Results 2,521-2,540 of 4,153 for speaker:Martin Kenny

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Appointments Status (23 Feb 2022)

Martin Kenny: 219. To ask the Minister for Health if he will request Beaumont Hospital to expedite an appointment sooner that February 2023 for an urgent referral for a person (details supplies); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10193/22]

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Horticulture Sector (24 Feb 2022)

Martin Kenny: 91. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the engagements he had with stakeholders that informed the contribution of his Department to the working paper to address challenges related to peat supply in the horticulture sector. [10362/22]

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Horticulture Sector (24 Feb 2022)

Martin Kenny: I want to ask the Minister about the peat extraction situation, particularly for the horticultural industry. The horticulture industry in Ireland is worth almost €500 million and employs more than 12,000 people and yet they have an issue where the growing medium, which they require to have and sustain this industry, is under serious threat. There was a report from the working group...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Horticulture Sector (24 Feb 2022)

Martin Kenny: I am aware of the work that has been done. I know the recommendation here is that it should involve pieces of bog that are less than 30 ha. The difficulty when applications are going in is that when there are non-adjacent plots, they are putting them all in as one and saying that they are connected underground. There are serious issues here. At the moment, the application process that...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Horticulture Sector (24 Feb 2022)

Martin Kenny: I am not suggesting it should be a free-for-all. Everyone knows that the practice in the past did not work, should not work and cannot continue. That is beyond what we are talking about here. Really, what we are talking about here is an emergency situation. The people who want to provide the peat, as well as the people who need the peat, are being prohibited from doing so by the strict...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Horticulture Sector (24 Feb 2022)

Martin Kenny: I agree.

Town Centre First Policy: Statements (24 Feb 2022)

Martin Kenny: The town centre first policy and concept is very welcome. It is a new departure and we certainly hope it gets the investment it deserves. That is critical to all of this. Across my constituency, which is mainly in a rural area, we have an awful lot of smaller towns. Sligo town is the largest with approximately 20,000 inhabitants, and yet when one walks through Sligo town, one sees so...

Social Welfare (Payment Order) (Amendment) Bill 2021: Second Stage [Private Members] (24 Feb 2022)

Martin Kenny: I begin by commending Deputy Kerrane on this legislation that clearly sets out to improve the situation for people who very often find themselves in dire poverty and in very serious situations. Lone parents are, as has previously been said, one of the groups in our society who often find it difficult to survive and manage on a very low income. I was reading the Minister of State's speech...

Support for the Sovereignty and Territorial Integrity of Ukraine: Motion (1 Mar 2022)

Martin Kenny: I welcome this motion. Last week we debated the issue of Ukraine in the House and none of us could have imagined that within 24 hours we would see tanks crossing the border and rolling into Ukraine. It is a despicable and sinister act by a determined dictator in Russia, Vladimir Putin. The last time we were here we discussed the notion that “Might is right” and he is pushing...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Antisocial Behaviour: Discussion (22 Feb 2022)

Martin Kenny: I thank all the contributors for attending and for all the work they do on the ground. Dealing with all these issues is a very hands-on job. Turning first to the IPRT, I was struck by the data on the Oberstown detention centre campus, where the trust has identified that of the children's experiences in the centre, 31% had experienced a loss of parent, 41% had experienced issues of mental...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Antisocial Behaviour: Discussion (22 Feb 2022)

Martin Kenny: First, I will go back to the restorative justice, which is an interesting topic. The data from the IPRT mentions the very high levels of reoffending, particularly among younger people, in Ireland. I wonder is there any comparative data for people who have engaged in the restorative justice process in respect of that. I suspect that there would be a much lower rate of reoffending because of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Antisocial Behaviour: Discussion (22 Feb 2022)

Martin Kenny: I would welcome feedback, particularly on the restorative justice issue.

International Women's Day: Statements (8 Mar 2022)

Martin Kenny: Once a year, on International Women's Day, we come in here to talk about the issues that face half of the population. We must recognise continually that we are failing as a society when we have to recognise that so many of our women find the rights for which they have struggled for so long have still to be achieved. A century ago, it was about the right to vote. We believe we have come...

Flexible and Remote Work: Motion [Private Members] (9 Mar 2022)

Martin Kenny: The idea that people can work from home is, of course, something we have had for many years and some people have been doing it for a long time. However, in recent times, because of Covid, it has become one of the main things that people are doing. Many people find that it works well for them but many find that it does not work well for them. I am slightly out of breath because I was racing...

Flexible and Remote Work: Motion [Private Members] (9 Mar 2022)

Martin Kenny: -----try to regenerate rural Ireland.

Proposal for a Council Decision on Hate Speech and Hate Crime: Motion (9 Mar 2022)

Martin Kenny: We have ten minutes but I understood that we had 15. Anyway, I thank the Minister. We have no difficulty in supporting this proposal. In the context of world politics and what we are seeing across the world, the concept of hate crime and hate speech affects all of us. We need to be very conscious of it. I was reading up on some of the issues and came across the report, Legislating for...

Consumer Credit (Amendment) Bill 2022: Second Stage (10 Mar 2022)

Martin Kenny: I am very glad to have the opportunity to speak on this Bill. Many people in my constituency have contacted me over the years after they got into serious difficulties dealing with moneylenders, including some of the companies that go around door-to-door offering loans to people. Usually these are vulnerable people in more poor circumstances and on working-class housing estates. An...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: General Scheme of the Gambling Regulation Bill: Discussion (8 Mar 2022)

Martin Kenny: I thank the witnesses for their input. I wish to go into the issues a little. The cohort of people about whom we are most concerned are those who become addictive and compulsive and who lose everything because of gambling's addictive nature and the buzz they get from it. I wonder at the figures sometimes. I have read through some of the analysis. Were I asked in a questionnaire whether I...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: General Scheme of the Gambling Regulation Bill: Discussion (8 Mar 2022)

Martin Kenny: The problem is that the entire model of this business is to get more people to gamble more. That is what the industry needs to happen in order to make more money. It needs more people to gamble more because when that happens, the industry increases the likelihood that more people will become addicted and will become problem gamblers. There is a contradiction in the position that our guests...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: General Scheme of the Gambling Regulation Bill: Discussion (8 Mar 2022)

Martin Kenny: Certainly.