Results 3,661-3,680 of 6,939 for speaker:Cian O'Callaghan

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Implementing Housing for All: Discussion (Resumed) (24 Jan 2023)

Cian O'Callaghan: I thank the officials from Mayo and Longford county councils for attending. I will ask Longford County Council about vacancy rates in local authority-owned dwellings and, in particular, the findings of the National Oversight and Audit Commission, NOAC, Local Authority Performance Indicator Report 2021. The report showed that the highest level of vacancy, percentage-wise, for local authority...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Implementing Housing for All: Discussion (Resumed) (24 Jan 2023)

Cian O'Callaghan: I thank Mr. Brannigan for those replies. Sligo County Council has made particular progress on this in recent years. Has Longford County Council engaged with Sligo County Council to see if there are any lessons to be learned from what it has done?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Implementing Housing for All: Discussion (Resumed) (24 Jan 2023)

Cian O'Callaghan: I am singling out Sligo County Council only because it has made particular progress on this. It has managed to significantly reduce quite high levels of vacancy over four or five years. As for obstacles or challenges in respect of getting vacancy rates down, is there anything else Longford County Council has identified that could be worked on or could make a difference in this regard?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Implementing Housing for All: Discussion (Resumed) (24 Jan 2023)

Cian O'Callaghan: So some of the vacancy was arising from those sorts of issues.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (24 Jan 2023)

Cian O'Callaghan: 361. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills when a school (details supplied) will receive its new permanent school building; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3160/23]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Qualifications Recognition (24 Jan 2023)

Cian O'Callaghan: 445. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to tackle the barriers in place that prevent QQI and FETAC graduates in nursing, physiotherapy, speech and language therapy and so on from accessing university level education and progressing into their chosen field; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2975/23]

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Citizenship Applications (24 Jan 2023)

Cian O'Callaghan: 464. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if he will provide an update on an application for citizenship by a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3003/23]

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Control of Dogs (24 Jan 2023)

Cian O'Callaghan: 650. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine in relation to the Control of Dogs Act review group, the persons or bodies that are the members of the group; the terms of reference of the group; the persons or bodies that are the stakeholders involved; if academic research will be consulted during the process; the estimated timeline of completion of the review group; and if he...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Implementing Housing for All: Discussion (Resumed) (24 Jan 2023)

Cian O'Callaghan: People do not want to move to those areas because of those kinds of serious issues. Mayo County Council's opening statement referred to land banks and the difficulty it finds in acquiring additional land for social housing at a reasonable price. Could the witnesses tell us more about that and the challenges in acquiring land? Is there anything that could be done to assist local...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Implementing Housing for All: Discussion (Resumed) (24 Jan 2023)

Cian O'Callaghan: As for the derelict and vacant sites Mayo County Council is seeking to acquire, is it the case that it gets a site where there might be a derelict or vacant building and then it hopes, through infill, to be able to increase the density and get a number of homes there? Is that what the council is trying to do?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Implementing Housing for All: Discussion (Resumed) (24 Jan 2023)

Cian O'Callaghan: When Mr. Kelly talks about the types of constraints that could be on land that could cause issues, could he give us just a general idea as to what he is talking about?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Implementing Housing for All: Discussion (Resumed) (24 Jan 2023)

Cian O'Callaghan: It would be fair to summarise Mr. Kelly's comments as indicating there are a lot of things to consider. It is not just a question of acquiring a few fields and there you go; you have to look at all those different things.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Implementing Housing for All: Discussion (Resumed) (24 Jan 2023)

Cian O'Callaghan: It is clearly a very useful approach, but I take it from Mayo County Council's opening statement that it needs to acquire land banks in addition to those derelict and vacant sites. Could Mr. Kelly talk us through the challenges around that or what could be done to assist local authorities in that regard? Vacant, derelict and infill sites are very important as well.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Nagoya Protocol: Motion (19 Jan 2023)

Cian O'Callaghan: I also thank the Minister of State for his work in this area and for bringing this matter before the committee. While it is late; it is welcome to see this happening. In practical terms, what does all of this mean? When we talk about users, for example, who, in an Irish context, are typical users and what legal obligations are being put on them? In practical terms, what does this mean...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Nagoya Protocol: Motion (19 Jan 2023)

Cian O'Callaghan: Before Mr. Moore comes in I have a question. The obligations of public bodies acting in the public interest are one thing but private bodies with their own interests are another. How far will these obligations go for private bodies? Does this have to be worked out? I would like some insight into this.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Nagoya Protocol: Motion (19 Jan 2023)

Cian O'Callaghan: The legislation we have in place ensures a pharmaceutical or medical company operating in Ireland that is using genetic resources from a country such as Peru is legally obliged to go through the process. Will it share information with the country of origin of the genetic information or resources or will it share it universally?

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Nagoya Protocol: Motion (19 Jan 2023)

Cian O'Callaghan: It is then shared universally.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Nagoya Protocol: Motion (19 Jan 2023)

Cian O'Callaghan: Some of the intent is that the provider country will have the most rights to access. This is what we are doing in practical terms with the protocol and the legislation in place.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Nagoya Protocol: Motion (19 Jan 2023)

Cian O'Callaghan: It will no longer be legal for a company operating here that gets genetic resources not to share them in a fair and equitable manner.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Nagoya Protocol: Motion (19 Jan 2023)

Cian O'Callaghan: What needs to be done to reach this aim? An ad hocgroup will be established to get together all of the stakeholders to work out the operation of the protocol.