Results 14,321-14,340 of 18,851 for speaker:Fergus O'Dowd

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Employment Data (7 Jul 2020)

Fergus O'Dowd: 511. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of notified job vacancies in Drogheda town by month from 2016 to date in tabular from; if the figures are available through employment services; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14118/20]

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Districts (7 Jul 2020)

Fergus O'Dowd: 609. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if discussions have taken place between her Department and the Garda Commissioner to examine the current divisional boundaries that separate adjoining estates and areas in Drogheda, County Louth, and County Meath, respectively (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13748/20]

Written Answers — Department of Health: Medicinal Products (7 Jul 2020)

Fergus O'Dowd: 728. To ask the Minister for Health the position regarding the availability of Spinraza to children with spinal muscular atrophy type I, II or III on an exceptional and individualised basis; his plans to facilitate broader provision of the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14012/20]

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Impact of Covid-19: Overall Fiscal and Monetary Position (7 Jul 2020)

Fergus O'Dowd: I welcome the comments of the Governor with regard to placing consumers at the heart of the Central Bank's policy and giving them top priority. The public does not feel this has been the case in the past. It is hugely important. We will judge the Governor on his actions rather than his words but I am impressed with the commitments he has given so far. The problem is that Covid...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Impact of Covid-19: Education – Return to School and School Transport (Resumed) (7 Jul 2020)

Fergus O'Dowd: I worked in a post-primary school that had 1,200 students. I can appreciate the difficulty caused by Covid-19 and how it will be possible to organise things. One of the key points will arise when students are out of class. How will that situation be monitored and that activity supervised? Sometimes one needs to have eyes in the back of one's head to see everything that goes on in a...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Impact of Covid-19: Education – Return to School and School Transport (Resumed) (7 Jul 2020)

Fergus O'Dowd: I refer to staggered school hours where one might start at 8.30 a.m. or 9 a.m. but would continue with that so that some students might not come in until 11 a.m. or 12 noon. They would have a longer day and go home at a different time. It is a major challenge. Has Mr. Mongey thought about that? I presume the principal signs off on the plan but that every plan would have to be verified...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Impact of Covid-19: Education – Return to School and School Transport (Resumed) (7 Jul 2020)

Fergus O'Dowd: What about the question of the staggered or expanded school day?

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Impact of Covid-19: Education – Return to School and School Transport (Resumed) (7 Jul 2020)

Fergus O'Dowd: I want to go back to the point I made about out-of-class activities. When a teacher is in the class, that is fine. However, when the students go outside, generally a small number of teachers supervise even a thousand students. Can Mr. Mongey quantify that? I acknowledge each school has a different physical environment, but an awful lot of-----

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (8 Jul 2020)

Fergus O'Dowd: The programme for Government includes a commitment to the provision of a statutory home care service. Will the Taoiseach outline a timeline for the introduction of same? Home care is the ideal form of care for older people. Older people need a statutory entitlement in order to pay and access this urgently needed service. This will keep people out of institutions like nursing homes.

Estimates for Public Services 2020 (Resumed) (9 Jul 2020)

Fergus O'Dowd: Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire agus roimh na hAirí Stáit nua atá in éineacht leis, na Teachtaí Byrne agus Brophy. Tá súil agam go dtiocfaidh feabhas mór ar an saol atá againn go léir de bharr an obair a bheidh á déanamh acu. I pay tribute in particular to our foreign service. When I use the word "service" I mean it in the...

Estimates for Public Services 2020 (Resumed) (9 Jul 2020)

Fergus O'Dowd: I congratulate the Minister, Deputy McEntee, and the Minister of State, Deputy McConalogue, on their appointments. I pay tribute to the former Minister, Deputy Flanagan, and the former Minister of State, Deputy Stanton. I live in Drogheda town, which has suffered greatly as a result of a crime wave. The gardaí there are doing a fantastic job fighting it and are very tough on crime....

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Impact of Covid-19: Education – Return to School and School Transport (Resumed) (10 Jul 2020)

Fergus O'Dowd: How many additional staff does Mr. Ó Foghlú expect to have to employ beyond the complement that is currently in these schools? Has he a breakdown of the figure into teaching and non-teaching roles?

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Impact of Covid-19: Education – Return to School and School Transport (Resumed) (10 Jul 2020)

Fergus O'Dowd: I asked Mr. Ó Foghlú to put a figure on the additional staff complement because quite a significant amount of new people could be needed to keep, as he said, proper supervision and proper control, for substitution for sick teachers and for additional supervision, which is a huge issue. Does Mr. Ó Foghlú have a figure for this? I can ask further questions if he is able to...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Impact of Covid-19: Education – Return to School and School Transport (Resumed) (10 Jul 2020)

Fergus O'Dowd: Let me put it a different way. Is Mr. Ó Foghlú talking about hundreds of new staff?

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Impact of Covid-19: Education – Return to School and School Transport (Resumed) (10 Jul 2020)

Fergus O'Dowd: One of the reasons I am asking this is-----

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Impact of Covid-19: Education – Return to School and School Transport (Resumed) (10 Jul 2020)

Fergus O'Dowd: I understand that and I am not expecting Mr. Ó Foghlú to give me an exact figure. Given the timeline our Acting Chairman asked Mr. Ó Foghlú about, I think he should know. I am not being personally critical. It is a fact that large schools are going to need a lot more extra staff and there is going to be a very short time in which to get them. Garda clearance is a huge...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Impact of Covid-19: Education – Return to School and School Transport (Resumed) (10 Jul 2020)

Fergus O'Dowd: Regarding PPE, will every schoolchild travelling on a bus have to have a designated type of face mask? This is really a general question because there are face masks and there are face masks and it is hard to know which is the appropriate one for adults, never mind children. This is going to be a huge problem, is it not?

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Impact of Covid-19: Education – Return to School and School Transport (Resumed) (10 Jul 2020)

Fergus O'Dowd: Does the Department tender for PPE nationally, regionally or locally? I am just trying to get a definition of the quality.

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Meat Plants (10 Jul 2020)

Fergus O'Dowd: It is clear that there are huge disadvantages in terms of health, income and other factors associated with working in meat plants. That is not just in Ireland, it is in England, France and America. The working conditions such as the lower temperature, the proximity of workers to each other, the long hours that they work and the close conditions in which they live exacerbate the issue. That...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Meat Plants (10 Jul 2020)

Fergus O'Dowd: I do not disagree with Ms McGinley at all. Communities in my town of Drogheda - the migrant community, for instance - tend to be isolated and not to mix with other people. In trying to get people together across communities, we had a function in Drogheda where we had more than 30 people speaking different languages. It was a wonderful event. They showed off their culture, language,...