Results 121-140 of 2,627 for speaker:Christopher O'Sullivan

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Rental Sector (4 Mar 2025)

Christopher O'Sullivan: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. If there is a situation where there are 55 vacant homes in one town in Kerry that is not good enough and it is something we absolutely need to address.

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Rental Sector (4 Mar 2025)

Christopher O'Sullivan: That is only on one road. It is something we need to tackle. We have the Croí Conaithe grant. That was an effort to bring more of those properties back into the rental market, but clearly we need to do more. My answer covers many of the situations where a house can be taken back from a tenant and covers some of the taxation, but obviously a lot of the tax matters the Deputy mentioned...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Gaeltacht Policy (4 Mar 2025)

Christopher O'Sullivan: I thank Senator Ryan. It is a really important issue. I am lucky enough to have a bit of Gaeltacht in my constituency in, for example, places like Cape Clear. I appreciate that this is an issue. The Senator backed up what she had to say with statistics on the number of Irish speakers. What I will outline here are the immediate plans in respect of tying in with the recent planning...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Gaeltacht Policy (4 Mar 2025)

Christopher O'Sullivan: I thank the Senator. I appreciate that her matter relates to trying to reduce red tape. That does seem like another layer of red tape, but it really is important that we protect these Gaeltacht areas and ensure that there is some level of Irish spoken in them. On the red tape in general, the Senator raised a very good point. There needs to be a bespoke approach to Gaeltacht areas - and...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Grant Payments (4 Mar 2025)

Christopher O'Sullivan: I appreciate the Senator's points. We are all encountering this problem in our constituency offices across Ireland, in that people could once apply for these grants but cannot now. Obviously, there is a point to it, in that we have to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, but I will take the Senator's suggestion back to the Minister. The Minister for climate action and the environment will...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Grant Payments (4 Mar 2025)

Christopher O'Sullivan: I thank Senator Byrne. I welcome the fact she has raised this issue because she is quite right to point out it has raised its head throughout the country. People are in homes that are probably not suitable for heat pumps as they have to be at a certain building energy rating, BER, for the heat pump to work and many older homes just do not have this option. I appreciate the point. I do not...

Seanad: Response to Storm Éowyn: Statements (26 Feb 2025)

Christopher O'Sullivan: There is another one over there.

Seanad: Response to Storm Éowyn: Statements (26 Feb 2025)

Christopher O'Sullivan: I also welcome Deputy Devlin and assure his Ukrainian guests that they are in good hands today. Our thoughts are with them on the third anniversary. I thank Senators for their kind words of welcome. This is my first time addressing the Seanad and I really appreciate the kind welcome. I have listened to the debate and engagement which has been really interesting, particularly the...

Housing Crisis: Motion [Private Members] (19 Feb 2025)

Christopher O'Sullivan: I will share my time with the Minister. I again thank the Social Democrats for tabling the motion. It is important that we discuss this important topic. It is also fair to say, despite what was said, that we all want the same thing. There is a shared ambition in the House for increased home ownership, increased housing delivery, decreased rents and ending homelessness. Despite that, it...

Housing Crisis: Motion [Private Members] (19 Feb 2025)

Christopher O'Sullivan: Deputy Hearne had his speaking time.

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Water Supply (19 Feb 2025)

Christopher O'Sullivan: I completely appreciate where Deputy Healy-Rae is coming from on this. I reiterate that under the recent review of the rural water programme, the amount per household was increased from €9,000 to €15,000, but I accept that there has to be some degree of flexibility, especially when a smaller number of houses are impacted. That is something that I will relay back to the...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Water Supply (19 Feb 2025)

Christopher O'Sullivan: If it is an issue where the necessity is for 25 houses and some areas are being left out, that is something I will undertake to take back to the Department and see if it can be investigated and see if there can be some level of flexibility in these areas of Kerry. I know how frustrating it can be not to have a decent, adequate water supply. Urban areas never have any issue with water...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Water Supply (19 Feb 2025)

Christopher O'Sullivan: It was the Healy-Raes who saw after us in the end.

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Water Supply (19 Feb 2025)

Christopher O'Sullivan: I thank Deputy Healy-Rae for raising these two important matters, which we will try to address today. First, I will outline some of the schemes that are available. I appreciate the Deputy has pointed out what the cost might be per household, but it might be helpful to outline what is available. There are a number of grants available, through the local authorities, under the...

Housing Policy: Motion [Private Members] (12 Feb 2025)

Christopher O'Sullivan: I move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following: acknowledges that: - Housing for All - A new Housing Plan for Ireland, sets out an ambitious multi-annual programme that seeks to deliver more than 300,000 new homes between 2022 and 2030; - while the policy aim is to reach, if not exceed, the target in each successive year, the...

Housing Policy: Motion [Private Members] (12 Feb 2025)

Christopher O'Sullivan: -----I can attest to the fact that in my constituency of Cork South-West, hundreds of couples have been able to avail of this much-needed scheme. They simply would not have been able to afford their own homes without it. That said, over the next couple of minutes I will set out the Government's countermotion and our response to the motion before us. Housing is a cross-sectoral societal...

Housing Policy: Motion [Private Members] (12 Feb 2025)

Christopher O'Sullivan: He is at Cabinet.

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Building Regulations (5 Feb 2025)

Christopher O'Sullivan: I thank Deputy Healy-Rae for raising this matter. It gives me an opportunity to say for the first time that my heart goes out to the people affected right across the country, especially on the western seaboard, many of whom have, for almost two weeks, gone without either power, running water and the bare essentials. I cannot begin to imagine how difficult that is for them. Luckily, west...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Building Regulations (5 Feb 2025)

Christopher O'Sullivan: I take the Deputy's point. I have the response here and it is quite clear on the energy efficient retrofit programme, EERP. I will read it out because it should answer the Deputy's question. Works eligible under the Department's revised EERP include attic-cavity wall insulation or external wall insulation, where required, window and door replacement, heat pump installation as well as...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Building Regulations (5 Feb 2025)

Christopher O'Sullivan: We will send the Deputy a note on that.