Results 2,981-3,000 of 3,998 for speaker:Martin Kenny

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Areas of Natural Constraint Scheme Review (26 Apr 2018)

Martin Kenny: 49. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of the review of areas of natural constraint; when the report will be completed; when consultation with stakeholders will commence; when it will be submitted to the European Union; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18212/18]

Written Answers — Department of Health: Home Help Service Provision (26 Apr 2018)

Martin Kenny: 142. To ask the Minister for Health if he will address a matter in the case of a person (details supplied) regarding restoration of home help hours; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18388/18]

Select Committee on Rural and Community Development: Estimates for Public Services 2018
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development (Revised) (25 Apr 2018)

Martin Kenny: My apologies. I had to leave to speak in the Chamber. I was not here for the initial contribution and it was not from any disrespect to the Minister. We all need to see more money spent via the Leader programme throughout the country. I think the Minister would agree that there has been a much smaller rate of take-up and also a hesitancy on the part of an awful lot of community...

Select Committee on Rural and Community Development: Estimates for Public Services 2018
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development (Revised) (25 Apr 2018)

Martin Kenny: In terms of the national rural development schemes, I am thinking about CLÁR and the existing walkways and tourism initiatives. I know some work has been done in different parts of the country. An excellent walkway has been built around a lake in Drumshambo, Country Leitrim. Another project in north Leitrim seeks funding to build a greenway. A number of projects in different places...

Select Committee on Rural and Community Development: Estimates for Public Services 2018
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development (Revised) (25 Apr 2018)

Martin Kenny: Yes, plus the food hub.

Select Committee on Rural and Community Development: Estimates for Public Services 2018
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development (Revised) (25 Apr 2018)

Martin Kenny: All of that is excellent and needs to happen, but the point I am making relates to a difficulty we have with tourism projects that make a significant difference in many places. Someone said to me recently that a lot of this stuff is for the benefit of people who make their money somewhere else and come to spend it in our local areas. We need stuff that allows people to make their money in...

Select Committee on Rural and Community Development: Estimates for Public Services 2018
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development (Revised) (25 Apr 2018)

Martin Kenny: The Minister should not get me started on the digital hubs, given that the lack of broadband is a huge problem. It is the elephant in the room for rural Ireland.

Select Committee on Rural and Community Development: Estimates for Public Services 2018
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development (Revised) (25 Apr 2018)

Martin Kenny: It is patchwork. There is a bit of broadband here and there. We are waiting to see how the gaps will be filled. It is really frustrating.

Select Committee on Rural and Community Development: Estimates for Public Services 2018
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development (Revised) (25 Apr 2018)

Martin Kenny: On the issue of town and village renewal, there was a scheme for people who had a derelict house in a town and they could get €40,000 from the council to do it up. They had to rent the houses back to the local authority. The Minister of that Department at the time, Deputy Humphreys, had a scheme like that. It did not work because nobody took it up.

Select Committee on Rural and Community Development: Estimates for Public Services 2018
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development (Revised) (25 Apr 2018)

Martin Kenny: There had to be a housing need in the area. It seemed to miss the point. The lesson was that some investment has to be put in. We need a grant where we tell people we will give them a 45% or 55% grant to do up the house. It has to be a grant of over 55% for a person to be able to borrow the rest and to be able to foresee getting the money back at some stage. If we do that, a person will...

Select Committee on Rural and Community Development: Estimates for Public Services 2018
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development (Revised) (25 Apr 2018)

Martin Kenny: I was on the local authority in Leitrim for many years. The way it worked in Leitrim was that if one person applied to get a road done and was number ten and the next person who applied was down as number 11, then the person who was number ten came up on the list first and that person got the road done first. There was strict order. A person had to be living on the road or there had to be...

Select Committee on Rural and Community Development: Estimates for Public Services 2018
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development (Revised) (25 Apr 2018)

Martin Kenny: I would caution against moving the scheme into the private sector. An excellent job is being done by most of the county councils. While I understand efficiencies need to be made, I think the local authorities know the roads best. They are working in these areas and should continue to do that work.

Select Committee on Rural and Community Development: Estimates for Public Services 2018
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development (Revised) (25 Apr 2018)

Martin Kenny: Yes, I support it.

Select Committee on Rural and Community Development: Estimates for Public Services 2018
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development (Revised) (25 Apr 2018)

Martin Kenny: Is there some statutory reason for us to read through them? Is the Chairman saying that we cannot just agree them?

Select Committee on Rural and Community Development: Estimates for Public Services 2018
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development (Revised) (25 Apr 2018)

Martin Kenny: We can give them ten minutes each.

Select Committee on Rural and Community Development: Estimates for Public Services 2018
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development (Revised) (25 Apr 2018)

Martin Kenny: If that is what we need to do, we can do that.

Select Committee on Rural and Community Development: Estimates for Public Services 2018
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development (Revised) (25 Apr 2018)

Martin Kenny: I agree.

Select Committee on Rural and Community Development: Estimates for Public Services 2018
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development (Revised) (25 Apr 2018)

Martin Kenny: What about in the next few weeks?

Nurses' and Midwives' Pay and Recruitment: Motion [Private Members] (25 Apr 2018)

Martin Kenny: It is very clear that there is a crisis in our health service. Everyone is aware of that. The crisis in the health service is reflected in the issue of retaining our nursing staff. Everything is connected. There is a crisis in housing; people cannot afford houses. Nurses cannot afford to pay rent in this city or in many other parts of the country. There is a crisis in childcare, which...

Topical Issue Debate: Brexit Issues (25 Apr 2018)

Martin Kenny: Sinn Féin appreciates the that Government is doing its best in its dealings with the Tory Government in the UK. My party had the same experience and we understand how difficult it can be to deal with a Tory Government. What is needed is a flow of information and the application of maximum pressure in the interests of Irish citizens, both those living on this island and the millions...