Results 2,421-2,440 of 3,333 for speaker:James O'Connor

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Transport Strategy for the Greater Dublin Region: Discussion (4 May 2022)

James O'Connor: That is great. I have noticed that the Dublin Commuter Coalition has run a strong social media operation and it is brilliant to see the engagement the coalition has on it. I follow it and am a big fan. I would love to meet representatives of the coalition privately after this meeting or at some stage if they have time available. There is a huge problem in Dublin if you want to get to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Transport Strategy for the Greater Dublin Region: Discussion (4 May 2022)

James O'Connor: That is interesting and the same could be said to Dublin Bus, the NTA and other State agencies that are involved in this work. The review will be a huge determining factor in the development of all new infrastructure so we can get away from the situations like the metro projects in Dublin. I mean the DART interconnector and other projects had many false starts that were never developed in...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Transport Strategy for the Greater Dublin Region: Discussion (4 May 2022)

James O'Connor: That is fascinating to hear. I feel these facilities would make a huge difference to the lives of people who live in rural Ireland. While we have been here, a couple of people have tweeted to ask me why I do not use public transport to get to and from Dublin. The answer is that doing so adds an hour and a half to my journey. I have to go to a train station, park my car, get the train to...

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 24 - Justice
Vote 21 - Prisons (28 Apr 2022)

James O'Connor: I welcome the officials to the committee meeting today and thank them for the information they have been providing. First, I have a brief question. In 2020, an issue under the remit of the Department of Justice that came to my attention is funding for the coroner's court. I understand there has been some difficulty with the discharge of bodies, particularly in areas where there is high...

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 24 - Justice
Vote 21 - Prisons (28 Apr 2022)

James O'Connor: Excellent. The year 1846 is a small bit before my time.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 24 - Justice
Vote 21 - Prisons (28 Apr 2022)

James O'Connor: I compliment the witnesses on the fact that they are taking this quite seriously and that work has been done. Obviously, they understand the fact that it is an emotive topic.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 24 - Justice
Vote 21 - Prisons (28 Apr 2022)

James O'Connor: In particular, when it happens in Dublin it impacts across the country, given the centralisation of the hospital facilities there. That is good to hear. I will move to a slightly more controversial matter. As part of our briefing and with regard to the State Claims Agency, there are approximately 2,400 claims outstanding in respect court cases being brought against the Irish Prison...

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 24 - Justice
Vote 21 - Prisons (28 Apr 2022)

James O'Connor: It is good to at least have certainty in regard to where all of that is going but €15 million is a very large amount of money and I have to say this cannot be accepted.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 24 - Justice
Vote 21 - Prisons (28 Apr 2022)

James O'Connor: Thank you. I want to make one final point. The pandemic obviously brought about an enormous change in the requirements of policing in Ireland and the work the Department had to do in order to adjust to facilitate that. One observation is that I felt there was a significant rise in the level of substance use by younger members of society in Ireland, which is extraordinarily concerning to...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Tax Reliefs (28 Apr 2022)

James O'Connor: 21. To ask the Minister for Finance if his Department will consider a new tax incentive for start-up businesses in rural towns that are hosting refugees in order to increase employment and job opportunities in those areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21467/22]

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: National Development Plan (28 Apr 2022)

James O'Connor: 109. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the position regarding funding certainty for capital projects in the national development plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21469/22]

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: General Scheme of the Right to Request Remote Work Bill 2022: Discussion (Resumed) (27 Apr 2022)

James O'Connor: That is interesting. I am 24 years old and many of my friends and colleagues are going into the working world for the first time after completing higher education. One thing that many have really missed out on, particularly at the very outset of their career, has been that introduction into the workspace. They were not able to have induction sessions with their employers throughout Covid...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: General Scheme of the Right to Request Remote Work Bill 2022: Discussion (Resumed) (27 Apr 2022)

James O'Connor: Another interesting issue identified by Ms Mangan in her opening statement relates to the legislation that has been proposed. She referred to the eligibility criteria and the provision on requests for remote working being submitted after 26 weeks. I ask her to elaborate on that. I think it is quite a sensible provision although obviously it is not applicable in all walks of life. It is...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: General Scheme of the Right to Request Remote Work Bill 2022: Discussion (Resumed) (27 Apr 2022)

James O'Connor: I thank Ms Mangan for the information, which is very helpful. I hope the irony is not lost on the witnesses that I am in my office and I should have come downstairs to the committee room. This has been a really interesting conversation and the debate is certainly not going away. I thank the witnesses.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: General Scheme of the Right to Request Remote Work Bill 2022: Discussion (Resumed) (27 Apr 2022)

James O'Connor: It has been really interesting to hear everybody's contributions and the submissions of our guests today. Remote working is very much part and parcel of modern-day life. It was a growing trend anyway but obviously it was increased incredibly by the onset of Covid-19. While there are so many different benefits to it from a work-life balance point of view, especially for young parents who...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Reform of Public Works Contracts for the Construction of Transport Infrastructure: Discussion (27 Apr 2022)

James O'Connor: I welcome the officials who have come before the committee and thank them for their ongoing engagement over the past two years since the general election. The bypass issue was a bit of hot topic for me. To start out on a positive note, it is good to see the progress that has been made on Dunkettle and on the Macroom-Ballyvourney bypass. It is transformative for connectivity in the south...