Results 5,321-5,340 of 5,964 for speaker:Thomas Gould

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) (No.2) Bill 2024: Discussion (10 Oct 2024)

Thomas Gould: Ms Anderson touched on the standard of cost-rental accommodation. In Cork, it is of a very high quality and being managed properly. It is a place people want to live. I spoke to two young women who were sharing a property on Lancaster Quay. One worked in the hospital and the other worked in the city council. They were really positive about the accommodation. They spoke about a community...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) (No.2) Bill 2024: Discussion (10 Oct 2024)

Thomas Gould: I apologise, I am going to have to leave after this. Something struck me when Ms Cleary was speaking about older people and pensioners. We see pensioners who are homeless, which was probably something we never saw previously in the lifetime of this State. There are 224 now, and the number is creeping up slowly. I imagine that the vast majority of people who avail of cost-rental properties...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) (No.2) Bill 2024: Discussion (10 Oct 2024)

Thomas Gould: I appreciate that. What happens to that lady I mentioned who is on €42,000 who does not qualify for HAP because she is over the threshold? Many people have to pay a lot of extra money over the HAP amount in order to get rental properties. Will HAP be sufficient in order that there will not be pensioners who are struggling? Will it be enough for pensioners to still be able to afford...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) (No.2) Bill 2024: Discussion (10 Oct 2024)

Thomas Gould: I had not thought of what Ms Hennigan said about people who lose their incomes for different reasons, namely losing their jobs or on foot of health issues. It is important that work is being done, so that is good to hear. We are looking at cost rental long term. People are saying we need to develop the Irish mentality to cost rental, and all those things need to be considered. One of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) (No.2) Bill 2024: Discussion (10 Oct 2024)

Thomas Gould: I wanted the witnesses to say that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) (No.2) Bill 2024: Discussion (10 Oct 2024)

Thomas Gould: Even if we were to take the human side out of it, Mr. O'Gorman has made the point about the consequences of having cold and damp houses with mould in them. I have people now whose clothes in their wardrobes are mouldy. The ends of their beds are getting damp because they are up against the wall. The human cost of this is great, but so is the financial cost. When there is a chance to do...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) (No.2) Bill 2024: Discussion (10 Oct 2024)

Thomas Gould: I always that the concept whereby an AHB or a local authority would step in when a family was in trouble rather than that family losing its house was a good one. There seems to be a reluctance, however, to get involved in this undertaking. I would like to see more of it being done. I say this because my big worry now is that people are paying so much for overvalued homes that some of them...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) (No.2) Bill 2024: Discussion (10 Oct 2024)

Thomas Gould: I thank Ms Cleary.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) (No.2) Bill 2024: Discussion (10 Oct 2024)

Thomas Gould: What I am taking from that is that we are saying local authorities cannot plan in the long-term.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) (No.2) Bill 2024: Discussion (10 Oct 2024)

Thomas Gould: I will say that local authorities, to be fair to them, are not being funded long-term. This would be the way to look at it. I must run, so I thank the witnesses very much. Go raibh maith agat.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Addiction Treatment Services (9 Oct 2024)

Thomas Gould: 208. To ask the Minister for Health whether he is aware of emerging trends in increased need in hard-to-reach populations in the addiction service; and whether specific funding will be made available to ensure services are properly resourced to support these. [40425/24]

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Middle East (10 Oct 2024)

Thomas Gould: 60. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he has spoken to his Lebanese counterpart and offered Ireland’s support. [40574/24]

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rural Schemes (10 Oct 2024)

Thomas Gould: 95. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development for an update on the community centres for Ballyvolane and Fairhill. [40576/24]

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Middle East (10 Oct 2024)

Thomas Gould: 110. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he is aware of the case of a person (details supplied) who has been granted leave to come to Ireland from Gaza but cannot escape Gaza; and the actions he taken to ensure their safe passage here. [40863/24]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (10 Oct 2024)

Thomas Gould: 166. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills for an update on an application made by a school (details supplied) for additional accommodation. [40746/24]

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Asylum Seekers (10 Oct 2024)

Thomas Gould: 222. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of people granted leave to come to Ireland from Gaza who are currently unable to leave Palestine. [40864/24]

Written Answers — Department of Health: Departmental Schemes (10 Oct 2024)

Thomas Gould: 310. To ask the Minister for Health the work the HSE has undertaken to include those living with HIV in the IVF treatment scheme; the reason this has not been resolved to date; the reason those living with hepatitis can access IVF; and the timeline for the inclusion of those living with HIV in the scheme. [40861/24]

Written Answers — Department of Health: Departmental Schemes (10 Oct 2024)

Thomas Gould: 311. To ask the Minister for Health the reason people living with HIV, who are not in the IVF exclusion criteria, are not included under the treatment abroad scheme; and if he is aware of clinics offering IVF to those living with HIV abroad who can complete an E112/S2 form. [40862/24]

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Schemes (16 Oct 2024)

Thomas Gould: 98. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform whether the independent property protection scheme is available to people living in Blackpool, Cork, who are awaiting flood relief in the wake of storm Babet. [41672/24]

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Energy Conservation (15 Oct 2024)

Thomas Gould: 134. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the number of homes funded for retrofit in 2024 for Cork city and county councils, respectively, under the warmer homes schemes. [41305/24]