Results 341-360 of 4,004 for speaker:Martin Browne

Committee on Public Petitions: Decisions on Public Petitions Received (14 Dec 2023)

Martin Browne: The petitioner is going against what the Deputy is saying. In summary, the petitioner believes it is safer for electric scooters to be heavier with shorter stopping distances. He argues that it is safer if they are more powerful, as it reduces the chances of the scooter getting stuck on a pothole, have wider wheels to avoid tram tracks and are faster to avoid getting hit by a car when a...

Committee on Public Petitions: Decisions on Public Petitions Received (14 Dec 2023)

Martin Browne: We could invite him to appear before us for half a session for a debate on scooters. We can divide a meeting into two halves - one with this petitioner and possibly the second half with the Department.

Committee on Public Petitions: Decisions on Public Petitions Received (14 Dec 2023)

Martin Browne: Will the Deputy propose that we invite the petitioner to appear before the committee early in the new year and put his case? We can invite the Department to appear before us as well in the second session. Is that agreed? Agreed. Petition No. P00030/23 is "Create a walking and cycling greenway on the closed railway from Sligo to Athenry" from Mr. Brendan Quinn. This petition relates to...

Committee on Public Petitions: Decisions on Public Petitions Received (14 Dec 2023)

Martin Browne: The secretariat received a response from Galway County Council regarding an update of the state of the greenway because, as the Deputy noted, there are two sides to it. Galway County Council does not want to go into it until the all-Ireland strategic review is completed because there is a push from one side to have a greenway and a push on the other side to reopen the railway corridor in the...

Committee on Public Petitions: Decisions on Public Petitions Received (14 Dec 2023)

Martin Browne: We will go with the recommendations if members are happy to do so. We need to get the petitioner before us in the new year. Petition No. P00043/23 is the "Invincibles Reinterment Campaign" from Mr. Aidan Lambert. The National Graves Association is requesting that the Government oblige the Office of Public Works to carry out the necessary excavation works to recover the remains of Joseph...

Committee on Public Petitions: Decisions on Public Petitions Received (14 Dec 2023)

Martin Browne: That was one of the replies. One of the others referred to the fact that the bodies were buried in quicklime and that there may be the remains of executed prisoners in the same area. As we said at the private meeting earlier, with the technology nowadays I cannot see how that would be a major problem. If a skeleton is found, DNA tests can identify who is who. I note there are three...

Committee on Public Petitions: Decisions on Public Petitions Received (14 Dec 2023)

Martin Browne: That may be the case. We will write to the three bodies asking who they feel is responsible. We will write to the OPW to get a breakdown on how much it would cost, going on past experience, to exhume the bodies.

Committee on Public Petitions: Decisions on Public Petitions Received (14 Dec 2023)

Martin Browne: Our next business is No. P00038/23; that a general election be held soon. Mr. Flakner Zeke is the petitioner. I will provide a brief summary on this. The petition is "That a general election be held soon to enable the people of Ireland to choose a new Dáil which will nominate a new Taoiseach." That has changed from "To hold a general election where the people of Ireland will elect a...

Committee on Public Petitions: Decisions on Public Petitions Received (14 Dec 2023)

Martin Browne: Is Option B agreed? Agreed. No. P00043/23 is a request for a meeting on the bilateral agreement between the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs and Egyptian Government officials regarding child abduction. The petitioner is Ms Mandy Kelly. This petition is a request by an Irish mother to have a meeting between the Department of Foreign Affairs officials and Egyptian Ministry officials...

Committee on Public Petitions: Decisions on Public Petitions Received (14 Dec 2023)

Martin Browne: Ms Kelly met the Tánaiste on 21 November. The advice is that she engage with the legal system in Egypt and begin legal proceedings there. She has been told that the Department of Foreign Affairs cannot interfere in private legal matters. In the Department's view, this would best be done by appointing a lawyer in Egypt and engaging with the legal system there. The Department has...

Committee on Public Petitions: Decisions on Public Petitions Received (14 Dec 2023)

Martin Browne: It is not their problem. The families who have sought to have the remains of their five relatives exhumed are just being sent around in circles all the time.

Committee on Public Petitions: Decisions on Public Petitions Received (14 Dec 2023)

Martin Browne: We want to find out which of the three is responsible for it. We will write to the National Graves Association as well to let it know what is going on. Is that agreed? Agreed.

Committee on Public Petitions: Decisions on Public Petitions Received (14 Dec 2023)

Martin Browne: The same to you Deputy.

Increased Fossil Fuel Divestment: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members] (13 Dec 2023)

Martin Browne: I also commend the Independent Group on bringing the motion to the floor. It is timely we are discussing this on the same morning an agreement seems to have been reached at a global climate summit that nearly lost credibility due to the attitude adopted by some states. If we look at the main stories that emerged from the climate summit, we see the encapsulation of the key problems that have...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (13 Dec 2023)

Martin Browne: 189. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the recommendations of the independent review group into his Department’s response to ash dieback disease are to be implemented; the progress made in assessing his Department’s response to these recommendations; when a decision is likely to be made; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55670/23]

Residential Tenancies (Deferment of Termination Dates of Certain Tenancies) (No. 2) Bill 2023: Second Stage [Private Members] (12 Dec 2023)

Martin Browne: Just over a year ago, when we were discussing similar matters, the homelessness figures were in the region of 11,000. They now stand at 13,179, including 3,911 children. Those figures are conservative. In June, July and August, 208 people presented to Tipperary County Council as homeless. At the beginning of September, 57 adults and 25 children were using the emergency accommodation...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (7 Dec 2023)

Martin Browne: 308. To ask the Minister for Health the criteria for the pandemic special recognition payment; and the grounds on which a distinction between home and residential care assistants in an organisation (details supplied) can be made. [54262/23]

Planning and Development Bill 2023: Second Stage (Resumed) (6 Dec 2023)

Martin Browne: This is one of the lengthiest Bills to face the House and I can understand why. Our planning system is beset with issues that delay the process and cause much-needed environmental and commercial projects to time out. This frustrates and causes undue hurdles for communities that are faced with challenges of all types, whether through developments or the impact of climate change. The...

Renters: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members] (5 Dec 2023)

Martin Browne: The Minister has just shown that the Government's maths are the reason we are in this crisis. This morning, in reply to Deputy McDonald, the Taoiseach spoke about 4,000 new homeowners. In less than 12 hours the Minister has brought that figure up to 5,000. We will have the problem solved by the end of the week if that keeps going. The yearly increase for new tenancies in Tipperary has...