Results 61-80 of 244 for speaker:Joe Cooney

Select Committee on Agriculture and Food: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Further Revised) (18 Jun 2025)

Joe Cooney: Finally, we have discussed TB a lot today. TB is a major issue. I was surprised today to hear that in 12 months we had an increase of 44% in TB through stock. That is unbelievable. An awful lot of funding is being invested into this. Could we look at different ways of investing funding into it? Do we have all the options as to why TB is spreading so much? I know a lot of work has been...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food: TB Eradication Programme: Discussion (18 Jun 2025)

Joe Cooney: I thank the witnesses for coming here today. I very much appreciate it. It would be good idea if we had the names of the people in front of us. What is your name again?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food: TB Eradication Programme: Discussion (18 Jun 2025)

Joe Cooney: Right. So are there two Michaels?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food: TB Eradication Programme: Discussion (18 Jun 2025)

Joe Cooney: Okay, that is good. I missed it at the start. It was said there was a 44% increase in TB. Over what period of time?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food: TB Eradication Programme: Discussion (18 Jun 2025)

Joe Cooney: That was massive. What are the witnesses doing to try to stop the spread of TB? What are the main ways and what are they looking at to stop the spread of TB. An increase of 44% in that period of time is unbelievable. What do the witnesses believe are the main factors in spreading TB?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food: TB Eradication Programme: Discussion (18 Jun 2025)

Joe Cooney: What is the main issue spreading infection? Wildlife was mentioned as one of the main issues.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food: TB Eradication Programme: Discussion (18 Jun 2025)

Joe Cooney: Is the Department more concerned about deer than about badgers?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food: TB Eradication Programme: Discussion (18 Jun 2025)

Joe Cooney: I really feel the deer are not helping the situation. What is the Department doing as regards culling deer?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food: TB Eradication Programme: Discussion (18 Jun 2025)

Joe Cooney: I have one final question. When a farmer's animals go down, how long does it take for him to get a payment from the Department? That concern has been raised with me a good bit.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food: TB Eradication Programme: Discussion (18 Jun 2025)

Joe Cooney: I am hearing differently. The poor farmers are going through enough. The Department should get the payments out as quickly as possible.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food: TB Eradication Programme: Discussion (18 Jun 2025)

Joe Cooney: I really appreciate the witnesses coming in here to give us their views because TB is an issue of serious concern. The most frightening thing is that, instead of the percentages going down, they are unfortunately getting worse. The committee, the officials and farmers should work together to curb it.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Childcare Services (17 Jun 2025)

Joe Cooney: 80. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth regarding Tusla services in County Clare, the number of social workers employed; the number of vacancies for social workers; the length of time those positions have been vacant, the number of children with no allocated social worker; the number of children in need of either foster or residential care who are not...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Childcare Services (17 Jun 2025)

Joe Cooney: Recently, I had discussions with a number of people who have engaged with Tusla's alternative services in Clare. What I heard about the type and level of care being provided for some of the most vulnerable children in our society caused me great concern. I am here to get some answers as to the number of social workers, the number of vacancies, the turnover rate for social workers in Clare...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Childcare Services (17 Jun 2025)

Joe Cooney: I have heard about a very low number of social workers and extremely high rates of staff burnout and staff turnover in Clare. This has resulted in severely traumatised children being handed from one social worker to another, with little or no continuity of care. I have heard of children with a foster family or residential placement being put into special emergency arrangements, through the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Childcare Services (17 Jun 2025)

Joe Cooney: I thank the Minister, but everything I have heard on the ground tells me that the system is broken. A review of the issues I have highlighted is needed to make a start on improving things. Good people across the county are holding on by their fingertips and will leave unless a real attempt is made to address their concerns. These children need consistency in social worker staff in order...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Childcare Services (17 Jun 2025)

Joe Cooney: Having spoken to several childcare providers, the main concern for the viability of sector is staff retention. I am not surprised, given the information I have received. I understand an SNA can be applied to a primary school having completed a 12-week certificate course, while a childcare educator must have a minimum FETAC level 5 qualification, which is a one to two year process. A...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Childcare Services (17 Jun 2025)

Joe Cooney: I thank the Minister for her positive reply. I wish to raise one final point with the Minister regarding extra capacity that may be within the system without any extra facilities, highlighted by this direct quote from the manager of one facility: Allocation of a blanket of 45 hours childcare per week to a family without full consideration of their circumstances is completely clogging up...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Childcare Services (17 Jun 2025)

Joe Cooney: 78. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of new childcare providers who have entered the sector in each of the past five years; the number of childcare providers who have left the sector in each of the past five years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32214/25]

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Childcare Services (17 Jun 2025)

Joe Cooney: One issue that always arises during my weekly clinics in County Clare is the lack of childcare places. This is such an enormous stress for almost all working parents. An adequate level of such facilities is important from an educational perspective, but also as critical enablers for parents to join the workforce. Will the Minister provide a breakdown of the number of childcare providers...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Challenges Relating to the Delivery of Housing: Discussion (Resumed) (17 Jun 2025)

Joe Cooney: I thank both organisations for their presentations. It is good to see the impact they have had and will have in the future. Infrastructure is a major concern of mine and it is my honest belief that it is holding up housing development in a major way in certain areas. The lack of public wastewater systems in many communities is strangling them, and getting them is a pipe dream. Communities...