Results 3,041-3,060 of 3,241 for speaker:Brian Ó Domhnaill

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2009: Second Stage (Resumed) (4 Nov 2009)

Brian Ó Domhnaill: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Finneran. Planning applications and approvals have been on an upward and downward spiral in recent years, as a recent survey in The Irish Times confirms. The newspaper carried out a survey of ten county councils and found a sizable fall in the number of applications made in the past three years. The figures supplied to The Irish Times by the...

Seanad: Schools Building Projects (28 Oct 2009)

Brian Ó Domhnaill: I thank the Chair for the opportunity to raise this issue. It concerns a school in my constituency, Scoil Chonaill Naofa, Bunbeg. I have raised this matter on a number of occasions in the Seanad since 2007 and I am glad progress is being made. I was informed on 16 September last by the Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Batt O'Keeffe, in a letter that officials from his Department...

Seanad: Water Quality (7 Oct 2009)

Brian Ó Domhnaill: This issue relates to water quality in west Donegal. While County Donegal has 27 water supply schemes, two schemes, the Rosses regional and Gortahork-Falcarragh, are badly affected by defective pipes. I acknowledge the funding of over €200,000 provided in 2008 by the Minister of State and the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government to repair a stretch of pipe work in...

Seanad: Water Quality (7 Oct 2009)

Brian Ó Domhnaill: I look forward to hearing some good news. The Minister of State's reply is positive, which is the way I am reading it. I hope the picture I gave him will be helpful to him and his Department. I have liaised in the past couple of days with council engineers. If the Minister or the Minister of State so requires, I will be happy to bring a sample of the cast iron pipe in the boot of my car...

Seanad: Public Transport: Motion (7 Oct 2009)

Brian Ó Domhnaill: I thank Senator Ormonde for sharing time. This issue affects the area in which I live in south west Donegal, a very rural area. The scheme introduced several years ago by the late Seamus Brennan who was then Minister for Transport was initially a pilot initiative to fill a gap between private and public transport providers in rural areas. This debate arises from the McCarthy report which...

Seanad: Order of Business (23 Sep 2009)

Brian Ó Domhnaill: I join my Donegal colleague, Senator Keaveney, in calling for a debate on the North of Ireland. I have discussed with various groups and individuals in the North the issues that have emerged over the summer, namely, an underlying growth in dissident activity on all sides. None of us, from any party, is willing to accept that and it is important that we zone in on the causes of this problem....

Seanad: Order of Business (23 Sep 2009)

Brian Ó Domhnaill: I am for NAMA.

Seanad: Rural Environment Protection Scheme (14 Jul 2009)

Brian Ó Domhnaill: I thank the Minister, who has had a long day, for being here tonight. It is important to have a Cabinet Minister here to hear what we have to say. The REPS programme has been very successful and contributed significantly to the quality of rural life. Since 1994 more than €3 billion has been spent on the scheme benefiting tens of thousands of farmers, their families and communities. The...

Seanad: Telecommunications Services: Motion (8 Jul 2009)

Brian Ó Domhnaill: I take this opportunity to thank the Labour Party for providing us with an opportunity to discuss the broadband issue. In my time in this House, which is more than two years, there has been numerous discussions on the provision of broadband in Ireland. Each time we have debated this matter the issue close to most of our hearts has been the roll-out of broadband to all citizens in the...

Seanad: Telecommunications Services: Motion (8 Jul 2009)

Brian Ó Domhnaill: There are. If I had time I would have contacted all the people in those homes and told them we were thinking of them in this House this evening. Those homes and many small businesses do not have broadband access. Currently, people can study in their home for a university degree, but people living in the homes in the townlands mentioned cannot do so. They could perhaps do so but the cost...

Seanad: Unemployment: Motion (1 Jul 2009)

Brian Ó Domhnaill: The debate comes at a poignant time given the current economic situation, not only in Ireland but in other parts of the world where jobs are being lost. I agree with some of the sentiments of Senator Cummins regarding those who are losing their jobs and the difficulties that presents to individuals and families, to which I can relate. The same situation is occurring in other parts of the...

