Results 361-380 of 4,082 for speaker:Martin Browne

Services for those Seeking Protection in Ireland: Statements (30 Jan 2024)

Martin Browne: I welcome the opportunity to speak on this, because amidst the discussion happening nationally we need to remember the humanity involved. We need to remember that many people in need of asylum are coming from situations we cannot imagine. Migration has an important role to play in this country, but this debate is not about migration. It is about the co-ordination of services to support...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (30 Jan 2024)

Martin Browne: 485. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to provide the number of both IPAS applicants and Ukrainian refugees in Tipperary broken down per electoral district. [4104/24]

Committee on Public Petitions: Business of Joint Committee (25 Jan 2024)

Martin Browne: I wish everybody a good afternoon and welcome them to our public meeting. Apologies have been received from Deputy Ó Cuív. The first item on our agenda is the minutes of the meetings held on 30 November and 14 December 2023. They have already been approved at a private meeting and need to be agreed in a public meeting too. Are they agreed? Agreed. I remind members of the...

Committee on Public Petitions: Campaign for a Walking and Cycling Greenway on the Closed Railway from Sligo to Athenry: Discussion (25 Jan 2024)

Martin Browne: The next item of business is our engagement with representatives of the Western Rail Trail campaign group, petition No. P00030/23, on creating a walking and cycling greenway on the closed railway from Sligo to Athenry. Before we start, I wish to explain some limitations to parliamentary privilege and the practice of the Houses as regards references witnesses may make to other persons in...

Committee on Public Petitions: Campaign for a Walking and Cycling Greenway on the Closed Railway from Sligo to Athenry: Discussion (25 Jan 2024)

Martin Browne: I thank all the speakers. What has come up is their side of the story. We will be following it up with the likes of representatives from Mayo County Council and other witnesses on the other side. Usually when a petition comes in from a particular region, we let Senators and Deputies from there have the first say. I call Senator Feighan first.

Committee on Public Petitions: Campaign for a Walking and Cycling Greenway on the Closed Railway from Sligo to Athenry: Discussion (25 Jan 2024)

Martin Browne: Apologies. I should have made it clearer when I spoke about bringing Mayo in, that the intention is to bring in the Department and Irish Rail.

Committee on Public Petitions: Campaign for a Walking and Cycling Greenway on the Closed Railway from Sligo to Athenry: Discussion (25 Jan 2024)

Martin Browne: We will get the three in. We will try to move that as quickly as we can and get them to the committee as soon as we can. Does Senator Murphy want to come in before the witnesses respond?

Committee on Public Petitions: Campaign for a Walking and Cycling Greenway on the Closed Railway from Sligo to Athenry: Discussion (25 Jan 2024)

Martin Browne: We will bring them in.

Committee on Public Petitions: Campaign for a Walking and Cycling Greenway on the Closed Railway from Sligo to Athenry: Discussion (25 Jan 2024)

Martin Browne: We need to be careful because-----

Committee on Public Petitions: Campaign for a Walking and Cycling Greenway on the Closed Railway from Sligo to Athenry: Discussion (25 Jan 2024)

Martin Browne: Just to be aware, Mayo County Council told this committee before that the elected members expressed the view that the potential of the western rail corridor needs to be protected and that any greenway route is to be accompanied on the ground other than the railway line and any progress on the Athenry-Claremorris line could lead to an increase. What the committee is being told and what the...

Committee on Public Petitions: Campaign for a Walking and Cycling Greenway on the Closed Railway from Sligo to Athenry: Discussion (25 Jan 2024)

Martin Browne: This committee has always asked people to leave politics at the door.

Committee on Public Petitions: Campaign for a Walking and Cycling Greenway on the Closed Railway from Sligo to Athenry: Discussion (25 Jan 2024)

Martin Browne: Community organisations come in here and we feel that if we start to bring politics around the table we will get nowhere.

Committee on Public Petitions: Campaign for a Walking and Cycling Greenway on the Closed Railway from Sligo to Athenry: Discussion (25 Jan 2024)

Martin Browne: Does Deputy Kenny want to respond before I bring someone else in?

Committee on Public Petitions: Campaign for a Walking and Cycling Greenway on the Closed Railway from Sligo to Athenry: Discussion (25 Jan 2024)

Martin Browne: To be fair the Deputies present cannot answer that. We will invite Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, to appear before the committee. It did a report on the railway. I call Ms Casserly and then Mr. Cunniffe.

Committee on Public Petitions: Campaign for a Walking and Cycling Greenway on the Closed Railway from Sligo to Athenry: Discussion (25 Jan 2024)

Martin Browne: We understand your frustration, but as a politician, Ms Casserly will be aware that putting her case without the other side will not get answers today.

Committee on Public Petitions: Campaign for a Walking and Cycling Greenway on the Closed Railway from Sligo to Athenry: Discussion (25 Jan 2024)

Martin Browne: We have not heard them. We have suggested that we invite Mayo County Council, the Department of Transport, TII and Irish Rail to appear before the committee. We know, and as a politician Ms Casserly knows, that things move slowly. We all want to bring up a problem today and have it resolved tomorrow morning, but it does not happen. I ask the public in the area to give us a chance to go...

Committee on Public Petitions: Campaign for a Walking and Cycling Greenway on the Closed Railway from Sligo to Athenry: Discussion (25 Jan 2024)

Martin Browne: Before I bring Ms Brennan in, Deputy Harkin wants to come in.

Committee on Public Petitions: Campaign for a Walking and Cycling Greenway on the Closed Railway from Sligo to Athenry: Discussion (25 Jan 2024)

Martin Browne: I call Deputy Buckley. Senator Lombard will follow.

Committee on Public Petitions: Campaign for a Walking and Cycling Greenway on the Closed Railway from Sligo to Athenry: Discussion (25 Jan 2024)

Martin Browne: Do any Members wish to come back in? I call Deputy Cannon.

Committee on Public Petitions: Campaign for a Walking and Cycling Greenway on the Closed Railway from Sligo to Athenry: Discussion (25 Jan 2024)

Martin Browne: We totally understand your frustration, lads, but for this committee to do its job properly, we need to tease out where the sticking points are with Mayo County Council, Irish Rail and the Department. The Department, as Deputy Cannon said earlier, has serious questions to answer in that it is on one hand supplying money for this and, on the other, putting stumbling blocks in the way. The...