Results 3,841-3,860 of 4,002 for speaker:Rose Conway Walsh

Seanad: Address by An Taoiseach (Resumed) (29 Sep 2016)

Rose Conway Walsh: I would like to share time with Senator Ó Donnghaile.

Seanad: Address by An Taoiseach (Resumed) (29 Sep 2016)

Rose Conway Walsh: I welcome the Taoiseach. It is always nice to see a Mayo man in the Seanad. There are far too many Dubs here. We will all be united on Saturday. That is if we can get a ticket, of course. We will have a chat afterwards.

Seanad: Address by An Taoiseach (Resumed) (29 Sep 2016)

Rose Conway Walsh: Alex is not here. I hope Alex is more successful than I have been. There are a couple of days left. I welcome the Taoiseach to the Seanad. I am glad he raised the issue of Brexit because I am interested in the Government's plans to protect the best interests of the entire island of Ireland. We are about to enter an extremely difficult period for which there is no precedent. We are now...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (29 Sep 2016)

Rose Conway Walsh: I notice that everybody is going over time. I thank the Minister of State for being here. It is timely that he is here as we are coming into the winter. I have some very specific questions, the first of which concerns insurance and the memorandum of understanding. Will the Minister of State furnish a copy of the memorandum of understanding to the Chairman for distribution? In particular,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (29 Sep 2016)

Rose Conway Walsh: I will stop the Minister of State there because I am very conscious of the time. Is there any provision in the memorandum of understanding for minor works to be done which will alleviate some flooding in places awaiting major works? What would he say to people who, at the moment - again, in Crossmolina - are being refused insurance cover? Has he any message for those people?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (29 Sep 2016)

Rose Conway Walsh: I see here the projects that have been in the planning stage since 2013. Is the Minister of State saying that a major scheme can take between three to seven years to complete and that people can be that length of time without any insurance cover ? That is a really serious matter.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (29 Sep 2016)

Rose Conway Walsh: I think the people in Crossmolina would settle for protection of 30 or 40 years, or perhaps even three or four days.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (29 Sep 2016)

Rose Conway Walsh: They really are living in fear. We have already had some floods and we are only at this stage in the year. Many of us comment on the weather in passing, but it is terrible that the lives of people in a whole community are guided by the weather. I know the Minister of State understands that and I know he has been to visit the community. I appreciate the work he is doing to speed up...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (29 Sep 2016)

Rose Conway Walsh: Has the Minister of State any timeline for the carrying out of the major works there?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (29 Sep 2016)

Rose Conway Walsh: Regarding the expenditure on putting right the damage done by coastal flooding and storm damage - and there is quite a lot being spent - what provision has been made for coastal protection, particularly along the Wild Atlantic Way? I am concerned that all this money has been spent in many areas but we do not have the coastal protection there. I cannot locate the provision for this.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (29 Sep 2016)

Rose Conway Walsh: A great deal of money is being spent on consultants under this flooding issue in coastal communities. It is hugely important to have proper and meaningful engagement with the local communities. Sometimes, the least expensive things, like gabion baskets, can help. It was obvious where these worked in certain places instead of building huge walls at huge expense. Local knowledge is vital in...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (29 Sep 2016)

Rose Conway Walsh: Do we have sufficient staff within the OPW and local authorities to be able to fast-track this work?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (29 Sep 2016)

Rose Conway Walsh: I do not think they do, to be honest. It is disgraceful that local authorities are not applying for money that is available or that they are not applying for it at the pace needed to protect communities. There is a big fall-down there. We have seen cutbacks in local and regional roads funding. In Mayo alone, €100 million was cut off the budget over a four or five-year period. I...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (29 Sep 2016)

Rose Conway Walsh: The OPW can play a major role where there are empty buildings or buildings that are not being used. These buildings could be given to local communities, particularly now with the national rural development programme coming online. Funding can be secured to revitalise local communities and every effort should be made to do that. There are such projects in Mayo. My final question relates...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (29 Sep 2016)

Rose Conway Walsh: The damage has been done over the years because of the accumulation of the shortfalls. I know that the Minister of State is trying to make up and fill the gaps. However, it is extraordinary to suggest that there is a great deal of money for roads when that is not the reality. We are working backwards all the time. In fact, even in the past six weeks in Mayo the roads programme has been...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (29 Sep 2016)

Rose Conway Walsh: I wish we had a few more hotel rooms too.

Seanad: Order of Business (28 Sep 2016)

Rose Conway Walsh: I apologise for having to nip out earlier and I thank the Cathaoirleach for giving me the opportunity to speak now. There are many important events about which I could talk today. There are many events that have happened since the House last met. There has been the Apple case, the huge efforts by the Government to hand back the €13 billion and the continuous denials that we have...

Seanad: Order of Business (28 Sep 2016)

Rose Conway Walsh: She has gone to PD heaven. Privatisation and centralisation have ruined the health service.

Seanad: Order of Business (28 Sep 2016)

Rose Conway Walsh: I thank the Cathaoirleach.

Seanad: Order of Business (28 Sep 2016)

Rose Conway Walsh: On a point of clarification, will the Minister for Health attend this House?