Results 3,881-3,900 of 3,902 for speaker:Michael Collins

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (21 Oct 2025)

Michael Collins: Last night, a ten-year-old Irish girl under Tusla care was allegedly sexually assaulted on the grounds of the Citywest Hotel, a facility housing asylum seekers. The suspect, an asylum applicant with a deportation order, had remained in the country despite being refused protection earlier this year, making the attacker here an illegal immigrant. The people are rightly alarmed. We need an...

Finance Bill 2025: Second Stage (21 Oct 2025)

Michael Collins: The VAT reduction to 9% for hairdressers, cafés and restaurants is very welcome. I thank the Government for doing that and delivering for these people who were practically on their knees. I cannot understand that some parties in here are crying that the Government should not have done that. They obviously do not talk to the restaurant or café owners who are in a desperate...

Irish Unity: Motion [Private Members] (21 Oct 2025)

Michael Collins: I thank Sinn Féin for bringing this motion on Irish unity before us. I am not afraid of unity. The Independent Ireland party is not afraid of unity. However, I speak with both caution and conviction on this motion. The question of Irish unity is not just a constitutional matter; it is a deeply personal and emotional issue for many across this island. It deserves thoughtful,...

Office of the President: Motion [Private Members] (22 Oct 2025)

Michael Collins: We in Independent Ireland welcome this motion. This is the kind of genuine, sensible proposal that speaks to ordinary Irish people, North and South. It is a motion about fairness, inclusion and democracy, which have been missing to date from too much of the operation of our political system. The presidential election has brought that into sharp focus in recent weeks. Independent...

Men's Health: Statements (22 Oct 2025)

Michael Collins: Today, for the first time in the history of the Dáil, we are giving men's health the attention it urgently deserves. Ireland led the world in 2009 with the first national men's health policy but the latest version of the report, The Real Face of Men's Health, shows we are at a crossroads. In 2022, 40.2% of all male deaths were premature. Men in the most deprived areas are 150% more...

Fisheries: Statements (22 Oct 2025)

Michael Collins: I thank the Chief Whip for making the statements possible today. Deputy Mac Lochlainn and I pushed hard for this debate, which is of huge importance at the present time. I would like this to be an honest debate. I do not want to stand here speaking and not getting answers. I would like to get answers to the questions I am putting to the Minister. I want us to work together to save our...

Fisheries: Statements (22 Oct 2025)

Michael Collins: Fourth, will the Minister commit to pushing for the application of the Hague preferences to ensure Irish fishers can legally fish in their own waters? Fifth, why is Ireland being denied a dedicated quota for bluefin tuna despite a clear recovery in stock levels and historical fishing effort? Sixth, does the Minister accept that the Common Fisheries Policy and the Brexit trade and...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Inquiries (21 Oct 2025)

Michael Collins: 619. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the total payments made to a company in a relation to a site (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57388/25]

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport: All-Island Strategic Rail Review: Iarnród Éireann (22 Oct 2025)

Michael Collins: I welcome our guests. This is meant to be an all-island strategic rail review. Am I correct?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport: All-Island Strategic Rail Review: Iarnród Éireann (22 Oct 2025)

Michael Collins: How is it that in the context of the 130 km from Cork station to Ardgroom there is not one single railway line? How is it that there is no rail link to Mizen Head, which is 125 km from Cork, and no plans for such a link that I know of? I may stand to be corrected on that. It is an an-island review. If there are no plans, however, it is not an all-island review and the name needs to be...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport: All-Island Strategic Rail Review: Iarnród Éireann (22 Oct 2025)

Michael Collins: The thing is that this is referred to as an all-island strategic rail review. That cannot be the case. The name has to be changed. It has to be called the "some of the island rail review". It certainly cannot be all-island when a whole area of west Cork is ignored and there is not one single sign of rail there. There is not an even a sign, signal or post telling people the way to the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport: All-Island Strategic Rail Review: Iarnród Éireann (22 Oct 2025)

Michael Collins: Ms Considine is saying this is all-island and that it includes Northern Ireland. That is absolutely perfect, but if the whole of Northern Ireland, or the whole of Dublin or Galway, were exempted from it, there would be an outcry. From Cork, there are 135 km of roadway to Ardgroom and 125 km to Mizen Head, but there is no rail. There is no way we can wait until 2035. We may all be pushing...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport: All-Island Strategic Rail Review: Iarnród Éireann (22 Oct 2025)

Michael Collins: Yes, I would appreciate that. I do not have much time left, but it is hugely important because these areas cannot be thrown to the wolves. Rail, when we do use it, is second to none. I do not want to be slating what it is but that is the problem. There needs to be some kind of connectivity and that is all I ask Iarnród Éireann to work on because it looks like rail will not...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (4 Nov 2025)

Michael Collins: Next week sees the inauguration of our new President and I wish Catherine Connolly the very best in her presidency. This will mean a by-election in Galway West. We in Independent Ireland strongly believe that this by-election should take place immediately. To facilitate this we have already put forward our candidate Councillor Noel Thomas who is working on the ground as we speak. Can we...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (4 Nov 2025)

Michael Collins: Can we debate here this week as to how soon the writ will be issued so that the people of Galway West will get the representation they fully deserve?

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (4 Nov 2025)

Michael Collins: Last night, businesses and residents were once again flooded in Bantry after a heavy night of rain. Since I came into the Dáil in 2016, I have raised this issue monthly - the latest was two weeks ago. The answer I got a couple of weeks ago from the Minister was that a flood relief scheme would be delivered to Bantry in 2031. The people of Bantry have been destroyed by floods last...

Electricity (Supply) (Amendment) Bill 2025: Second Stage (4 Nov 2025)

Michael Collins: This Bill allows the ESB to borrow up to €17 billion and issue €1.5 billion in capital stock, much of it going to two Departments. It is framed as a step towards modernising our grid and preparing for future demand. Yes, investment in infrastructure is always vital but, let us be clear, the people of Ireland are already paying the price - literally. Electricity bills have...

Education (Affordable School Uniforms) Bill 2025: Second Stage [Private Members] (4 Nov 2025)

Michael Collins: This is smart, fair and deeply necessary legislation that puts families first. For too long, the cost of school uniforms has placed an unfair burden on parents. According to Barnardos, back-to-school costs now average €725 for primary school pupils and €1,100 for secondary school. That is not just a statistic; it is a crisis. Families are dipping into savings, taking out...

Decriminalisation of People Who Use Drugs: Motion [Private Members] (5 Nov 2025)

Michael Collins: The motion invites us to consider a shift in how society addresses drug use, not through the lens of criminal justice but through public health. Decriminalisation does not mean legalisation; rather, it reframes drug use as a health issue, potentially reducing stigma and encouraging access to support services. While there are diverse views on its effectiveness, this debate offers an...