Results 181-200 of 1,029,302 for in 'Dáil debates' OR in 'Committee meetings' (speaker:Jan O'Sullivan OR speaker:Jennifer Murnane O'Connor OR speaker:Brendan Howlin)

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Post Office Network (23 May 2024)

Mary Butler: I thank the Deputy for raising this really important issue and I welcome the opportunity to outline the position on the matter on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan and the Minister of State, Deputy Chambers. Both the Minister and the Minister of State are aware of the impact that decisions relating to changes in An Post operations have on communities and individuals, in both rural...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Post Office Network (23 May 2024)

Paul Murphy: Yes.

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Post Office Network (23 May 2024)

Mary Butler: -----and it is what they have always done. Losing a post office in a local community is very distressing. Money claimed locally is spent locally. Maybe in 30 or 40-years’ time that whole generation will have passed on and post offices will not be as important. Yet, as Minister of State with responsibility for older people, I can understand how important post offices are to the...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Post Office Network (23 May 2024)

Paul Murphy: I agree entirely. A very high proportion of those who are signing the petition or who are getting involved in the campaign are older people. It is a community focal point for many people who go to the post office on a weekly basis to get their bits and pieces done, and to meet and chat with people. Again, everyone speaks so highly of those workers, who are now being put in a very difficult...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Nursing Homes (23 May 2024)

Nursing Homes

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Nursing Homes (23 May 2024)

Gino Kenny: I hope the Minister of State will be able to shed some light on what is happening with Lucan Lodge Nursing Home. There is a lot of uncertainty about its future. The 73 residents and 85 staff have been told recently that the nursing home might close down. This is having an effect on the relatives of the residents. There is a great deal of stress about what is happening. I understand...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Nursing Homes (23 May 2024)

Mary Butler: I thank Deputy Kenny for raising this issue. I remain deeply concerned to learn that HIQA had to cancel the registration of Lucan Lodge Nursing Home. The focus at this time is ensuring the welfare of the 70 residents in this private nursing home during this difficult time. Lucan Lodge Nursing Home is situated in a residential area in Lucan. The provider was registered as a designated...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Nursing Homes (23 May 2024)

Gino Kenny: This is a set of extraordinary circumstances. Googling this operator, it claims to be a multibillion dollar health provider in the United States. It is not some makeshift provider by any means. It has enormous assets behind it. Alarm bells are ringing about its very rudimentary fire compliance both in Sally Park and Lucan Lodge nursing homes. There are very serious questions to be asked...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Nursing Homes (23 May 2024)

Mary Butler: The Deputy is right that this is a complicated issue. It is an evolving situation. As I mentioned, all options are being explored. I wrote to the HSE last Friday and asked it to explore all options. Regular engagements are taking place between the Department of Health, the HSE and HIQA. Before this nursing home is registered again, only one organisation can register it and it will only...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Defective Building Materials (23 May 2024)

Mary Butler: I thank Deputy Doherty for raising this matter and giving me the opportunity to respond on behalf of the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman. When I read the script before coming to the House, I was struck by the fact that not long ago we had a similar discussion about Raphoe counselling services. Thankfully, they have been secured which is a positive outcome. I hope we can provide the same positive...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Defective Building Materials (23 May 2024)

Pearse Doherty: That is simply not acceptable. I ask the Minister of State to put herself in the shoes of the parents or the staff. She talked about helping the children to find suitable alternative placements if no accommodation can be found. No one knows where those placements are. The staff do not know if there will be jobs for them after September. She previously said that one strand of the...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Defective Building Materials (23 May 2024)

Mary Butler: To clarify, a temporary location is currently being reviewed for suitability. I cannot be clearer than that. The Department has informed Pobal that if it becomes a feasible option for the service, relocation supports and other accommodations, such as a four-day, 41-week ECCE scheme contract will be supported. As the Deputy said, we all have to acknowledge that not only the children and...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate (23 May 2024)

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Defective Building Materials (23 May 2024)

Defective Building Materials

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Defective Building Materials (23 May 2024)

Pearse Doherty: I am sure the Minister of State is aware that the defective concrete block crisis has ravaged my county of Donegal and other counties. It has destroyed people's homes, farm buildings and businesses but it is also affecting community organisations across the county. Some of these community organisations are technically being classed as commercial buildings, including organisations like the...

Business Support Package: Statements (Resumed) (23 May 2024)

Thomas Pringle: According to the 2022 census, 32% of people in Ireland, including 15,300 people in Donegal, work from home for at least some part of their week. When considering business support packages, it is important that we also consider supporting businesses to offer the option of remote working and support the transition to remote working. There are companies with jobs that exist only online and...

Business Support Package: Statements (Resumed) (23 May 2024)

Catherine Connolly: I welcome the opportunity to speak. Unfortunately, we did not receive copies of the Minister's speech. He referred to small businesses being the backbone of society, something that has also been said in press releases. This is repeatedly said, and I fully agree with it. I also agree that small and medium businesses are the lifeblood of towns and villages the length and breadth of the...

Business Support Package: Statements (Resumed) (23 May 2024)

Emer Higgins: I thank all Deputies for this useful discussion on the recent set of measures agreed to reduce costs for small and medium businesses. I would like to begin by reiterating the point made earlier by the Minister that small and medium businesses are vital to the success of the Irish economy. As someone with a business background, I understand the importance of supporting small businesses and...

Business Support Package: Statements (Resumed) (23 May 2024)

Peter Fitzpatrick: The Regional Group and I have remained steadfast in our commitment to advocating for the prosperity and growth of SMEs within our towns and villages to ensure that the voices and needs of small business owners are not only heard, but also acted upon. Microenterprises and SMEs are not merely a segment of our economy, they are its very pulse. SMEs constitute 95% to 98% of all businesses,...

Business Support Package: Statements (Resumed) (23 May 2024)

Richard Bruton: I thank the Ceann Comhairle for the opportunity to speak during this debate. First, I congratulate the Minister of State, Deputy Higgins, and wish her well. Business and, indeed, all of enterprise is going through a period of rapid transition. Just looking out the back window, there was the financial crisis, followed by the Covid closures, the Ukraine crisis and the impact that has had...