Results 5,821-5,840 of 5,964 for speaker:Thomas Gould

Ábhair Shaincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Matters: General Practitioner Services (24 Jun 2025)

Thomas Gould: Thank you. An important question the Minister of State might ask is how it can go from 2,200 down to 22, and they are the Minister of State's figures. I respect that the Minister of State is doing her best tonight.

Legislative and Structural Reforms to Accelerate Housing Delivery: Motion [Private Members] (25 Jun 2025)

Thomas Gould: This Government says if the Opposition only brought forward solutions, it would listen and would implement them. What a load of hogwash. Here we have a solution and though the Minister of State might not agree with every part of it, it is a solution that is being brought forward in the same way that two weeks ago I brought a motion to the House to clear all the boarded-up vacant council...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Key Challenges to Tackling Homelessness: Discussion (24 Jun 2025)

Thomas Gould: Go raibh maith agaibh and thanks for coming in here today. I appreciate it. The first issue I want to raise is that of the tenant in situ scheme. This was the best way to prevent families and children in particular from entering emergency accommodation and becoming homeless. That has been gutted this year. Last year, 100 children and 88 adults were prevented from becoming homeless through...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Key Challenges to Tackling Homelessness: Discussion (24 Jun 2025)

Thomas Gould: Mr. Mulhern is saying there is a reduction, yet I have the Minister for housing and the Taoiseach telling me on the floor of the Dáil that funding is being allocated. We have local authorities telling us one thing and the Taoiseach and the Minister for housing telling us there is no problem here, but Mr. Mulhern is telling us now there is.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Key Challenges to Tackling Homelessness: Discussion (24 Jun 2025)

Thomas Gould: Yes, I have the figures, but Mr. Mulhern said €37 million of that was related to last year.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Key Challenges to Tackling Homelessness: Discussion (24 Jun 2025)

Thomas Gould: That was great work the witnesses' organisations all did through the tenant in situ scheme to prevent families from becoming homeless. Everyone involved in all the local authorities should be very proud of the work done there. However, it was then gutted by the new Minister when he came in. I have a question I want to come to. The Simon Community told me recently that it had received no...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Key Challenges to Tackling Homelessness: Discussion (24 Jun 2025)

Thomas Gould: No, this is nationally. Well, I think it is nationally, from when I was speaking to the Simon Community.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Key Challenges to Tackling Homelessness: Discussion (24 Jun 2025)

Thomas Gould: To follow on from that, is there enough money there for local authorities and AHBs to deliver the housing first plans that they want to deliver?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Key Challenges to Tackling Homelessness: Discussion (24 Jun 2025)

Thomas Gould: Does anyone else have a comment on housing first? I heard Dr. Muldoon speaking earlier about the rise in the number of children. I spoke to a lady there about an hour ago. She has been in recovery for two and a half years. Her two children are with Tusla. They are being looked after now. She wants to get her children back. She is going to court at the moment but she is not allowed on...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Key Challenges to Tackling Homelessness: Discussion (24 Jun 2025)

Thomas Gould: Have those children any rights? They are being denied their rights at the moment because their mother cannot get access to housing, so they are separated. It is the decision of the State to keep these children apart from their mother. What recourse have those kids or their families to try to get them the rights they should have? I completely support what Dr. Muldoon is saying about the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Key Challenges to Tackling Homelessness: Discussion (24 Jun 2025)

Thomas Gould: I thank Dr. Muldoon very much. I have one small question for Dublin City Council. The Dublin Region Homeless Executive collects data regarding rough sleepers who pass away on the streets. Every organisation should be collecting that data. It is vital data now. I know people who have died on the streets and in other towns and cities and there is no data being collected. If we cannot...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Key Challenges to Tackling Homelessness: Discussion (24 Jun 2025)

Thomas Gould: I thank the witnesses very much.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Key Challenges to Tackling Homelessness: Discussion (24 Jun 2025)

Thomas Gould: I thank Mr. Gleeson.

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Road Projects (24 Jun 2025)

Thomas Gould: 117. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport for an update on the Northern Ring road in Cork. [34103/25]

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Bus Services (24 Jun 2025)

Thomas Gould: 170. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he is aware of ongoing issues with bus reliability and punctuality in Cork city and when these will be resolved and the resulting delays on the rollout of BusConnects. [34104/25]

Review of Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act 2004: Statements (1 Jul 2025)

Thomas Gould: I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle and I appreciate him letting me speak. The results of this report are no surprise to parents or anyone involved with special education in Cork city. This Government and previous Governments have failed children with additional needs. Schools like Scoil Íosagáin in Farranree are crying out for additional autism spectrum disorder, ASD, classes....

GPO and Moore Street Regeneration as a 1916 Cultural Quarter: Motion [Private Members] (1 Jul 2025)

Thomas Gould: The people do not trust the Government to honour the patriot dead, the men and women and their families. Those families must be remembered. The volunteers and heroes died but their families had to live on through the pain and suffering. Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have disrespected those men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice. The Minister comes in here and talks about turning...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Homeless Persons Supports (1 Jul 2025)

Thomas Gould: I am taking this question on behalf of Deputy Eoin Ó Broin. Will the Minister to provide an update on the review of section 10 funding for homelessness service providers and the changes he intends to make to this funding stream in light of the near financial collapse of an organisation in 2023?

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Homeless Persons Supports (1 Jul 2025)

Thomas Gould: The Peter McVerry Trust almost went bankrupt in the summer of 2023. The core issue was the use of capital funding to cross-subsidise the day-to-day running costs of the organisation. It ran up a liability of almost €20 million. There have been two independent regulator reports on the issues. It is totally unacceptable that the provision of homelessness services has been privatised...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Homeless Persons Supports (1 Jul 2025)

Thomas Gould: I asked the Minister a couple of questions and he answered none of them. Why is 100% of the funding not being given to homelessness service providers? Why are they put into a bidding war with each other in trying to provide homelessness services for people? Was there any oversight of what was happening? There had to be a €15 million bailout of the Peter McVerry Trust, a trust that...