Results 361-380 of 2,867 for speaker:Ossian Smyth

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Vaccination Programme (14 Dec 2023)

Ossian Smyth: I thank Deputy Burke for raising this matter. Both Minister for Health, Deputy Donnelly, and the Chief Medical Officer share these concerns in relation to the high levels of RSV that are circulating in our community. To begin with, I can confirm that following receipt of NIAC advice on RSV immunisation options in October, and the Office of the Chief Medical Officer having considered that...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Weather Events (14 Dec 2023)

Ossian Smyth: I thank Deputy Stanton for raising this issue. I welcome the opportunity to discuss this important topic with Members on behalf of the Minister for Transport. I understand that Deputy Stanton's questions relate to State funding provided to Cork County Council for emergency repairs of roads and bridges following Storm Babet, with a particular emphasis on the east Cork region. As...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Irish Aid (14 Dec 2023)

Ossian Smyth: I am appalled by the humanitarian situation in Gaza and the scale of civilian casualties with more than 18,000 people killed and approximately 1.9 million people or 85% of the population displaced. The Government utterly condemned the heinous attacks by Hamas on 7 October, which saw 1,200 Israelis brutally killed. The Government continues to call for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, for...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Irish Aid (14 Dec 2023)

Ossian Smyth: I think the focus at the moment is to achieve peace, to achieve first an immediate and lasting ceasefire and then second to provide humanitarian access into Gaza. Our focus at the moment is not on recovering lost sums of money, damaged property or interrupted projects, as distressing as that may be. The first priority has to be to achieve peace. I agree with the Senator. Although Israel,...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: National Cultural Institutions (14 Dec 2023)

Ossian Smyth: I thank the Acting Chair and Senator Warfield. I will provide an overview on reimagining the National Library of Ireland, NLI, capital development project under the national development plan as the Minister, Deputy Catherine Martin, cannot be with us today. On completion the project will be the most significant investment in the National Library of Ireland since the main building on Kildare...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: National Cultural Institutions (14 Dec 2023)

Ossian Smyth: As I have outlined, eight elements of the NLI redevelopment have been completed. The planning permission process is being worked through for the next element but until the library has permission and until it is approved by the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform, we will not know when construction is going to start. It is obviously a particular...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Health Service Executive (14 Dec 2023)

Ossian Smyth: The Minister for Health has asked me to reply on his behalf and give an update to the House on this matter. As the Senator will be aware, a central objective of the programme for Government is to deliver increased levels of integrated healthcare with service delivery oriented towards general practice, primary care and community-based services to enable a home-first approach. Integral to...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Health Service Executive (14 Dec 2023)

Ossian Smyth: This building and project are exceptional. As the Senator knows, 172 primary healthcare centres have been set up by the HSE around the country. One of them is about to open in my constituency in Dún Laoghaire. Clearly, there has been a transformation in primary healthcare. Yet, this project is not going well and I think the Minister for Health and everybody involves accepts that...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Citizens' Assembly (14 Dec 2023)

Ossian Smyth: I have been asked by the Minister for Education, Deputy Foley, to address this matter on her behalf and to update the House on the Department of Education's position as regards the citizens’ assembly on education. The programme for Government committed to establishing four citizens’ assemblies on the topics of biodiversity loss, the type of directly elected mayor and local...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Citizens' Assembly (14 Dec 2023)

Ossian Smyth: I understand the Senator’s frustration. The Government has set up and run three citizens’ assemblies, so the process is understood and not forgotten. I was involved in getting the Citizens’ Assembly on Drugs Use up and running, so I understand that it involves the relevant Department putting together proposals and sending them to the Department of the Taoiseach....

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Citizens' Assembly (14 Dec 2023)

Ossian Smyth: It is an honour to be here.

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

Ossian Smyth: I thank the Chair and Deputies. I also acknowledge and thank Deputy Pringle for the Act in 2018 and the work done on this, and for tabling this motion to discuss how we can further improve on it. I also think today is a historic day. We have news this morning about work done by a group of Irish officials - civil servants who worked night and day in Dubai - to reach a deal to limit climate...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Bus Services (13 Dec 2023)

Ossian Smyth: I thank Deputy Smith for raising this issue, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Ryan. I want to clarify that the Minister for Transport has responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport but neither the Minister nor his officials are involved in the day-to-day operation of public transport services. The statutory responsibility for securing...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Bus Services (13 Dec 2023)

Ossian Smyth: I thank Deputy Smith. Deputy Smith mentioned Jarrett Walker. I remember meeting him with other councillors back in 2016. There has been an extensive period of consultation to try to figure out how we make a better bus route. Many of the bus routes in Ireland are based on the original tram routes, and not electric trams but horse-drawn trams. They even have the same route numbers and...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Waste Management (13 Dec 2023)

Ossian Smyth: I thank the Deputies for raising this issue. In Ireland, with the exception of one or two municipal districts, local authorities have all but exited the household market because, in most cases, they could not compete with the prices charged by private entrants. The obligations on local authorities in relation to collecting household waste are set out in the Waste Management Act 1996, as...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Waste Management (13 Dec 2023)

Ossian Smyth: Yes.

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Waste Management (13 Dec 2023)

Ossian Smyth: I completely agree that this should be discussed at the joint committee. I do not think we have enough time here to work it all out. Several different things arise. The first thing concerns what exactly remunicipalisation is. Does it mean that a council hires workers directly, buys bin trucks and goes back to where it was in the past? Does it mean it would outsource the collection to one...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Environmental Policy (7 Dec 2023)

Ossian Smyth: An effective transition to a circular economy in Ireland will transform the way materials and resources are consumed, and how the products that households and businesses use are designed and marketed. It will also prevent waste generation, reduce consumption, and extend the productive life of goods. Delivering a circular economy will ensure a focus and increased consumer awareness on the...