Results 2,841-2,860 of 3,646 for speaker:Michael Collins

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (27 Nov 2018)

Michael Collins: In response to questions I asked in the House in 2017, and in March of this year, during my engagement on Leaders' Questions with the Taoiseach's stand-in, the Minister for Health, Deputy Harris, I was told the Department of Education and Skills had given a green light on 2 December 2017 to four mainstream classrooms and two resource teaching rooms for St. Brogan's college, a secondary school...

Brexit: Motion (21 Nov 2018)

Michael Collins: I welcome the opportunity to speak on this motion. My Rural Independent Alliance colleague, Deputy Harty, made a valid point earlier this year when he pointed out that the Government is dedicating a lot of time to preventing the impact of Brexit from causing damage. Deputy Harty was right when he said closing the post offices in rural areas is like encouraging an "internal Brexit". I could...

Older People: Motion [Private Members] (21 Nov 2018)

Michael Collins: Last month, my Rural Independent colleagues and I spoke on the Vulnerable Persons Bill 2015, where we highlighted the vulnerability of elderly people. We are here again speaking about elderly people and the difficulties that they face. Is it not clear to the Minister of State, Deputy Jim Daly, that issues of the elderly are coming up every day, sometimes several times a day, in the...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (20 Nov 2018)

Michael Collins: Some 12 months ago we were assured that a consultant who was retiring in Bantry General Hospital would be replaced by a full-time consultant. We have now found out that no full-time replacement has been acquired and that the standing consultant is leaving Bantry General Hospital. This, coupled with the retirement of one of the two local injury doctors who has not been replaced either,...

Local Government Bill 2018: Second Stage (Resumed) (15 Nov 2018)

Michael Collins: I am grateful for the opportunity to speak on the Bill. It proposes the transfer of part of the administrative area of Cork County Council to Cork City Council. The recent proposed boundary changes which involve the transfer of a significant number of people from the county council to the city council will have a detrimental effect on the county. The loss of areas such as Glanmire, Blarney...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (15 Nov 2018)

Michael Collins: What about the survey?

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (15 Nov 2018)

Michael Collins: Growing old in modern Ireland and particularly in west Cork is extremely difficult, to say the least, with people on massive waiting lists even though many are only seeking minor procedures. Many thousands more are waiting months for carer's allowance for caring for a loved one or a neighbour. Tens of thousands are waiting for eye surgery, mainly cataract surgery, which is a 15-minute...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (15 Nov 2018)

Michael Collins: The Tánaiste keeps spinning figures and statements at us when we raise this issue. The reality in the community is very different. When did the Tánaiste last speak to a home help woman who delivers the service? When did he last speak to an elderly person who requires the service and cannot get it? I have been doing both throughout west Cork for a lengthy period. The results of...

Social Welfare, Pensions and Civil Registration Bill 2018: Second Stage (14 Nov 2018)

Michael Collins: I did not interrupt the Minister. I ask her to give serious consideration to how that scheme is being run. We need to be given a full account in Dáil as to how it is being run, how much it is costing the State and what percentage people are on for bringing in people from all over the country. I support the small increases the Minister has made in the budget but I would have liked...

Social Welfare, Pensions and Civil Registration Bill 2018: Second Stage (14 Nov 2018)

Michael Collins: I am grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the debate, which gives legislative effect to a range of social welfare measures announced in the budget. It is important that I mention homemakers. These women have stayed at home to care for their children. While the homemaker's scheme introduced in 1994 went a long way to increasing the rights of homemakers by making it easier for them...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Rural and Community Development: Sustaining Small Rural and Community Business: Discussion (14 Nov 2018)

Michael Collins: I thank the representatives of Irish Rural Link and the Irish League of Credit Unions for their interesting presentations. I was particularly interested in what Mr. Boland had to say. He spoke about the lack of transport in rural areas. He spoke about broadband, carbon tax and meals on wheels. As I see it rural Ireland is dying on its feet. The recent proposals by the Minister, Deputy...

Housing Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Bill 2018: Second Stage [Private Members] (13 Nov 2018)

Michael Collins: I am grateful to have the opportunity to speak this evening. I have no doubt that at this stage almost everyone in the country is aware that our housing and homelessness situation is at crisis point. This Bill seeks to declare the housing and homelessness problem a national emergency. In March of this year, the Taoiseach stated he had no problem describing the housing shortage or the...

An tOrd Gnó (Atógáil) - Order of Business (Resumed) (13 Nov 2018)

Michael Collins: On page 113 of the programme for Government, in a section which which deals with agriculture and the marine, the Government states that it will encourage banks within and from outside the State, including the European Investment Bank, to make competitive rates available to farmers with repayment options tailored for farm incomes. The reality is that over 28,000 acres of Irish farmland,...

Apprenticeships: Motion [Private Members] (7 Nov 2018)

Michael Collins: I appreciate the opportunity to speak on this motion today. I thank Fianna Fáil for putting forward this motion of great importance. No doubt there is a lack of young people taking up apprenticeships. The recent Construction Industry Federation report, Trades and Apprenticeships Skills Survey, identifies the lack of skilled tradespeople and apprenticeships as small firms struggle to...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (7 Nov 2018)

Michael Collins: It is stated on page 74 of the programme for Government that "Carers are the backbone of care provision in this country". For the carers and their families, the reality is quite different. For example, a person who is caring for someone who is admitted temporarily to hospital will have his or her carer's allowance stopped if the patient is in hospital for 13 weeks or longer, even though in...

Water Services: Motion [Private Members] (6 Nov 2018)

Michael Collins: My colleagues in the Rural Independent Group and I have put forward this motion on wastewater services this evening. The Environmental Protection Agency carried out a report in 2017. It found that: the wastewater treatment in 28 of Ireland's 179 large urban areas failed to meet European Union standards; raw sewage from the equivalent of 88,000 people in 38 towns and villages flows into the...

Vulnerable Persons Bill 2015: Second Stage [Private Members] (25 Oct 2018)

Michael Collins: I welcome the opportunity to speak on this important Bill. It is very poor for the Government to dismiss this Private Members' Bill as it has. I have stood up here in the Dáil many times to advocate for the rights of vulnerable people and the elderly. I support the Bill because it seeks to protect the financial autonomy of vulnerable persons, specifically elderly people who lack the...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (25 Oct 2018)

Michael Collins: With considerable confusion over Brexit and the ever-growing possibility of a hard Brexit looming over us, where does the cross-border directive stand? Up to 3,000 people from the Republic of Ireland will go to Northern Ireland for urgent operations such as cataract, knee and hip surgery this year. Can the Tánaiste assure us that the cross-border directive will work after next March?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Rural and Community Development: Business of Joint Committee (23 Oct 2018)

Michael Collins: I second Senator Grace O'Sullivan's proposal.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Rural and Community Development: Regional and Rural Transport Policy: Discussion (23 Oct 2018)

Michael Collins: I thank Ms Hanlon for her presentation. There are a few issues of concern. I would love to talk about rail services, but, unfortunately, there is no rail service west of Cork city. I cannot talk about it being early or late because we do not have one. When we had a discussion with representatives from Bus Éireann, they gave an indication that they would link bus services with rail...