Results 2,121-2,140 of 2,189 for speaker:Richard O'Donoghue

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Non-Covid Healthcare Disruption: Waiting Lists and Screening (Resumed) (17 Jul 2020)

Richard O'Donoghue: Let us consider other hospitals and the management of other hospitals throughout the country. I asked this question in the Chamber earlier today. Are there certain areas of certain hospitals where we might have a small problem with management of the systems rather than the hospital itself? Might there be a problem around management and asking for help?

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Non-Covid Healthcare Disruption: Waiting Lists and Screening (Resumed) (17 Jul 2020)

Richard O'Donoghue: What about the employment of consultants? I said this earlier but not in the Dáil. We have no Ehlers-Danlos syndrome consultant. For two years they have been looking to replace the Ehlers-Danlos syndrome consultant. When will we have one? I have a second question. Perhaps Mr. Woods can answer both together. It relates to our personal protective equipment if we have another...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (16 Jul 2020)

Richard O'Donoghue: My question concerns the front-line workers who booked and paid for holidays last year that were to be taken this summer. The flights are going out but, according to the Government direction, people are not supposed to travel. Most are being responsible and not travelling. If they travel, they are told they will have to stay off work for two weeks when they come back. If they do not...

Employment Rights: Motion [Private Members] (15 Jul 2020)

Richard O'Donoghue: Deputy Danny Healy-Rae and I are sharing time, with four minutes each. If this pandemic has taught us anything it is how we need to invest in our front-line workers. We can see it from all the front-line workers who came home and all the trainee nurses who helped the front-line services while getting paid during the Covid-19 crisis. Up to the outbreak of Covid, they did not get paid for...

National Oil Reserves Agency (Amendment) and Provision of Central Treasury Services Bill 2020: Second Stage (15 Jul 2020)

Richard O'Donoghue: This oil Bill has already raised €3 billion in carbon taxes since 2010. The Green Party has included certain projects that its members want rural Ireland to pay for. Some €8.5 million is being provided for gas projects. Dublin City Council is to get €20 million for green heating systems. Some €4.5 million is being provided for the Tallaght district system,...

Financial Provisions (Covid-19) Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (15 Jul 2020)

Richard O'Donoghue: I will try and not take the full 20 minutes. Deputy Danny Healy-Rae said earlier this funding is very welcome and wanted but it must be given in a responsible way. I have no confidence in giving funding to Irish Water as it has wasted what money we have had in the country to date. It put in meters throughout the country and used all of its funding but was able to keep back €500,000...

Financial Provisions (Covid-19) Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (15 Jul 2020)

Richard O'Donoghue: I am sorry but everyone else spoke at length. The Acting Chairman said he did not see me. I would like to get a couple of these facts out.

Financial Provisions (Covid-19) Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (15 Jul 2020)

Richard O'Donoghue: I thank the Acting Chair. All restaurants were closed for 105 days during this time. There was significant cash burning. Large hoteliers were out of pocket by €2,000 at day. Local authority charges need to be waived. This funding needs to be given to local authorities so they can waive the rates system to get our businesses back up and running. That is one way to do it. The...

Pre-European Council Meeting: Statements (15 Jul 2020)

Richard O'Donoghue: It is great to see €500 million being used for environmentally friendly projects. I note, however, that nothing has gone to agriculture, which is always being wrongly blamed as the cause of emissions in Ireland. Some €8.5 million is being provided for a gas project; €15 million is going to Irish Rail to reduce the number of diesel engines; €20 million is going to...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Impact of Covid-19: Education – Return to School and School Transport (Resumed) (10 Jul 2020)

Richard O'Donoghue: Who bears the responsibility for policing the wearing of masks on school transport? Whose responsibility is it?

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Impact of Covid-19: Education – Return to School and School Transport (Resumed) (10 Jul 2020)

Richard O'Donoghue: Bus Éireann put out the bus transport system to tender. It is usually private bus owners who run the scheme. In the rural setting in which I live, the same bus carries both primary school kids and secondary school kids. It is a double run. The buses are at capacity. If social distancing is to be implemented, and if primary schoolchildren must be separated from secondary...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Impact of Covid-19: Education – Return to School and School Transport (Resumed) (10 Jul 2020)

Richard O'Donoghue: My next question is just one example of the concerns about which I have contacted by different ethnic minorities. Some 40% of students in a classroom in a Rathkeale school come from Traveller families. The other 60% come from the settled community. Both communities have concerns because members of some families in the area work abroad and are travelling in and out of the country, including...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Meat Plants (10 Jul 2020)

Richard O'Donoghue: I thank the witnesses for their work and for attending. I thank Ms McGinley for contacting my office about migrants in factories. In my area, it seems that migrants are treated well in those factories that we have spoken to, but it is difficult to get information about migrants and how they are managed in factories. The witnesses cited a statistic of 60% or 70% of migrant workers in...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Meat Plants (10 Jul 2020)

Richard O'Donoghue: I will not cite anyone out of character.

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Meat Plants (10 Jul 2020)

Richard O'Donoghue: I am just saying that I spoke to that ABP plant and asked it about what it had done for its employees. I am giving the basis for what we are saying. MCRI has spoken to migrant workers. Are there pockets around the country that are experiencing issues? In the context of previous contributions to the committee, is there a problem with management in factories not carrying out work properly...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Meat Plants (10 Jul 2020)

Richard O'Donoghue: This goes back to what a previous speaker said: the Department has given us one set of figures to show that it has no concerns but the witnesses have given us another side showing they have concerns. In order to help we must have co-operation so that we can know if there are pockets or cases of people not stepping up to the mark. It is the only way we can help. We are going through the...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Meat Plants (10 Jul 2020)

Richard O'Donoghue: I am disheartened to hear that people would have no access to payments, especially if they have been coming from the likes of Poland and becoming self-employed here. I am self-employed. I do not have any migrant workers. Every one of our workers is considered to be a team member. I would hate to see that anyone is treated with such disrespect and that anyone who has worked, and especially...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Meat Plants (Resumed) (10 Jul 2020)

Richard O'Donoghue: At the start of the session the witnesses were asked about agencies. The first speaker said he did not know what agencies we were referring to, and now Mr. Healy has said there are very few agency workers. Some 30% of the workforce are Irish. Another 50% are from the EU and when added to the Irish that gives us 80%, and 20% of workers are migrants. There were 1,100 outbreaks in the meat...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Meat Plants (Resumed) (10 Jul 2020)

Richard O'Donoghue: Mr. Healy should know because it is his job to know. The witnesses have come in with their statistics, and we heard statistics earlier from Ms Edel McGinley that completely contradict every single thing the representatives of Meat Industry Ireland have said here today. The witnesses have stonewalled and gone around in circles. I am from a farming background myself and now I am in the...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Meat Plants (Resumed) (10 Jul 2020)

Richard O'Donoghue: I understand, but it is a process and I am disgusted with the way farmers were treated. I am also disgusted with the way a lot of the employees in the meat sector are being treated. It is the job of the witnesses to know about the agencies and how many of the workers are on contracts. It is their job to know whether they have a safe place to live and if they are coming back into a safe...