Results 41-60 of 404 for speaker:Ollie Crowe

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Local Government Reform (8 Feb 2021)

Ollie Crowe: I welcome the Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Peter Burke, to the House and I thank for his time. He is familiar with Galway and I am hopeful that will help the case. In Irish terms, Galway is a massive geographic county, inclusive of four offshore islands. It is the second largest county by land mass in the country. It takes two and a...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Local Government Reform (8 Feb 2021)

Ollie Crowe: The Leas-Chathaoirleach is taking up my time. An allocation of €1 million was assigned to Galway County Council last September. In areas where synergies and savings can be made, for example, library services, fire services and salaries, this is already happening and this can continue in other areas, if justified, on a financial basis without the need for a merger. In the...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Local Government Reform (8 Feb 2021)

Ollie Crowe: I thank Minister of State, Deputy Burke, for his response. What I am asking for is that the Government would focus on addressing the funding issues which were identified previously. As my colleague Senator Murphy outlined, we want more people in our city and county involved in the political process. As the Minister of State knows, the census was deferred to this year, but one is talking...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (8 Feb 2021)

Ollie Crowe: I wish to address the landmark decision handed down by the High Court last Friday, which rightly found insurance companies must honour policies that provided cover for business disruption. While it should never have needed to be the subject of legal action, it is welcome that justice has prevailed, and the decision has been accepted by the insurance firm in question. One of the publicans I...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (15 Feb 2021)

Ollie Crowe: As all Senators will be aware, over two years ago, on 17 October 2018, legislation was passed to combat and stop harmful drinking. The legislation, the Public Health (Alcohol) Act, was praised by international policy experts as being model legislation that was well structured and evidence based. One of its main provisions was minimum unit pricing, which is a targeted measure designed to...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (15 Feb 2021)

Ollie Crowe: I was on it.

Seanad: Remote Working Strategy: Motion (15 Feb 2021)

Ollie Crowe: I welcome the motion and recognise its importance. I compliment Senator Currie on her great knowledge of this issue, which she has raised for a number of years. From our point of view, the motion fulfils a programme for Government commitment in which it is specifically pledged to developing a strategy for remote working. The Covid-19 pandemic has brought hardship and loss in so many ways...

Seanad: Ábhair Ghnó an tSeanaid – Matters on the Business of the Seanad (22 Feb 2021)

Ollie Crowe: I want to raise the issue of changes to the opening hours of bars and nightclubs which are to be included in the 2021 justice plan of the Minister for Justice, Deputy McEntee. This is welcome news. We need reform of our opening hours as the tourism sector will play a huge role in Ireland's recovery from Covid. The current opening hours are a drawback in this regard. Asking tourists to...

Seanad: Councillors' Pay: Motion (22 Feb 2021)

Ollie Crowe: I welcome the Minister of State to the House.Since 2014, there has been a 40% reduction in the number councillors, electoral areas have significantly increased and additional duties involving local community development committees, LCDCs, climate action committees, the local property tax, LPT, the setting of rates, etc. have been introduced. If one wants to know the life of a councillor,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Pre-legislative Scrutiny of the General Scheme of the Competition (Amendment) Bill 2021 (Resumed): Discussion (23 Feb 2021)

Ollie Crowe: Broadly speaking, I welcome the Bill. Most if not all members of the committee have spoken in the past about the need to enhance the authority of agencies to enforce competition law and provide greater protection for the consumers. There is a need for effective deterrents in order to ensure compliance with competition law. The power to impose financial penalties is naturally required and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Pre-legislative Scrutiny of the General Scheme of the Competition (Amendment) Bill 2021 (Resumed): Discussion (23 Feb 2021)

Ollie Crowe: To clarify, European law requires any legislation in this area of surveillance to be extremely clear and have strong protections against abuse. Is it the view of Ms Goggin that the Bill has these attributes? Is there a concern about such powers being used at the investigation stage when there is no legal charge against a person?

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Social Welfare Benefits (1 Mar 2021)

Ollie Crowe: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Joe O'Brien, to the House and thank him for his time this morning. I want to raise, and I certainly welcome, the introduction of the benefit payment to 65-year-olds who have worked all their lives. They simply should not have to sign on the live register or seek new work, especially as many have no option but to retire at the age of 65 due to their...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Social Welfare Benefits (1 Mar 2021)

Ollie Crowe: To be clear, my understanding is that the Department issued a statement in early February that everybody between 65 and 66 years of age would be eligible for the payment. Can the Minister of State confirm now that this is not the case and that they must have 13 weeks of paid PRSI contributions in the year they reach 63 or 64 to qualify for the benefit because if they are signing for the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: General Scheme of Employment Permits (Consolidation and Amendment) Bill 2019: Discussion (Resumed) (9 Mar 2021)

Ollie Crowe: I thank Dr. McGann from IBEC and Mr. Berney from ICTU, for their contributions. Overall, the Bill will make a significant impact by allowing greater flexibility for employment permits and modernising the existing legislation. Pre-Covid, there was significant feedback from sectors including agriculture about how challenging it was for operators to fill certain positions. The introduction of...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (22 Mar 2021)

Ollie Crowe: I wish to raise a similar issue those raised by Senators Norris and Keogan. All Members will be well aware of the abuse and harassment of elected public representatives, both on social media and offline. It is a problem that appears to have increased significantly in the last number of years both at local and national levels. I will give an example. The current mayor of Galway city,...

Seanad: Covid-19 (Tourism): Statements (22 Mar 2021)

Ollie Crowe: Stop the clock.

Seanad: Covid-19 (Tourism): Statements (22 Mar 2021)

Ollie Crowe: I thank the Minister, Deputy Martin, for coming to the House. As she is well aware, the Covid-19 pandemic has had an enormous impact on the lives of everyone in this country. From an economic standpoint, no sector has been hit harder than tourism.The sector has experienced a €6 billion decline in revenue and the loss of tens of thousands of jobs. As the Minister will be aware, it...

Seanad: Covid-19 (Tourism): Statements (22 Mar 2021)

Ollie Crowe: Is there something he would like to tell us?

Seanad: Covid-19 (Tourism): Statements (22 Mar 2021)

Ollie Crowe: I propose a suspension of the House until 3.45 p.m.

Seanad: National Development Plan: Statements (22 Mar 2021)

Ollie Crowe: I welcome the Minister. The good news for the House is that he is a great friend of Galway and a regular visitor to our city. He is well familiar with the issues I want to raise in the 90 seconds that I have. To state the obvious, unlike Limerick and Cork the ring road is essential as is its funding.We have committed to it in the programme for Government and I welcome that. As alluded to...