Results 1,101-1,120 of 2,967 for speaker:Séamus Healy

Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (Resumed) (12 Dec 2014)

Séamus Healy: This is not an individual problem. I am just giving an example of what is happening on a daily basis.

Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (Resumed) (12 Dec 2014)

Séamus Healy: Yes, and I say that membership of the forum should have a majority of householders.

Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (Resumed) (12 Dec 2014)

Séamus Healy: The reason for that is that currently one cannot deal with Irish Water. For the past fortnight I have been dealing with a case which involves a blockage in the sewerage system, not on a householder's premises, front garden or back garden, but on the public road outside the property. The householder was told yesterday evening that it was a matter for himself to deal with. The blockage is on...

Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (Resumed) (12 Dec 2014)

Séamus Healy: I support the amendment. Householders should preferably make up a majority of this forum and they should certainly be very strongly represented. Dealing with Irish Water is already a disaster for the public, householders and public representatives. Every Member in this House who has been dealing with Irish Water since last January knows that one cannot talk to Irish Water. The public and...

Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (Resumed) (11 Dec 2014)

Séamus Healy: On a point of order, I proposed more than an hour ago that the House should adjourn.

Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (Resumed) (11 Dec 2014)

Séamus Healy: The record will show that Deputy Buttimer was not in the Chair when I proposed that the House adjourn. The Leas-Cheann Comhairle had taken his place.

Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (Resumed) (11 Dec 2014)

Séamus Healy: I second that. I made that proposal approximately an hour ago. I had hoped that the Minister would do the decent and right thing and offer an adjournment. As he has not done so, we are left with no choice but to request the Leas-Cheann Comhairle-----

Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (Resumed) (11 Dec 2014)

Séamus Healy: -----to adjourn the sitting until next Tuesday at 2 p.m.

Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (Resumed) (11 Dec 2014)

Séamus Healy: 9 o’clock Over the past month, the Minister and the Government spoke about how this issue would be clarified and people would be satisfied with that clarity. Tonight, we have anything but clarity; instead, we have a bank of fog. We have no clarity in the figures for houses or the cost of administering the grant. It is quite clear that the House does not know if the introduction...

Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (Resumed) (11 Dec 2014)

Séamus Healy: It is now clear that we do not know, and Minister is not able to tell us, whether there will be a net income as a result of these water charges or whether there will be a deficit to the State as a result. The Minister cannot tell us how many houses are in the country-----

Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (Resumed) (11 Dec 2014)

Séamus Healy: -----or how many households will receive the €100 grant. At this stage it is clear there could be anything up to an additional €70 million of costs associated with this grant. These are two fundamental issues with regard to this legislation. I propose we suspend Committee Stage until the Minister returns with the figures.

Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (Resumed) (11 Dec 2014)

Séamus Healy: This section provides for the charging of water.

Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (Resumed) (11 Dec 2014)

Séamus Healy: The proposals were announced by the Minister to the Dáil on 19 November. The position on charging for water is clear. Once we impose a charge for water then it will become a commodity and it will become marketable. Under EU law, full cost recovery will be required, perhaps not immediately but in the future. That is the direction in which we are going. If charges are introduced it...

Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (Resumed) (11 Dec 2014)

Séamus Healy: On the points made by the last two speakers on the boil water notices, the Skeheenarinky-Burcourt area of south Tipperary is another area that has been subject to a boil water notice for many years. I want clarification from the Minister on it. What instructions has he given to Irish Water on boil water notices? When is it expected that people in the area, who have been subject to a boil...

Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (Resumed) (11 Dec 2014)

Séamus Healy: On a point of information, will we have an opportunity to discuss the section.

Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (Resumed) (11 Dec 2014)

Séamus Healy: The Minister should not forget Burncourt.

Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (Resumed) (11 Dec 2014)

Séamus Healy: Irrespective of which side of the debate on which they find themselves, the one matter on which members of the public are in agreement is that there should be no privatisation of Irish Water. They are concerned that we have already begun the process in this regard as a result of the involvement of Denis O'Brien and GMC Sierra. They are very worried that at some point in the future those to...

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 39 - Health Service Executive (Supplementary) (9 Dec 2014)

Séamus Healy: I wish to make a brief comment. I have no wish to delay the meeting, but anyone who thinks that the PCRS system is now a good system or is giving a good return is simply not living in the real world. Significant problems remain with the medical card system. I do not intend to go through all of them today, but they include situations in which people have applied for discretionary cards on...

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 39 - Health Service Executive (Supplementary) (9 Dec 2014)

Séamus Healy: Surely the Minister could visit South Tipperary.

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 39 - Health Service Executive (Supplementary) (9 Dec 2014)

Séamus Healy: The Minister would do well to witness what is happening on the ground and he would be welcome. I hope he will take up that invitation.