Results 101-120 of 138 for speaker:Aubrey McCarthy

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

Aubrey McCarthy: We are talking about a cost of billions for IPAS provision and homeless services at this stage. It has increased 337% since 2015. It is not sustainable. Obviously it is back down to supply. It seems we are good at continuing to house people on a temporary basis but we are not getting the permanent housing supply in place.

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

Aubrey McCarthy: Mr. Mulhern for the tough ones.

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

Aubrey McCarthy: Mr. Mulhern means as alternatives to emergency accommodation.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (1 Jul 2025)

Aubrey McCarthy: I rise to bring up a point about the urgent concerns facing women in Irish prisons. As of May, our national prison capacity stood at 131%, but it is women's prisons that are suffering the most. The female prison in Limerick is at 152% of capacity, while the Dóchas Centre in Mountjoy is at 127%. These are not just statistics; they are women sleeping on floors, traumatised by...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (3 Jul 2025)

Aubrey McCarthy: I voice concern on behalf of Irish businesses facing complete uncertainty regarding the US Administration revisiting tariffs and potentially imposing tariffs as high as 10%. They are to be imposed on all EU imports within days. From dairy farmers to distillers, vital sectors of the Irish community are bracing themselves for impact without any clarity as to what is coming. The recent...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Housing Delivery, Service and Supply: Discussion (1 Jul 2025)

Aubrey McCarthy: I thank both teams for being here today. From being on the housing committee, it is clear to me that the housing crisis cannot be solved unless we have the infrastructure to support it. It is regularly brought up at this committee that there is a mismatch between the planning numbers and the infrastructure system. I work with a homelessness charity and I see every day how the blockages...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Housing Delivery, Service and Supply: Discussion (1 Jul 2025)

Aubrey McCarthy: Is there a blockage there?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Housing Delivery, Service and Supply: Discussion (1 Jul 2025)

Aubrey McCarthy: But they have not been given their final numbers yet.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Housing Delivery, Service and Supply: Discussion (1 Jul 2025)

Aubrey McCarthy: What I have been hearing for the last number of weeks is that those figures are out of date. They are based on a census that is out of date and a lot has happened since. My point is not to put blame on Uisce Éireann. However, is Uisce Éireann operating on figures that are out of date and, therefore, when we catch up, we will be behind?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Housing Delivery, Service and Supply: Discussion (1 Jul 2025)

Aubrey McCarthy: The local authorities do not have sight of those figures. That is the point.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Housing Delivery, Service and Supply: Discussion (1 Jul 2025)

Aubrey McCarthy: The ESB and Irish Water do a fantastic job but it looks like they are flying blind without those final numbers.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (8 Jul 2025)

Aubrey McCarthy: I rise to bring the attention of the House to the prolonged incarceration of Ryan Cornelius in Dubai. His wife Heather and human rights activist Sir Bill Browder came to meet me here. In 2010, Mr. Cornelius was imprisoned for ten years. In 2018, however, that was extended by a further 20 years, bringing his total sentence to 30 years, which is the equivalent of three life sentences in...

Seanad: National Drugs Strategy: Statements (8 Jul 2025)

Aubrey McCarthy: I congratulate the Minister of State on her new role. I look forward to working with her. I thank her on behalf of the people of Kildare for opening a new sensory garden, Hope Cottage, last week, which was a fascinating event for family members of people caught in addiction. To bring the Minister of State’s attention to the national drugs strategy, which is about to expire, there...

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

Aubrey McCarthy: I am rising to speak about an issue that is pressing but that also has a moral dimension, namely the need for a national comprehensive strategy for the effective utilisation of surplus renewable energy in a manner that prioritises individuals and households experiencing energy poverty. We are seeing in various news reports that families are starting to choose between heating their home and...

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

Aubrey McCarthy: I thank the Minister of State for his response. I welcome that it recognises the importance of surplus renewable energy in shaping a fairer energy future for us all. However, I have to express concern that, without a defined strategy or measurable targets, we risk missing a crucial opportunity and wasting over 7,000 GWh of clean energy while hundreds of households going without heat or...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (10 Jul 2025)

Aubrey McCarthy: I echo the concerns of my fellow Senators regarding what is happening between Israel and Gaza at the moment. Yesterday, I had a visit from the Ukrainian ambassador and officials from her embassy. She said that it seems that Ukraine is forgotten about. Overnight, there were drones and attacks in Kyiv again. In recent months, Russia has launched more than 1,000 missiles and drones,...

Committee on Public Petitions and the Ombudsmen: Petition on Pensions and Social Security Legislation (8 Jul 2025)

Aubrey McCarthy: I thank Mr. Moran for being here today. What I am hearing from Mr. Moran is that the 36-month cut-off was set before legislation even existed. It was set before it was legally possible for Mr. Moran to be in a civil partnership. That effectively denied same-sex couples the possibility of qualifying in the first place. Has the Department ever given him a clear explanation as to why that...

Committee on Public Petitions and the Ombudsmen: Petition on Pensions and Social Security Legislation (8 Jul 2025)

Aubrey McCarthy: That is my question. Why does Mr. Moran think the 36-month window was chosen? Why not 24 or 48 months?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Priorities of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage (8 Jul 2025)

Aubrey McCarthy: I thank the Minister for his opening statement and for being here. The Minister has an unenviable job. I genuinely wish him well. I am looking at the housing crisis. I am new to politics, as the Minister knows. From looking at homebuyers, tenants and the homeless, with whom I have worked for many years in Tiglin, I see this as an absolute national emergency. I see teachers, medical...