Results 3,821-3,840 of 6,020 for speaker:Martin Conway

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Health Services Staff (11 May 2021)

Martin Conway: I sincerely thank the Minister of State for his reply and note the good work that has been done by various ophthalmologists and teams around the country. This is specific. It is about having eye care liaison officers appointed who can advise on the step-down services and how people can emotionally come to terms with the fact that they have been diagnosed with sight loss. It is an...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (17 May 2021)

Martin Conway: I am sure Members will agree with me when I express my solidarity with our healthcare professionals, who dealt with Covid-19 for the past 14 to 15 months and the stresses, strains, difficulties and challenges associated with that and who then faced the most unprecedented cyberattack in the history of the State, affecting 85,000 computers. I commend our healthcare professionals and their...

Seanad: Loan Guarantee Schemes Agreements (Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland) Bill 2021: Second Stage (17 May 2021)

Martin Conway: I would also like to welcome the Minister of State, Deputy English, to the House. I always enjoy his contributions because he is always so well prepared and can articulate what is being done in a clear, simple way in which people can understand. Communication is important in these areas because it can be quite technical. I, too, would like to welcome that we are moving further down the...

Seanad: Young People: Motion (17 May 2021)

Martin Conway: It is not just the young people who will be having the party. I commend Senator Seery Kearney on tabling this important motion. As has been said, the contribution of young people, the effect on them of the Covid-19 pandemic and their resilience have all been remarkable. One must consider the experiences of young people, including the leaving certificate classes of last year and this year...

Seanad: Young People: Motion (17 May 2021)

Martin Conway: I will conclude on this point. I acknowledge the work the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Deputy Harris, has done in broadening the suite of supports available to young people going into third level education. With that, I thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach for his indulgence.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Ventilation and Covid-19: Discussion (19 May 2021)

Martin Conway: I thank Ms Hegarty and Mr. Jones for their presentations on the topic. I agree that we expect water to be treated and the principle of treating our air makes common sense. I have travelled by train to Dublin all of the time during this pandemic and part of the requirement of Irish Rail is that the windows are left open. That is done for a clear reason. The principle of how air is treated...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Ventilation and Covid-19: Discussion (19 May 2021)

Martin Conway: I am aware that Ms Hegarty is part of the expert advisory group. Does she believe that the Government is taking this issue seriously? Ms Hegarty stated that this is very much an unregulated area. The first thing we need to do, therefore, is to introduce regulations to make the testing and monitoring of air part of what we do, in the same way that we test and monitor water. On the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Ventilation and Covid-19: Discussion (19 May 2021)

Martin Conway: From where does Ms Hegarty believe this response should be led? Should it be from public health, from NPHET or is there a particular Department that should take the lead on this?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Ventilation and Covid-19: Discussion (19 May 2021)

Martin Conway: Looking at the international situation, is there any model on this level that we can look at that we could adopt here? If it is already working successfully in other countries, is there a particular model that Ms Hegarty would recommend?

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Air Services (24 May 2021)

Martin Conway: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Noonan, to the House. I am sure he is aware of the serious blow inflicted by Aer Lingus on Shannon Airport last week with the announcement it was going to close its base there permanently. Like others, I fully understand Aer Lingus is in a perilous situation financially, having lost €360 million last year and €100 million to date this...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Air Services (24 May 2021)

Martin Conway: I thank the Minister of State for his reply. I welcome the fact there will be a significant announcement on aviation in the coming days. The survival of Aer Lingus is critical to Ireland and to the mid-west, in particular, but any bailout it gets must be a return journey. If it gets €150 million, which I understand it is seeking, we need three commitments from it. First, it must...

Seanad: Health and Criminal Justice (Covid-19) (Amendment) Bill 2021: Second Stage (24 May 2021)

Martin Conway: Like Senator Clifford-Lee, I welcome the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, to the House and commend him on the very difficult job he is doing and the manner in which he is doing it. Time will tell. It has been challenging and difficult, and nobody has got everything right, but, by and large, everything that could be done has been done. In the fullness of time, we will have a review of all of the...

Seanad: Affordable Housing Bill 2021: Second Stage (Resumed) (24 May 2021)

Martin Conway: I welcome the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, to the House. Having been in the House for five years when he was Leader of the Opposition, I know how constructive and engaging he is. I also know how committed he is to reform. I have no doubt that he will want to deliver in the housing brief. Over recent months, he has put his mark on the Department. I am optimistic about the future....

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (25 May 2021)

Martin Conway: Covid-19 has affected the entire world. The World Health Organization has done good work in terms of pulling together all of the strands of the pandemic. However, one particular country, Taiwan, does not appear to have much, if any, access to the World Health Organization. Taiwan has proven to be enormously successful in terms of its response to Covid-19. I call on the World Health...

Seanad: Health and Criminal Justice (Covid-19) (Amendment) Bill 2021: Committee and Remaining Stages (25 May 2021)

Martin Conway: I have listened carefully to the debates both yesterday and today, particularly on the matter of the time limit. To a large extent, I agree with what was said but, unfortunately, we are still in a very precarious situation. While people are uncomfortable with the date in November, it exists for a reason. I was disappointed to hear Senator Mullen stating he did not get a written reply from...

Seanad: Health (Amendment) Act 2021: Motion (31 May 2021)

Martin Conway: I welcome the Minister to the House. Of course, nobody wants to put these measures through. Mandatory quarantining was seen as trendy because it had worked in other countries. People who called for mandatory quarantining probably did not appreciate the absolute consequences of it, but it works and has worked. The Minister outlined the figures including 59 people with Covid-19 variants,...

Seanad: Covid-19 Vaccination Programme: Statements (31 May 2021)

Martin Conway: I welcome the Minister back to the House. I concur with the credit that has appropriately been given to the people working in the vaccination centres around the country. They are the human beings who are injecting people's arms and making them safe. I commend Mr. Damien McCallion, the HSE's lead for the vaccination roll-out, who has done a phenomenal job. He is out front for good news and...

Seanad: Covid-19 Vaccination Programme: Statements (31 May 2021)

Martin Conway: Can the Minister give a quick update on the supply? What is the latest position?

Seanad: Affordable Housing Bill 2021: Committee Stage (Resumed) (31 May 2021)

Martin Conway: I was listening to my colleague, Senator Higgins. The very same thought struck me that when one signs a contract, in my view, the terms should be cast in stone. Irrespective of whether the situation goes one way or the other, it would not be appropriate to have a facility to break a contract within the legislation. However, it is important that there is full transparency. All information...

Seanad: Health and Criminal Justice (Covid-19) (Amendment) Bill 2021: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (4 Jun 2021)

Martin Conway: It is most unfortunate that we are in this situation.