Results 9,421-9,440 of 11,348 for speaker:Colm Burke

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Consideration and Implications of 2024 Health Services Funding: Discussion (24 Oct 2023)

Colm Burke: We have a problem with rehabilitation, for instance. The only rehabilitation facility is in Dún Laoghaire. There was talk about a rehabilitation facility for Cork 25 years ago. Is that a possibility? I am not talking about a facility for Cork alone, but for Munster. Is it feasible to examine the Mallow project from the point of view of a rehabilitation facility?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Consideration and Implications of 2024 Health Services Funding: Discussion (24 Oct 2023)

Colm Burke: There is challenge in respect of rehabilitation facilities, however. There is a long waiting list. People are blocking up beds in hospitals because they need to get into rehabilitation facilities. There is also not an appropriate level of step-down facilities to transfer people to while they are waiting to get into Dún Laoghaire. That is also a challenge within the hospital system.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Consideration and Implications of 2024 Health Services Funding: Discussion (24 Oct 2023)

Colm Burke: The point I am making is that there are 600 beds occupied at any one time. Perhaps it is 500; it varies from day to day. What I am saying is that, in many cases, there are not appropriate step-down facilities to transfer people to and that, as a result, people are staying in hospital beds while people who are waiting to get into hospital cannot do so.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Agriculture Industry (26 Oct 2023)

Colm Burke: 71. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine what action his Department is taking to increase opportunities for women in agriculture, given women are under-represented in the Irish agri-sector; if data collection will be undertaken in the current CAP programme to inform the design of schemes in future programmes in such way as to increase their opportunities in agriculture;...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Agriculture Industry (26 Oct 2023)

Colm Burke: What action is the Department taking to increase opportunities for women in agriculture, given that women are under-represented in the Irish agriculture sector? Will data collection will be undertaken under the current CAP programme to inform the design of schemes in future programmes in such a way as to increase women's opportunities in agriculture? Will the Minister make a statement on...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Agriculture Industry (26 Oct 2023)

Colm Burke: The 2020 census of agriculture showed that the agricultural labour force amounted to 278,600 people, with 26.96% of these being female and 73.04% male. Data on farm structure in 2016 showed that, of the 137,100 family farms, females were registered as being in charge of only 12%. Just 3.8% of farms are registered with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine as being in joint...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Agriculture Industry (26 Oct 2023)

Colm Burke: On the 3.8% figure, where joint registration is involved, surely the Department can make more progress on that. Some 3.8% of farms are jointly registered with the Department, both male and female. That is a very low figure.

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation Accounts 2022
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage
2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Chapter 3: Central Government Funding of Local Authorities
Chapter 4: Accountability of the Central Funding of Local Authorities. (26 Oct 2023)

Colm Burke: I thank the witnesses for their presentations. I will start with the issue of vacant properties. This week saw an inquest in Cork, from which it appears that there had been a body in a boarded-up house for over 20 years. It appears that the person died in 2001 and remained undiscovered for a further 22 years. What more action can be taken to deal with the issue of vacant properties? One...

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation Accounts 2022
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage
2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Chapter 3: Central Government Funding of Local Authorities
Chapter 4: Accountability of the Central Funding of Local Authorities. (26 Oct 2023)

Colm Burke: But we still have 180,000 properties-----

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation Accounts 2022
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage
2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Chapter 3: Central Government Funding of Local Authorities
Chapter 4: Accountability of the Central Funding of Local Authorities. (26 Oct 2023)

Colm Burke: I am talking about assisting property owners. When the property owner or the person entitled to the property engaged with the local authority, the local authority would make a compulsory purchase order and sell the property back to that person at a cost. I have seen this approach being used effectively by Cork City Council. I am not necessarily saying that a local authority should take on...

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation Accounts 2022
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage
2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Chapter 3: Central Government Funding of Local Authorities
Chapter 4: Accountability of the Central Funding of Local Authorities. (26 Oct 2023)

Colm Burke: Someone cannot get funding unless he or she has the title. No one will touch that application for funding.

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation Accounts 2022
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage
2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Chapter 3: Central Government Funding of Local Authorities
Chapter 4: Accountability of the Central Funding of Local Authorities. (26 Oct 2023)

Colm Burke: Ms Timmons must accept that, in this case, the house had been vacant for more than 22 years.

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation Accounts 2022
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage
2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Chapter 3: Central Government Funding of Local Authorities
Chapter 4: Accountability of the Central Funding of Local Authorities. (26 Oct 2023)

Colm Burke: This was at a time when there was a housing shortage. The other issue I want to deal with relates to whether the Department has had any engagement with the banks recently. I wrote to all of the banks about the vacant properties. Only two banks replied to me, Bank of Ireland and AIB. The latter confirmed that it has 87 vacant properties currently and is dealing with local authorities. I...

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation Accounts 2022
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage
2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Chapter 3: Central Government Funding of Local Authorities
Chapter 4: Accountability of the Central Funding of Local Authorities. (26 Oct 2023)

Colm Burke: In fairness, AIB has said that it has offered over 2,000 properties to the Housing Agency. It has been engaging with the Housing Agency. I should acknowledge that AIB has done that. Has the Department engaged with the banks recently regarding properties that are vacant for long periods? There are four properties that I know of that are very good and that could be moved into tomorrow with...

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation Accounts 2022
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage
2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Chapter 3: Central Government Funding of Local Authorities
Chapter 4: Accountability of the Central Funding of Local Authorities. (26 Oct 2023)

Colm Burke: These are properties that have been repossessed by the banks.

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation Accounts 2022
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage
2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Chapter 3: Central Government Funding of Local Authorities
Chapter 4: Accountability of the Central Funding of Local Authorities. (26 Oct 2023)

Colm Burke: They have been repossessed by the banks.

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation Accounts 2022
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage
2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Chapter 3: Central Government Funding of Local Authorities
Chapter 4: Accountability of the Central Funding of Local Authorities. (26 Oct 2023)

Colm Burke: In one particular case, the judgment mortgage was registered in 2012 and it has been vacant since. The person who is living in the house alongside it moved in there 13 years ago. That property has been vacant for the entire period since.

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation Accounts 2022
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage
2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Chapter 3: Central Government Funding of Local Authorities
Chapter 4: Accountability of the Central Funding of Local Authorities. (26 Oct 2023)

Colm Burke: I am asking if the engagement was recent. It appears that a large number of properties are still vacant.

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation Accounts 2022
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage
2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Chapter 3: Central Government Funding of Local Authorities
Chapter 4: Accountability of the Central Funding of Local Authorities. (26 Oct 2023)

Colm Burke: Maybe it might be worth-----

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation Accounts 2022
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage
2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Chapter 3: Central Government Funding of Local Authorities
Chapter 4: Accountability of the Central Funding of Local Authorities. (26 Oct 2023)

Colm Burke: There is a large number of properties still not progressing which have been vacant for long periods and could be put into use. I want to move on to Irish Water. In the period 2000 to 2008, we allowed the developers to put in sewage treatment facilities. Many of those facilities are not up to scratch. My understanding is that in Cork County alone there are over 50. The total number for...