Results 24,661-24,680 of 28,162 for speaker:Catherine Murphy

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2013
Vote 25 - Environment, Community and Local Government (Revised) (9 Jul 2013)

Catherine Murphy: One of the consumer associations was forthright with the committee when it contributed to the hearings, stating that the proposed system basically punishes consumers and certainly does not reward good behaviour. The free allowance, as has been stated often enough, really should be sufficient to meet basic needs, and if it does not do that it will run into a serious opposition.

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2013
Vote 25 - Environment, Community and Local Government (Revised) (9 Jul 2013)

Catherine Murphy: I propose we take all the other ones together.

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2013
Vote 25 - Environment, Community and Local Government (Revised) (9 Jul 2013)

Catherine Murphy: This would have been an issue ten years ago when local authorities were directly involved in the collection of waste, but things have changed quite dramatically in that time. I want to go on to the local government area and deal specifically with two issues. One is the model. There was a reference in the statement by the Minister of State, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan, to the household charge as...

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2013
Vote 25 - Environment, Community and Local Government (Revised) (9 Jul 2013)

Catherine Murphy: What about the grants scheme?

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2013
Vote 25 - Environment, Community and Local Government (Revised) (9 Jul 2013)

Catherine Murphy: Can the Chairman start with Deputy Brian Stanley, please?

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2013
Vote 25 - Environment, Community and Local Government (Revised) (9 Jul 2013)

Catherine Murphy: My question possibly relates to the same issue and has been prompted by the news this morning that somebody had seen the draft legislation. There was talk of reduced water pressure and looking at sanctions. One thing about which we have consistently asked is the extent of the free allowance, whether it will be sufficient to cover the normal functioning of a household and whether it is only...

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2013
Vote 25 - Environment, Community and Local Government (Revised) (9 Jul 2013)

Catherine Murphy: The Minister asks local authorities to keep these schemes open, yet Kildare County Council certainly has not. The Department should have some means of insisting they are kept open. The Minister hopes to pilot the HAP scheme this year. Where will it be piloted? Will it be piloted in more than one area? Will the caps on rent assistance be taken into account, as they could result in...

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2013
Vote 25 - Environment, Community and Local Government (Revised) (9 Jul 2013)

Catherine Murphy: This probably is one of those areas on which one probably could spend the afternoon, particularly in respect of the housing element. There is an uneven geographical spread nationally in respect of the 100,000 people on the waiting list. From responses to parliamentary questions from a range of sources, albeit mainly from the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government, I...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Illness Benefit Reform (9 Jul 2013)

Catherine Murphy: 76. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if her attention has been drawn to the application documentation which is necessary to apply for illness-related social welfare benefits which has been found to be badly designed in so far as it frequently does not provide clear instruction and space for medical professionals to include critical information; if she has evidence which demonstrates...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Services Provision (9 Jul 2013)

Catherine Murphy: 236. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will explain the reason there is an ongoing dispute in relation to Health Service Executive specific speech and language services in Tallaght which have been provided to a school (details supplied) in Dublin 24 to cater for children with special educational needs; if he will indicate the steps being taken to resolve this dispute between...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Speech and Language Therapy (9 Jul 2013)

Catherine Murphy: 551. To ask the Minister for Health if he will explain the reason there is an ongoing dispute in relation to Health Service Executive specific speech and language services in Tallaght, Dublin, which have been provided to a school (details supplied) in Dublin 24 to cater for children with special educational needs; if he will indicate the steps being taken to resolve this dispute between his...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Heads of Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Bill 2013: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Jul 2013)

Catherine Murphy: Mr. Coghlan said targets could be stated in a variety of ways but I assume he still believes the targets should be stated. He then raised the question of these being more political than legal. This is where we run into the difficulty with the Attorney General's advice. There is possibly a fear that this could end up in the courts if the targets were stated. That is why we need to have...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Heads of Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Bill 2013: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Jul 2013)

Catherine Murphy: In his submission Professor Bates cited two people, one of whom is Professor Richard Lindzen, who would be regarded as a climate sceptic. He is saying that the IPCC models are alarmist. Does Professor Bates think the Government was wrong to accept the IPCC assessment reports? Does he doubt the science involved in those reports?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Heads of Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Bill 2013: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Jul 2013)

Catherine Murphy: Professor Bates says that the actual modelling varies but is the evidence coming from sea temperatures and rising sea levels? All the charts in Professor Bates's presentation have an upward trajectory.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Heads of Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Bill 2013: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Jul 2013)

Catherine Murphy: On a practical level, Professor Bates says it is difficult to deal with things on a regional basis. Even looking at the evidence of the last decade, where I live there have been four floods that have been 100-year return ones or more. Does Professor Bates dismiss that in terms of the variations involved? It appears to be getting worse. There seems to be evidence that it is getting worse....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Heads of Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Bill 2013: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Jul 2013)

Catherine Murphy: Mr. Nix is talking about the agriculture sector as opposed to the agriculture and food sector and companies such as Glanbia and Kerry Group where there would be jobs. The jobs element is part of the dilemma.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Heads of Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Bill 2013: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Jul 2013)

Catherine Murphy: The approach Mr. Nix described, of an overall statement and a cascade from that, dovetails with the one the corporate leaders described. An Taisce is to be complimented for its work with green schools. Have the savings Mr. Nix mentioned been quantified financially, as well as in respect of emissions? It would be useful to hear about that. Land use, planning and transport should go...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Heads of Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Bill 2013: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Jul 2013)

Catherine Murphy: That cannot happen without measurement.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Heads of Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Bill 2013: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Jul 2013)

Catherine Murphy: From the discussions we have had so far with the different sectors, those who are more persuaded by targets are those who see an opportunity on the business side. There is a resistance to targets because of the importance of our food industry, the agriculture sector and so on. It would be useful to hear what Mr. Stevenson has to say about the up-front capital cost - if we are to get offsets...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Heads of Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Bill 2013: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Jul 2013)

Catherine Murphy: With regard to taking the year 2050 and looking back from it, a modelling exercise was done in Harvard in the 1990s and no matter what way the figures were inputted, the result was either an economic or ecological crash. It puts the issue of sustainability centre stage when it is considered in this way. We might not think we will recover from the economic crash, but it is a hell of a lot...