Results 41-47 of 47 for speaker:Mike Kennelly
- Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Health Services (12 Jun 2025)
Mike Kennelly: I welcome the Minister of State. I am speaking on a promise I made to the people of north Kerry that, when I became a voice for them in the Seanad, I would do what I could to reinstate out-of-hours SouthDoc services in Listowel. SouthDoc is an out-of-hours GP service operating across Kerry and Cork, providing urgent medical care when a person's regular GP is unavailable. It is designed for...
- Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Health Services (12 Jun 2025)
Mike Kennelly: I thank the Minister of State for the reply. I have seen this before. Let us be honest. I will go back to what I said in my opening contribution; the population here has grown nearly twofold. We should be thankful that it has. During the Covid pandemic, many of the kids came home to live and work in the area and in their family homes. They have stayed in the area. Football team numbers...
- Committee on Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science: Engagement with Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (11 Jun 2025)
Mike Kennelly: I welcome the Minister and his opening comments. I acknowledge the breadth of work his Department has undertaken across all sectors of learning. There is a great deal to be encouraged by, particularly the progress on student accommodation the Minister just mentioned. I will mention the return of student accommodation in Munster Technological University, MTU, in Tralee recently. That is a...
- Committee on Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science: Engagement with Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (11 Jun 2025)
Mike Kennelly: MTU Kerry would welcome the Minister.
- Committee on Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science: Engagement with Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (11 Jun 2025)
Mike Kennelly: I would like some clarity on the reform to SUSI and the income disregard while students are working. Students can earn up to €8,424, which in today's terms does not match what students have to do. Students have to work more and work longer hours just to stay studying. On Senator Daly's point, I welcome the €500,000 in funding for the bus route. Is it just a pilot programme?
- Committee on Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science: Engagement with Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (11 Jun 2025)
Mike Kennelly: We have students for whom a 50-mile one-way trip is not an issue in rural north Kerry where they are attending MTU. The sad reality, though, is that one of the private bus operators turned 70 last week and he can no longer drive that bus. I hope we can work with whatever Department it is to ensure these people over 70 can be allowed to continue. Again, I know it is not the Minister's...
- Committee on Children and Equality: Priority Issues Facing the Department: Minister for Children, Disability and Equality (12 Jun 2025)
Mike Kennelly: I have a question to ask on behalf of a family. Foster parents have been looking after a kid for many years, since he was five years old. He will shortly turn 22. He has high enough dependencies in the context of independent living and stuff like that. The only pathway for this family is full-time foster care for this person. What is the best advisable mechanism for this family? They...