Results 11,841-11,860 of 11,899 for speaker:Niall Collins

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Drug Dealing (3 Jul 2025)

Niall Collins: Tackling the scourge of drug dealing and targeting the work of organised crime groups, who inflict intimidation, violence and misery on families and communities in rural Ireland is a top priority for the Government and my Department. The Government is fully committed to providing An Garda Síochána with the resources it needs to fight crime. This is reflected in the unprecedented...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (3 Jul 2025)

Niall Collins: Community safety is a top priority for my Department and everyone has the right to be safe and feel safe in their communities. Rural Ireland is no exception. In 2019, the National Rural Safety Forum was established. The Forum comprises of a broad range of organisations, including my Department, An Garda Síochána, the IFA and stakeholders who share the common purpose of ensuring...

Seanad: Data Protection Act 2018: Motion (8 Jul 2025)

Niall Collins: I am pleased to be here with Members of Seanad Éireann today to seek approval of regulations under section 64 of the Data Protection Act 2018 in respect of the Data Protection Commission, Office of the Information Commissioner and the Comptroller and Auditor General. The EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and the GDPR established the protection of personal data as a fundamental right and...

Seanad: Data Protection Act 2018: Motion (8 Jul 2025)

Niall Collins: I thank all Senators for their contributions and support for the motion. There is no doubt that GDPR is hugely important and has significantly benefited many people in terms of protecting their rights, enhancing their privacy and ensuring that their personal details are held properly and safely. That is really important. As Senator Wilson said, sometimes friction arises in the area of...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Health Promotion (10 Jul 2025)

Niall Collins: I thank the Senator for giving me this opportunity to speak on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Health, and outline the progress being made by the Government in this area. The promotion of physical activity for health is a priority under the Healthy Ireland framework, Ireland’s national strategy for improving the health and well-being of the population. This was evidenced by...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Health Promotion (10 Jul 2025)

Niall Collins: As the Senator mentioned older adults, I will outline what my colleague, the Minister for Health, has been doing to make physical activity opportunities available to this group. Physical activity for older adults is promoted by Age and Opportunity, a national development organisation working to enable the best possible quality of life for this population group. This organisation is a key...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Disability Services (10 Jul 2025)

Niall Collins: The Minister of State with responsibility for disability, Deputy Naughton, thanks the Senator for raising this important issue, and I am responding on her behalf. The HSE provides specialist disability services, including day services and rehabilitative training, to people with disabilities who require such services. While day service funding does not include transport, some transport...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Disability Services (10 Jul 2025)

Niall Collins: The ambition of this Government is to bring about a step change in the services for people with disability in Ireland. The Minister of State with responsibility for disability and the Government are committed to the expansion and reform of disability services in order to maximise people's independence and help to support them to live their lives on the same basis as all other citizens. In...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Energy Policy (10 Jul 2025)

Niall Collins: I thank Senator McCarthy for the opportunity to address this important issue. Ireland's climate action plans recognise the need for the electricity sector to become more adaptable and flexible, in response to the ever-increasing volume of distributed renewable energy sources on the grid. To ensure reliability in such a distributed energy system, as well as to minimise the network upgrades...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Energy Policy (10 Jul 2025)

Niall Collins: The rapid expansion of renewable sources of energy is critical to lowering costs and protecting those in or at risk of energy poverty. As we move to higher levels of variable renewables, it will be necessary for electricity demand to become much more flexible to match when renewable electricity is plentiful and prices are at their lowest. The Department is leading on a new...

Domestic, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence: Statements (10 Jul 2025)

Niall Collins: I acknowledge the very fine work of my colleague the Minister in this area and, indeed, the work that has been done across government and beyond to implement the zero-tolerance strategy. The fight against domestic, sexual and gender-based violence is one we all need to engage fully with. As we have heard from the Minister, affecting substantial change in this area is possible. We can,...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Child Protection (10 Jul 2025)

Niall Collins: I am responding on behalf of the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality. I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, and the Department of Children, Disability and Equality are committed to promoting safe and high-quality practices in areas of alternative care. The Child Care Act 1991 is the statutory framework for child welfare and...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Child Protection (10 Jul 2025)

Niall Collins: To be clear, the Deputy has told me that he has already written to the Minister, Deputy Jim O'Callaghan, and the Minister, Deputy Foley, with regard to this. Arising from today, I will speak to the relevant officials within our Department, and I will ensure that the correspondence and communication the Deputy has sent to the Department via the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan's office, is acted...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Child Protection (10 Jul 2025)

Niall Collins: That is fine.

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Thalidomide Victims Compensation (10 Jul 2025)

Niall Collins: I thank Deputy Ward for raising this important issue. I also wish to extend the apologies of the Minister for State with responsibility for disability, Deputy Naughton, for being unable to attend today. She is currently on a delegation to Bosnia and Herzegovina on behalf of the Government to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide. The Minister of State has also...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Thalidomide Victims Compensation (10 Jul 2025)

Niall Collins: As previously referenced, in July 2024 an enhanced package for health and social care supports for thalidomide survivors was announced. That included prioritised and simplified access to local health and social care professionals, access to therapies, both clinical and holistic, independent living supports to include housing adaptations, car adaptations and home supports, annual health...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Media Sector (10 Jul 2025)

Niall Collins: As we know, the problem of disinformation is not a new one. What is new is how easily mistruths can be produced, how sophisticated and convincing they are, and how it can be amplified and circulated at astonishing speed. According to the Digital News Report 2025 published just last month, 68% of people said that they are concerned about what is real and what is fake online. This is...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Media Sector (10 Jul 2025)

Niall Collins: As I set out, the national counter disinformation strategy explores the challenge of disinformation in Ireland, its harmful effects on society and its complexity as a policy issue. It is important to state that it is not the role of our Government or, indeed, any regulator to decide on individual instances of disinformation. As mentioned, one of the fundamental aims of the strategy is to...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Schools Building Projects (10 Jul 2025)

Niall Collins: I thank the Deputy for raising this matter as it provides me with the opportunity to outline to the Dáil the current position regarding the major building project for Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire in Parnell Square. The Minister and the Department of Education and Youth are fully committed to delivering a new school building for Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire as quickly as possible....