Results 1,701-1,720 of 5,904 for speaker:Thomas Gould

Written Answers — Department of Health: Vaccination Programme (16 Dec 2021)

Thomas Gould: 541. To ask the Minister for Health if an outreach programme is planned for delivery of vaccine boosters to vulnerable hard to reach cohorts, for example, homeless persons and those in active addiction. [62557/21]

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Control of Horses (16 Dec 2021)

Thomas Gould: 621. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if an application for a horse project has been made by Cork City Council; and if not, if private individuals can make these applications. [62569/21]

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Real Estate Investment Trusts (16 Dec 2021)

Thomas Gould: 101. To ask the Minister for Finance the number of existing residential housing units that have been acquired by real estate investment trusts, REITS, and Irish real estate funds in each of the years 2018 to 2020, by county; his views on whether the tax advantages provided by both tax structures are justified with respect to the acquisition of existing dwellings; and if he will make a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Substance Misuse and its Impact on Communities: Discussion (1 Dec 2021)

Thomas Gould: I welcome Ms Quigley, Ms Hill and Mr. Hamilton. Their contributions are very important. I am very concerned about this shift in relation to the mid-term review. This decision goes against the national drugs strategy. I have questions for Ms Quigley. What support could we give? Does she believe that allowing this to happen is a political decision or is it just a lack of political will by...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Substance Misuse and its Impact on Communities: Discussion (1 Dec 2021)

Thomas Gould: On the back of what Ms Quigley said and addressing Mr. Hamilton, is it possible for the Minister of State to come before this committee to discuss both the changes to the mid-term review and also the crisis of funding that would happen in January? These are -----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Substance Misuse and its Impact on Communities: Discussion (1 Dec 2021)

Thomas Gould: Yes, Chair. As I said, I propose that the Minister of State come into the committee to deal with the changes in the mid-term review and the funding crisis that will happen in Tallaght in January. That has to be dealt with urgently. Mr. Hamilton commented on the increase in women's crack cocaine use. Is there funding needed for women-specific services? From my discussions with women in...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Substance Misuse and its Impact on Communities: Discussion (1 Dec 2021)

Thomas Gould: I have to step off the meeting because I am going into the Dáil Chamber and then I am going to the CityWide briefing. I will log back on after those.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Substance Misuse and its Impact on Communities: Discussion (1 Dec 2021)

Thomas Gould: I apologise for my earlier absence. I had to go to the Dáil Chamber. I was here during the CityWide presentation. I know Ms Hill and Mr. Hamilton from an earlier debate. The piece of work that the Tallaght Drug and Alcohol Task Force has done is very good. Its findings are shocking, let us be honest. Ms Hill earlier mentioned a tsunami of issues relating to crack cocaine. This...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Substance Misuse and its Impact on Communities: Discussion (1 Dec 2021)

Thomas Gould: I thank our guests. Ms Hill touched on the issue of funding at the very start of the meeting. People will probably say we keep beating that drum, but the facts are the facts. The savage cuts the services faced from 2008 to 2010 have never been reversed. One of the Government Senators said earlier there was €6 million in the budget towards drugs and alcohol services. We reckon it is...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Substance Misuse and its Impact on Communities: Discussion (1 Dec 2021)

Thomas Gould: On the Department's plan for civil society, we are reinventing the wheel. CityWide and the drugs and alcohol task forces, who are the people on the ground, will attend. There is an agenda here; let us be honest. The Department is trying to take the communities out of the national oversight committee. That is the issue. To me, bringing forward the civil society, 16-person group is a way...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Marine Protected Areas: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (30 Nov 2021)

Thomas Gould: Deputy Boyd Barrett has his hand up so I am happy for him to go first.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development (Amendment) (Large-scale Residential Development) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (1 Dec 2021)

Thomas Gould: I agree with Deputies Ó Broin and O'Callaghan that the section seems out of place in the Bill. Maybe the Minister can outline the reasons for including this section and why he feels there is a need for it in this Bill. Sometimes we deal with legislation containing add-ons where the Government tries to put in additional provisions that would not necessarily have been there at the...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development (Amendment) (Large-scale Residential Development) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (1 Dec 2021)

Thomas Gould: I will be brief. The Minster stated this is a useful and forward-looking provision that is about advancing change and streamlining and has Government approval. He then stated that he does not know when, if ever, it will be used. If that is the case, why is it being included in the Bill? I made a point earlier regarding how we see parts coming into legislation. In my two short years in...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development (Amendment) (Large-scale Residential Development) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (1 Dec 2021)

Thomas Gould: I will not reiterate what Deputy Ó Broin outlined. This is a loophole. When the Government is just about to do something correct, all of a sudden there is another avenue or loophole. Why we are adding another year? It does not make sense. Obviously, something had to be done, but I cannot understand why we would allow people to come into this process at this stage. Perhaps the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Draft Planning and Development (LRD Fees) Regulations 2021: Motion (2 Dec 2021)

Thomas Gould: If there is need to go into private session, I can get the information there, and if there is not, a written response will be fine as well.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Draft Planning and Development (LRD Fees) Regulations 2021: Motion (2 Dec 2021)

Thomas Gould: Like everyone else, I was having difficulties. My first question is on whether planning fees will be applied to local authorities. Will the fees be enough to cover the cost of the planning decisions of these developments?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Draft Planning and Development (LRD Fees) Regulations 2021: Motion (2 Dec 2021)

Thomas Gould: I have a question for the Minister of State, which follows on from some of the other comments about local authority funding. I raised it earlier with the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Darragh O'Brien. At the moment, the Department gives €50,000 for a vacant home officer every year. We know from questions I have tabled that there are only three full-time...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Draft Planning and Development (LRD Fees) Regulations 2021: Motion (2 Dec 2021)

Thomas Gould: There was a lot of talk about the resources coming in. It is vital that local authorities get funding, and I ask the Minister to bear this in mind and to examine that aspect. We also have major problems with planning departments being unable to cope with the number of planning applications being submitted. That is particularly the case regarding projects that the local authorities are...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Supplementary) (2 Dec 2021)

Thomas Gould: I have a number of questions. I am hoping the Minister will keep things tight with his answers. As was the case last year, the Estimates come in after local authorities draw up their budgets. In Cork City Council, which the Minister referenced earlier, the loss of income and expenditure due to Covid-19 came in at approximately €4 million. This resulted in a shortfall of €1.5...