Results 21-40 of 2,141 for speaker:Richard O'Donoghue

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (19 Jun 2025)

Richard O'Donoghue: 185. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if consideration will be given to entitling persons on a widow’s pension working in schools to be able to claim job seeker's benefit when not being paid when off; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33210/25]

Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Bill 2025: Second Stage (18 Jun 2025)

Richard O'Donoghue: For people who do not understand it, RPZs are rent pressure zones. Where do we go? How did we get here in the first place? We got here because of a lack of infrastructure. What have we done over the past six years? I have been asking our Government to look at development-led infrastructure but what we did was that we set up Irish Water. Irish Water was set up to collect money for...

Public Transport Experience: Motion [Private Members] (18 Jun 2025)

Richard O'Donoghue: In Limerick, Local Link is operating at capacity. To improve the system, people are looking for more services. Local Link would not be in our area were it not for private operators. We would not have it otherwise. I appreciate the investment the Department is putting into Local Link, but there is no joined up thinking. It is doing one route. It should be doing a figure 8 on all links...

Emergency Action on Housing and Homelessness: Motion [Private Members] (17 Jun 2025)

Richard O'Donoghue: We will be sharing time. We will each have three and a half minutes. There is a housing crisis. We need to deliver houses. I am offering my services to the Minister, as I have offered them to other Ministers, to help to deliver houses. I do so in light of the experience I have and the knowledge I have that Irish Water is not providing value for money. It will not deliver the...

Finance (Local Property Tax and Other Provisions) (Amendment) Bill 2025: Second Stage (17 Jun 2025)

Richard O'Donoghue: I am the chairperson of the Committee on Budgetary Oversight, and I am delighted to be Independent Ireland's first chairperson. An invitation to the Minister to attend our meeting next Tuesday was sent by the clerk to the committee. We had facilitated the Minister, in that he could not make it two weeks ago. We changed people around and other people appeared before us. However, we got a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (12 Jun 2025)

Richard O'Donoghue: 89. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if her attention has been drawn to the recent publication of the new specification for the senior cycle engineering subject; and if she will commit to the introduction of a second additional assessment component (practical skills test) in senior-cycle engineering, given that 89% of engineering teachers are in favour of its introduction. [31421/25]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Staff (12 Jun 2025)

Richard O'Donoghue: 319. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will request her Ministerial colleagues to grant immediate pension parity to school secretaries and caretakers, as they are integral to the daily operations of schools and are paid by her Department. [31422/25]

Protection of Employees (Employers’ Insolvency) (Amendment) Bill 2025: Second Stage (28 May 2025)

Richard O'Donoghue: Limerick is standing with Cork.

Protection of Employees (Employers’ Insolvency) (Amendment) Bill 2025: Second Stage (28 May 2025)

Richard O'Donoghue: The Protection of Employees (Employers' Insolvency) (Amendment) Bill 2025 is a crucial piece of legislation. I will start off by looking at how Debenhams managed to pull the wool over the Government's and its employees eyes, and leave this country with no accountability. It set up a UK sister company and set up online. All its online business was imported into this country through a UK...

Gaza: Motion (28 May 2025)

Richard O'Donoghue: What everybody has said has been repetitive. Everyone is on the same page. I believe the Minister of State is also on the same page and would like to see what we can do. Can the Minister of State imagine if anyone in this House had to go hungry? We can walk out the door, go into a canteen and eat. Imagine he was here, looking at the food, while starving, knowing that his brothers,...

Independent External Medical Audit for Children's Health Ireland and National Orthopaedic Hospital Cappagh: Statements (27 May 2025)

Richard O'Donoghue: Accountability is at the very heart of this. The Minister is new to her role. She has hit the ground running, and I appreciate that. However, what has happened in Cappagh and Temple Street hospitals is unforgivable. There has to be accountability. We can look at it and nod our heads all day long, but at least now we are going the right direction. There will be no more hiding for anyone....

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (27 May 2025)

Richard O'Donoghue: If we ever have a case again where we have a design like the children's hospital, can the Government please not do it? Look at what we have done in Limerick: we built a box. People want boxes to be built because one can add onto a box or put a box down. They want care. Consider the cost of maintaining the children's hospital, with round curtains, round glass, and furnishings that have to...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (27 May 2025)

Richard O'Donoghue: One could build boxes.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (27 May 2025)

Richard O'Donoghue: I thank the Taoiseach for his response and look forward to meeting with the Minister on this. I am under no illusions; there are many criteria under different payments the Government must consider under different circumstances. When it comes to people losing a loved one, however, and they are trying to survive, whether they have children, there are massive overheads, even with current...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (27 May 2025)

Richard O'Donoghue: People are dying younger than that.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (27 May 2025)

Richard O'Donoghue: I will talk about widows' pensions. Pensions for widows do not discriminate by age. Recipients can be in their 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s or any age. However, it is worrying for people. I will tell one or two stories. One is about a mother with three children whose husband died. They had a house with a mortgage and she is in receipt of the widow's pension for which she said she is grateful....

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: State Bodies (27 May 2025)

Richard O'Donoghue: 349. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht his views on whether it is appropriate that the CEO of Fáilte Ireland preside over Bord Fáilte giving contracts to subsidiaries of two organisations (details supplied) given the CEO is a board-member of one of the organisations; the steps he will take in relation to this conflict of interest; and if he will make a...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Disability Services (27 May 2025)

Richard O'Donoghue: 526. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the reason two organisations (details supplied) have been and continue to be excluded from the DPO Consultative Framework since October 2023; if this indirect discrimination will be remedied as a matter of urgency; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26760/25]

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Equality Issues (27 May 2025)

Richard O'Donoghue: 560. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the disability equality policy unit’s current position in relation to the Equal Status Acts 2000–2018 in their interaction with their clients; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27679/25]

Biodiversity Week: Statements (21 May 2025)

Richard O'Donoghue: I welcome biodiversity but I also welcome biodiversity in the right areas and places. I also welcome safety on roads. On biodiversity, the laws that have been passed in this country never took into account people travelling. This is where I have a major issue with some of the laws on wildlife and biodiversity: as regards safety of lives. Roads where two vehicles could once travel are now...