Results 2,581-2,600 of 2,886 for speaker:Pat Buckley

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Policies (9 Oct 2024)

Pat Buckley: 118. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if cross-departmental plans are being developed to alleviate the pressure on the retail industry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41005/24]

Disability Services: Motion [Private Members] (15 Oct 2024)

Pat Buckley: I first thank Deputy Tully for bringing this motion forward and I am glad the Government is not opposing it. I have listened to the whole debate. The first thing that comes to mind to me is the workforce planning. Without any workforce planning, nothing happens. Even in Sinn Féin's housing strategy, we had 10% of all social housing to be specifically designed for people with...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Mother and Baby Homes (16 Oct 2024)

Pat Buckley: I raise the issue of the redress schemes for survivors of mother and baby homes. A lot of people, survivors of the mother and baby homes, have been in touch with me. They are extremely frustrated at having missed out on redress measures, whether the so-called enhanced medical card or another part of the redress scheme, because the days they spent living in a home fall short of the 180-day...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Mother and Baby Homes (16 Oct 2024)

Pat Buckley: I appreciate the Minister of State's response. As I said, sometimes no matter how many times we ask questions, we never seem to get the answer but at least there is an option available here. I will go back to the people I have spoken to who will have to call the helpline themselves. I will probably get back to the Minister of State or the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, in writing to state how...

Committee on Public Petitions: Consideration of Public Petition on Voting for Irish-born Citizens Abroad: Discussion (17 Oct 2024)

Pat Buckley: I welcome our witnesses. I have been considering this issue for a long time. There is a massive Irish diaspora living across the world. I can only speak for myself, but the minute your foot steps outside this country, you become more patriotic. It does not matter where you are on holidays. You become more patriotic and it is as simple as that. In its response, the Department mentioned...

Committee on Public Petitions: Consideration of Public Petition on Voting for Irish-born Citizens Abroad: Discussion (17 Oct 2024)

Pat Buckley: Is that people who are still Irish passport holders living abroad?

Committee on Public Petitions: Consideration of Public Petition on Voting for Irish-born Citizens Abroad: Discussion (17 Oct 2024)

Pat Buckley: As I said, people feel more patriotic the minute they step outside the country than they do when they come in.

Committee on Public Petitions: Consideration of Public Petition on Voting for Irish-born Citizens Abroad: Discussion (17 Oct 2024)

Pat Buckley: That is a valid point. One would imagine, Chair, this would be a commonsense approach. If people still have their Irish passport with a reference number on it, that is a true identity document. Surely these people still have their PPS number as well. They should be able to vote online or go to the nearest embassy in whatever country they are in.

Committee on Public Petitions: Consideration of Public Petition on Voting for Irish-born Citizens Abroad: Discussion (17 Oct 2024)

Pat Buckley: It is because they will not-----

Committee on Public Petitions: Consideration of Public Petition on Voting for Irish-born Citizens Abroad: Discussion (17 Oct 2024)

Pat Buckley: There is a lack of political will. It would involve amending the Electoral Act 1963. I have just marked it in my notes to flag the matter. We can see whether that can be changed. As out guests have said, the digital age is so advanced now that I cannot see major costs being incurred.

Committee on Public Petitions: Consideration of Public Petition on Voting for Irish-born Citizens Abroad: Discussion (17 Oct 2024)

Pat Buckley: People would log on to a Government website.

Committee on Public Petitions: Consideration of Public Petition on Voting for Irish-born Citizens Abroad: Discussion (17 Oct 2024)

Pat Buckley: People in Spain, Portugal, Australia, New Zealand or wherever could log on to MyGovID, type in their PPS number and passport number, show their ID and cast their vote.

Committee on Public Petitions: Consideration of Public Petition on Voting for Irish-born Citizens Abroad: Discussion (17 Oct 2024)

Pat Buckley: There is no politics at this committee. It is very good. On the response from the Department, reference was made to using MyGovID. It is a matter of putting another line in with a box, with, say, five names-----

Committee on Public Petitions: Consideration of Public Petition on Voting for Irish-born Citizens Abroad: Discussion (17 Oct 2024)

Pat Buckley: In March 2017, the then Department of local government and housing and the Department of Foreign Affairs produced an options paper setting out what they called the broad range of options. Options are ideas and solutions but what got me were the references to voting rights, international comparisons, estimated costs and related resource issues, as well as legal, policy, administrative and...

Committee on Public Petitions: Consideration of Public Petition on Voting for Irish-born Citizens Abroad: Discussion (17 Oct 2024)

Pat Buckley: They listed all the problems and said they did not really want what was proposed.

Committee on Public Petitions: Consideration of Public Petition on Voting for Irish-born Citizens Abroad: Discussion (17 Oct 2024)

Pat Buckley: It is a good step.

Committee on Public Petitions: Consideration of Public Petition on Voting for Irish-born Citizens Abroad: Discussion (17 Oct 2024)

Pat Buckley: Pandora's box has been opened.

Committee on Public Petitions: Consideration of Public Petition on Voting for Irish-born Citizens Abroad: Discussion (17 Oct 2024)

Pat Buckley: We are live on TV.

Committee on Public Petitions: Consideration of Public Petition on Voting for Irish-born Citizens Abroad: Discussion (17 Oct 2024)

Pat Buckley: Does Ms Nolan know where she is going after this committee meeting?

Committee on Public Petitions: Consideration of Public Petition on Voting for Irish-born Citizens Abroad: Discussion (17 Oct 2024)

Pat Buckley: No, just to say that it is opening the door. The witnesses have done that now. They have opened the conversation again. This is a people's forum here. We are probably talking weeks when there will be a change of government. I would encourage the witnesses to come back because a petitions committee will be formed after a new Dáil. It has been trialled. Some places have disagreed...