Results 1-20 of 8,484 for speaker:Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

Housing for All: Statements (21 May 2024)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: We have a perfect storm in housing, particularly in north Donegal. Issues arise owing to the cost of rent and the cost of new homes, but when you throw in concrete blocks it really is a perfect storm. There are several factors, including the fact that many people cannot sell the houses they are in. Donegal County Council cannot purchase homes because they have defective concrete blocks and...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Road Projects (16 May 2024)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: 72. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will provide an update and progress report on the current status of the TEN-T project for Donegal. [22072/24]

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Air Services (16 May 2024)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: 83. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the current status of the application from City of Derry Airport to have Irish Government support for the Derry to Dublin air link reinstated. [22071/24]

Delivering Universal Healthcare: Statements (15 May 2024)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: 3 o’clock The Minister received correspondence late last year from more than 80 GPs and more than 20 consultants in County Donegal about their concerns with Letterkenny University Hospital. I know he met with them and heard face to face the serious concerns they had. As part of the correspondence, they revealed to him that Letterkenny is a model 3 hospital, but the reality is...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Defective Concrete Blocks: Discussion (Resumed) (14 May 2024)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: We have plenty of time anyway, do we not? We have until 6 o'clock. My first question is to Michael McGarvey of Donegal County Council. As a TD for Donegal I have worked with Michael for years. I want to clarify a comment that was made earlier. I am getting messages and people are very angry. I do not think it is truly representative of Mr. McGarvey's view so I am going to put it again....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Defective Concrete Blocks: Discussion (Resumed) (14 May 2024)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: Would Mr. McGarvey accept as a Donegal man who lives in the county and talks to people every day that the reality is that very large numbers, I would say the substantial majority of homeowners, cannot access the scheme because it will cost them tens of thousands of euro to do so. Would he accept there is a big discrepancy and that is why there were huge numbers at those public meetings?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Defective Concrete Blocks: Discussion (Resumed) (14 May 2024)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: With respect, the comment was made earlier about lifestyle reasons.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Defective Concrete Blocks: Discussion (Resumed) (14 May 2024)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: That is why I am asking Mr. McGarvey to clarify because I know him and have worked with him and I do not think that is his view. I think he and the officials from Donegal County Council I work with are implementing the scheme as it is. They are not defending the scheme and they are not saying people are excluded from the scheme for reasons of their own choice.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Defective Concrete Blocks: Discussion (Resumed) (14 May 2024)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: That is not my experience. I do not think it is Mr. McGarvey's either.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Defective Concrete Blocks: Discussion (Resumed) (14 May 2024)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: I appreciate that because I would not believe that to be Mr. McGarvey's view from conversations we have on a professional basis. I appreciate his clarifying that. I do not think it is the view of Donegal County Council. I think it is dealing with the reality on the ground of a Government scheme it has to implement. It is very important we hear people who are excluded from the scheme in...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Defective Concrete Blocks: Discussion (Resumed) (14 May 2024)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: Was it not November 2021? That is what is on the Dáil record.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Defective Concrete Blocks: Discussion (Resumed) (14 May 2024)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: In terms of the original standard the NSAI panel put forward, which is the existing standard IS 465, would Ms Larkin accept it was not based on internationally peer-researched scientific evidence but was essentially a desktop study?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Defective Concrete Blocks: Discussion (Resumed) (14 May 2024)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: Is Ms Larkin comfortable that this is, in the words of the Tánaiste, Deputy Micheál Martin, a multi-billion euro redress scheme, the biggest redress scheme in the history of the State, and yet it is based on a desktop study?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Defective Concrete Blocks: Discussion (Resumed) (14 May 2024)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: Does Ms Larkin think it is acceptable there are engineers affiliated to Engineers Ireland who work with the Housing Agency who are overruling other engineers affiliated to Engineers Ireland because they are working on a desktop study rather than internationally peer-researched evidence?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Defective Concrete Blocks: Discussion (Resumed) (14 May 2024)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: I will have more questions later on.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Defective Concrete Blocks: Discussion (Resumed) (14 May 2024)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: In July 2022, almost two years ago now, Dr. Andreas Leemann, a recognised international expert on concrete products, testified before this committee on his findings on testing of blocks. He talked about iron sulphate attacks and pyrrhotite as being the dominant cause. I would have put those questions to the witnesses at that time. Can the National Standards Authority of Ireland confirm...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Defective Concrete Blocks: Discussion (Resumed) (14 May 2024)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: In July of last year, Engineers Ireland presented to this committee and outlined the view of some, I would argue of most, engineers on the ground that what they were seeing did not tally with just limiting their testing to looking for mica. They felt the standard was not fit for purpose. That was almost a year ago. Is the National Standards Authority of Ireland aware of that? In fact Ms...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Defective Concrete Blocks: Discussion (Resumed) (14 May 2024)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: The NSAI was asked in November 2021 to review what was a desktop study. Be mindful that right now, families are being asked to remove the outer leaf of their homes and leave internal leaves intact that potentially contain defective products. They are being asked not to test their foundations, based on the desktop study. Taxpayers who are not affected at all are being asked to put forward...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Defective Concrete Blocks: Discussion (Resumed) (14 May 2024)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: Do you think it is acceptable that we are now two and a half years on from the Minister asking the National Standards Authority of Ireland to review this? We have testimony from an international expert based on actual laboratory tests carried out. We have a number of submissions made of research and still the National Standards Authority of Ireland as we speak here today tells us that when...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Defective Concrete Blocks: Discussion (Resumed) (14 May 2024)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: When he was asked on Highland Radio, the chief executive of Donegal County Council said it was his professional opinion that one would have to remove the foundations from a house. We have Engineers Ireland talking about their engineers understandably taking a conservative approach when they do not trust the standard. Engineers Ireland today are asking the Housing Agency engineers to use a...