Results 41-60 of 2,773 for speaker:Marian Harkin

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Health Services (27 May 2025)

Marian Harkin: I thank Senator O’Loughlin for this opportunity to address the House today on behalf of the Minister for Health regarding the provision of community midwifery services in Athy by the maternity unit at Midlands Regional Hospital Portlaoise. I endorse what the Senator said about Kfm. I had the privilege of representing Kildare in the European Parliament for five years. I am well aware...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Health Services (27 May 2025)

Marian Harkin: I thank the Senator. To finish the reply, Midland Regional Hospital Portlaoise is funded for 76.5 whole-time equivalent midwives, which falls comfortably within the recommended staffing levels for the number of births at the unit. In response to challenges with vacancies in permanent midwifery positions nationwide, a national midwifery task force was established in October 2023. It is...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Construction Industry (27 May 2025)

Marian Harkin: I would like to thank Deputy O’Connell for raising this important question and for the opportunity to update her on the work my Department is doing on delivering the Careers in Construction Action Plan. Launched in 2023, this Plan is a key priority of my Department as it sets out strategic actions to promote inclusive, attractive, and sustainable careers in construction. In the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Construction Industry (27 May 2025)

Marian Harkin: My Department commissioned research in the first quarter of this year, the objective of which is to support the development of an integrated, cohesive and coherent national framework for meeting priority construction workforce needs. This is to be achieved through a holistic review of priority construction and infrastructure workforce and skills requirements to support Government targets in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Construction Industry (27 May 2025)

Marian Harkin: I want to thank Deputy O’Connell for her question and for her interest in the Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) Action Plan. The Action Plan was developed in consultation with industry, training providers, Departments and agencies. It aims to upskill current and future workers and ensure the construction sector is future-ready so that Ireland can meet its national targets in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Construction Industry (27 May 2025)

Marian Harkin: I would like to thank you for your interest in the work my Department is undertaking to advance Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) skills. Greater adoption of MMC, an umbrella term for a range of innovative construction processes, is a key pillar of the Government’s approach to increasing innovation and achieving productivity gains in the delivery of housing and infrastructure. ...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Construction Industry (27 May 2025)

Marian Harkin: I would like to thank Deputy O’Connell for her question and her interest in the Careers in Construction Action Plan, which is a key priority for my Department. The Department chairs the Careers in Construction Working Group, which brings together key stakeholders from across Government, the tertiary education system, industry, and professional bodies. This group plays a central role...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Construction Industry (22 May 2025)

Marian Harkin: I thank the Deputy for raising this important question. My Department is actively progressing measures to expand training capacity in modern methods of construction, MMC, nationwide. We have quantified that using MMC could lead to a reduction of almost 10,000 in the number of additional workers required to meet domestic building and retrofitting targets to 2030, which is highly significant....

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Further and Higher Education (22 May 2025)

Marian Harkin: As background to the strategy, its implementation resulted in significant progress between 2014 and 2019 in the development of the FET sector within the overall education landscape. Of course, we are now looking to the future. The second strategy from 2020-24 set out the role of FET in a more collaborative and cohesive tertiary education system for Ireland. Now, we are looking at the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Further and Higher Education (22 May 2025)

Marian Harkin: It is very good news that Galway was one of two colleges given approval to proceed to the next step under the FET college of the future major projects fund. A total of 12 colleges have been earmarked and eight of them are progressing now. The Minister announced earlier this week that Galway was one of those eight colleges. Of course, the other four are on stream. Returning to the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Further and Higher Education (22 May 2025)

Marian Harkin: The further education and training system is central to the delivery of skills across the country to boost national competitiveness and support inclusion. The Further Education and Training Act 2013 requires SOLAS to prepare a strategy for the provision of further education and training and submit it to the Minister for approval. SOLAS, in partnership with the Department, is progressing the...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Further and Higher Education (22 May 2025)

Marian Harkin: I will begin with a comment. The Deputy spoke about a one-stage process. Whether it is a phased development or a one-stage development is a matter for the evaluation panel. The proposal is to develop fit-for-purpose accommodation on a greenfield site in Dunboyne. As the Deputy said, the college is currently located in poor accommodation in a large number of rental premises in an...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Further and Higher Education (22 May 2025)

Marian Harkin: I hear what the Deputy is saying and I know that what she is talking about is a ring-fenced, purpose-built building. I know the envelope that is available is available to all of the 12 different colleges that are looking for this funding. All have been approved and they just have to get through this preliminary stage. I know Dunboyne is working very hard with LMETB. Without being certain...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Further and Higher Education (22 May 2025)

Marian Harkin: I thank the Deputy for her question. I am pleased to say this is my first opportunity to respond to an oral question. I am also pleased that it relates to Dunboyne College, which I know. I am familiar with the great work that is happening there. Louth Meath ETB, LMETB, is being supported by SOLAS in developing its preliminary business case, PBC, proposal for Dunboyne under the FET...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Dental Services (20 May 2025)

Marian Harkin: I thank Senators Scahill and Boyle for raising this important matter here today concerning the availability of dental hygienist training places in Ireland. I acknowledge what Senator Scahill said. I represent the constituency of Sligo-Leitrim, which is sandwiched between Roscommon, where Senator Scahill is from, and Donegal, where Senator Boyle is from. I also represent south Donegal, of...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Dental Services (20 May 2025)

Marian Harkin: I hear what the Senator is saying but it is my understanding that the Department of Health is currently conducting a scoping exercise and skills assessment across the oral healthcare sector, which specifically includes dental hygienists. This will form the foundation for future policy and programme development. As part of this broader review, the Dental Council has submitted revised scopes...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Dublin-Monaghan Bombings (14 May 2025)

Marian Harkin: I thank Senator Gallagher. First, I want to express my condolences and those of the Government to all of the families whose loved ones were killed and to all those who were injured and maimed on that awful day of 17 May 1974. I am old enough to remember it well. It is utterly incomprehensible and heartbreaking that on a day almost 51 years ago so many innocent people going about their...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Dublin-Monaghan Bombings (14 May 2025)

Marian Harkin: I mentioned the Barron and MacEntee inquiries. It is important to note that when a legal issue arose that would have prevented the provision of Garda material to Operation Denton, the then Minister for Justice took extraordinary steps to put in place a bespoke mechanism to allow relevant information from An Garda Síochána to be shared with Operation Denton. Of course, the...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Road Safety (14 May 2025)

Marian Harkin: I thank Senator Boyle for the question. I am familiar with the area he spoke about. I had the privilege of representing Donegal for three terms in the European Parliament so I well know where Dunkineely is. The Minister for Transport is the person who has responsibility for overall policy and Exchequer funding relating to the national roads programme.Once funding arrangements have been put...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Road Safety (14 May 2025)

Marian Harkin: I thank the Senator. To be honest, I share his frustration. As he said at the beginning, we are talking about children, parents, grandparents, teachers and all in the vicinity who use the school. I am conscious of the importance of ensuring road safety, particularly in the vicinity of schools, but there is an ongoing process. As I am not a Minister responsible for this, I cannot say...