Results 5,341-5,360 of 6,188 for speaker:Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

Criminal Justice (Victims of Crime) Bill 2016: From the Seanad (18 Oct 2017)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: Like other Members, I welcome the legislation. The European directive is progressive and the legislation equally so. As Deputy Jim O'Callaghan said, it redresses to some extent the imbalance that might be perceived between the victims of crime and the primary purpose of a trial, that is, to determine the guilt or otherwise of the defendant.

Criminal Justice (Victims of Crime) Bill 2016: From the Seanad (18 Oct 2017)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: I support the amendment as there is a strong case for it. As we are transposing the victims of crime directive, it would be very valuable to have a facility such as this for people who are subject to horrific crimes and who could be at risk of revictimisation. Deputy Clare Daly rightly states that the provision in the Bill as first passed by the Dáil was broader and allowed a greater...

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (18 Oct 2017)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: Like the Minister and most Deputies, I have approached many of these amendments with a relatively open mind. I take the point that Deputy Wallace made about a money message. It is a ridiculous procedural rule that Deputies outside of the Government cannot bring amendments that bring a charge on the Exchequer. I am always suspicious of the arguments made for quangos and public policy...

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (18 Oct 2017)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: I wish to respond to Deputy O'Callaghan's amendments. The point was well made by Deputy Brophy. Whatever about the 15 year bar, with the amendment as currently drafted it would be possible for a person to leave the legal profession on Monday and be deemed a lay member on Tuesday. I believe this is problematic. While I am not necessarily convinced, I am open to the idea of revising the 15...

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (18 Oct 2017)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: I hold an almost identical position to that of Deputy Clare Daly in that some other committees are perhaps unnecessary and it might be possible for the commission to do much of the work of committees attached to each court. However, the procedures committee has the strongest case of all the committees in terms of its working to ensure that the process is representative and that there is...

Local Authority Boundaries Review: Motion [Private Members] (17 Oct 2017)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: I am sharing time with Deputy Pat Buckley. I join the Minister of State and my colleagues in paying tribute to the staff of Cork County Council and Cork City Council for the extraordinary work they did and are still doing in very difficult circumstances. I firmly believe that they have been doing extraordinary work with very tight budgets over a number of years and they certainly deserve...

Local Authority Boundaries Review: Motion [Private Members] (17 Oct 2017)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: -----Cork. Unfortunately, on this occasion, it clashes with Cork City Football Club potentially winning the league, so it is a pity that Deputy Collins could not have-----

Local Authority Boundaries Review: Motion [Private Members] (17 Oct 2017)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: -----arranged a better occasion for this debate. First, I want to address the sense in some media commentary and debates between city and county that there is an enormous dissonance between the city and county. I do not believe there is and that a solution is possible. I believe that the amendment I tabled, on which I consulted my Sinn Féin county and city councillor colleagues as well...

Other Questions: Early Childhood Care and Education Funding (17 Oct 2017)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: Perhaps the Minister can comment on how she has dealt with some of the anomalies and gaps that exist in the free preschool year scheme.

Other Questions: Early Childhood Care and Education Funding (17 Oct 2017)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: The issue of capacity goes beyond mere places. We have previously discussed issues like capacity and the sustainability of the sector. Does the Minister believe the additional funding that is being provided will lead to improved pay? How does she intend to ensure the many lower-paid people working in this sector, who are overwhelmingly female, will see their pay increase on foot of this...

Other Questions: Early Childhood Care and Education Funding (17 Oct 2017)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: As we have sought to provide for early childhood education, not just over the past two years but also over a longer period, much of our strategy has involved the provision of subsidies to the private sector. While that makes sense in the context of this sector as it currently exists, do the Minister or the Department have any sense that we should be moving towards an early childhood care...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Child and Family Agency Staff (17 Oct 2017)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: I take the Minister's point that turnover rate is currently at 7%. When we dealt with this issue 12 months ago, we were talking about losing 150 social workers a year, which was very significant. I would like to pass on some observations made to me by social workers on matters I have previously raised with Mr. Fred McBride at committee level. One was that there previously was a grade of...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Child and Family Agency Staff (17 Oct 2017)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: This follows neatly on from Deputy Anne Rabbitte's last question. It relates to Tusla and the initiatives being undertaken to ensure, in particular, the retention of social workers, as well as the resources required to recruit more social workers. This is obviously a very important issue. I welcome the additional moneys for Tusla which was one of the priorities identified in Sinn...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Child and Family Agency Staff (17 Oct 2017)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: I thank the Minister for her response. This is not the first time a response from the Government has compared our system favourably with that in place in Britain or, specifically, England, but I do not think we should compare Ireland with England. The English social care system is in crisis and almost anything could be compared favourably with it. So many of the issues, controversies and...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Child Poverty (17 Oct 2017)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: Deputy Mitchell conveys her apologies. The Deputy asks about the extra efforts being taken by the Department and the Government generally in regard to youth poverty and child homelessness, both of which are related, and asks that the Minister to make a statement on the matter and outlines what actions were taken in the budget to deal with this.

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Child Poverty (17 Oct 2017)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: As the Minister stated, these are cross-sectoral issues and there are many Departments responsible for them. Nonetheless, in terms of the Government as a whole, it is fair to say that the number of children in emergency accommodation, at almost 3,000, is at quite a shocking level at this stage. The related welfare issues are quite serious. There is the issue of food poverty and its...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Child Poverty (17 Oct 2017)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: I am aware the Minister has committed moneys again in this year's budget to the area-based programme on tackling child poverty. The Minister also mentioned the family resource centres, which I would be a strong advocate of. What is the Minister's vision for the area-based projects over the next few years because there are some projects which are the remnants of Atlantic Philanthropies'...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Departmental Bodies Data (17 Oct 2017)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: 76. To ask the Taoiseach the State bodies or boards that fall under the remit of his Department; and the number of members of each State body or board who are not qualified within the field in which the board or body has oversight. [43421/17]

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Departmental Bodies Data (17 Oct 2017)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: 105. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the State bodies or boards that fall under the remit of her Department; and the number of members of each State body or board who are not qualified within the field in which the board or body has oversight. [43409/17]

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Departmental Bodies Data (17 Oct 2017)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: 122. To ask the Minister for Finance the State bodies or boards that fall under the remit of his Department; and the number of members of each State body or board who are not qualified within the field in which the board or body has oversight. [43415/17]