Results 361-380 of 23,109 for speaker:Paddy Burke

Seanad: Sláintecare Implementation: Statements (19 Oct 2021)

Paddy Burke: I welcome the Minister of State and wish her well with delivery of Sláintecare. I welcome this opportunity to say a few words about Sláintecare. As Senator Seery Kearney stated, it is not an issue of money. We have never had more money allocated to our health services. The current allocation of €22 billion is an unbelievable amount of money when one weighs it up. It...

Seanad: Flood Risk Management: Motion (19 Oct 2021)

Paddy Burke: I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I wish him well with his portfolio. I welcome the debate on this issue.It is an important issue that needs to be debated, so I thank the Green Party for tabling the motion. I agree with much of what the party's Senators have said. There are areas where flooding can travel upstream but, equally, there have been instances in the past where...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (14 Oct 2021)

Paddy Burke: I support Senator O'Reilly in his comments on the shortage of work permits. There is a shortage across all enterprises in Ireland. I ask the Leader to raise the matter with the relevant Minister because a solution is badly needed. I call for a debate on Irish Water. It is now six or seven years since the organisation was set up and it would be timely to have a debate on it in the House....

Seanad: Finance (European Stability Mechanism and Single Resolution Fund) Bill 2021: Second Stage (14 Oct 2021)

Paddy Burke: I welcome the Minister to the House to discuss this topic. It is important legislation. I wish the Minister well with it and congratulate him and the Ministers in the other member states for getting this work done two years ahead of time. The Title of the Bill, the Finance (European Stability Mechanism and Single Resolution Fund) Bill 2021, says it all. It is all about confidence and...

Seanad: Budget 2022: Statements (Resumed) (13 Oct 2021)

Paddy Burke: I thank Senator Cummins for sharing his time. I welcome the Minister of State to the House. Senator Ruane raised a very important issue and a very important aspect of the budget. I share Senator Ruane's view and I support her on this point. This needs resources and I hope it is an area that will be looked at in the future as it is very important. I want to raise two aspects. I cannot...

Seanad: Peat Harvesting: Statements (13 Oct 2021)

Paddy Burke: I knew that Deputy Fitzmaurice was in the turf business, but I had not realised that Senator Mullen is involved in the transportation of turf. You find out something new every day. The value of this house is that there is great experience here. We are discussing horticulture and we have two horticulturalists in our midst, namely, Senators Boyhan and Murphy. They have outlined their great...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: National Action Plan on the Development of the Islands: Department of Rural and Community Development (13 Oct 2021)

Paddy Burke: I welcome Ms Nic Aongusa and Ms Ní Chonghaile to the committee and I thank them for their presentations. I am delighted that the bilateral meetings within the Department are almost completed. Within the new tourism package being put in place, has any priority been given to the islands? This is an ideal opportunity to prioritise the islands. Have any discussions taken place on the...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (12 Oct 2021)

Paddy Burke: I ask the Leader to arrange a debate on the National Ambulance Service. This issue has been raised by a number of Senators over the past while and by various radio stations throughout the country. It is quite obvious that the National Ambulance Service is not working efficiently. I was approached recently by a very worried citizen who was in a desperate state one night trying to get an...

Seanad: Budget 2022: Statements (12 Oct 2021)

Paddy Burke: I welcome the Minister of State to the House and wish him well with the budget. I have seen many budgets come through this House. This is a very fair budget. The Minister of State will be well aware that even in the boom years no matter how much money was available it was not enough. That is the reality. I have seen budgets coming through this House and the budgetary spending provided...

Seanad: Budget 2022: Statements (12 Oct 2021)

Paddy Burke: It was very lightly struck. I wish the Minister of State well with the budget. I hope he will take on board the latter point I made. It should be taken on board because those derelict listed buildings are eyesores throughout the length and breadth of the country.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (13 Jul 2021)

Paddy Burke: I congratulate and wish the former Member of this House and Senator, Deputy Bacik, the best of luck on taking her seat in this Dáil Chamber today. She will be a great loss to the Seanad Chamber but will be a very good gain for the Dáil and I wish her well. I also propose a vote of sympathy for the late Dr. Seán McCarthy from Tipperary, a former Deputy, Senator, Minister and...

Seanad: Land Development Agency Bill 2021: Second Stage (9 Jul 2021)

Paddy Burke: I am sharing time with Senator Buttimer.

Seanad: Land Development Agency Bill 2021: Second Stage (9 Jul 2021)

Paddy Burke: I welcome the Minister of State back to the House. He is here nearly as often as the Senators. He could be taken for a Senator if he came in any more often. I wish him well with this Bill. I have mixed feelings about it. We have a lot of State control in the country. Too much State control, in my view, is not a good thing. We have seen where NAMA failed miserably. It was the biggest...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Pensions Council and Citizens Information Board: Chairpersons Designate (7 Jul 2021)

Paddy Burke: I congratulate Ms Heaney and Ms Burke on their presentations and wish them the best in the future. I think the Chair asked about class K PRSI earlier. There are no great benefits for people paying the class K contribution. I would ask Ms Burke to look into the class K contributions and benefits. Take an Oireachtas Member who loses their seat, perhaps after two or three years service,...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (5 Jul 2021)

Paddy Burke: I support Senator McDowell in what he said about electricity. There will be more and more dependence on electricity. There will be more and more electric cars and electric bikes and more electric gadgets in houses, so there will be a huge dependency on electricity. Where will we get certainty in this regard? I am delighted that the marine planning Bill is being published. It needs to be...

Seanad: Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (2 Jul 2021)

Paddy Burke: I am sure the Attorney General has examined the Bill in great detail and covered most angles.In any event, the President could well refer this Bill so I am fully on the Minister's side and am sure all the angles are covered. The President has the option of referring this to the courts if he wishes to do that.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (29 Jun 2021)

Paddy Burke: I congratulate the Cathaoirleach on his first year as Cathaoirleach of Seanad Éireann. I wish to raise the issue of driver theory tests. The way they are being treated is disgraceful. People who are scheduled for tests go to the testing centre to find out it is closed. They have not been notified that their test has been rescheduled although they should be. I am calling on the...

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) (No. 3) Bill 2021: Committee and Remaining Stages (28 Jun 2021)

Paddy Burke: I welcome the Minister of State. I refer to amendments Nos. 16 and 17 and variations of county development plans. There is no great flexibility in county development plans. The national development plan is running at the moment and trying to grow the regions by cities. Some smaller towns may have zoning for development land for enterprise or industry which is no longer required but it is...

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) (No. 3) Bill 2021: Committee and Remaining Stages (28 Jun 2021)

Paddy Burke: Some counties have their development plans finished and they may not come up again for another four or five years. In the meantime, this land may well be suitable for housing. How can they go about it rather than the local authority CEO bringing forward a variation of the plan? Would the Department have an input into it?

Seanad: Residential Tenancies (No. 2) Bill 2021: Second Stage (25 Jun 2021)

Paddy Burke: I welcome the Minister back to the House and I wish him well with this legislation. It is very welcome and it will give some certainty to people who find themselves renting. It also has safeguards for students. I agree with Senator Byrne on student accommodation and the need for campus accommodation. I would hope new campuses would be built in all of the new technological universities....