartha go fóill so nílim chun a ainm a rá. This is a very important debate and I welcome the legislation the Minister of State has proposed. It is timely and has been brought forward because of appalling deaths and criminality in parts of inner city Dublin. It is...

Topical Issue Debate: Respite Care Services Provision (6 Jul 2016)

Fergus O'Dowd: ...much appreciate the interest he has taken in the issues relating to disability that have arisen in my constituency and which I have raised with him. St. Mary's in Drumcar is run by the St. John of God's order and for many years there has been an excellent relationship between the staff and the order and, indeed, the users. However, as Drumcar moves into a transition phase, going from a...

United Kingdom Referendum on European Union Membership: Statements (Resumed) (30 Jun 2016)

Fergus O'Dowd: ...Mayor’s cross-Border initiative in Dublin in respect of the Dublin-Belfast economic corridor. The theme of its conference was "2025" and very positive suggestions were made. That is the way forward. Several traders in my constituency are concerned about the impact of Brexit on Christmas shopping, the increase in smuggling and cross-Border trade which, if the value of sterling...

Commission of Investigation (Certain Matters Relative to the Cavan-Monaghan Division of An Garda Síochána) Report: Statements (Resumed) (26 May 2016)

Fergus O'Dowd: ...debate. I pay tribute to gardaí in my own county who died in the course of their duty over the past few years. The context of the debate must be the credibility, integrity and sacrifices that good gardaí have made, and will be asked to make, on our behalf. In particular, recently, Garda Golden and Detective Garda Donohoe were murdered in my county, while some years ago...

Committee on Housing and Homelessness: Irish Property Owners Association (24 May 2016)

Fergus O'Dowd: ...make sense for the landlord and the tenant? The problem that arises is that many of these people, because they have very little money, cannot afford to rent anywhere else. They have very little going for them other than their sheer humanity. Reference was made to children being inappropriately accommodated on air beds in hotels and hostels, possibly in danger. That is wrong....

Health Services: Statements (20 Apr 2016)

Fergus O'Dowd: ...up the points of the last speaker, Deputy Pringle, I agree entirely with what he said about people needing proper home care packages and proper home help. It was brought home to me not so long ago by a 78 year old lady who gave me a call and told me that she had a half hour per day home help to look after her husband who was 82, had dementia and was doubly incontinent. She was in...

Housing Issues: Statements (14 Apr 2016)

Fergus O'Dowd: This is an important debate and some very good ideas have emanated from all sides of the House. It is important that the Minister takes note of the points all of us have made. We might consider changing the way we report after such debates in that the Department might give its wisdom on the salient points Members raise in terms of what can and cannot be done, and how we can move the case...

Prisons Bill 2015 [Seanad]: Second Stage (14 Dec 2015)

Fergus O'Dowd: .... This will be an effective decision, which is long overdue. Nobody wants children sent to St. Patrick's Institution and that will not happen anymore. However, the question is where will they go now. More important, can we give these children who are in detention centres a better life, intervene at an earlier stage and provide more facilities so they will not have to be housed in the...

International Protection Bill 2015: Second Stage (Resumed) (10 Dec 2015)

Fergus O'Dowd: ...concerned about issues regarding the legislation, and it is right and proper that we address them. The main advantage of the Bill is that it will create a one-stop-shop. A family that comes here will go through a process at the end of which they will have a clear, definitive decision in a very short time. It will make a significant difference to all the families and the State. The...

Financial Resolutions 2016 - Financial Resolution No. 5: General (Resumed) (14 Oct 2015)

Fergus O'Dowd: ...news for all of our citizens, particularly for the most disadvantaged and those who have suffered most. I acknowledge the pain and suffering inflicted on the country because of the previous Government's economic policies. There was the near collapse of our entire banking system and almost 300,000 people out of work. All of that has been reversed now due to Government policies and...

Harbours Bill 2015: Second Stage (16 Jul 2015)

Fergus O'Dowd: ...on transport, I had serious concerns about the port in Foynes. While I am not familiar with the issues Deputy Boyd Barrett raised, I was and remain deeply concerned about the question of governance. At that time - it is a matter of record - there was a company set up by the chief executive to supply services to the port. It happened that the chief executive and his wife were directors...

National Minimum Wage (Low Pay Commission) Bill 2015 [Seanad]: Second Stage (24 Jun 2015)

Fergus O'Dowd: ...changes are taking place in society and there is an increasing awareness of improvements in our economy. Our export levels have increased and there is a general increase in confidence in the Government's capacity to deal with the recession in a pragmatic way that has resulted in major changes to how people view their future prospects in this country. A question that we must address,...

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government: Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Bill 2015: Committee Stage (9 Jun 2015)

Fergus O'Dowd: ...not know if there is a local authority conference on climate change or plans for climate change. We could tell every local authority that by 1 September we want it to have held a meeting and put forward proposals on climate change, how each council is going to change how it uses energy, how it organises transport and how it is going to show leadership in the community by going out and...

Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Bill 2015: Second Stage (11 Feb 2015)

Fergus O'Dowd: ...climate change, we must accept a compromise on where and how we live. Those compromises include accepting wind power, alternative energy structures and agreeing as a society that that is the way forward, if that is where we want to go. One of the key necessities is to change our thinking on transport because how we travel is a big issue. Our transport sector is a major polluter in terms...

Water Services Bill 2014: Second Stage (Resumed) (4 Dec 2014)

Fergus O'Dowd: ...to me both inside and outside the House, is that our water resources will be privatised. This is a serious concern. I welcome the commitment in this regard in the legislation, but it does not go far enough. I believe we should have a referendum on Irish Water to ensure that our natural resource is forever retained in the ownership of the people. I understand that as matters stand...

National Treasury Management Agency (Amendment) Bill 2014: Report Stage (Resumed) (9 Jul 2014)

Fergus O'Dowd: .... I do not have the unemployment figures for Deputy Pearse Doherty's constituency - I have no doubt that he does - but I do know that unemployment nationally has decreased from a high of 15% three years ago to about 11.6% now, which is below the European average. It is still exceptionally high and there are significant issues relating to youth unemployment and so on, but the trend is in...

Seanad: Child Protection: Motion (25 Jun 2014)

Fergus O'Dowd: ...minimum sentences for repeat offenders. Forced marriage, of minors or otherwise, is fortunately extremely rare in Ireland. There is one known case in recent years where a minor was coerced into going through a ceremony of marriage against her wishes, after an exemption had been granted by the Circuit Court. The minor concerned was subsequently granted a declaration that the marriage was...