Results 241-260 of 9,814 for speaker:Steven Matthews

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Office of Public Works (25 Sep 2024)

Steven Matthews: I am considering an idea to do with a Garda station in County Wicklow. I will not name the location because I have not spoken widely about the matter, but my idea has to do with the installation of a playground on the station’s grounds. There seems to be quite a deal of land around it and we are stuck for space in the small village in question. Would the OPW consider assessing...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Office of Public Works (25 Sep 2024)

Steven Matthews: In principle, is it something the OPW would be willing to look at?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Office of Public Works (25 Sep 2024)

Steven Matthews: Fair enough. Is the OPW a prescribed body for planning applications under the planning Act?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Office of Public Works (25 Sep 2024)

Steven Matthews: I want to draw the OPW's attention to a strategic infrastructure development that is being proposed in Wicklow. It is a very large quarry, Ballinclare quarry, and is quite close to Kilmacurragh, for which the OPW has responsibility. That is not a live planning application at present. As I understand it, it is going through non-statutory public consultation at the moment. It is not a live...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (25 Sep 2024)

Steven Matthews: 32. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if her attention has been drawn to the concerns of parents and elected representatives regarding the difficulty in communicating with Bus Éireann regarding school transport; the actions she will take to ensure that this is urgently addressed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38026/24]

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Electoral Arrangements to Protect Democracy and Ballot Integrity: Discussion (24 Sep 2024)

Steven Matthews: I welcome everybody to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage. We are meeting in public today to discuss electoral arrangements to protect democracy and ballot integrity. From the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, we are joined by Mr. Barry Ryan, principal officer in the franchise unit, and Ms Petra Woods, principal officer in the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Electoral Arrangements to Protect Democracy and Ballot Integrity: Discussion (24 Sep 2024)

Steven Matthews: I move now to members, and I urge them not to ask the witnesses when they think the next general election will be, as it has been asked many times already.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Electoral Arrangements to Protect Democracy and Ballot Integrity: Discussion (24 Sep 2024)

Steven Matthews: I thank Mr. Burke. We are out of time on this slot. We will move on to Deputy Ó Broin.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Electoral Arrangements to Protect Democracy and Ballot Integrity: Discussion (24 Sep 2024)

Steven Matthews: Deputy Creed, we are at 14 minutes now.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Electoral Arrangements to Protect Democracy and Ballot Integrity: Discussion (24 Sep 2024)

Steven Matthews: To reiterate something Deputy Ó Broin said, most of us have been around count centres for many years and I find the returning officers and the staff do an excellent job. It can be a difficult work environment. It is a long day and is full of anxious, stressed out politicians. The count centre is one of the best places associated with politics in this country. Everybody should get a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Electoral Arrangements to Protect Democracy and Ballot Integrity: Discussion (24 Sep 2024)

Steven Matthews: Mr. O'Leary said 250,000 people registered to vote between December and June. We were running up to local, European and Limerick mayoral elections. Is that an unusual take-up? Does he put that down to the advertising or the fact that it was known there was a date in June for an election?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Electoral Arrangements to Protect Democracy and Ballot Integrity: Discussion (24 Sep 2024)

Steven Matthews: At least you are talking about it anyway, which is part of the purpose of the ad.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Electoral Arrangements to Protect Democracy and Ballot Integrity: Discussion (24 Sep 2024)

Steven Matthews: Does that figure include people who registered and people who fell off the register through passing away, moving or not re-registering?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Electoral Arrangements to Protect Democracy and Ballot Integrity: Discussion (24 Sep 2024)

Steven Matthews: A provision in the Electoral (Amendment) Act that we passed last year was that 16- and 17-year-olds could pre-register and people who did not have a fixed address were able to register the place they were most likely to be in residence. Has Mr. O'Leary any idea of the take-up on that? Has he had any time to analyse that or is that something the commission looking at?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Electoral Arrangements to Protect Democracy and Ballot Integrity: Discussion (24 Sep 2024)

Steven Matthews: Is that online?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Electoral Arrangements to Protect Democracy and Ballot Integrity: Discussion (24 Sep 2024)

Steven Matthews: We talked about spoiling the vote and educating and helping people so they do not spoil their vote. Although the rules have become a lot clearer on what is and is not acceptable, there is a lot less debate when it comes to the scrutinising at count centres of votes that are questionable. I came across one example recently, which was demoralising, where ballot papers had not been stamped...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Electoral Arrangements to Protect Democracy and Ballot Integrity: Discussion (24 Sep 2024)

Steven Matthews: If somebody has been issued with a ballot paper, goes into the booth and notices it is not stamped, can they go back and get it stamped?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Electoral Arrangements to Protect Democracy and Ballot Integrity: Discussion (24 Sep 2024)

Steven Matthews: When Mr. Burke talks about a presiding officer and a polling clerk, those are the two people sitting at the table.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Electoral Arrangements to Protect Democracy and Ballot Integrity: Discussion (24 Sep 2024)

Steven Matthews: It is just you see the No. 1 vote for yourself and there is no daylight coming through the paper.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Electoral Arrangements to Protect Democracy and Ballot Integrity: Discussion (24 Sep 2024)

Steven Matthews: On the issue of registering to vote, I came across a situation where somebody in a new housing estate had tried to register and did not have an eircode issued to them yet. Is that a problem in trying to register? It is not. Is there a section to put in your eircode? There is, but you do not necessarily have to have that. It is not compulsory to fill in an eircode, or is it?