Results 3,281-3,300 of 18,851 for speaker:Fergus O'Dowd

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Strand 1 of the Good Friday Agreement: Discussion (13 Jul 2021)

Fergus O'Dowd: I thank Mr. McCallister. We move to the SDLP. Ms Hanna has ten minutes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Strand 1 of the Good Friday Agreement: Discussion (13 Jul 2021)

Fergus O'Dowd: Would Ms Mercer like to say something?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Strand 1 of the Good Friday Agreement: Discussion (13 Jul 2021)

Fergus O'Dowd: Ms Mercer?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Strand 1 of the Good Friday Agreement: Discussion (13 Jul 2021)

Fergus O'Dowd: I thank Ms Mercer. It is back to Senator Black.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Strand 1 of the Good Friday Agreement: Discussion (13 Jul 2021)

Fergus O'Dowd: I will ask a question, if I may. Going back to the final point about what such an assembly could, in fact, discuss or should ideally discuss, the biggest difference is the constitutional issue. I suppose the point is you could not select people from a community that would speak because of differences of opinion on the constitutional position and from the unionist side, I would presume that...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Strand 1 of the Good Friday Agreement: Discussion (13 Jul 2021)

Fergus O'Dowd: I must check if Deputy Tóibín is present, and the Labour Party and the Green Party members. Our problem is that the committee finds it difficult to get engagement with unionists in the political sense. Although we certainly have very fine members of the unionist community talking to us, there is no engagement. It is difficult to try to understand people's point of view because...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Strand 1 of the Good Friday Agreement: Discussion (13 Jul 2021)

Fergus O'Dowd: There are approximately three minutes left in this slot and we have approximately 15 minutes in total remaining afterwards. Can I have replies to some of those excellent questions please?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Strand 1 of the Good Friday Agreement: Discussion (13 Jul 2021)

Fergus O'Dowd: Please do.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Strand 1 of the Good Friday Agreement: Discussion (13 Jul 2021)

Fergus O'Dowd: I thank Mr. McCallister very much. That was a very important contribution and it indicates the kind of debate we need to have in the future on this committee with people like him and it is very important that he is participating here today. We have ten minutes left so I am going to bring people back in for a second round such as representatives of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. We will...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Strand 1 of the Good Friday Agreement: Discussion (13 Jul 2021)

Fergus O'Dowd: Does Senator McGreehan wish to come in? No. We are back to our guests then.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Strand 1 of the Good Friday Agreement: Discussion (13 Jul 2021)

Fergus O'Dowd: Excuse me. I did not hear you properly, Senator Blaney. I thought you were talking about Deputy Brendan Smith. If anybody would like to respond, go ahead and I will bring in Senator Currie afterwards.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Strand 1 of the Good Friday Agreement: Discussion (13 Jul 2021)

Fergus O'Dowd: That was a very important contribution. I call on Senator Currie now, and then we will go back to our guests for the last few minutes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Strand 1 of the Good Friday Agreement: Discussion (13 Jul 2021)

Fergus O'Dowd: I have no problem at all bringing in Ms Hanna. If she would like to come in, we have six minutes left.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Strand 1 of the Good Friday Agreement: Discussion (13 Jul 2021)

Fergus O'Dowd: We have four minutes left. Whoever is speaking at 11.30 a.m. I will have to stop mid-sentence. Those are our Covid regulations. I call on Mr. McCallister and Professor Tonge, whoever wants to come in first.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Strand 1 of the Good Friday Agreement: Discussion (13 Jul 2021)

Fergus O'Dowd: We have two minutes left. I call on Professor Tonge to give his parting words of wisdom.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Strand 1 of the Good Friday Agreement: Discussion (13 Jul 2021)

Fergus O'Dowd: I thank our witnesses for coming along. It was a very important meeting. As we went through the meeting the discussion got clearer, more interesting and better. We have to adjourn now. At 12 noon we will have a private session to deal with technical and legal advice we have received.

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Rail Network (7 Jul 2021)

Fergus O'Dowd: 45. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if a response will issue to correspondence in relation to Irish Rail (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36674/21]

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Covid-19 Pandemic (6 Jul 2021)

Fergus O'Dowd: I am very disappointed by the Minister of State's response. I am offended by her comment that the pandemic has not concluded. It has concluded for these families; their family members are dead. The home was taken over by the HSE. There are serious questions about the management of the home. The Minister of State knows that as does the HSE and the hospital group. This week, Dr. Sarah...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Covid-19 Pandemic (6 Jul 2021)

Fergus O'Dowd: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, to the House. As we are all aware, more than 2,000 people have died in our nursing homes due to Covid over the past 12 months or so, 1,000 of them, sadly, in the third wave. What is special about Dealgan House is that 23 residents died from Covid there in April 2020 and it is the only nursing home in the country, notwithstanding all the deaths...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Grant Payments (6 Jul 2021)

Fergus O'Dowd: 117. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment his views on issues raised by a local sustainable energy community (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35992/21]