Seanad: Unemployment: Motion (1 Jul 2009)

Brian Ó Domhnaill: We must tackle this issue. I recognise the Minister for Finance is doing his utmost to establish NAMA but many SMEs which apply to the local bank manager are told the decision has been removed from the locality and is made in Dublin. This is not an easy issue with which to deal but if it is not dealt with soon many more SMEs will lay off employees. We must get tough with the banks in that...

Seanad: Unemployment: Motion (1 Jul 2009)

Brian Ó Domhnaill: I am grateful for the opportunity to participate in the debate, some of which I listened to in my office. Many speakers gave their views and no doubt the Minister will have listened to some of these and taken them on board. This was an opportunity to discuss some of the pertinent issues relating to unemployment at present.

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed) (1 Jul 2009)

Brian Ó Domhnaill: I welcome the Minister of State to this discussion on the Local Government (Charges) Bill. Members have offered their views on the legislation and the generic view appears to be that everybody welcomes the Bill. It is an important Bill, particularly for local authorities that have large numbers of second homes. A table provided by the Oireachtas Library and Research Service indicates where...

Seanad: Flood Relief (25 Jun 2009)

Brian Ó Domhnaill: This issue, which has received widespread news coverage over the last 36 hours or so, concerns the unprecedented flooding as a result of almost freak weather conditions in west Donegal, a Gaeltacht area, in the parish of Gweedore, one of the strongest Gaeltachtaí in the country. Severe, heavy rainfall resulted in rivers bursting their banks. Bridges were broken, houses flooded and roads...

Seanad: Night-time Rural Transport: Statements (23 Jun 2009)

Brian Ó Domhnaill: Cuirim fáilte roimh an díospóireacht seo agus gabhaim buíochas den Aire as a bheith linn. Go minic, nuair atá ceist fá seirbhís nó fá airgead, ní bhíonn deis againn labhairt faoi sula ndéantar an cinneadh. Molaim an tAire as teacht anseo roimh an chinneadh agus deis a thabhairt dúinn pointí a ardú ar an ábhar. I thank the Minister for coming before the House to discuss the...

Seanad: Order of Business (17 Jun 2009)

Brian Ó Domhnaill: I support the concerns expressed by a number of Members regarding the evening rural transport scheme which is due to expire on 10 July 2009. It was a pilot scheme initiated approximately seven years ago at a cost of €500,000, which is relatively small given the benefit accrued from the service provided. The service is being provided in rural parts of west Donegal and is used during the...

Seanad: Information and Communications Technologies: Motion (17 Jun 2009)

Brian Ó Domhnaill: Having listened to some other Members, I note broadband is the core element raised in the discussion on the ICT sector. Ireland has a very strong ICT sector. In generic terms, there are 210 foreign-owned ICT companies in Ireland, including most of the global leaders such as Microsoft, Intel, IBM, Dell, Google and others. Other companies are considering Ireland as a potential location....

Seanad: Rural Environment Protection Scheme (7 May 2009)

Brian Ó Domhnaill: This motion relates to the rural environment protection scheme, REPS, which is designed to reward farmers for carrying out farming activities in an environmentally friendly manner and to bring about environmental improvements on farms. The scheme has proved to be vital for rural Ireland. REPS is a five-year programme where a farmer enters into a contract with the Department of Agriculture,...

Seanad: Scéim na mBóithre Áise (8 Apr 2009)

Brian Ó Domhnaill: Baineann an rún seo le scéim na bóithrí áise, scéim atá ar fáil agus maoinithe ón Roinn Gnóthaí Pobail, Tuaithe agus Gaeltachta agus a bhaineann le bóithre áise, bóithre a théann go minic isteach go dtí tithe agus feirmeacha i gceantracha Gaeltachta. Sa bhliain 2008, cheadaigh an tAire Gnóthaí Pobail, Tuaithe agus Gaeltachta, an Teachta Éamon Ó Cuív, €283,181 do...