Results 161-180 of 3,759 for speaker:Michael Collins

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (25 Mar 2025)

Michael Collins: We need to know. The taxpayer needs to know. The ordinary man and woman who cannot afford to pay weekly bills need to know here and now. They know it is a sleazy deal that taxpayers must pay heavily for. On top of that, the Taoiseach wants them to ask planted questions in this House to make a mockery of the Irish people in Dáil Éireann. I ask the Taoiseach to come clean on...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (25 Mar 2025)

Michael Collins: Do not let it cost us our democracy also.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (25 Mar 2025)

Michael Collins: If we go ahead today with Government proposals on giving extra time for Government-backing TDs in Opposition time, it shows how far this Government is capable of going in eroding the democracy of the island of Ireland.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (25 Mar 2025)

Michael Collins: Our general election took place on 29 November 2024, and for a couple of months a Government had to be put together. On 22 January, the Dáil sat and for the first time was forced to call off Dáil proceedings so an agreement could be made to bring this speaking row to an end. All of this time we the Opposition were united on one front: that Deputy Lowry's group had a right to...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (25 Mar 2025)

Michael Collins: Every effort by the Government since has been to do everything but that. On the morning of 23 January, the Taoiseach and Tánaiste met with us leaders to end this row and let the Dáil get back to the business it had to do - elect the Taoiseach, set up committees - and we all agreed we would work together to create a solution on this hugely important issue for the country. Less...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (25 Mar 2025)

Michael Collins: -----as they have clearly agreed to support this Government one way or another, which is their own prerogative I may add. The next scheduled meeting of the Dáil reform committee was scheduled for 26 February. At this meeting came the bombshell from the Government Chief Whip, Deputy Mary Butler, that the previous verbal agreement given by the Taoiseach and Tánaiste and read out by...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (25 Mar 2025)

Michael Collins: ------and a railroading of democracy was going ahead. When summing up today, the Taoiseach will say we had enough time to try to get an agreement from the Opposition but it would not agree. Since the day he was elected, however, we have only had two meetings of the Dáil reform committee to try to resolve this issue in 28 days. I know because I attended these meetings. Is the...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (25 Mar 2025)

Michael Collins: We have written to the Taoiseach numerous times to try to resolve this issue and to make sure this dark day for democracy would not happen but he has chosen to ignore it. Will the Taoiseach at this late stage, sit down with the Opposition leaders and thrash out an agreement to bring this sorry episode to an end?

Written Answers — Department of Health: Abortion Services (25 Mar 2025)

Michael Collins: 818. To ask the Minister for Health for an update on the work to date of the National Termination of Pregnancy Service Improvement Group; how many times the group has met since its establishment; full details of membership of the group and their qualifications; the minutes of meetings of the group to date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14029/25]

Young Carers: Motion [Private Members] (20 Mar 2025)

Michael Collins: Independent Ireland will also be supporting this motion on young carers. I thank the Labour Party for putting forward this very important motion. It is astonishing to think we have 67,000 young carers in this country. We have given them nothing but lip service over recent years, which is an injustice to those young people. Many of them are in the Gallery and were in the audiovisual room...

International Security and International Trade: Statements (20 Mar 2025)

Michael Collins: These statements on international security and international trade provide an important opportunity for TDs to have their say. In recent weeks and months, we have had many people speaking here about our neutrality and participation in what is happening across the world. The Tánaiste only recently stated that as far as he is concerned, we need to spend a lot more money on our defence....

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (20 Mar 2025)

Michael Collins: My office has been inundated with requests from constituents seeking assistance in expediting their driving tests. These are mostly young people and they are waiting ten months or more for a driving test. Many of these have secured job offers but are unable to accept them due to the lack of transportation in rural Ireland. We do not have a frequent bus service, the Luas or regularly...

Social Housing Tenant In Situ Scheme: Motion [Private Members] (19 Mar 2025)

Michael Collins: It is no problem at all.

Social Housing Tenant In Situ Scheme: Motion [Private Members] (19 Mar 2025)

Michael Collins: I forgot to congratulate the Minister and Minister of State on their appointments to their positions. I wish them well going forward. I hope we can work closely together. One of them is from my own constituency so we should be able to work closely together. I think this is the second or third time I have spoken about housing today in the Dáil. It is a huge crisis and a huge issue....

Report of the Housing Commission: Statements (Resumed) (19 Mar 2025)

Michael Collins: We are years talking in the Dáil about housing. I listened to the Fianna Fáil Deputy who spoke previously and I have to agree with him. Regarding Ukrainians and others, we have been promising that all sorts of construction can be done and all sorts of structures can be built but we cannot do anything for our own selves. That is something we need to do very soon. I hope the...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (19 Mar 2025)

Michael Collins: Almost every day here we talk about housing targets. Today, in one leading newspaper, an article states that this Government will be 13,000 homes behind the 2027 targets it set last November. This is one crisis that must be resolved immediately. Another crisis, though, is rural, one-off planning. It is almost grinding to a halt. I have up to ten people coming to me weekly in west Cork....

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (19 Mar 2025)

Michael Collins: I agree with the previous two speakers in relation to speaking time, and it needs to be resolved as business needs to be done. Last week, a deal was struck by the Department and the unions on a 9.25% pay increase for many healthcare workers under section 39 contracts. This is to be rolled out over a two-year period. I publicly welcomed this long-awaited move only to realise that the...

Policing and Community Safety: Statements (Resumed) (5 Mar 2025)

Michael Collins: I wish the Minister of State the best in his role. We were all asking for more gardaí on the ground and in our communities. It is no surprise that, in the few minutes I have, I will be making this request for west Cork. We are very fortunate in west Cork, particularly the Ballydehob–Schull area, to have Garda Jonathan McCarthy living and working. That is very valuable. A...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht – Questions on Policy or Legislation (5 Mar 2025)

Michael Collins: For the past two years, parents in Bantry and the surrounding areas have been advocating for a dedicated school bus service to transport over 30 children from Bantry to Schull. Despite numerous representations to the previous Minister for Education, this issue remains unresolved. Today I am appealing to the new Government to address this pressing need. Providing a school bus for these...

Waste in Public Expenditure: Motion [Private Members] (5 Mar 2025)

Michael Collins: -----who have a mind to change this country and give the money back to the people so they can have services like wastewater treatment plants and public transport. The people of Ballinascarty have have not had their rivers cleaned out and so their houses get flooded. That is where we are at. There is no money in the purse and no money announced yet.