Results 1-20 of 252 for long speaker:Ossian Smyth

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Cycling Facilities (22 May 2024)

Ossian Smyth: ...and an iconic cycleway of international appeal. The 106 km greenway from Maynooth to Athlone town is complete and fully open. The greenway follows the towpath of the Royal Canal to Mullingar and along the old rail trail between Mullingar and Athlone. A new active travel bridge spanning the River Shannon in Athlone was opened in 2023. The Athlone to Galway city scheme was originally...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Climate Change Policy (14 May 2024)

Ossian Smyth: ...to make sure it is incorporating all the science and research to make sure it can prevent floods from happening in blackspots. From listening to the replies from the OPW, there seems to be a very long list of places in the country that are affected by flooding. It seems the once in a hundred year events that are marked on the flood risk maps happen much more frequently than that. We can...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Community Employment Schemes (9 May 2024)

Ossian Smyth: ...the Department of Social Protection and the contribution that these schemes and their workers make to communities across the country. Work schemes such as CE are positive initiatives that enable the long-term unemployed to make a contribution to their communities while upskilling themselves for prospective future employment. At present, more than 20,000 places are available on CE schemes...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Bus Services (9 May 2024)

Ossian Smyth: ...network and ensure reliable and convenient transportation for all. I have listened carefully to what Senator Currie said and I appreciate it. The Senator has mentioned disappearing buses, long journey times and the fact that there is no direct link between Blanchardstown or Dublin 15 and the airport, and the need for such a link. Later today, I will be meeting with the Minister for...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Circular Economy: Discussion (30 Apr 2024)

Ossian Smyth: ...is also the durability of products, the information given to consumers which in the future will show durability ratings for products listed on a very simple scale of a,b,c,d,e,f,g, showing how long it is expected that a product will last and what its lifetime is so that consumers can make informed decisions. For example, when they are buying household equipment, beyond looking at the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Circular Economy: Discussion (30 Apr 2024)

Ossian Smyth: Deputy Bruton said he did not have a long time to read the document and that he could not see targets within it. In fact, three targets occur to me. There is a target for textiles, where 20% textiles bought by the public sector should be from recycled fibres. There is a target that 10% of food bought by the public sector should be organic. In addition, the public sector should favour...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Circular Economy: Discussion (30 Apr 2024)

Ossian Smyth: ...of agriculture in combination with the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications. Biogas will be injected back into the grid for use. DHL is using biogas to power its trucks for long-distance delivery of goods throughout the country, which is significant because it is the largest shipping agency and trucking company in the country. Those are a few things to give the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Circular Economy: Discussion (30 Apr 2024)

Ossian Smyth: ...there? Something has gone backwards. We have gone towards more complex machines that are also more fragile or, possibly, have built-in obsolescence. The way to make products work well, last a long time and be repairable must happen at the design stage. The EU's Ecodesign Directive for products will try to deal with that. The directive will guarantee spare parts, which is the problem...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Circular Economy: Discussion (30 Apr 2024)

Ossian Smyth: ...do that. Many of the supermarkets now have a number of arrangements to transfer their food to people who can make use of it. It is definitely a network arrangement. For communities, there has long been a community composting movement and anaerobic digestion is something people are starting to do. It is very common in Germany. There are tens of thousands of anaerobic digestion...

Gas (Amendment) Bill 2023: From the Seanad (24 Apr 2024)

Ossian Smyth: Amendments Nos. 1 to 9 are technical amendments that relate to the Title and citation. The Long Title is changed to reflect the inclusion of the transfer of maritime area planning functions from the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, certain arrangements relating to the making of the marine planning policy...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Health Services (17 Apr 2024)

Ossian Smyth: ...persons with gender incongruence or dysphoria. It is not possible to pre-empt the outcome of this process by determining at this stage what this model of care will look like once developed. The long-term aim is to provide a wide rage of services for all people with gender incongruence or dysphoria, from care locally in the community to more specialised and complex care. I am committed...

Seanad: Gas (Amendment) Bill 2023: Report and Final Stages (17 Apr 2024)

Ossian Smyth: These are minor amendments. The Long Title has changed to reflect the inclusion of the transfer of maritime area planning functions from the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications and certain arrangements relating to the making of the marine planning policy statement on designated maritime area plans, DMAPs, under...

Seanad: Gas (Amendment) Bill 2023: Report and Final Stages (17 Apr 2024)

Ossian Smyth: ...passage of this Bill. Because it is a relevant body, GNI performs its function in a manner consistent with the most recent approved climate action plan; consistent with the most recent approved long-term national climate action strategy; consistent with most recent approved national adaptation framework and approval sectoral adaptation plans and consistent with the furtherance of the...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (17 Apr 2024)

Ossian Smyth: ...authority cannot point to a piece of land that is privately owned and announce that, from then on, it is going to be a right away. It does not have that power. If there is an established and long-standing right away, it can designate it on a map. If there is a dispute about whether a right of way exists, it is a matter for the courts.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (17 Apr 2024)

Ossian Smyth: The idea is that the local authority identifies existing rights of way that are well grounded, which probably means registered with Tailte Éireann, or else that are long held. Those rights of way may not be fully public and may be restricted in some way, such as for the purpose of moving cattle from one place to another. The provision in the legislation refers to the process of the...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Recycling Policy (7 Mar 2024)

Ossian Smyth: Those are all very reasonable questions. We are in the changeover period for this scheme. The changeover period is four months long. The reason there is a changeover period is so that the old stock on the shelves of the supermarkets can be sold off and at the same time the new stock which has the logos and the new bar codes is coming in. We could not change over overnight because that...

Seanad: Gas (Amendment) Bill 2023: Committee Stage (20 Feb 2024)

Ossian Smyth: .... As it is a relevant body, GNI performs its functions in a manner consistent with the most recent approved climate action plan. It has to be consistent with the most recently approved national long-term climate action strategy, national adaptation framework and approved sectoral adaptation plans, as well as with the furtherance of the national climate objective and the objective of...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 11 – Office of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 – Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 14 – State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - the Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 17 – Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 – National Shared Services Office (Revised)
Vote 19 -the Office of the Ombudsman (Revised)
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement (Revised)
Vote 43 – Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (Revised) (31 Jan 2024)

Ossian Smyth: ...it was in the US. Globally, I think we are moving back towards a non-inflationary period. We are also seeing shorter supply lines so people are less inclined to have their businesses rely on long, fragile supply chains leading to countries that are unstable. A lot of things are being done onshore instead in Ireland. We are also becoming a country that produces our own energy. It is...

Gas (Amendment) Bill 2023: Report and Final Stages (24 Jan 2024)

Ossian Smyth: ...the passage of this Bill. Therefore, because GNI is a relevant body, it performs its functions in a manner which is consistent with the most recently approved climate action plan, the national long-term climate action plan, the national adaptation framework and sectoral adaptation plans, and with the furtherance of the national climate objective, which is to reach net zero by 2050, and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Large Energy Users Rebalancing Subvention: Discussion (23 Jan 2024)

Ossian Smyth: It was a request that was made in collaboration and in the full knowledge that there had been a long, detailed discussion between the Government and the regulator about what could be done to protect jobs and what was a feasible move and what was a legal move. The regulator would have discussed this with the Government and agreed whether this was a reasonable thing to do. The Government made...