Results 21-40 of 74 for speaker:Maria McCormack

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Standards of Care, Related Practices and Oversight in Nursing Homes: Discussion (18 Jun 2025)

Maria McCormack: I am from Laois and live in Portlaoise. Unfortunately, when I was watching the programme I recognised some of the residents and workers. It is very difficult for them. I have a lot of questions so I will go through them and I request brief answers. I have to correct the record by noting that The Residence, Portlaoise opened in October or November of 2023, not in 2024. There have been...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Standards of Care, Related Practices and Oversight in Nursing Homes: Discussion (18 Jun 2025)

Maria McCormack: That is okay. I want to move on. Of the 17 reports of serious injury that resulted in hospital admission or death, when was the first of them reported?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Standards of Care, Related Practices and Oversight in Nursing Homes: Discussion (18 Jun 2025)

Maria McCormack: Was there a death related to abuse in the nursing home?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Challenges Relating to the Delivery of Housing: Discussion (Resumed) (17 Jun 2025)

Maria McCormack: My question is for the LDA and plans to accelerate public land transfers in places like Laois. Despite the fact that roughly 2,500 homes were built in the last number of years in the county, we still have 1,164 people or families on the social housing list for Laois. Four years ago, in 2021, that figure was pretty much the same so all of the building that has gone on has not met the need...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Challenges Relating to the Delivery of Housing: Discussion (Resumed) (17 Jun 2025)

Maria McCormack: I welcome that news. The report also states the 28 ha site is classed as moderately constrained for housing but has the potential to yield 680 to 960 homes. What does "moderately constrained" mean?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Challenges Relating to the Delivery of Housing: Discussion (Resumed) (17 Jun 2025)

Maria McCormack: Given that Ms Lawson mentioned Laois County Council, has there been any engagement on other possibilities for land? If the site in question is moderately constrained and we have to wait for ten to 15 years, and considering that I receive calls daily on homelessness and the lack of housing, what does Ms Lawson suggest we consider more urgently for Laois? Is there an opportunity for more...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Challenges Relating to the Delivery of Housing: Discussion (Resumed) (17 Jun 2025)

Maria McCormack: I really welcome that. That is lovely. Thanks a million.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (10 Jun 2025)

Maria McCormack: I rise today furious about the "RTÉ Investigates" programme into Emeis nursing homes, one of which is in my hometown of Portlaoise. Since the broadcast aired, I have been contacted by many families of loved ones who are resident there at present and residents who have passed away. They have no answers. They are devastated and retraumatised. They are demanding answers, as they should....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Report of Housing Commission: Housing Commission (10 Jun 2025)

Maria McCormack: I am sorry; I missed a piece in the middle. Like Deputy Butterly, a lot of my questions have already been answered. Again like Deputy Butterly, I live in a small county, Laois, but our population is growing very significantly. Since the last census, we have grown by 8.5%. Being a commuter town causes serious problems. We have had a very significant influx of people coming into the town...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Report of Housing Commission: Housing Commission (10 Jun 2025)

Maria McCormack: That is definitely the case, and we have the missing middle because of the housing crisis. Being a commuter town, Portlaoise did not always have this problem but now there is such demand, we are not getting the houses built to keep up with it.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Report of Housing Commission: Housing Commission (10 Jun 2025)

Maria McCormack: I understand that but if we are looking at viability, there is land available to be zoned but we do not have developers who are willing to build in these areas. We have a growing population so the demand and need for housing are there but we just do not have the houses to meet it. It is not that we do not have valid areas for this; we have them but we just need investment in the area.

Seanad: Situation in Gaza: Statements (29 May 2025)

Maria McCormack: I acknowledge the Tánaiste’s opening speech on this. I find this a very difficult topic to talk about - 19 months of genocide, 55,000 dead, 50,000 children killed or injured, and if the bombs do not kill them, starvation will. They have no food, no water and no medicine. The word "horrific" does not even feel adequate as it is just so awful. We must play our part in doing what...

Seanad: Dereliction and Building Regeneration Bill 2025: Second Stage (28 May 2025)

Maria McCormack: I thank the Minister of State for coming in. I am glad to speak to this Bill today. Having so many vacant or derelict homes rotting away in our towns, cities and villages while families are living out of tiny hotel rooms in homelessness is absolutely shameful. Definitely having boarded up homes at a time like this is like hoarding food in a famine. For far too long the Government has been...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Challenges Relating to the Delivery of Housing: Discussion (Resumed) (27 May 2025)

Maria McCormack: It is great to get a grand overview of the issues from our guests. I thank them for coming in. It has been very informative and helpful. My question is about how macro-level data is used. It always just seems to focus on the big cities. It must be used to ensure rural towns and villages are not left behind in the wider plans to address the housing crisis. Laois is one of the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Challenges Relating to the Delivery of Housing: Discussion (Resumed) (27 May 2025)

Maria McCormack: There is a need to note the difference in rural counties. There is an affordability gap. In counties like Laois, the average wage has not kept pace with housing prices. According to the latest CSO report, Laois is the second-poorest county next to Longford regarding disposable income. There is a real imbalance there. Is that taken into account? The national strategy does not seem to fit...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Challenges Relating to the Delivery of Housing: Discussion (Resumed) (27 May 2025)

Maria McCormack: I am conscious that we are taking a lot of the spillover as a commuter town to Dublin. A balance is needed with regard to house prices. The average three-bed house is €365,000 in County Laois, which is a small rural county. They are not affordable. It is pushing more and more homelessness. Rents are soaring as well. Demand most definitely exceeds supply. Do the Central Bank...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Challenges Relating to the Delivery of Housing: Discussion (Resumed) (27 May 2025)

Maria McCormack: Absolutely. How do we get more developers to move into these areas? We have land. We are a very rural county. We have zoned land ready to go but small builders cannot get the contracts. How can we look at this with a solution to the problem? How can we get these investors to come into County Laois and other counties like Laois?

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Crime Prevention (21 May 2025)

Maria McCormack: I am delighted the Minister is back in this House. I am deeply troubled by what I am witnessing in our community in Laois and surrounding counties. I am not alone in this concern. Over the past week, I have received numerous calls from frightened and frustrated residents who feel like prisoners in their own homes, living in fear of reckless behaviour and repeat offending. One constituent...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Crime Prevention (21 May 2025)

Maria McCormack: I thank the Minister and appreciate that he gives a thorough response every time he is here. I agree that we need to consider diversion and engage better with the youth diversion services but the issue of youth crime reached crisis point in Laois this week when there was no option and people felt that the youths got away free. There was no deterrent, leading to uproar in the community...