Results 7,141-7,160 of 25,844 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Affordable Housing: Motion [Private Members] (21 Sep 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Every single measure has been opposed by the Social Democrats. I have a lot of regard for Deputy O'Callaghan. If the motion he tabled is the first effort at Social Democrat housing policy and this is apparently the alternative to the most comprehensive housing plan brought forward by any government - it is the single biggest intervention by any government in the history of the State - it is...

Affordable Housing: Motion [Private Members] (21 Sep 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: We will do that by increasing supply and exiting more people from emergency accommodation into permanent, secure housing. In the last quarter of last year and the first two quarters of this year, we have seen more people exiting from homelessness into permanent social housing than we have seen since those records were collected. It is a good trend. We have also seen that there are many...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (21 Sep 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: I thank Deputy Verona Murphy. In that instance, if we can help in any way to get those details directly to the Minister for Health, I will do so-----

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (21 Sep 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: -----and let him assess it. So if the Deputy can get those details through I will get that on to the Minister for Health for her. Deputy Durkan's point is well made and we will ensure that anything we can do, at Government and interdepartmental level, to ensure access to Castletown House, we will do. Deputy O'Connor has expressed frustration at continuing delays for NCTs, which we...

Gnó na Dála - Business of Dáil (21 Sep 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: On behalf of the Government I want to thank An Ceann Comhairle for those remarks and I wholeheartedly agree with him. I thank him for the swift action he has taken. There is not a word he has said that I do not agree with but I want to thank the staff here, the ushers and An Garda Síochána for the work they did so professionally yesterday. They went above and beyond; let us be...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (21 Sep 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: I am aware of and have been kept up to date by officials on this dispute and the action proposed to be taken by Fórsa members in local authorities. These are local authority staff whom we all value and there is no question about that. There is a mechanism to deal with disputes and issues such as this with the LGMA and the union representatives. We are on the cusp of national pay...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (21 Sep 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: I thank the Deputy. It is certainly a curious arrangement that has raised a number of eyebrows, including my own. I will raise the matter directly with the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform because his is the Department with responsibility for contracts and conditions of employment. Following the Deputy's intervention, I will speak directly to...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (21 Sep 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: I thank the Deputy. I discussed earlier with Deputy Duncan Smith the same issue in a different part of the country. There are issues. I know the review of the school transport scheme is nearing completion. That needs to be done urgently and I have engaged with the Minister for Education, Deputy Foley, on the issue. Even though we are investing more in school transport now, some students...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (21 Sep 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta. Táim sásta go bhfuil dul chun cinn beag ann anois. Cuirfidh mé an cheist ar aghaidh go dtí an tAire Sláinte faoi Áras Mhic Dara agus beidh mé ar ais chuici go luath.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (21 Sep 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: I thank the Deputy. The enhanced defective concrete block scheme is up and running and we are seeing an increase in applications every week. We want to ensure that finance is not a barrier for people accessing the scheme. I have also discussed the matter with the BPFI and the Department of Finance is involved. I have not seen the detailed proposal yet. I believe it has come in very...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (21 Sep 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: As the Deputy knows, just last week I visited Clonmel for the third time in 12 months.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (21 Sep 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: It was fantastic, and I was delighted to bump into the Deputy when he was doing a bit of work as well that day.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (21 Sep 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Seriously, on Uisce Éireann, and specifically about the water issue in Clonmel, I will raise it directly with them, particularly around water outages. It reports directly to the Department as well. There has never been more investment in water and wastewater services than now, with €6 billion of investment right across the country. There is a multi-annual capital plan in place...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (21 Sep 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: I thank Deputy Lahart for his question. On the purchase for the tenant in situscheme, it is going extremely well. I am glad to hear the progress that is being made in south Dublin. We will exceed the baseline target of 1,500 that we have set this year. We have between 800 and 900 already concluded, and about another 1,500 going through the conveyancing process, which is way above and...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (21 Sep 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: If it is 14 homes, and we have a single-stage approval process that more local authorities are using now, the process is not that onerous. I have not seen that proposal yet. I would be happy to. There are some other estates that we have seen across the country. There is one in Galway we were looking at recently that is partially built or nearly complete, and which we will take in as a...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (21 Sep 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: I thank the Deputy for raising this important point. I have met childcare providers in my own area and the Minister has expressed his disappointment with the action the federation has chosen to pursue which is, as the Deputy has said, the closure of early years childcare facilities between 26 and 28 September. The number of providers currently recorded as being closed is 56. As I have...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (21 Sep 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta as ucht na ceiste tábhachtaí seo. Bhí mé ag caint le tuismitheoirí agus daltaí ón Sord an seachtain seo caite. Ní bhíonn siad ábalta bus a thógáil go dtí an Gaelcholáiste i mBaile Brigín and that is a big problem for those students. I have engaged directly with the Minister and...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (21 Sep 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: Hear, hear.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (21 Sep 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: First, I absolutely condemn what happened to Mairéad. This is the first I have heard of this specific case and incident. If the Deputy has information and has that video, as he has stated, he should share it with An Garda Síochána. That is assault. It is a very serious thing. There are many committed people working in our NGOs right across this country and working in...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (21 Sep 2023)

Darragh O'Brien: First, I thank the Deputy and acknowledge that this is a cause of great concern and anxiety for many patients, parents and families attending these services. As the Deputy will know, a comprehensive patient safety review and assurance process overseen by the HSE and the chief clinical officer, Dr. Colm Henry, is now under way into elements of the paediatric orthopaedic surgery service at...