Results 3,141-3,160 of 5,872 for speaker:Thomas Gould

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Issues Surrounding Water Quality and Supply: Discussion (4 Oct 2022)

Thomas Gould: Can I hear from the HSE about lead piping in the city?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Issues Surrounding Water Quality and Supply: Discussion (4 Oct 2022)

Thomas Gould: I thank our guests for being here today. I have a number of questions for Irish Water, following on from our engagement with the EPA and the HSE earlier. There are serious implications from the court case that is being taken against us, and possible future court cases that will be taken, because of our failure to meet the targets that have been set out. It was mentioned in the introduction...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Issues Surrounding Water Quality and Supply: Discussion (4 Oct 2022)

Thomas Gould: Did Mr. Gleeson say earlier we are looking at 2030 to reach the targets?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Issues Surrounding Water Quality and Supply: Discussion (4 Oct 2022)

Thomas Gould: Commentary was made on plants. I would take from what was said that a number of plants are not fit for purpose, especially in the wintertime. It was said they operate well in the summertime but that there are issues in the winter. How many plants are we looking at? Were they badly designed, are they just old or is it down to underinvestment over the years? Why are those plants in the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Issues Surrounding Water Quality and Supply: Discussion (4 Oct 2022)

Thomas Gould: Were some of those plants built within the past ten years?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Issues Surrounding Water Quality and Supply: Discussion (4 Oct 2022)

Thomas Gould: These are historical issues then. That was probably the design at the time-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Issues Surrounding Water Quality and Supply: Discussion (4 Oct 2022)

Thomas Gould: -----and it is after moving on now.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Issues Surrounding Water Quality and Supply: Discussion (4 Oct 2022)

Thomas Gould: I will go back to the figure of 560,000 people being affected and 243,000 people having ongoing problems. Those are huge figures given the size of the country and our population. Is a figure of 500,000 people being affected a damning indictment?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Issues Surrounding Water Quality and Supply: Discussion (4 Oct 2022)

Thomas Gould: I touched on water quality earlier. I am coming at it from a Cork point of view but it is a national issue when you are dealing with lead pipes. I am not sure if any of the witnesses were involved but I had a number of meetings with Irish Water as a Deputy and when I was a councillor on Cork City Council about the plan in place to reduce the use of lead piping. Unfortunately, I have never...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Issues Surrounding Water Quality and Supply: Discussion (4 Oct 2022)

Thomas Gould: What are lead services?

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (29 Sep 2022)

Thomas Gould: Hear, hear.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (29 Sep 2022)

Thomas Gould: That is the only solution.

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Sports Funding (29 Sep 2022)

Thomas Gould: 60. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the supports her Department is providing to keep children in sports. [47509/22]

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (29 Sep 2022)

Thomas Gould: 156. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the additional resourcing he has given to local authorities to staff affordable housing units. [47647/22]

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Act 2000 (Exempted Development) (No. 3) Regulations 2022, Planning and Development (Solar Safeguarding Zone) Regulations 2022: Discussion (29 Sep 2022)

Thomas Gould: We support what is coming forward here today and I believe that this is the second meeting of this committee where we are agreeing with the Minister of State. Last week, we discussed maternity and sick leave for councillors. Sometimes people are looking at politicians and only see the adversarial way, especially when one looked at the budget this week and the disagreements but there are...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Act 2000 (Exempted Development) (No. 3) Regulations 2022, Planning and Development (Solar Safeguarding Zone) Regulations 2022: Discussion (29 Sep 2022)

Thomas Gould: I accept the point the Minister of State is making. He is dealing with planning today but it is important that he goes to the Minister. This is something that we want to move forward with and it is important. Another issue which may not be of concern but which I wish to raise is that if I engage someone to install a gas boiler, they have to be certified to install it. We are talking now...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Act 2000 (Exempted Development) (No. 3) Regulations 2022, Planning and Development (Solar Safeguarding Zone) Regulations 2022: Discussion (29 Sep 2022)

Thomas Gould: Does the Minister of State believe that the SEAI will look at the regulations, considering the increase in size of the panels and the number of panels that will be mounted? Is this something that needs to be looked at? I am not looking to delay anything now but we are changing the rules here and it is just that I think that we need the-----